Closed-loop navigation system for mobile robots

US4940925A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED · US

Inventors

• Martin A. Wand · Plano, US
• Anh Vu HO · Dallas, US
• Chuan Lin · Nanjing, CN
• Phen-Lan Huang · Richardson, US
• John P. Williston · Plano, US
• Haradon J. Rice · Plano, US
• Thomas J. Doty · Dallas, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 1988
• Grant date: Jul 10, 1990
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05D1/0282
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A visual navigation system provides absolute position information to multiple automatically guided vehicles (AGVs) such as mobile robots. The beacon-equipped AGVs emit light visible to overhead television cameras. The beacons are arranged and controlled so that the vision systems can acquire, measure, and report the locations of multiple AGVs. The system controller incorporates a programmable "factory map", or knowledge base, of allowable paths of travel for the AGVs, which navigate by dead reckoning with periodic position updates from the visual navigation system. The visual navigation system notifies the autonomous AGVs and the system controller when an AGV strays from its command path. The combination of computer controls in the elements of the system provides the means to stop and to recover straying AGVs. The navigation system visually monitors normal AGV travel, off-course corrections, "lost" AGV searches, and recovery. Thus, it provides closed-loop, servo-like operation.