Fiducial markers with a small set of values
First Claim
1. A system for managing inventory items, comprising:
- a plurality of fiducial markers distributed in a pattern on a floor of an inventory facility, each of the plurality of fiducial markers encoding respective fiducial value information using a readable code and at least one attribute of the fiducial marker, the at least one attribute including at least one of;
(a) an orientation of the fiducial marker relative to a reference direction, (b) a color of the fiducial marker, (c) a size of the fiducial marker, or (d) a shape of the fiducial marker; and
a drive unit including an image capture device configured such that a respective subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers can be imaged by the image capture device for each of a plurality of respective locations of the drive unit on the floor, the drive unit being configured to;
(a) capture at least one image of a subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers, (b) determine or receive a location of the drive unit, the location being based on processing of the at least one captured image, and (c) move the drive unit based at least in part on the at least one captured image.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for managing inventory items includes a portable inventory holder and an unmanned drive unit configured to move the inventory holder between locations in an inventory facility. The inventory facility includes a plurality of uniquely identifiable fiducial markers having a small set of values distributed in a pattern. The drive unit captures at least one image of a subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers. The at least one captured image is processed to determine a location of the drive unit within the facility. A path is determined along which the drive unit moves to an inventory holder and moves the inventory holder to another location. The pattern of fiducial markers can include one or more repeated instances of uniquely identifiable fiducial markers. A fiducial marker can encode information using a readable code and at least one attribute of the fiducial marker.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for managing inventory items, comprising:
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a plurality of fiducial markers distributed in a pattern on a floor of an inventory facility, each of the plurality of fiducial markers encoding respective fiducial value information using a readable code and at least one attribute of the fiducial marker, the at least one attribute including at least one of;
(a) an orientation of the fiducial marker relative to a reference direction, (b) a color of the fiducial marker, (c) a size of the fiducial marker, or (d) a shape of the fiducial marker; anda drive unit including an image capture device configured such that a respective subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers can be imaged by the image capture device for each of a plurality of respective locations of the drive unit on the floor, the drive unit being configured to;
(a) capture at least one image of a subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers, (b) determine or receive a location of the drive unit, the location being based on processing of the at least one captured image, and (c) move the drive unit based at least in part on the at least one captured image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for managing inventory items, the method comprising:
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instructing an unmanned drive unit to move about an inventory facility having a floor; capturing at least one image of a subset of a plurality of fiducial markers, distributed in a pattern on the floor, using an image capture device mounted to the drive unit, each of the plurality of fiducial markers encoding respective fiducial value information using a readable code and at least one attribute of the fiducial marker, the at least one attribute including at least one of;
(a) an orientation of the fiducial marker relative to a reference direction, (b) a color of the fiducial marker, (c) a size of the fiducial marker, or (d) a shape of the fiducial marker;processing the at least one captured image to locate the drive unit within the inventory facility; and instructing the drive unit to move in the inventory facility based at least in part on the at least one captured image. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for managing inventory items, comprising:
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a plurality of fiducial markers distributed in a pattern on a floor of an inventory facility, each of the plurality of fiducial markers encoding respective fiducial value information using a readable code, the pattern of fiducial markers including repeated instances of one or more uniquely identifiable fiducial markers; and a drive unit including an image capture device configured such that a respective subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers can be imaged by the image capture device for each of a plurality of respective locations of the drive unit on the floor, the drive unit being configured to;
(a) capture at least one image of a subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers, (b) determine or receive a location of the drive unit, the location being based on processing of the at least one captured image, and (c) move the drive unit based at least in part on the at least one captured image. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification