POSITIONING SYSTEM UTILIZING ENHANCED PERCEPTION-BASED LOCALIZATION

• US 20140236477A1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Qi, Braunstein, Michael D., Yadav, Satish, Reiners, Eric Alan, Stratton, Kenneth Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,142,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/450
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/17 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

A positioning system and method for determining a position of a machine on a worksite are disclosed. The method may store a map of the worksite which includes one or more known objects in the worksite. The method may determine whether a locating device associated with the machine is accurately providing the position of the machine. The method may also include detecting one or more objects in the worksite. The method may further determine an unmatched object from among the detected objects that does not match the one or more known objects stored in the map. The method may also store the unmatched object in the map as a known object of the worksite.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a position of a machine on a worksite, comprising:

storing a map of the worksite which includes one or more known objects in the worksite;

determining, by a processor, whether a locating device associated with the machine is accurately providing the position of the machine;

detecting one or more objects in the worksite;

determining, by the processor, an unmatched object from among the detected objects that does not match the one or more known objects stored in the map; and

storing the unmatched object in the map as a known object of the worksite, responsive to determining that the locating device is accurately providing the position of the machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

responsive to determining that the locating device associated with the machine is not accurately providing the position of the machine, determining the position of the machine by;

a prediction step, the prediction step including;

detecting a movement of the machine, and

estimating the position of the machine based on the detected movement of the machine and a previous determined position of the machine; and

an update step, the update step including;

detecting the one or more objects in the worksite, and

determining one or more matching objects from among the detected objects that match the one or more known objects stored in the map.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the prediction step and the update step are part of a Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter, or a particle filter.

4. The method of claim 2, further including:

verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map before storing the unmatched object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

generating a laser beam and directing the laser beam at the unmatched object;

receiving the laser beam reflected off the unmatched object; and

determining that the unmatched object should be stored in the map when an intensity of the laser beam reflected off the unmatched object exceeds a threshold.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

determining whether the unmatched object is stationary or mobile; and

determining that the unmatched object should not be stored in the map when the unmatched object is determined to be mobile.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the unmatched object is determined to be mobile if the unmatched object is associated with another locating device.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

detecting the unmatched object by a first machine in the worksite;

detecting the unmatched object by a second machine in the worksite;

determining that the unmatched object should be stored in the map when a number of first and second machines that have detected the unmatched object exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

displaying the unmatched object with the map on a user display; and

requesting confirmation by a user as to whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

determining whether the unmatched object is located in an exclusion zone; and

determining the unmatched object should not be stored in the map when the unmatched object is located in the exclusion zone.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

determining a confidence level associated with the unmatched object; and

determining that the unmatched object should be added to the map when the confidence level exceeds a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map includes:

comparing a shape of the unmatched object with known shapes in a database; and

determining whether the unmatched object should or should not be stored in the map based on the comparison of the shape of the unmatched object with the known shapes in the database.

13. A position determination control system for determining a position of a machine on a worksite, comprising:

one or more memories storing instructions and a map of the worksite which includes one or more known objects in the worksite; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to perform operations, including;

determining whether a locating device associated with the machine is accurately providing the position of the machine;

detecting one or more objects in the worksite;

determining an unmatched object from among the detected objects that does not match the one or more known objects; and

storing the unmatched object in the map as a known object of the worksite, responsive to determining that the locating device is accurately providing the position of the machine.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to perform:

responsive to determining that the locating device associated with the machine is not accurately providing the position of the machine, determining the position of the machine by;

a prediction step, the prediction step including;

detecting a movement of the machine, and

estimating the position of the machine based on the detected movement of the machine and a previous determined position of the machine; and

an update step, the update step including;

detecting the one or more objects in the worksite, and

determining one or more matching objects from among the detected objects that match the one or more known objects stored in the map.

15. The control system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to perform:

verifying whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map before storing the unmatched object.

16. A system for determining a position of a machine on a worksite, comprising:

one or more memory storage devices for storing a map of the worksite comprising one or more known objects in the worksite and positions of the one or more known objects;

a GPS device associated with the machine;

a movement sensor associated with the machine for detecting one or more movements of the machine;

an object detection sensor associated with the machine for detecting one or more objects in the worksite; and

a controller in communication with the one or more memory storage devices, the GPS device, the movement sensor, and the object detection sensor, configured to;

determine whether the GPS device associated with the machine is accurately providing the position of the machine;

determine an unmatched object from among the detected one or more objects that does not match the one or more known objects stored in the map; and

store the unmatched object in the map as a known object of the worksite.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to:

store the unmatched object in the map only when the GPS device associated with the machine is accurately providing the position of the machine; and

responsive to determining that the GPS device associated with the machine is not accurately providing the position of the machine, determine the position of the machine by;

a prediction step, the prediction step including;

estimating the position of the machine based on the detected one or more movements of the machine and a previous determined position of the machine; and

an update step, the update step including;

determining one or more matching objects from among the detected one or more objects that match the one or more known objects stored in the map.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the object detection sensor includes a LIDAR unit configured to generate a laser beam directed at the one or more objects and receive the laser beam reflected off of the one or more objects; and

the controller is further configured to verify whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map before storing the unmatched object, wherein verifying includes;

determining whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map;

determining that the unmatched object should be stored in the map when an intensity of the laser beam reflected off of the one or more objects exceeds a threshold.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein

the object detection sensor includes an optical camera configured for receiving optical information of the one or more objects indicative of a shape of the one or more objects;

and

the controller is further configured to verify whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map before storing the unmatched object, wherein verifying includes;

comparing the shape of the unmatched object with known shapes in a database, and

determining whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map based on the comparison of the shape of the unmatched object with the known shapes in the database.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the controller is further configured to verify whether the unmatched object should be stored in the map before storing the unmatched object, wherein verifying includes;

communicating with a remote database server to determine whether the unmatched object is associated with its own GPS device; and

determining that the unmatched object should not be stored in the map when the unmatched object is associated with its own GPS device.