APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR NAVIGATION CONTROL

• US 20180275680A1
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Published: 09/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Inventors: GUPTA, Akash, HOELTGEN, Wolfgang Kurt, KOHLI, Samay, KEJRIWAL, Gaurav, CHOUDHARY, Srijan, AGRAWAL, Tushar, ., Swarnik
• Granted Patent: US 11,029,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50393 Floor conveyor, AGV automatic guided vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• 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 1/0274 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 : Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 : Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 : Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes

Abstract

Described herein are an apparatus and a method for controlling movement of a vehicle along a transportation path. The method includes receiving, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, first marker information that is generated based on a first marker being detected by the vehicle, wherein the first marker being one of a plurality of markers located at predetermined positions. The circuitry further determines a second marker of the plurality of markers to which the vehicle is to be moved from the first marker and thereafter generates first control information to control movement of the vehicle from the first marker to the second marker based on the first marker information and pre-determined navigation information associated with the first marker, wherein the predetermined navigation information indicates the location of the second marker relative to the first marker. The circuitry further transmits the first control system station information to the vehicle.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. An information processing apparatus for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles along transportation paths, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with the plurality of vehicles; and

circuitry configured to

receive, from one of the plurality of vehicles via the communication interface, first marker information that is generated based on a first marker being detected by the one of the plurality of vehicles, the first marker being one of a plurality of markers located at predetermined positions,

determine a second marker of the plurality of markers to which the one of the plurality of vehicles is to be moved from the first marker,

generate first control information to control movement of the one of the plurality of vehicles from the first marker to the second marker based on the first marker information and predetermined navigation information associated with the first marker, the predetermined navigation information indicating the location of the second marker relative to the first marker, and

transmit, via the communication interface, the first control information to the one of the plurality of vehicles.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from the one of the plurality of vehicles via the communication interface, second marker information that is generated based on the second marker being detected by the one of the plurality of vehicles;

determine a third marker of the plurality of markers to which the one of the plurality of vehicles is to be moved from the second marker; and

generate second control information to control movement of the one of the plurality of vehicles from the second marker to the third marker based on the second marker information and the predetermined navigation information, the predetermined navigation information indicating the location of the third marker relative to the second marker.

19. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the second marker neighbors the first marker, and

the predetermined navigation information indicates the relative location of each marker of the plurality of markers that neighbors the first marker.

23. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first marker information includes a unique identifier extracted by the one of the plurality of vehicles from a machine readable pattern.

25. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first marker information includes orientation information of the one of the plurality of vehicles with respect to the first marker and identification information associated with the first marker.

26. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first marker information includes an image of the first marker that is captured by the one of the plurality of vehicles.

27. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

compute one of the transportation paths, the one of the transportation paths including a sequence of markers of the plurality of markers to be traversed by the one of the plurality of vehicles starting at a source marker and terminating at a destination marker.

29. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein one of the transportation paths is divided into a plurality of path segments, and the circuitry is further configured to transmit control information to control the movement of the one of the plurality of vehicles at a start of each of the path segments.

30. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

retrieve the predetermined navigation information from a marker map stored in a memory, the marker map including, for each of the plurality of markers, navigation information indicative of the location of at least one defined other marker of the plurality of markers relative to the respective one of the plurality of markers, the navigation information being usable to control movement of the one of the plurality of vehicles between the respective one of the plurality of markers and the at least one defined other marker.

31. The information processing apparatus of claim 30, wherein the navigation information includes a displacement value corresponding to a distance between the respective one of the plurality of markers and the at least one defined other marker of the plurality of markers, and a bearing angle value.

32. The information processing apparatus of claim 30, wherein the marker map includes a plurality of keys, each key of the plurality of keys corresponding to one of the plurality of markers and including:

a first data field that stores identification information when a vehicle is disposed on the corresponding marker,

a second data field that stores reservation information of the corresponding marker,

a third data field that stores information corresponding to neighboring markers of the corresponding marker, the neighboring markers including at least one of a marker that is deployed in a north direction, a south direction, an east direction, and a west direction from the marker, the information being used to determine validity of the vehicle travelling from the corresponding marker to the corresponding neighboring marker,

a fourth data field that stores a distance of the corresponding marker to each of the neighboring markers, the distance being used to determine a cost incurred by the vehicle in travelling from the corresponding marker to the corresponding neighboring marker, and

a fifth data field that indicates whether the vehicle can deploy a goods rack at the marker.

20-22. -22. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

33-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A vehicle comprising:

circuitry configured to

detect a first marker of a plurality of markers located at predetermined positions,

generate first marker information based on the detected first marker,

transmit the generated first marker information to an information processing apparatus that is configured to control movement of a plurality of vehicles,

receive first control information from the information processing apparatus, the first control information being generated by the information processing apparatus based on the first marker information and predetermined navigation information in response to the first marker information, and

cause the vehicle to move to a second marker of the plurality of markers based on the first control information, wherein the predetermined navigation information indicates the location of the second marker relative to the first marker.

60. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

detect the second marker;

generate second marker information based on the detected second marker;

transmit the generated second marker information to the information processing apparatus;

receive second control information from the information processing apparatus, the second control information being generated by the information processing apparatus based on the second marker information and the predetermined navigation information in response to the first marker information; and

cause the vehicle to move to the third marker of the plurality of markers, wherein the predetermined navigation information indicates the location of the third marker relative to the second marker.

61. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein

the second marker neighbors the first marker, and

the predetermined navigation information indicates the relative location of each marker of the plurality of markers that neighbors the first marker.

65. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein

the first marker is a machine readable pattern, and

the circuitry is further configured to extract a unique identifier from the machine readable pattern.

66. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein the first marker information includes orientation information of the vehicle with respect to the first marker and identification information associated with the first marker.

67. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein the first marker information includes an image of the first marker that is captured by the vehicle.

68. The vehicle according to claim 59, wherein

the transportation path is divided into a plurality of path segments, and

the circuitry is further configured to:

receive control information to control the movement of the vehicle at a start of each of the path segments.

62-64. -64. (canceled)

69. A system, comprising:

an information processing apparatus for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles, the information processing apparatus including

a communication interface configured to communicate with the plurality of vehicles; and

first circuitry configured to

receive, from a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles via the communication interface, first marker information that is generated based on a first marker being detected by the one of the plurality of vehicles, the first marker being one of a plurality of markers located at predetermined positions,

determine a second marker of the plurality of markers to which the vehicle of the plurality of vehicles is to be moved from the first marker,

generate first control information to control movement of the vehicle of the plurality of vehicles from the first marker to the second marker based on the first marker information and predetermined navigation information associated with the first marker, the predetermined navigation information indicating the location of the second marker relative to the first marker, and

transmit, via the communication interface, the first control information to the vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and

the vehicle including second circuitry that is configured to

detect the first marker of the plurality of markers located at the predetermined positions,

generate the first marker information based on the detected first marker,

transmit the generated first marker information to the information processing apparatus,

receive the first control information from the information processing apparatus, and

cause the vehicle to move to the second marker of the plurality of markers based on the first control information, wherein the predetermined navigation information indicates the location of the second marker relative to the first marker.