Bot having high speed stability

• US 9,550,225 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Sullivan, Robert, Buzan, Forrest, Toebes, Stephen C., Eccles, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, JELANI A
• Application Number:
  US15/243,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 155 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/36 collapsible or like thin-walled tubes, e.g. for toothpaste
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

An autonomous transport vehicle for transporting items in a storage and retrieval system is provided. The autonomous transport vehicle includes at least two drive wheels and a controller, where each drive wheel is independently driven and a drive wheel encoder is disposed adjacent each drive wheel. The controller, in communication with the drive wheel encoders, is configured to determine a kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage and retrieval system based on incremental data from the drive wheel encoders only and independent of drive wheel slippage.

Claims

1. A method for transporting items in a storage and retrieval system with an autonomous transport vehicle, the method comprising:

independently driving at least two drive wheels of the autonomous transport vehicle;

disposing a drive wheel encoder adjacent each drive wheel; and

identifying, with a controller in communication with the encoders, a kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage and retrieval system based only on incremental data received by the controller from the drive wheel encoders, independent of drive wheel slippage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, command logic for operating the autonomous transport vehicle based on the kinematic state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing one or more of a wheel encoder for each drive wheel, an inertial sensor, at least one storage shelf location sensor and at least one line following sensor on the autonomous transport vehicle, and

receiving data, with the controller, from the one or more of the wheel encoder for each drive wheel, the inertial sensor, the at least one storage shelf location sensor and the at least one line following sensor for identifying the kinematic state.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, a position of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, with the controller, the position of the autonomous transport vehicle based on a drive wheel having a lowest velocity of the at least two drive wheels when a positive torque is applied by the at least two drive wheels.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, with the controller, the position of the autonomous transport vehicle based on a drive wheel having a highest velocity of the at least two drive wheels when a negative torque is applied by the at least two drive wheels.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising filtering spurious data from each of the encoders with an extended Kalman filter of the controller.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising sensing guide lines on a surface of the storage and retrieval system with at least one line following sensor of the autonomous transport vehicle, and

weighting data, with the controller, from each of the encoders based on a guide line deviation signals provided by the at least one line following sensor.

9. The method of claim 4, verifying, with the controller, a position of the autonomous transport vehicle by detecting one or more datum lines on a surface of the storage and retrieval system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing at least one releasably lockable caster wheel on the autonomous transport vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, a position of the autonomous transport vehicle within a storage aisle of the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, a position of the autonomous transport vehicle on a transfer deck of the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, a position of the autonomous transport vehicle with respect to a storage shelf of the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage, and

effecting placement position of a payload carried by the autonomous transport vehicle on the storage shelf from the determined position of the autonomous transport vehicle.