System for controlling movement of a vehicle

• US 6,377,888 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Olch, Ronald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/541,259
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/217, 701/221, 701/207, 701/200, 701/24, 701/205, 318/587, 318/687, 318/568.12, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 340/572.1, 340/10.42, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots

Abstract

The present invention resides in a system (10) for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle (12) about a surface (14). The system enables the vehicle to begin its travel from starting points not known in advance and whose destination point, and thus route, can be changed during the course of travel. The system has at least two dual-axial sensors (20) mounted to the vehicle that provide continuous acceleration data (18), a plurality of tags (16) fixedly arranged about the surface that provide absolute location data (30); at least two tag readers mounted to the vehicle, each of which reads the absolute location data of the respective tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface; and a computer (28) mounted to the vehicle that functions to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data and provides corrected motion command signals (32) to a vehicle navigation system that controls the motion of the vehicle. Thus, the system can correct the vehicle motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the dual-axial inertial sensors based on the absolute position data.

Claims

1. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of tags, fixedly arranged about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

at least two tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface;

at least two dual-axial sensors, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the at least two dual-axial inertial sensors based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide the corrected motion command signals; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags are arranged in a rectilinear grid of equally spaced rows and columns.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags are arranged in a grid of alternating off-spaced columns.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two tag readers and the plurality of tags are arranged such that only one tag is read by a single tag reader at a time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two tag readers and the plurality of tags are arranged such that multiple tags can be read by a single reader at a time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer further functions to compute the velocity and acceleration of the vehicle based on successive readings of the absolute location data made by the at least two tag readers at different vehicle positions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a one of the at least two tag readers includes an array of tag readers, the array of tag readers and the plurality of tags are arranged such that at least one tag is read by the array of tag readers when the vehicle is stopped.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein, upon vehicle startup, the computer provides an initial motion command signal instructing the vehicle to make a series of short moves until each of the at least two tag readers read the absolute location data of the respective tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags are passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and the at least two tag readers are RFID tag readers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the absolute location data is a unique code assigned to each tag, wherein the computer stores a table juxtaposing the unique codes and the absolute location of the tags about the surface and translates the read unique code into the absolute location of the respective tag.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the absolute location data is an identification assigned to each tag representing the x-y coordinates of the absolute location of each tag.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the dual-axial sensors are laterally spaced apart with respect to the surface.

13. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of tags, fixedly arranged about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

at least two tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface, a one of the at least two tag readers includes a tag reader with an antenna that oscillates its position with respect to the vehicle such that it sweeps out an overlapping read area equivalent to that of a much larger antenna, wherein the tag reader and the plurality reader when the vehicle is stopped;

at least two dual-axial sensors, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the at least two dual-axial inertial sensors based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide the corrected motion command signals, the computer is provided the position of the antenna with respect to the vehicle at the time the tag was read and compensates for the antenna position in computing the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.

14. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of tags, fixedly arranged about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

at least two tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface, wherein the at least two tag readers can write a signature of the vehicle and the plurality of tags are writeable tags, wherein the vehicle can leave a signature of itself on the plurality of tags that the at least two tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface;

at least two dual-axial sensors, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the at least two dual-axial inertial sensors based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide the corrected motion command signals; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.

15. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, fixedly arranged in a rectilinear grid of equally spaced rows and columns about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

two RFID tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective RFID tags that the two RFID tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface, wherein the plurality of passive RFID tags are arranged such that only one passive RFID tag is read by a single RFID tag reader at a time;

two dual-axial accelerometers, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the two dual-axial accelerometers based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide corrected motion command signals; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer further functions to compute the velocity and acceleration of the vehicle based on successive readings of the absolute location data made by the two RFID tag readers at different vehicle positions.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein a one of the two RFID tag readers includes an array of RFID tag readers, the array of RFID tag readers and the plurality of passive RFID tags are arranged such that at least one passive RFID tag is read by the array of RFID tag readers when the vehicle is stopped.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein, upon vehicle startup, the computer provides an initial motion command signal instructing the vehicle navigation system to make a series of short moves until each of the RFID tag readers read the absolute location data of the respective passive RFID tags that the two RFID tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the absolute location data is a unique code assigned to each passive RFID tag, wherein the computer stores a table juxtaposing the unique codes and the absolute location of the passive RFID tags about the surface and translates the read unique code into absolute location of the respective passive RFID tag.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the absolute location data is an identification assigned to each passive RFID tag representing the x-y coordinates of the absolute location of each passive RFID tag.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the dual-axial accelerometers are laterally spaced apart with respect to the surface.

22. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, fixedly arranged in a rectilinear grid of equally spaced rows and columns about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

two RFID tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective RFID tags that the two RFID tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface, wherein the plurality of passive RFID tags are arranged such that only one passive RFID tag is read by a single RFID tag reader at a time, a one of the two RFID tag readers includes an RFID tag reader with an antenna that oscillates its position with respect to the vehicle such that it sweeps out an overlapping read area equivalent to that of a much larger antenna, wherein th RFID tag reader and the plurality of passive RFID tags are arranged such that at least one passive RFID tag is read by the RFID tag reader when the vehicle is stopped;

two dual-axial accelerometers, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the two dual-axial accelerometers based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide corrected motion command signals, the computer is provided the position of the antenna with respect to the vehicle at the time the passive RFID tag was read and compensates for the antenna position in computing the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.

23. A system for controlling movement of a free-ranging vehicle on a surface, the system comprising:

a plurality of passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, fixedly arranged in a rectilinear grid of equally spaced rows and columns about the surface, to provide absolute location data;

two RFID tag readers, mounted to the vehicle, each to read the absolute location data of the respective RFID tags that the two RFID tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface, wherein the plurality of passive RFID tags are arranged such that only one passive RFID tag is read by a single RFID tag reader at a time, wherein the two RFID tag readers can write a signature of the vehicle and the plurality of passive RFID tags are writeable tags, wherein the vehicle can leave a signature of itself on the plurality of passive RFID tags that the two RFID tag readers pass over as the vehicle moves about the surface;

two dual-axial accelerometers, mounted to the vehicle, to provide continuous acceleration data;

a computer, mounted to the vehicle, functioning to receive the absolute location data and the acceleration data, compute the absolute position and the absolute orientation of the vehicle from the absolute location data, compute the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the vehicle based on the acceleration data, compare the absolute position and the absolute orientation to the estimated position and the estimated orientation, correct motion command signals for errors caused by drift of the two dual-axial accelerometers based on the comparison of the positions and the orientations, and provide corrected motion command signals; and

a vehicle navigation system for controlling the motion of the vehicle based on the corrected motion command signals.