Methods and systems for automated transportation of items between variable endpoints

• US 9,147,173 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Joseph L., Vu, Clara, Sandin, Paul E., Grinnell, Charles M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/285,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/247, 700/248, 700/258, 700/259, 701/50, 414/467
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• 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 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An automated system for transporting items between variable endpoints includes a guidance system for identifying the endpoints and at least one autonomous mobile robot interacting with the guidance system for automatically moving items between the endpoints. The at least one robot is configured to (a) collect an item to be transported at a source end point, (b) travel to a destination endpoint utilizing the guidance system to locate the destination endpoint, (c) deliver the item to the destination endpoint, and (d) repeat (a) through (c) for a given set of items. The guidance system is dynamically reconfigurable to identify new endpoints.

Claims

1. An automated dynamically reconfigurable system for transporting items between changeable source and destination endpoints, comprising:

a guidance system for identifying the changeable source and destination endpoints; and

at least one autonomous mobile robot interacting with the guidance system for automatically moving items between the source and destination endpoints, said at least one robot being configured to (a) collect an item to be transported at a source endpoint, (b) travel to a destination endpoint utilizing the guidance system to located the destination endpoint, (c) deliver the item to the destination endpoint, and (d) repeat (a) through (c) for a given set of items;

wherein the guidance system is dynamically reconfigurable while the at least one autonomous robot is in operation to identify new endpoints by changing the source endpoint at which items are to be collected and/or the destination endpoint to which items collected at the source endpoint are to be delivered, and the at least one autonomous mobile robot is configured to automatically detect and dynamically adapt to the new source and/or destination endpoints while in operation in real time upon changing of the source and/or destination endpoints and without the at least one autonomous robot being previously programmed or reprogrammed by an operator with the new source and/or destination endpoints.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance system defines a route to the endpoints comprising route markers that are detectable by the at least one robot to guide the at least one robot to the endpoints.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each marker comprises a retro-reflective material and the at least one robot each include a marker detecting sensor for detecting the retro-reflective material.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the marker detecting sensor comprises a photodiode-based sensor and one or more radiation sources to servo on the marker.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one robot is configured to servo on the marker at an offset position relative to the marker, wherein the offset position can be automatically changed to avoid colliding with another robot servoing on the marker.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance system comprises a plurality of beacons, each identifying a different endpoint.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance system comprises a plurality of beacons, each identifying a series of intermediate locations leading to an endpoint.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance system comprises a plurality of beacons, and wherein each beacon includes an infrared emitter and the at least one robot includes a sensor for detecting signals from beacons.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance system comprises a plurality of beacons, and wherein each beacon displays a unique pattern and the at least one robot includes a camera system that can recognize the pattern.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot includes a range sensor to detect obstacles or other robots in its travel path.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one robot is configured to change its travel path to avoid the obstacle or other robot blocking its travel path or to wait until the travel path is unblocked.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the range sensor is capable of distinguishing between detected obstacles and detected robots.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot comprises a plurality of robots, and each of the robots is configured to detect the presence of other robots and to form a queue when another robot is detected in its travel path at an end point.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one robot includes a mechanism to load or unload items at endpoints.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the robot enables items to be manually loaded or unloaded at endpoints.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each robot comprises:

a chassis;

an apparatus on the chassis for carrying an item;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis;

a subsystem on the chassis for interacting with the guidance system;

an obstacle detection subsystem on the chassis;

a controller on the chassis responsive to the subsystem for interacting with the guidance system and the obstacle detection subsystem and being configured to control the drive subsystem to travel between endpoints.

17. A method of transporting items using an autonomous mobile robot between changeable source and destination endpoints established at given locations, said method implemented in a microprocessor-based controller in the autonomous mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) controlling the autonomous mobile robot to automatically identify and travel to a source endpoint to collect an item at the source endpoint to be transported;

(b) controlling the autonomous mobile robot to automatically identify and travel to a destination endpoint with the item to deliver the item to the destination endpoint;

(c) repeating (a) and (b) for a given set of items; and

(d) controlling the autonomous mobile robot to automatically detect a changed location of one or both of the source and destination endpoints, and to dynamically adapt to the changed location of the one or both of the source and destination endpoints in real time while the autonomous mobile robot is in operation to repeat steps (a) through (c), without previous programming or reprogramming of the autonomous mobile by an operator with the changed location of the source and/or destination endpoints.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the source endpoint and a destination endpoint comprises defining a route between the endpoints using route markers that are detectable by the at least one robot to guide the at least one robot to the endpoints.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein each marker comprises a retro-reflective material and the at least one robot includes a marker detecting sensor for detecting the retro reflective material.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the marker detecting sensor comprises a photodiode-based sensor and one or more radiation sources to servo on the marker.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising controlling the autonomous mobile robot to servo on the marker at an offset position relative to the marker, wherein the offset position can be automatically changed to avoid colliding with another robot servoing on the marker.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the source and a destination endpoint comprises placing a plurality of beacons at selected locations, each identifying a different endpoint.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the source endpoint and destination endpoint comprises placing a plurality of beacons at selected locations, each identifying a series of intermediate locations leading to an endpoint.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the source and destination endpoints are established by placing a plurality of beacons at selected locations, and wherein each beacon includes an infrared emitter and the at least one robot includes a sensor for detecting signals from beacons.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the establishing the source and destination endpoints are established by placing a plurality of beacons at selected locations, and wherein each beacon displays a unique pattern and the at least one robot includes a camera system that can recognize the pattern.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot includes a range sensor to detect obstacles or other robots in its travel path.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one robot is configured to change its travel path to avoid the obstacle or other robot blocking its travel path or to wait until the travel path is unblocked.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the range sensor is capable of distinguishing between detected obstacles and detected robots.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot comprises a plurality of robots, and each of the robots is configured to detect the presence of other robots and to form a queue when another robot is detected in its travel path at an end point.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the at least one robot includes a mechanism to load or unload items at endpoints.

31. The method of claim 17, further comprising manually loading or unloading items at endpoints.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein each robot comprises:

a chassis;

an apparatus on the chassis for carrying an item;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis;

a subsystem on the chassis for interacting with the guidance system;

an obstacle detection subsystem on the chassis;

a controller on the chassis responsive to the subsystem for interacting with the guidance system and the obstacle detection subsystem and being configured to control the drive subsystem to travel between endpoints.