Systems and methods for pose development using retrieved position of a pallet or product load to be picked up

• US 10,611,613 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• 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): Mahne, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US15/400,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20170121158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 operating an industrial vehicle comprising an environmental sensor array mounted to the industrial vehicle, a lift carriage comprising one or more lifting elements, a landmark sensor mounted to the lift carriage, and a mobile computer, wherein the method comprises using the mobile computer in combination with the environmental sensor array, the landmark sensor, or a combination thereof, for:

determining a current pose of the industrial vehicle in an environment based on measurement data from the environmental sensor array;

navigating the industrial vehicle to a pallet or product load at a target destination utilizing the determined current pose of the industrial vehicle and data from the environmental sensor array;

executing a load engagement operation such that the one or more lifting elements are positioned to pick-up the pallet or product load at the target destination, and such that the landmark sensor is positioned to sense unique feature information identifying the pallet or product load at the target destination;

identifying unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination utilizing the landmark sensor when (i) the industrial vehicle is at the target destination, (ii) the load engagement operation is executed, and (iii) the unique feature information of the pallet or product load is sensed by the landmark sensor;

developing a new pose of the industrial vehicle using the unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination; and

navigating the industrial vehicle through the environment utilizing the new pose and data from the environmental sensor array of the industrial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique pre-positioned object data is associated with a unique identifier stored in a warehouse management system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving from a central computer a position of the pallet or product load associated with the unique pre-positioned object data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the position of the pallet or product load comprises an object identity and an object pose.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the central computer is a warehouse management system.

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

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

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental sensor array comprises a camera, a planar laser scanner, a laser range finder, a wheel encoder, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the landmark sensor comprises a barcode scanner, an RFID scanner, or an image reader.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the environmental sensor array comprises a camera, a planar laser scanner, a laser range finder, a wheel encoder, or combinations thereof; and

the landmark sensor comprises a barcode scanner, an RFID scanner, or an image reader.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the load engagement operation is executed such that the pallet or product load at the target destination is picked up.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique pre-positioned object data is stored locally on the industrial vehicle.

14. A system for operating an industrial vehicle, the system comprising a warehouse management system, the industrial vehicle, and one or more processors, wherein the industrial vehicle comprises an environmental sensor array mounted to the industrial vehicle, a lift carriage comprising one or more lifting elements, a landmark sensor mounted to the lift carriage, and a mobile computer in communication with the warehouse management system, and the one or more processors execute functions to use the mobile computer in combination with the environmental sensor array, the landmark sensor, or a combination thereof, to:

determine a current pose of the industrial vehicle in an environment based on measurement data from the environmental sensor array;

navigate the industrial vehicle to a pallet or product load at a target destination utilizing the determined current pose of the industrial vehicle and data from the environmental sensor array;

execute a load engagement operation such that the one or more lifting elements are positioned to pick-up the pallet or product load at the target destination, and such that the landmark sensor is positioned to sense unique feature information identifying the pallet or product load at the target destination;

identify unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination utilizing the landmark sensor when (i) the industrial vehicle is at the target destination, (ii) the load engagement operation is executed, and (iii) the unique feature information of the pallet or product load is sensed by the landmark sensor;

develop a new pose of the industrial vehicle using the unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination; and

navigate the industrial vehicle through the environment utilizing the new pose and data from the environmental sensor array of the industrial vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the unique pre-positioned object data is associated with a unique identifier stored in the warehouse management system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors further execute functions to retrieve from the warehouse management system a position of the pallet or product load associated with the unique pre-positioned object data.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile computer is mounted to the industrial vehicle.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the environment is segmented into a plurality of sub-areas.

19. A system for operating an automated guided industrial vehicle, the system comprising a warehouse management system, the industrial vehicle, and one or more processors, wherein the industrial vehicle comprises an environmental sensor array mounted to the industrial vehicle, a lift carriage comprising one or more lifting elements, a landmark sensor mounted to the lift carriage, and a mobile computer mounted to the industrial vehicle and in communication with the warehouse management system, and the one or more processors execute functions to use the mobile computer in combination with the environmental sensor array, the landmark sensor, or a combination thereof, to:

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

navigate the industrial vehicle to a pallet or product load at a target destination utilizing the determined current pose of the industrial vehicle and data from the environmental sensor array;

execute a load engagement operation such that the one or more lifting elements are positioned to pick-up the pallet or product load at the target destination, and such that the landmark sensor is positioned to sense unique feature information identifying the pallet or product load at the target destination;

identify unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination utilizing the landmark sensor when (i) the industrial vehicle is at the target destination, (ii) the load engagement operation is executed, and (iii) the unique feature information of the pallet or product load is sensed by the landmark sensor;

develop a new pose of the industrial vehicle using the unique pre-positioned object data associated with the pallet or product load at the target destination; and

navigate the industrial vehicle through the environment utilizing the new pose and data from the environmental sensor array of the industrial vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the unique pre-positioned object data is associated with a unique identifier stored in the warehouse management system.