System for determining position of a vehicle

• US 9,988,787 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROBO Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ROBO Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Liang, Zhang, Linli
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US15/071,879
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/841 Devices for controlling and guiding the whole machine, e.g. by feeler elements and reference lines placed exteriorly of the machine construction of roads E01C19/008
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle

Abstract

A system configured to be mounted to a vehicle including an implement. The system may be configured to determine positions, coordinates, rotation angles (pitch, roll, and yaw), and slopes that may be utilized for autonomous control of the vehicle and the implement. In some cases, the sensor system may include a combination of one or more global positioning sensors mounted on top of a vehicle cab, at least one measurement unit mounted on the implement, and/or additional measurement units mounted on the vehicle body to collect data associated with the movement of the vehicle and implement.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a vehicle having an implement for autonomous movement comprising:

a first measurement unit mounted on a body of the vehicle, the first measurement unit to collect first data associated with a movement and rotation of the body of the vehicle;

a second measurement unit mounted on the implement of the vehicle, the second measurement unit to collect second data associated with a movement and a rotation of the implement of the vehicle;

a first global positioning sensor mounted on the body of the vehicle, the first global positioning sensor to decode third data associated with a coordinate of the first global positioning sensor from a satellite signal; and

a position recognizing system, including at least one processor to perform operations including to;

determine a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with a body point of interest based at least in part on the first data;

determine a coordinate associated with the body point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor and a first geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and the body point of interest; and

determine a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with an implement point of interest based at least in part on the second data;

determine a coordinate associated with the implement point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor, a second geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and a first reference point, and a third geometric offset between the first reference point and the implement point of interest.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first measurement unit includes a gyroscope.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the body point of interest is a gravitational center of the vehicle along a bottom plane of the vehicle.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the position recognizing system is remote from the vehicle.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a second global positioning sensor mounted on the body of the vehicle, the second global positioning sensor to decode fourth data associated with a coordinate of the second global positioning sensor from the satellite signal; and

wherein the position recognizing system determines the body point of interest based at least in part on the coordinate of the second global positioning sensor.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first reference point is associated with a lift frame.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a third measurement unit mounted on a lift frame of the vehicle, the third measurement unit to collect fourth data associated with a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with the lift frame; and

wherein the position recognizing system determines the implement point of interest based at least in part on the pitch angle, the roll angle, and the yaw angle associated with the lift frame.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the position recognizing system provides the coordinates of the body point of interest and the coordinates of the implement point of interest to a remote system via a wireless communication channel.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the position recognizing system alters a trajectory of the vehicle based at least in part on the coordinates of the body point of interest and the coordinates of the implement point of interest.

10. An earthmoving vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

an implement disposed forward of the vehicle body;

an implement support including a lift frame;

a first measurement unit mounted on the vehicle body, the first measurement unit to collect data associated with a movement and rotation of the vehicle body;

a second measurement unit mounted on the implement of the vehicle, the second measurement unit to collect data associated with movement and a rotation of the implement;

a first global positioning sensor mounted on the vehicle body, the first global positioning sensor to decode third data associated with a first set of coordinate associated with the first global positioning sensor from a satellite signal; and

a position recognizing system mounted on the vehicle body, the position recognizing system including at least one processor to perform operations to;

determine a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with a body point of interest based at least in part on the first data;

determine a coordinate associated with the body point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor and a first geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and the body point of interest; and

determine a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with an implement point of interest based at least in part on the second data;

determine a coordinate associated with the implement point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor, a second geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and a first reference point, and a third geometric offset between the first reference point and the implement point of interest.

11. The earthmoving vehicle as recited in claim 10, wherein the implement is at least one of:

a blade;

a bucket;

or

a shovel.

12. The earthmoving vehicle as recited in claim 10, wherein:

implement point of interest is along the bottom of the implement.

13. The earthmoving vehicle as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the vehicle body includes a bottom plane and the body point of interest is located at a gravitational center of the bottom plane.

14. The earthmoving vehicle as recited in claim 10, further comprising

a third measurement unit mounted on the lift frame, the third measurement unit to collect data associated with rotational angles of the lift frame;

wherein the lift frame includes a first point of attachment to the vehicle body and a second point of attachment to the vehicle body, the lift frame having a lift frame origin point positioned between the first point of attachment and the second point of attachment; and

wherein the position recognizing system;

determines coordinates associated with the lift frame origin point based at least in part on a first geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and the lift frame origin point.

15. The earthmoving vehicle as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a third measurement unit mounted on the lift frame, the third measurement unit to collect data associated with a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with the lift frame;

wherein the lift frame includes a first point of attachment to the vehicle body and a second point of attachment to the vehicle body, the lift frame having a lift frame origin point positioned between the first point of attachment and the second point of attachment, and the lift frame attaches to the implement at a third point of attachment;

and

wherein an implement origin point is located at the third point of attachment; and

wherein the position recognizing system;

determines coordinates associated with the lift frame origin point based at least in part on the a first geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and the lift frame origin point; and

determines coordinates associated with the implement origin point based at least in part on the pitch angle, the roll angle, and the yaw angle associated with the lift frame, the coordinates associated with the lift frame origin point, and a third known geometric offset between the lift frame origin point and the implement origin point.

16. The vehicle as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a second global positioning sensor mounted on the vehicle body, the second global positioning sensor to decode data associated with a third set of coordinates associated with the second global positioning sensor from a satellite signal; and

wherein the position recognizing system determines the coordinate associated with the implement point of interest based at least in part third set of coordinates.

17. An method comprising:

receiving first data from a first measurement unit mounted on a body of the vehicle, the first data associated with a movement and a rotation of the body of the vehicle;

receiving second data from a second measurement unit mounted on an implement of a vehicle, the second data associated with a movement and rotations of the implement;

receiving first global positioning sensor data from a first global positioning sensor mounted on the vehicle body, the first global positioning sensor to decode third data associated with a first set of coordinates associated with the first global positioning sensor from a satellite signal;

determining a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with a body point of interest based at least in part on the first data;

determining a coordinate associated with the body point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor and a first geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and the body point of interest; and

determining a pitch angle, a roll angle, and a yaw angle associated with an implement point of interest based at least in part on the second data;

determining a coordinate associated with the implement point of interest based at least in part on the third data associated with the coordinate of the first global positioning sensor, a second geometric offset between the first global positioning sensor and a first reference point, and a third geometric offset between the first reference point and the implement point of interest.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising

receiving fourth data from a third measurement unit mounted on the lift frame, the fourth data associated with the pitch angle, the roll angle, and the yaw angle associated with the lift frame.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the first reference point is associated with a lift frame.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the body point of interest is a gravitational center of the vehicle along a bottom plane of the vehicle

body point of interest is located at a gravitational center of a bottom plane of the vehicle.