Method and apparatus for using unique landmarks to locate industrial vehicles at start-up

• US 9,580,285 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Lisa, Graham, Andrew Evan, Goode, Christopher W., Waltz, Lucas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahne, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US14/254,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/875 for determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/08 Position of single direction-finder fixed by determining direction of a plurality of spaced sources of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

A method and apparatus for using unique landmarks to position industrial vehicles during start-up. In one embodiment, a method of using pre-positioned objects as landmarks to operate an industrial vehicle is provided. The method comprises identifying a start-up scenario from sensor data, wherein the start-up scenario comprises a unique marker start-up or a pre-positioned object start-up. in response to the identified start-up scenario, either a unique marker or pre-positioned object is identified within a physical environment, wherein the pre-positioned object or unique marker corresponds with a sub-area of the physical environment. The industrial vehicle pose is determined in response to the identity of the pre-positioned object or unique marker and the industrial vehicle is operated based on the determined industrial vehicle pose.

Claims

1. A method of correcting pose uncertainty when operating an industrial vehicle comprising one or more sensors, one or more lifting elements, and a mobile computer, wherein the method comprises using the industrial vehicle to:

receive measurement data from the one or more sensors of the industrial vehicle;

estimate a current pose of the industrial vehicle in an environment based on the measurement data;

navigate the industrial vehicle to a pallet or product load utilizing the current pose estimate and data from the one or more sensors of the industrial vehicle;

automatically pick-up the pallet or product load with the one or more lifting elements of the industrial vehicle;

retrieve a position of the automatically picked-up pallet or product load from placed object data associated with the automatically picked-up pallet or product load;

develop a new pose of the industrial vehicle using the retrieved position of the automatically picked-up pallet or product load; and

navigate the industrial vehicle through the environment utilizing the new pose and data from the one or more sensors of the industrial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer is used to scan the pallet or product load for a unique identifier with the one or more sensors of the industrial vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the placed object data is associated with the unique identifier stored in a warehouse management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the pallet or product load is retrieved from a central computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the position of the pallet or product load comprises an object identity and an object pose.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the central computer is a warehouse management system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer is mounted to the industrial vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the industrial vehicle is an automated guided vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment is segmented into a plurality of sub-areas.