System and method for globally waking up a fleet of autonomously guided vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024262383-A1
Application number	US-202418417595-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 19, 2024
Priority date	Feb 7, 2023
Publication date	Aug 8, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for activating a wake-up module of an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) when the AGV is operating in a standby state, determining whether a global wake-up command was broadcasted by a fleet management system, and activating an on-state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
activating a wake-up module of an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) when the AGV is operating in a standby state; determining, by the wake-up module, whether a global wake-up command was broadcasted by a fleet management system; and activating an on-state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wake-up module is coupled to a first low-power circuit associated with the AGV and wherein the global wake-up command is broadcasted via an ultra-wide band network, Bluetooth®, WIFI, a CV2X protocol, a public cellular network, or a private cellular network.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein activating the on-state associated with the AGV further comprises:
causing the wake-up module to be charged via a main power source associated with the AGV, wherein the first low-power circuit is coupled to the main power source.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
activating the standby state associated with the AGV in response to a global shut-off command broadcasted by the fleet management system; activating the wake-up module, wherein the wake-up module is powered by an auxiliary power source; determining whether the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system; and activating a sleep state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was not broadcasted by the fleet management system.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
re-activating the wake-up module when the AGV is operating in a standby state and in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a second low-power circuit couples the wake-up module to the auxiliary power source.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the wake-up module of the AGV is in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

8 . A system comprising:
a vehicle control system configured to: activate a wake-up module of an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) when the AGV is operating in a standby state, determine, by the wake-up module, whether a global wake-up command was broadcasted by a fleet management system, and activate an on-state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system; and a fleet management system configured to: broadcast the global wake-up command.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the wake-up module is coupled to a first low-power circuit associated with the AGV and wherein the global wake-up command is broadcasted via an ultra-wide band network, Bluetooth®, WIFI, a CV2X protocol, a public cellular network, or a private cellular network.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to:
cause the wake-up module to be charged via a main power source associated with the AGV, wherein the first low-power circuit is coupled to the main power source.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to:
activate the standby state associated with the AGV in response to a global shut-off command broadcasted by the fleet management system; activate the wake-up module, wherein the wake-up module is powered by an auxiliary power source; determine whether the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system; and activate a sleep state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was not broadcasted by the fleet management system.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to:
re-activate the wake-up module when the AGV is operating in a standby state and in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein a second low-power circuit couples the wake-up module to the auxiliary power source.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein activating the wake-up module of the AGV is in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

15 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
activate a wake-up module of an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) when the AGV is operating in a standby state; determine, by the wake-up module, whether a global wake-up command was broadcasted by a fleet management system; and activate an on-state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system.

16 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the wake-up module is coupled to a first low-power circuit associated with the AGV and wherein the global wake-up command is broadcasted via an ultra-wide band network, Bluetooth®, WIFI, a CV2X protocol, a public cellular network, or a private cellular network.

17 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, activate the on-state associated with the AGV, further causes the at least one processor to:
cause the wake-up module to be charged via a main power source associated with the AGV, wherein the first low-power circuit is coupled to the main power source.

18 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor is further caused to:
activate the standby state associated with the AGV in response to a global shut-off command broadcasted by the fleet management system; activate the wake-up module, wherein the wake-up module is powered by an auxiliary power source and wherein a second low-power circuit couples the wake-up module to the auxiliary power source; determine whether the global wake-up command was broadcasted by the fleet management system; and activate a sleep state associated with the AGV in response to determining that the global wake-up command was not broadcasted by the fleet management system.

19 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 , wherein the at least one processor is further caused to:
re-activate the wake-up module when the AGV is operating in a standby state and in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

20 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein activating the wake-up module of the AGV is in response to a defined period of time elapsing, according to a predetermined schedule, or an initiation of a remote command.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Magill Joshua
• Clark Keith
• Glasgow Candace Carolyn
• Rankin Kennadi
• Mohammed Abdul Salam Kashif
• Lockwood Daniel
• Gervais Jordan
• Colwell Dean
• Jones Robert Alan

Classifications

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W60/001 Primary

  Planning or execution of driving tasks · CPC title

• G05D1/225

  operated by off-board computers · CPC title

• G05D1/226

  Communication links with the remote-control arrangements · CPC title

• G05D1/6987

  by centralised control off-board any of the vehicles · CPC title