Self-driving vehicle system with retractable sensor head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099568-B2
Application number	US-201816084184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A self-driving vehicle system comprising a body having one or more motorized wheels, and a sensor head coupled to the body. The sensor head is movable from a retracted position to an extended position relative to the body. The sensor head comprises one or more proximity sensors and one or more cameras.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-driving system, comprising:
a body having one or more motorized wheels and an upper surface to support inventory thereon; and
a sensor head coupled to the body and movable from a retracted position to an extended position relative to the body, the sensor head comprising:
a front face,
a side face,
a bottom face,
a rear face,
one or more down facing cameras disposed on the bottom face and configured to detect and record an image of one or more markers attached to the inventory supported on the body, and
one or more proximity sensors.

2. The self-driving system of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a console coupled in an upright positon to a mobile base, and wherein the sensor head is coupled to the console.

3. The self-driving system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor head is coupled to the body by one or more extendable and retractable rods.

4. The self-driving system of claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensors include shelf detection proximity sensors configured to detect a location of a shelf.

5. The self-driving system of claim 4 , further comprising a controller coupled to the body and configured to receive information from the shelf detection proximity sensors, wherein the controller is configured to extend or retract the sensor head until the location of the shelf is detected by the shelf detection proximity sensors.

6. The self-driving system of claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensors are rear detection proximity sensors configured to detect an object located behind the body.

7. The self-driving system of claim 6 , further comprising a controller coupled to the body and configured to receive information from the rear detection proximity sensors, wherein the controller is configured to prevent the body from contacting the object located behind the body based on information received from the rear detection proximity sensors while the body is moving in reverse.

8. A self-driving system, comprising:
a body having one or more motorized wheels and an upper surface to support inventory thereon; and
a sensor head coupled to the body, the sensor head comprising:
a front face,
a side face,
a bottom face,
a rear face,
one or more side facing cameras disposed on the side face, one or more rear facing cameras disposed on the rear face, or one or more front facing cameras disposed on the front face, and
one or more down facing cameras disposed on the bottom face and configured to detect and record an image of one or more markers attached to the inventory supported on the body.

9. The self-driving system of claim 8 , wherein the body includes a console coupled in an upright positon to a mobile base, and wherein the sensor head is coupled to the console.

10. The self-driving system of claim 8 , wherein the sensor head is coupled to the body by one or more extendable and retractable rods.

11. The self-driving system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more side facing cameras are configured to detect and record an image of one or more markers attached to an object located on a side of the body.

12. The self-driving system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more rear facing cameras are configured to detect and record an image of one or more markers attached to an object located behind the body.

13. The self-driving system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more rear facing cameras are configured to detect and record an image of an object located behind the body, wherein the image of the object located behind the body includes a shape of the object, a pose of the object, a clothing of the object, or a color of the object.

14. The self-driving system of claim 8 , further comprising a controller coupled to the body and configured to receive information from the one or more side facing cameras, the one or more rear facing cameras, or the one or more front facing cameras.

15. The self-driving system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to retrieve inventory information and display the inventory information based on one or more markers attached to an object located on a side of the body as detected and recorded by the one or more side facing cameras.

16. The self-driving system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to retrieve inventory information and display the inventory information based on one or more markers attached to an object located behind the body as detected and recorded by the one or more rear facing cameras.

17. The self-driving system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to retrieve inventory information and display the inventory information based on one or more markers attached to the inventory located on the body as detected and recorded by the one or more down facing cameras.

18. The self-driving system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to maintain the body within a predetermined distance of an object located behind the body based on images of the object located behind the body as detected and recorded by the one or more rear facing cameras, while the object located behind the body is moving behind the body and while the body is moving in reverse.

19. The self-driving system of claim 18 , wherein the images of the object located behind the body include a shape of the object, a pose of the object, a clothing of the object, or a color of the object.

20. The self-driving system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the one or down facing cameras, and the controller is configured to retrieve inventory information and display the inventory information based on the one or more markers attached to the inventory supported on the body as detected and recorded by the one or more down facing cameras.

Assignees

• Lingdong Tech Beijing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tang Yaming
• Han Liang
• Chen Chiung Lin

Classifications

• B65G2203/041

  Camera · CPC title

• B65G2203/0216

  Codes or marks on the article · CPC title

• B65G1/1375

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title

• B65G1/0492

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B66F9/063

  Automatically guided · CPC title