Driver assistance system for a transportation vehicle, transportation vehicle, method for operating a driver assistance system or a transportation vehicle parking robot system for a transportation vehicle having a plurality of wheels, and method for operating a parking robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11360490-B2
Application number	US-201916693971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A parking robot system for a transportation vehicle having wheels and a method for operating a parking robot system. The parking robot system includes a main robot and secondary robots and a method for operating a parking robot system. The secondary robots each have a pair of wheel support arms and each move up autonomously, with the wheel support arms folded in, from outside next to one of the wheels of the transportation vehicle. The secondary robots each lift up the respective wheel by folding out the respective pair of wheel support arms. The main robot accompanies the secondary robot with the lifted up transportation vehicle during travel to a prescribed target position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A parking robot system for a transportation vehicle having a plurality of wheels, wherein the parking robot system comprises:
a main robot; and
a plurality of secondary robots configured for autonomous movement, each secondary robot including a pair of wheel support arms operable between a folded-in position and a folded-out position in which each support arm of the pair is articulated towards each other relative to the folded-in position, each secondary robot configured to position itself next to one of the wheels of the transportation vehicle, and to lift up the respective wheel by folding out the respective pair of wheel support arms into the folded-out position to engage the respective wheel, and
wherein the main robot accompanies the secondary robot with the lifted up transportation vehicle during travel to a prescribed target position.

2. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein the main robot comprises a sensor device to sense surroundings of the main robot to determine location of obstacles in the sensed surroundings, for the main robot and for the respective secondary robots with the lifted up transportation vehicle.

3. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein the main robot comprises a control device to determine a respective travel trajectory for the respective secondary robots and a travel trajectory for the main robot to the prescribed target position taking into account map data made available by the control device, the sensed transportation vehicle surroundings and/or the obstacles whose location has been determined.

4. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein the main robot comprises an electric main drive machine, a battery for supplying the electric main drive machine with electrical energy and at least one drive wheel for moving the main robot.

5. The parking robot system of claim 3 , wherein the main robot comprises a communication interface for a respective communication connection to the respective secondary robots, and the control device makes available the respective travel trajectory for the respective secondary robot to the respective secondary robot via the respective communication connection.

6. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein each of the secondary robots respectively comprises an electric secondary drive machine, a battery for supplying the respective electric secondary drive machine with electrical energy and a communication interface for a communication connection to the main robot.

7. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the secondary robots comprises a sensor unit and a control unit which senses the surroundings of the at least one secondary robot to determine the location of obstacles for the at least one secondary robot in the sensed surroundings.

8. The parking robot system of claim 1 , wherein the respective wheel support arms of the respective secondary robot have respective sliding rollers which, in a folded-out position of the respective wheel support arms, are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the respective sliding rollers parallel to a wheel axle of the transportation vehicle.

9. A method for operating a parking robot system, the method comprising:
autonomously moving secondary robots with respective folded-in wheel support arms next to one of the wheels of a transportation vehicle;
folding out the respective pairs of wheel support arms from a folded-in position into a folded out position to engage the respective wheels and raising the respective wheels of the transportation vehicle; and
accompanying the secondary robots with the lifted up transportation vehicle during travel to a prescribed target position by a main robot.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the main robot and the respective secondary robots which support the lifted up transportation vehicle move, transport the transportation vehicle in accordance with the respective travel trajectories for the main robot and for the respective secondary robots, to the prescribed target position, and the respective secondary robots set the transportation vehicle down in the prescribed target position by folding in the respective pairs of wheel support arms.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sensing surroundings of the main robot using a sensor device of the main robot to determine location of obstacles in the sensed surroundings, for the main robot and for the respective secondary robots with the lifted up transportation vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining, by a control device of the main robot, a respective travel trajectory for the respective secondary robots and a travel trajectory for the main robot to the prescribed target position taking into account map data made available by the control device, the sensed transportation vehicle surroundings and/or the obstacles whose location has been determined.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving the main robot using an electric main drive machine, a battery for supplying the electric main drive machine with electrical energy and at least one drive wheel of the main robot.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the main robot and the secondary robots communicate via a communication interface for a respective communication connection to the respective secondary robots, and the control device makes available the respective travel trajectory for the respective secondary robot to the respective secondary robot via the respective communication connection.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the secondary robots respectively comprises an electric secondary drive machine, a battery for supplying the respective electric secondary drive machine with electrical energy and a communication interface for a communication connection to the main robot.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the secondary robots comprises a sensor unit and a control unit, wherein the method further comprises the sensor unit and control unit sensing the surroundings of the at least one secondary robot to determine the location of obstacles for the at least one secondary robot in the sensed surroundings.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the respective wheel support arms of the respective secondary robot have respective sliding rollers which, in a folded-out position of the respective wheel support arms, are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the respective sliding rollers parallel to a wheel axle of the transportation vehicle.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Schütz Daniel
• Form Thomas

Classifications

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0295 Primary

  by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet · CPC title

• G05D1/0212

  with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287) · CPC title

• E04H6/42

  Devices or arrangements peculiar to garages, not covered elsewhere, e.g. securing devices, safety devices {, monitoring and operating schemes; centering devices} · CPC title

• E04H6/36 Primary

  characterised by use of freely-movable dollies · CPC title