Bot having high speed stability

• US 9,946,265 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2017
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• 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:
  US15/412,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20170131720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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, the method comprising:

providing an autonomous transport vehicle, the autonomous transport vehicle having a frame;

providing a controller connected to the autonomous transport vehicle;

independently driving at least two drive wheels mounted to the frame;

selectively locking and unlocking swiveling of at least one caster wheel mounted to the frame, the at least one caster wheel having a releasably lockable swivel lock so that when unlocked the releasably lockable swivel lock allows swiveling of the at least one caster wheel relative to the frame and when locked prevents swiveling of the caster wheel relative to the frame; and

effecting, with the controller, locking and unlocking of the releasably lockable swivel lock during a transport of items through the storage and retrieval system based on a predetermined kinematic state that correlates a speed of travel of the autonomous transport vehicle and a turn angle of the autonomous transport vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising individually driving the at least two drive wheels based on command logic generated from a determination of the predetermined kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying, with the controller, a differential torque to the at least two drive wheels for effecting curvilinear travel of the autonomous transport vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining, with the controller, the releasably lockable swivel lock in a locked state when a lateral position and yaw angle of the autonomous transport vehicle are below a predetermined deviation value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising unlocking, with the controller, the releasably lockable swivel lock substantially during an application of differential torque to the at least two drive wheels.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an actuator, a first locking member and a second locking member connected to a wheel of the at least one caster wheel, the actuator is configured for a pulse release of the first locking member from the second locking member for unlocking the releasably lockable swivel lock.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising substantially aligning the first locking member and second locking member during substantially straight line travel of the autonomous transport vehicle and biasing the first locking member to automatically engage the second locking member for locking the releasably lockable swivel lock.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the autonomous transport vehicle has a longitudinal axis substantially aligned with the straight line travel of the autonomous transport vehicle and a lateral axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis, the first locking member being configured to engage the second locking member in a lateral direction.

9. A method comprising:

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

selectively locking and unlocking swiveling of at least one caster wheel having a releasably lockable swivel lock so that when unlocked the releasably lockable swivel lock allows swiveling of the at least one caster wheel and when locked prevents swiveling of the caster wheel; and

estimating, with a controller including a state estimator, a kinematic state that correlates a speed of travel of the autonomous transport vehicle and a turn angle of the autonomous transport vehicle wherein the controller issues control commands to the at least two drive wheels and the releasably lockable swivel lock of the at least one caster wheel based on the estimated kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising estimating, with the controller, a state of the autonomous transport vehicle based on data obtained from one or more sensors of the autonomous transport vehicle.

11. An autonomous transport vehicle for transporting items in a storage and retrieval system, the autonomous transport vehicle comprising:

a frame;

at least two independently driven drive wheels mounted to the frame;

a drive wheel encoder disposed adjacent each independently driven drive wheel;

at least one caster wheel mounted to the frame and having a releasably lockable swivel lock; and

a controller in communication with each drive wheel encoder, wherein the controller is configured to identify a kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage and retrieval system based only on incremental data received by the controller from each drive wheel encoder independent of drive wheel slippage, and wherein the controller is configured to lock and unlock the releasably lockable swivel lock during a transport of items through the storage and retrieval system based on the kinematic state of the autonomous transport vehicle.

12. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine command logic for operating the autonomous transport vehicle based on the kinematic state.

13. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the autonomous transport vehicle includes one or more of the drive wheel encoder for each drive wheel, an inertial sensor, at least one storage shelf location sensor and at least one line following sensor, wherein the controller is configured to receive data from the one or more of the drive 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.

14. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a position of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

15. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the autonomous transport vehicle based on a drive wheel having a lowest velocity of the at least two independently driven drive wheels when a positive torque is applied by the at least two independently driven drive wheels.

16. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the autonomous transport vehicle based on a drive wheel having a highest velocity of the at least two independently driven drive wheels when a negative torque is applied by the at least two independently driven drive wheels.

17. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured with an extended Kalman filter for filtering spurious data from each drive wheel encoder.

18. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 14, further comprising at least one line following sensor configured to sense guide lines on a surface of the storage and retrieval system, the controller being further configured to weight data from each drive wheel encoder based on a guide line deviation signals provided by the at least one line following sensor.

19. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to verify a position of the autonomous transport vehicle by detecting one or more datum lines on a surface of the storage and retrieval system.

20. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of the autonomous transport vehicle within a storage aisle of the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

21. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of the autonomous transport vehicle on a transfer deck of the storage and retrieval system independent of drive wheel slippage.

22. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine 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

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