摘要:
The invention provides a method for communicating the need to move a mobile robot, such as an AGV¹, from one location (node) (2,4,6-10) to another, on a node-by-node basis, incrementally, among the nodes established in a physical environment such as a factory. The invention also provides the means to generate the commands necessary to accomplish this motion, by providing specific steering and drive information such as angle and speed to the mobile robot or AGV¹. The invention accomplishes these tasks in response to direct commands from a stationary controller as well as in response to continuous node-by-node position updates provided by an external navigation system, such as a visual navigation system, or an internal dead-reckoning navigation system, or both.
摘要:
The invention is a modular and hierarchically organized set of computer programs which comprise methods for controlling a system of semi-autonomous automatically guided vehicles, such as mobile robots. The methods include control programs which: execute in stationary control computers; communicate between the stationary control computer programs and corresponding programs which execute in mobile control computers aboard the vehicles; operate independently in mobile control computers aboard the vehicles. The invention allows the system executive program to command the mobile vehicles to start, to stop, to transfer material to or from the vehicles, to change batteries in the vehicles, to park the vehicles at specific points in a factory, to move the vehicles from point to point in a factory, and to remove the vehicles from the factory. The invention proves the performance of conventional automatically guided vehicle systems by maximizing the autonomy of individual vehicles while retaining sufficient supervisory control at the system executive level to provide the maximum flexibility in routing and scheduling the activity of the vehicles. The invention "closes the loop" in an automatically guided vehicle system by providing the highest level of control between mobile vehicles and stationary control computers.
摘要:
A controllable mobile apparatus travels to a commanded destination under the control of a dead reckoning navigation procedure 329 for navigating the controllable mobile apparatus along the commanded path in response to position data. The mobile apparatus determines its position and provides the position data. Additionally, there is a software filter system which filters the speed and direction commands. A vision system provides the absolute position to the mobile apparatus. The dead reckoning position data is periodically modified 331, 328 with the absolute position. The dead reckoning procedure is synchronized with the vision system.
摘要:
The invention is a modular and hierarchically organized set of computer programs which comprise methods for controlling a system of semi-autonomous automatically guided vehicles, such as mobile robots. The methods include control programs which: execute in stationary control computers; communicate between the stationary control computer programs and corresponding programs which execute in mobile control computers aboard the vehicles; operate independently in mobile control computers aboard the vehicles. The invention allows the system executive program to command the mobile vehicles to start, to stop, to transfer material to or from the vehicles, to change batteries in the vehicles, to park the vehicles at specific points in a factory, to move the vehicles from point to point in a factory, and to remove the vehicles from the factory. The invention proves the performance of conventional automatically guided vehicle systems by maximizing the autonomy of individual vehicles while retaining sufficient supervisory control at the system executive level to provide the maximum flexibility in routing and scheduling the activity of the vehicles. The invention "closes the loop" in an automatically guided vehicle system by providing the highest level of control between mobile vehicles and stationary control computers.
摘要:
The invention provides a method for communicating the need to move a mobile robot, such as an AGV¹, from one location (node) (2,4,6-10) to another, on a node-by-node basis, incrementally, among the nodes established in a physical environment such as a factory. The invention also provides the means to generate the commands necessary to accomplish this motion, by providing specific steering and drive information such as angle and speed to the mobile robot or AGV¹. The invention accomplishes these tasks in response to direct commands from a stationary controller as well as in response to continuous node-by-node position updates provided by an external navigation system, such as a visual navigation system, or an internal dead-reckoning navigation system, or both.
摘要:
A controllable mobile apparatus travels to a commanded destination under the control of a dead reckoning navigation procedure 329 for navigating the controllable mobile apparatus along the commanded path in response to position data. The mobile apparatus determines its position and provides the position data. Additionally, there is a software filter system which filters the speed and direction commands. A vision system provides the absolute position to the mobile apparatus. The dead reckoning position data is periodically modified 331, 328 with the absolute position. The dead reckoning procedure is synchronized with the vision system.