Static collision avoidance method for multiple automatically guided vehicles
US5283739A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 1988 |
| Grant date | Feb 1, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05D1/0274
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention is a method of static collision avoidance for multiple automatically guided vehicles (AGVs) on bidirectional paths. It defines the allowable travel path for an AGV as a series of path segments through or between possible destination points (called nodes) which are defined for the factory floor. AGVs can move to or through any of these nodes and can arrive in a predetermined order, according to "rules" defined by the method. The invention provides better performance than conventional AGV systems by allowing multiple AGVs to coexist in the same pathways without collision or excessive queueing in systems which use free-roving AGVs having programmable bidirectional paths. This new ability maximizes the degrees of freedom of AGV movement while minimizing collisions and "deadlock."
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.