MOVER SYSTEM

• US 20170344009A1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dexterity, Inc. (Wave Sync Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Glen C. Wernersbach
• Inventors: Wernersbach, Glen C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,108,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/00 Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes mobile or transportable lifts in, or associated with, buildings and specially adapted to be shifted from one part of a building or other structure to another part or to another building or structure B66B9/16; cranes B66C
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]

Abstract

A moving system comprising a master controller for monitoring and controlling a master operation comprising one or more individual movers such that each mover arrives at predefined end point at selected times. Each mover includes a mover control system that interacts with the master controller and has a predefined virtual vector path with one or more defined end points. The predefined virtual vector path comprises a plurality of discrete points, wherein each discrete point has a vector axis for use by the master controller and the mover control system to direct the mover to move such that it arrives at each defined end point at a selected time. In operation, the master controller functions to modify the predefined virtual path and sends commands to the mover control system in response to changes in the master operations.

Claims

1. A mover system for transporting objects from a start point to an end point such that the object arrives at the end point at a scheduled time, the mover system comprising:

a mover having a mover control system that operates to direct said mover to follow a predefined virtual vector path utilizing plan parameters;

a master controller;

a communication network in communication with said master controller and said mover control system;

wherein said master controller operates to determine a calculated position of said mover and transmits motion commands using said communication network to said mover control system that modifies said plan parameters and/or said predefined virtual vector path to move said mover so that said calculated position matches a scheduled position for said mover.

2. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said master controller operates to periodically adjust said plan parameters so that said mover arrives at the end point at the selected time.

3. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said master controller operates such that the mover system is synchronized with the operation of secondary equipment operating in conjunction with the mover system.

4. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising a detection system in communication with said mover control system such that if said detection system detects an obstruction, said mover control system operates to create a new defined virtual vector path and transmits mover control commands to a propulsion system that operates to move said mover along said new defined virtual vector path.

5. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising a path tracking system that operates to identify specific locations along said predefined virtual vector path.

6. The mover system of claim 5 wherein said path tracking system comprises one or more navigation devices that operate to provide information to said mover control system which operates to calculate the actual position of said mover and further operates to create a comparison of said actual position with a scheduled position and uses said comparison to modify or create a new predefined virtual vector path and/or to modify said plan parameters so that said mover arrives at an end point at a scheduled time.

7. The mover system of claim 5 wherein said path tracking system comprises navigation devices in the form of magnetic or inductive markers that operate to provide location information to said mover control system when detected by tracking sensors positioned on said mover and wherein said tracking sensors are angled magnetoresistive or inductive sensors arranged in a pattern on said mover and operate to provide said mover control system with direction of travel of said mover.

8. The mover system of claim 5 wherein said path tracking system comprises navigation devices in the form of radio frequency identification tags positioned within a control area and operate to transmit absolute location coordinates to said mover control system.

9. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said mover comprises a pair of coaxially aligned wheels and at least one steering wheel and a cover having a bumper assembly and an indented section configured to mate with a bumper assembly of another mover to minimize pitch between movers.

10. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising a propulsion system that operates to move said mover along said predefined virtual vector path using magnetic levitation and propulsion.

11. The mover system of claim 10 wherein said propulsion system comprises a plurality of electromagnetic propulsion coils arranged to permit said mover to move in two dimensions.

12. The mover system of claim 10 wherein said propulsion system comprises a plurality of electromagnetic propulsion coils arranged to permit said mover to move in three dimensions.

13. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said predefined virtual vector path includes one or more curves in the form of clothoid or approximate clothoid arcs.

14. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said predefined virtual vector path includes one or more curves, wherein said one or more curves are banked such that centripetal force acting on said mover traveling along said one or more curves is minimized.

15. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising a track having a bottom wall and a pair of parallel side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, wherein said bottom wall having at least one electromagnetic levitation coil that cooperate with one or more magnets mounted to said mover that operate to levitate said mover above said bottom wall and wherein said parallel side walls each having a plurality of side electromagnetic levitation coils and a plurality of proximity sensors that cooperate to prevent said mover from contacting said side walls.

16. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising one or more battery charging stations that operate to charge a battery on said mover while said mover follows said predefined virtual vector path.

17. The mover system of claim 1 further comprising a propulsion system and wherein said mover includes wheels such that said propulsion system operates to rotate at least one of said wheels to direct said mover'"'"'s direction of travel.

18. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said predefined virtual vector path includes a plurality of wheels for supporting said mover thereon, wherein each wheel is coupled to a motorized rotary servomotor that operates to drive said wheel and control wheel angle to move said mover such that it follows said predefined virtual vector path.

19. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said communication system uses multiple wireless frequencies bands to communicate for control and feedback in areas where high amounts of radio transmission interference (RTI) is present.

20. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said communication system uses wireless communication for communicating with said mover in heavy RTI environments such that control commands are repeated using one or more wireless frequency bands to insure that communication packets are received by said mover control system.

21. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said communication network comprises multiple antennas positioned around a control area for receiving tracking signals and whereby said master controller operates to measure the strength of said tracking signals and uses triangulation to determine the position of said mover in a global coordinate system.

22. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said communication network uses one or more visual cameras that operate with said mover control system of said mover to identify key parts of a control area and transmit information to said master controller that functions to determine a global position for said mover in a global coordinate system.

23. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said master controller operates to vary said path parameters of said mover as it follows said predefined virtual vector path to reposition and resynchronize said mover in relation to other movers.

25. The mover system of claim 1 wherein said master controller calculates changes in plan parameters and/or changes in said predefined virtual vector path needed to ensure said mover arrives at an end point at a scheduled time and determines the probability that one or more of the wearable parts on said mover needs maintenance.

27. The mover system of claim 25 wherein said propulsion system comprises a plurality of electromagnetic propulsion coils that cooperate with propulsion magnets mounted to said mover.

28. The mover system of claim 25 further comprising one or more levitation coils that cooperate with levitation magnets mounted to said mover that operate to levitate said mover about a platform.

29. The mover system of claim 25 further comprising a track having a plurality of rollers for supporting said mover, wherein said plurality of rollers operate to rotate and swivel to direct said mover in a desired direction and speed along said track.

30. The mover system of claim 25 wherein said mover includes a cover positioned around said mover and operates to protect a mover'"'"'s electronics when said mover is washed.

31. The mover system of claim 30 wherein said cover includes a bumper assembly and an indented section configured to mate with a bumper assembly of another mover to minimize pitch between movers.

26. A mover system for transporting objects from a start point to an end point such that the object arrives at the end point at a scheduled time, the mover system comprising:

a mover having a cover and a mover control system that operates to direct said mover to follow a predefined virtual vector path utilizing plan parameters;

a propulsion system;

a master controller;

a communication network in communication with said master controller and said mover control system;

a detection system in communication with said mover control system such that if said detection system detects an obstruction, said mover control system operates to create a new defined virtual vector path for said mover and transmits mover control commands to said propulsion system to move said mover such that it follows said new defined virtual vector path;

a path tracking system having navigation devices that operate to provide location information to said mover control system;

wherein said master controller cooperates with said path tracking system to determine a calculated position of said mover and transmits motion commands using said communication network to said mover control system that modifies said plan parameters and/or said predefined virtual vector path to move said mover so that said calculated position matches a scheduled position for said mover.