System and method for tracking guiding lines by an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,389,614 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utron Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Unitronics Automated Solutions Ltd. (Utron Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shani, Haim
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramesh, Krishnan
• Application Number:
  US14/247,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 30/02 engaging the tyre, e.g. the tyre being mounted on the wheel rim
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 30/10 characterised by being provided on a dolly
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0083 Wheeled supports connected to the transported object
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/24 characterised by use of dollies for horizontal transport , i.e. cars being permanently parked on wheeled platforms
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/305 using car-gripping transfer means
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/36 characterised by use of freely-movable dollies
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

An autonomous transporting tool is adapted to travel along a guiding line. The tool comprises two transporting elements. Each of the transporting elements comprise autonomous propulsion means, a control system and an optical system. The optical system comprises two cameras and two lighting units. The system is adapted to identify the location of the image of a guiding line within a received image of the floor and to provide steering commands adapted to steer the transporting tool so that the image of the guiding line is located substantially in the center of the received image.

Claims

1. An autonomous transporting tool (TT)configured to travel along a guiding line comprising:

a first transporting tool element(TTE); and

a second transporting tool element (TTE),

each of said transporting tool elements comprising;

four wheels, each of them is separately motorized by a respective motor;

a steering mechanism comprising two of the wheels connected to an axle that is pivotally connected to a main body of the transporting tool element by a pivot;

a control system;

an optical system comprising two cameras and two lighting units, wherein a first camera and a first lighting unit are located proximal to a first end of said transporting tool element and said second camera and said second lighting unit are located proximal to a second end of said transporting tool element and wherein said first and second lighting units are directed to illuminate the field of view each of its respective camera; and

communication unit that allows said first transporting tool element and said second transporting tool element to communicate at least with each other,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are mechanically disengaged,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are configured to communicate with each other via a wireless communication channel that manages and controls the distance between them and coordinates movements of the first and second transporting tool elements, and

wherein said control system is configured to;

control a location of the first transporting tool element to thereby lift a first pair of wheels of a vehicle onto the first transporting tool element;

control a location of the second transporting tool element to thereby lift a second pair of wheels of the vehicle onto the second transporting tool element; and

control each of said steering mechanisms and said respective motors to maintain the distance between the first and second transporting tool elements to be equal to the distance between the front and the rear axles of the vehicle.

2. The autonomous transporting tool of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and said second transporting tool elements further comprises distance measuring sensor configured to measure the distance between said first and said second transporting tool elements.

3. The autonomous transporting tool of claim 1, further comprising at least one lateral optical sensor that determines the location of a respective TTE with respect to a respective pair of wheels of a vehicle.

4. The autonomous transporting tool of claim 1, wherein said communication unit is further configured to communicate with a central control unit.

5. The autonomous transporting tool of claim 1, wherein said steering mechanism is responsive to location of images of said guiding line in at least one of said first or said second optical systems of at least one of said first and said second TTEs.

6. A system for guiding at least one autonomous transporting tool (TT) configured to travel along a guiding line, the system comprising:

at least one autonomous transporting tool (TT), said TT comprising;

a first transporting tool element (TTE); and

a second transporting tool element (TTE),

each of said transporting tool elements comprising;

four wheels each of them is separately motorized by a respective motor;

a steering mechanism comprising two of the wheels connected to an axle that is pivotally connected to a main body of the transporting tool element by a pivot;

a control system;

an optical system comprising two cameras and two lighting units, wherein a first camera and a first lighting unit are located proximal to a first end of said transporting tool element and said second camera and said second lighting unit are located proximal to a second end of said transporting tool element and wherein said first and second lighting units are direct to illuminate the field of view each of its respective camera; and

communication unit that allows said first transporting tool element and said second transporting tool element to communicate at least with each other,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are mechanically disengaged,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are configured to communicate with each other via a wireless communication channel that manages and controls the distance between them and coordinates movements of the first and second transporting tool elements,

wherein said control system is configured to;

control a location of the first transporting tool element to thereby lift a first pair of wheels of a vehicle onto the first transporting tool element;

control a location of the second transporting tool element to thereby lift a second pair of wheels of the vehicle onto the second transporting tool element; and

control each of said steering mechanisms and said respective motors to maintain the distance between the first and second transporting tool elements to be equal to the distance between the front and the rear axles of the vehicle; and

a central controller that controls operations involved in operating a parking space in which the vehicle is to be parked.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of said first and said second transporting tool elements further comprising distance measuring sensor configured to measure the distance between said first and said second transporting tool elements.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said autonomous transporting tool further comprises at least one lateral optical sensor that determines the location of a respective TTE with respect to a respective wheel of a vehicle.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said communication unit is further configured to communicate with said central control unit.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein said steering mechanism is responsive to location of images of said guiding line in at least one of said first or said second optical systems of at least one of said first and said second TTEs.

11. A method for guiding an autonomous transporting tool (TT) along a guiding line comprising:

providing two transporting tool elements (TTEs) each comprising;

four wheels, each of them is separately motorized by a respective motor;

a steering mechanism comprising two of the wheels connected to an axle that is pivotally connected to a main body of the transporting tool elements by a pivot;

a control system;

an optical system comprising two cameras and two lighting units, wherein a first camera and a first lighting unit are located proximal to a first end of said transporting tool element and said second camera and said second lighting unit are located proximal to a second end of said transporting tool element and wherein said first and second lighting units are direct to illuminate the field of view each of its respective camera; and

communication unit that allows said first transporting tool element and said second transporting tool element to communicate at least with each other,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are mechanically disengaged,

wherein said first and second transporting tool elements are configured to communicate with each other via a wireless communication channel to manage and control the distance between them and coordinate movements of the first and second tool elements,

wherein said control system is configured to;

control a location of the first transporting tool element to thereby lift a first pair of wheels of a vehicle onto the first transporting tool element;

control a location of the second transporting tool element to thereby lift a second pair of wheels of the vehicle onto the second transporting tool element; and

control said steering mechanism and said respective motors to maintain the distance between the first and second transporting tool elements to be equal to the distance between the front and the rear axles of the vehicle,

illuminating the scene in the FOV of each of said optical systems;

receiving image from at least one optical system in each of said TTEs;

identifying in said image the image of a guiding line and its deviation from the center of said image in said at least one optical system;

determining required steering changes and providing steering instructions to said steering mechanism based on said required changes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

repeating the step of identifying and the step of determining until said deviation is smaller than a predefined value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said control system of said leading TTE issues steering commands to said leading TTE to decrease the value of said deviation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said control system of said leading TTE issues steering commands to the trailing TTE to follow said leading TTE.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the control system of the TTE which is leading the travel controls the travel.