SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEPLOYING PORTABLE LANDMARKS

• US 20110153338A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne
• Application Number:
  US12/640,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• 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: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127

Abstract

The different illustrative embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a landmark controller, a landmark deployment system, and a number of portable landmarks. The landmark controller has a landmark position and placement process. The landmark deployment system has a number of manipulative components. The number of portable landmarks are configured to be deployed to a number of locations within a worksite.

Claims

1. A method for placing landmarks, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor unit of a data processing system, a mission having a number of tasks for a worksite;

retrieving, by the processor unit, a map of the worksite from a mission database;

determining, by the processor unit, a number of locations within the worksite for landmark positions and placements for the mission using the map of the worksite; and

deploying a number of landmarks to the number of locations using the landmark positions and placements determined for the mission and a vision system for landmark localization.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to deploying the number of landmarks, determining whether there are a sufficient number of landmarks available to deploy to the entire worksite, wherein the sufficient number is the number of landmarks needed to perform an area coverage task in the entire worksite; and

responsive to a determination that there are a sufficient number of landmarks available, deploying the number of landmarks to the worksite.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the number of tasks for the mission is complete in the worksite; and

responsive to receiving the indication that the number of tasks for the mission is complete in the worksite, retrieving the number of landmarks from the worksite.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that a sufficient number of landmarks is not available, identifying a number of worksite areas;

deploying a number of landmarks to a first worksite area in the number of worksite areas;

receiving an indication that the number of tasks for the mission is complete in the first worksite area; and

responsive to receiving the indication that the number of tasks for the mission is complete in the first worksite area, retrieving the number of landmarks and deploying the number of landmarks to a next worksite area.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the number of tasks for the mission is complete in the next worksite area;

determining whether there are additional worksite areas in the number of worksite areas that have not been visited;

responsive to a determination that there are additional worksite areas that have not been visited, retrieving the number of landmarks and deploying the number of landmarks to the next worksite area.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that there are no additional worksite areas that have not been visited, retrieving the number of landmarks; and

storing the number of landmarks.

7. A method for landmark placement by rule, the method comprising:

receiving an input disclosing a perimeter of a worksite;

positioning a first landmark for localization on the perimeter of the worksite using a landmark deployment module of a data processing system;

executing a simultaneous localization and mapping process by an autonomous vehicle using the first landmark as a reference until a distance from the autonomous vehicle to the first landmark reaches a predefined threshold; and

responsive to the distance reaching the predefined threshold, determining whether the perimeter has been enclosed by determining whether there are any parts of the perimeter that are not within the predefined threshold of any currently placed landmarks.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the perimeter has not been enclosed, positioning a second landmark at a distance within the predefined error threshold from the first landmark;

retrieving the first landmark and positioning the first landmark on the perimeter at the distance within the predefined error threshold from the second landmark; and

executing a simultaneous localization and mapping process until a distance to the first landmark reaches a predefined threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the perimeter has been enclosed, determining whether the worksite has been covered.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the worksite has not been covered, identifying an interior area of the worksite remaining to be covered; and

planning and executing landmark positioning within the interior area of the worksite using the simultaneous mapping and localization process.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein an autonomous vehicle executes the simultaneous localization and mapping process and performs an area coverage task associated with the worksite.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the simultaneous localization and mapping process is executed by an autonomous vehicle during operation of an area coverage task by the autonomous vehicle.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a landmark controller having a landmark position and placement process, wherein the landmark position and placement process generates a landmark placement map and landmark positioning instructions using a worksite map of a worksite;

a landmark deployment system having a number of manipulative components; and

a number of portable landmarks configured to be deployed to a number of locations within the worksite.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the worksite map is included in a mission database that also comprises a landmark database and a number of missions, and wherein the landmark controller updates the worksite map using the generated landmark placement map.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the number of portable landmarks comprises a mobility system that autonomously moves the at least one of the number of portable landmarks to a location according to the landmark placement map and landmark positioning instructions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least two of the number of portable landmarks further comprise a number of attachment components, wherein the number of attachment components provides for attachment and detachment of the at least two of the number of portable landmarks to and from each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the number of portable landmarks are deployed autonomously in response to instructions received from the landmark deployment module.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the number of portable landmarks includes an autonomous vehicle leader comprising the landmark controller, wherein the autonomous vehicle leader sends instructions to a number of followers to deploy in a pattern following the autonomous vehicle leader.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the landmark deployment system is implemented on at least one of the number of portable landmarks.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the number of portable landmarks are deployed and used in localization process performed by a navigation system of an autonomous vehicle that also performs an area coverage task associated with the worksite.