group for localizing a moving target in a warehouse with automatic guided vehicles

• US 20160291597A1
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E80 Group SPA
• Original Assignee: Elettric 80 S.P.A.
• Inventors: Monica, Stefania, Ferrari, Gianluigi, Magnani, Massimiliano, Oleari, Fabio, De Mola, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 10,156,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• 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 1/0268 using internal positioning means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle, equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, and at least a moving target.

Claims

1. A localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle, equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself and at least one moving target, said group including at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas, a second node or marker positioned on said moving target, said marker including at least one antenna suitable for receiving/emitting signals in response to signals coming from the at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, wherein said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are located on said at least one automatic guided vehicle.

2. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein the first nodes for emitting/receiving on the automatic guided vehicle and the marker of the moving target use electromagnetic waves of the same ultra wide band type, abbreviated to UWB, or other types of transmission signals via electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

3. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein the antennas of said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are controlled by a number of emission/receiving units lower than the number of said first nodes.

4. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said emission/receiving units comprise means for performing the time division multiplexing of signals to and from said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals.

5. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are connected to the emission/receiving units via transmission means.

6. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are four and are positioned in proximity to a corner of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle, considering the plan view of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle approximately as a rectangle, thus allowing a more favourable geometric location of nodes on the automatic guided vehicle to perform the trilangulation with the moving target.

7. The localisation group according to claim 1, comprising some nodes with the respective antennas at fixed points of the warehouse or area.

8. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said automatic guided vehicle comprises a control unit or programmed control unit controlling said emission/receiving units, receiving detection input signals of said at least two nodes and calculating the position of said at least one target.

9. The localisation group according to claim 8, wherein said control unit or programmed control unit is comprised in the same unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle.

10. The localisation method of a moving target via a localisation group according to claim 1, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the signals of the distance of said at least two first nodes from said at least one moving target; and

processing the signals of the distance to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said processing step of the signals of the distance includes the following steps:

assigning to one node the role of master node and to at least another node the role of slave node;

setting all the nodes to the sleeping state;

activating the master node;

sending signals from said master node to the node network of said warehouse until it receives a response from the marker of a moving target;

once said master node has received a response from a moving target, setting said master node to the sleeping state and activating at least one slave node;

sending signals from said slave node to the node network of said warehouse until it receives a response from the marker of said moving target that had responded to said master node;

setting said slave node to the sleeping state;

repeating the procedure for all the remaining slave nodes and storing all the signals of the responses received from the master node and from all the slave nodes,

processing said stored signals to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising a step of identification of the targets present within the working range of a master node, said identification step being carried out before said steps that provide for acquiring, computing and processing.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said signal processing for obtaining the position estimate of said at least one target is carried out by intersecting circumferences with their centre at the position of said at least two nodes, said circumferences being ideally traced by the signals emitted by each node.

14. An automatic guided vehicle for a localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target according to claim 1, said vehicle comprising a unit for controlling the movement of said automatic guided vehicle itself, as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals use electromagnetic waves of the ultra wide band type, or other types of transmission signals via electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

16. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said antennas of said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are controlled by a number of emission and receiving units lower than the number of said first nodes.

17. A vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said emission and receiving units comprise means for performing the time division multiplexing of signals to and from said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals.

18. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are four and are positioned in proximity to a corner of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle.