Systems and methods for optical target based indoor vehicle navigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11815905-B2
Application number	US-202117506946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

Vehicles, systems, and methods for navigating or tracking the navigation of a materials handling vehicle along a surface that may include a camera and vehicle functions to match two-dimensional image information from camera data associated with the input image of overhead features with a plurality of global target locations of a warehouse map to generate a plurality of candidate optical targets, an optical target associated with each global target location and a code; filter the targets to determine a candidate optical target; decode the target to identify the associated code; identify an optical target associated with the identified code; determine a camera metric relative to the identified optical target and the position and orientation of the identified optical target in the warehouse map; calculate a vehicle pose based on the camera metric; and navigate the materials handling vehicle utilizing the vehicle pose.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A materials handling vehicle comprising a camera, a vehicular processor, a drive mechanism configured to move the materials handling vehicle along an inventory transit surface, a materials handling mechanism configured to store and retrieve goods in a storage bay of a warehouse, and vehicle control architecture in communication with the drive mechanism and the materials handling mechanism, wherein:
the camera is communicatively coupled to the vehicular processor and captures an input image of overhead features; and
the vehicular processor of the materials handling vehicle executes vehicle functions to
(i) generate a plurality of candidate optical targets for an overhead feature of the overhead features in the input image to identify the overhead feature in the input image as a captured optical target in the input image, wherein each optical target is associated with a code,
(ii) filter the plurality of candidate optical targets for the overhead feature to generate a ranking for each filtered plurality of candidate optical targets;
(iii) determine a candidate optical target for the captured optical target in the input image based on a highest ranking of the ranking for each filtered plurality of candidate optical targets;
(iv) identify the code of the candidate optical target associated with the highest ranking of the filtered plurality of candidate optical targets to determine an identified code,
(v) in response to the determination of the identified code, identify an optical target associated with the identified code to determine an identified optical target representative of the captured optical target in the input image at the global target location,
(vi) in response to the determination of the identified optical target, determine a camera metric comprising representations of a distance and an angle of the camera relative to the identified optical target and the position and orientation of the identified optical target in the warehouse map,
(vii) calculate a vehicle pose based on the camera metric, and
(viii) navigate the materials handling vehicle utilising the vehicle pose.

2. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

3. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) covered by respective angular diffusion lenses configured to attenuate a forward brightness and increase an associated angular sideways brightness such that each LED has an angular emission characteristic comprising a higher energy emission toward angular side directions compared to a forward facing direction of each LED.

4. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target is a unique optical target and comprises a plurality of point light sources arranged in a pattern defining the code for each respective unique optical target as a respective unique code.

5. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
each optical target comprises a plurality of point light sources mounted on a bar that is configured for attachment to a ceiling as an overhead feature of the overhead features;
the plurality of point light sources comprise a light pattern as the code for each respective optical target.

6. The materials handling vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of point light sources are mounted on a central strip portion in an equidistant and linear manner.

7. The materials handling vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of point light sources are configured to emit a white light, monochromatic light, light with a narrow spectral bandwidth, or combinations thereof.

8. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target comprises a series of magnetic mounts disposed on a back surface opposite a front surface on which a plurality of point light sources are mounted, the series of magnetic mounts configured to mount each optical target against a ceiling to comprise an overhead feature of the overhead features of the warehouse.

9. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target comprises a center marker configured to be detected by a laser distance meter from the inventory transit surface to generate a position of each optical target to be stored in a warehouse map.

10. The materials handling vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the center marker is configured to be detected by the laser distance meter disposed on the inventory transit surface to generate the position of each optical target.

11. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each optical target comprises an end marker configured to be detected by a laser distance meter from the inventory transit surface to generate an orientation of each optical target to be stored in a warehouse map.

12. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular processor further executes vehicle functions to:
(i) update the vehicle pose to a current localized position;
(ii) update a seed position as the current localized position; and
(iii) track the navigation of the materials handling vehicle along the inventory transit surface, navigate the materials handling vehicle along the inventory transit surface in at least a partially automated manner, or both, utilising the current localized position.

13. The materials handling vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the vehicular processor further executes vehicle functions to publish the seed position as the current localized position on a display after updating the seed position as the current localized position.

14. The materials handling vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular processor is configured to repeat steps (i)-(viii) with a subsequent set of camera data and input image when the materials handling vehicle is lost.

15. A materials handling vehicle comprising a camera, a vehicular processor, a drive mechanism configured to move the materials handling vehicle along an inventory transit surface, a materials handling mechanism configured to store and retrieve goods in a storage bay of a warehouse, and vehicle control architecture in communication with the drive mechanism and the materials handling mechanism, wherein:
the camera is communicatively coupled to the vehicular processor and captures an input image of overhead features; and
the vehicular processor of the materials handling vehicle executes vehicle functions to
(i) generate a plurality of candidate optical targets for an overhead feature of the overhead features in the input image to identify the overhead feature in the input image as a captured optical target in the input image, wherein each optical target is associated with a code, wherein
each optical target comprises a plurality of point light sources mounted on a bar that is configured for attachment to a ceiling as an overhead feature of the overhead features, and
the plurality of point light sources comprise a light pattern as the code for each respective optical target,

(ii) filter the plurality of candidate optical targets for the overhead feature to generate a ranking for each filtered plurality of candidate optical targets;
(iii) determine a candidate optical target for the captured optical target in the input image based on a highest ranking of the ranking for each filtered plurality of candidate optical targets;
(iv) identify the code of the candidate optical target associated with the highest ranking of the filtered plurality of candidate optical targets to determine an identified code,
(v) in response to the determination of the identified code, identify

Assignees

• Crown Equip Corp

Inventors

• Haeusler Ralf
• Park Stuart
• Bell Mark

Classifications

• G05D2111/54

  for measuring the travel distances, e.g. by counting the revolutions of wheels · CPC title

• G05D2111/10

  Optical signals · CPC title

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title

• G05D1/644

  Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance · CPC title