Robotic ordering and delivery system software and methods

• US 9,563,206 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St Engineering Aethon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aethon
• Inventors: Zini, Aldo, Allen, Spencer Wayne, Skirble, Barry Mark, Thorne, Henry F., Fairley, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US14/699,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.12, 700/245, 901/1, 701 23- 28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2219/31003 Supervise route, reserve route and allocate route to vehicle, avoid collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31006 Monitoring of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31007 Floor plan, map stored in on-board computer of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• 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: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 : Sensing device

Abstract

Systems, methods and devices for the automated delivery of goods form one to another using a robotic tug and accompanying cart. A computer within the tug or cart stores an electronic map of the building floor plan and intended paths for the tug to take when traversing from one location to the next. During the delivery, a variety of different sensors and scanners gather data that is used to avoid obstacles and/or adjust the movement of the tug in order to more closely follow the intended path. The system preferably includes both wired and wireless networks that allow one or more tugs to communicate with a tug base station, a primary network located at the site of the delivery and a remote host center that monitors the status and data collected by the tugs.

Claims

1. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:

electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building;

electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations;

loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths;

performing a check querying a local computer system to ensure a network is operational and elevators are in good working order; and

navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation,

wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations within said scaled computer representation represent elevators which are configured so that the robot is able to ride the elevators during the navigating step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations represent robot destinations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations represent checkpoints at which the robot confirms its position during the navigating step.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations represent automatic doors which the robot opens during the navigating step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations represent annunciators which are triggered by the robot during the navigating step.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronically defined paths are drawn with a freeform software tool.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronically defined paths are assigned a speed limit which said robot adheres to during at least a portion of the navigating step.

8. The method of claim 1, where said steps of electronically defining locations and electronically defining robot paths is accomplished using a software program.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said software program communicates with said robot from a remote location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said software program is adapted to receive data from said robot during the robot'"'"'s navigating step.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said software program is adapted to receive and display a video feed from said robot during the robot'"'"'s navigating step.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said navigating step comprises the steps of:

receiving at least one indication of a final destination to which the robot intends to travel;

determining a path on which to travel to said final destination based upon said computer representation; and

generating a list of x,y coordinates which represent the path on said computer representation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

converting said list of x,y coordinates into heading and velocity signals.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said indication of a final destination is received from a remote host.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one indication of a final destination is a plurality of indications of more than one destination which are stored in said robot as a queue of destinations.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

accepting at least a portion of sensor data from sensors onboard said robot; and

adjusting the path in said determining step based on said sensor data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of said sensors is an infrared sensor.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein navigating said robot comprises adjusting a velocity of the robot automatically based on information gathered by at least one onboard sensor.

19. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:

electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building;

electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations;

loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths;

navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation, wherein said navigating step comprises the steps of;

receiving at least one indication of a final destination to which the robot intends to travel;

determining a path on which to travel to said final destination based upon said computer representation; and

generating a list of x,y coordinates which represent the path on said computer representation;

accepting at least a portion of sensor data from sensors onboard said robot; and

adjusting the path in said determining step based on said sensor data,

wherein said sensor data includes information received directly from a second robot.

20. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:

electronically defining first and second point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building, wherein the first point location defines an initial destination and the second point location defines a final destination;

electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said first and second point locations;

loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined first and second point locations and the defined robot paths;

navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation from the first point location to the second point location;

determining a first path of the robot paths on which the robot intends to travel from the first point location to the second point location based upon the computer representation;

generating the first path on the computer representation;

determining that at least a portion of the first path is obstructed based on sensor data from sensors onboard said robot; and

determining a second path on which to travel from the first point location to the second point location based at least in part on the sensor data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

breaking up the defined robot paths between the first and second point locations into a series of smaller paths to provide a list of checkpoints to follow along the defined robot paths.

22. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:

electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building;

electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations;

loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths; and

navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation,

wherein at least one of the electronically defined locations represents a docking station of the robot that provides docking functionality for the robot and at least one of the electronically defined locations represents a final destination of the robot, wherein navigating the robot comprises navigating the robot between the final destination and the docking station, and wherein the docking functionality comprises at least two of recharging batteries of the robot, downloading any collected data of the robot, performing a diagnostic self-check of the robot, providing an interface with which a user can select a desired destination.