CONTROL FOR AN AUTONOMOUS CONVEYER VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN AUTONOMOUS CONVEYER VEHICLE

• US 20110106362A1
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Seitz, Christian
• Application Number:
  US13/001,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106362A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/416 characterised by control of velocity, acceleration or deceleration G05B19/19 takes precedence
• 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 2219/31002 Computer controlled agv conveys workpieces between buffer and cell
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31006 Monitoring of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31008 Cooperation mobile robots, carrying common pallet, object or pushing together
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0216 Vehicle for transporting goods in a warehouse, factory or similar
• 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

A sensor-based control permits an autonomous conveyor vehicle to carry out intelligent driving behavior which takes into account individual properties of the freight or cargo that is to be conveyed. For example, the acceleration and braking behavior of the autonomous conveyor vehicle can be selected as a function of the stability of the freight or cargo. A route or a parking place at which particular environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity) occur can be planned using sensor measured values of a sensor network. The relatively advanced intelligence of the autonomous conveyor vehicle optimizes the handling of the freight or cargo and obviates the need for camera-based monitoring. For example, the loss of the freight or cargo from the loading surface can be detected by a sensor and signaled automatically.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A control system for an autonomous guided vehicle, the autonomous guided vehicle having a loading area for carrying freight or cargo, and the control system being configured to control a driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle as a function of a property of the freight or cargo, comprising:

a wireless interface for receiving information from a sensor network having sensors installed in an environment of the autonomous guided vehicle and configured to measure environmental conditions;

wherein the property of the freight or cargo specifies environmental conditions required by the freight or cargo; and

a controller configured, on a basis of information received from the sensor network, to plan a route or parking place for the autonomous guided vehicle at which the environmental conditions required by the freight or cargo will be satisfied.

21. The control system according to claim 20, which further comprises:

a sensor capable of measuring a position or a weight of the freight or cargo; and

means for stopping the autonomous guided vehicle or for outputting a warning message if a sensor measurement indicates that the freight or cargo has slipped or fallen off.

22. The control system to according claim 20, wherein:

said wireless interface is enabled to receive the property of the freight or cargo;

a processing unit is configured to determine limit values for an acceleration, curve negotiation, or braking of the autonomous guided vehicle from the property of the freight or cargo, the limit values avoiding a possibility that the freight or cargo may slip off or become damaged; and

a driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle is controlled so that the limit values will not be exceeded.

23. The control system according to claim 22, which further comprises:

an acceleration sensor; and

wherein the driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle is controlled, on the basis of measured values of the acceleration sensor, so that the limit values will not be exceeded.

24. The control system according to claim 22, wherein said wireless interface is configured for reading out RFID tags attached to the freight or cargo and containing information about the property of the freight or cargo.

25. The control system according to claim 22, wherein said wireless interface is configured for receiving a transport order which specifies the property of the freight or cargo.

26. The control system according to claim 22, wherein:

said wireless interface is configured for communication with other autonomous guided vehicles; and

wherein the control system is configured to synchronize the driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle with at least one second autonomous guided vehicle, using said wireless interface, so that bulky freight or cargo may be transported jointly by two or more autonomous guided vehicles.

27. An autonomous guided vehicle, comprising a control system according to claim 20.

28. A method for operating an autonomous guided vehicle, the method which comprises:

loading a load area of the autonomous guided vehicle with freight or cargo;

controlling a movement of the autonomous guided vehicle with a control system as a function of a property of the freight or cargo;

receiving information from a sensor network having sensors installed in an environment of the autonomous guided vehicle and measuring environmental conditions;

deriving from the property of the freight or cargo environmental conditions required by the freight or cargo; and

based on the information from the sensor network, planning a route or parking place for the autonomous guided vehicle at which the required environmental conditions needed by the freight or cargo are satisfied.

29. The method according to claim 28, which further comprises:

measuring a position or weight of the freight or cargo with a sensor; and

if the sensor measurement indicates that the freight or cargo will slip or fall off, stopping the autonomous guided vehicle or outputting a warning message.

30. The method according to claim 28, which comprises:

receiving information concerning the property of the freight or cargo via a wireless interface;

determining from the property of the freight or cargo, with a processor unit, limit values for an acceleration, a curve negotiation, or braking of the autonomous guided vehicle, with slippage or damage to the freight or cargo being prevented below the limit values; and

controlling the driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle so that the limit values are not exceeded.

31. The method according to claim 30, which comprises using the measured values of an acceleration sensor to control the driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle so that the limit values will not be exceeded.

32. The method according to claim 30, which comprises attaching RFID tags to the freight or cargo which contain the property of the freight or cargo are read out via the wireless interface.

33. The method according to claim 30, which comprises receiving a transport order that specifies the property of the freight or cargo via the wireless interface.

34. The method according to claim 30, which comprises synchronizing the driving behavior of the autonomous guided vehicle by communication via the wireless interface with at least one second autonomous guided vehicle so that bulky freight or cargo may be carried jointly with the second autonomous guided vehicle.

35. A computer-readable data medium, comprising computer program code stored on the computer-readable medium for executing the method according to claim 28 when loaded into and run on a computer.

36. A computer program, comprising computer program code which, when run on a computer executes the method according to claim 28.