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Autonomous transport navigation to a shipping location using elements of a wireles node network

  • US 9,510,316 B2
  • Filed: 11/12/2014
  • Issued: 11/29/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A node-enabled transport system, comprising:

  • an autonomous vehicle configured to move from an initial location to a shipping location in response to control input;

    a control system disposed on the autonomous vehicle, the control system having an output coupled to the control input of the autonomous vehicle, the control system further having at least one input for receiving an instruction on a desired movement for the autonomous vehicle and producing a control signal on the output responsive to the instruction received;

    a mobile master node associated with the autonomous vehicle, the mobile master node providing a directional output signal as the instruction to the input of the control system, wherein the mobile master node is one of a plurality of nodes in a wireless node network; and

    wherein the mobile master node further comprisesa node processing unit,a node memory coupled to the node processing unit, the node memory maintaining code for execution by the node processing unit,a short-range communication interface coupled to the processing unit and configured to communicate with an ID node associated with the shipping location, wherein the ID node is another of the plurality of nodes and is configured to communicate directly with the mobile master node over the short-range communication interface but not configured to communicate directly with a server in the network,a longer range communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and configured to communicate directly with the server;

    wherein the node processing unit of the mobile master node, when executing the code maintained on the node memory, is configured todetect, over the short-range communication interface, a signal broadcast from the ID node associated with the shipping location,transmit an instruction over the short-range communication interface to the ID node, the instruction causing the ID node to lower a power level of the signal broadcast from the ID node,identify the signal broadcast from the ID node with the lowered power level,determine a direction from the mobile master node to the ID node based upon the detected signal with the lowered power level, andprovide the determined direction as the instruction to the input of the control system.

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