METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING UNIQUE LANDMARKS TO LOCATE INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES AT START-UP

• US 20130054129A1
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inro Technologies Limited
• Inventors: WONG, LISA, GRAHAM, ANDREW EVAN, GOODE, CHRISTOPHER W.
• Application Number:
  US13/219,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054129A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A method and apparatus for using unique landmarks to position industrial vehicles during start-up. In one embodiment, the method designates pre-positioned objects as unique landmarks to position an industrial vehicle at start-up. The method includes identifying a start-up scenario from a plurality of sensor data wherein the start-up scenario may be one of a unique marker start-up or a pre-positioned object start-up. In response to the start-up scenario, locating at least one unique marker or at least one pre-positioned object within a physical environment, wherein the unique marker or pre-positioned object corresponds with a sub-area of the physical environment, and determining industrial vehicle pose in response to the identity of the unique marker or pre-positioned object.

Claims

1. A method of using pre-positioned objects as landmarks to navigate an industrial vehicle, comprising:

identifying a start-up scenario from sensor data, wherein the start-up scenario comprises a unique marker start-up or a pre-positioned object start-up;

in response to the identified start-up scenario, locating either a unique marker or pre-positioned object within a physical environment, wherein the pre-positioned object or unique marker correspond with a sub-area of the physical environment; and

determining industrial vehicle pose in response to the identity of the pre-positioned object or unique marker.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the unique marker or pre-positioned object comprises accessing a database comprising object information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the object information comprises object identity and object pose.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the industrial vehicle pose comprising creating an initial position estimate, driving the industrial vehicle to a new unique marker or pre-positioned object, refining the initial position estimate, correcting the industrial vehicle pose using the refined initial position estimate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique marker comprises a unique identifier that is readable using sensors located upon the industrial vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a barcode, RFID tag, unique structural features, or uniquely positioned reflectors.

7. An apparatus for using pre-positioned object as landmarks to navigate an industrial vehicle, comprising:

a computer coupled to an industrial vehicle, comprising;

an environment based navigation module for identifying a start-up scenario from sensor data, wherein the start-up scenario comprises a unique marker start-up or a pre-positioned object start-up;

in response to the identified start-up scenario, locating either a unique marker or pre-positioned object within a physical environment, wherein the pre-positioned object or unique marker correspond with a sub-area of the physical environment; and

determining industrial vehicle pose in response to the identity of the pre-positioned object or unique marker.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the environmental navigation module identifies the unique marker or prepositioned object by accessing a database comprising object information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the object information comprises object identity and object pose.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the industrial vehicle pose comprises creating an initial position estimate, driving the industrial vehicle to a new unique marker or pre-positioned object, refining the initial position estimate, correcting the industrial vehicle pose using the refined initial position estimate.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the unique landmark comprises a unique identifier that is readable using sensors located upon the industrial vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a barcode, RFID tag, unique structural features, or uniquely positioned reflectors.

13. A computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

identifying a start-up scenario from sensor data, wherein the start-up scenario comprises a unique marker start-up or a pre-positioned object start-up;

in response to the identified start-up scenario, locating either a unique marker or pre-positioned object within a physical environment, wherein the pre-positioned object or unique marker correspond with a sub-area of the physical environment; and

determining industrial vehicle pose in response to the identity of the pre-positioned object or unique marker.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein identifying the unique marker or prepositioned object comprises accessing a database comprising object information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the object information comprises object identity and object pose.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the industrial vehicle pose comprises creating an initial position estimate, driving the industrial vehicle to a new unique marker or pre-positioned object, refining the initial position estimate, correcting the industrial vehicle pose using the refined initial position estimate.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the unique marker comprises a unique identifier that is readable using sensors located upon the industrial vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a barcode, RFID tag, unique structural features, or uniquely positioned reflectors.