Systems and methods for enhanced collision avoidance on logistics ground support equipment using multi-sensor detection fusion

An enhanced system for collision avoidance by a mobile industrial vehicle of a high value asset based upon multi-sensor data fusion, the high value asset having one or more reflective beacons disposed relative to the high value asset, the system comprising:

• a sensing processing system disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the sensing processing system further comprising:
• a LiDAR sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect one or more of the reflective beacons in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a camera sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect one or more objects in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a multi-processor module responsive to inputs from each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor and operative to fuse the sensor data detected by each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor to identify a relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons based upon a multi-sensor fused data source using the detected LiDAR sensor data and the detected camera sensor data;
• a model predictive controller disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the model predictive controller configured by being programmatically operative to:
• determine a plurality of control solutions, wherein each of the control solutions defines a threshold allowable speed for the mobile industrial vehicle at discrete moments based upon an estimated path to a breaching point radially projected from the verified relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons;
• identify one of the control solutions as an optimal solution based upon a performance cost function, wherein the one of the control solutions is associated with an optimal threshold allowable speed;
• and
• a vehicle actuation system comprising at least a vehicle actuator configured to respond to when the mobile industrial vehicle exceeds the optimal threshold allowable speed by causing the mobile industrial vehicle to alter movement operations of the mobile industrial vehicle to avoid collision with the high value asset.

An enhanced system for collision avoidance by a mobile industrial vehicle of a high value asset based upon multi-sensor data fusion, the system comprising:

• a plurality of reflective beacons disposed relative to pre-designated positions on the high value asset;
• a sensing processing system disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the sensing processing system further comprising:
• a LiDAR sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect one or more of the reflective beacons in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a camera sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect one or more objects in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a multi-processor module responsive to inputs from each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor and operative to fuse the sensor data detected by each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor to identify a relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons based upon a multi-sensor fused data source using the detected LiDAR sensor data and the detected camera sensor data, wherein the multi-processor module of the sensing processing system is operatively configured to fuse the sensor data detected by each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor in order to identify the relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons by being programmatically operative to:
• determine one or more bounding boxes based upon sensor data generated by the camera sensor when detecting the one or more objects;
• determine a mapped space based upon sensor data generated by the LiDAR sensor when detecting the one or more of the reflective beacons;
• project the determined one or more bounding boxes into the determined mapped space;
• and
• compare the determined one or more bounding boxes to objects detected in the mapped space to verify the relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons;
• a model predictive controller disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the model predictive controller configured by being programmatically operative to:
• determine a plurality of control solutions, wherein each of the control solutions defines a threshold allowable speed for the mobile industrial vehicle at discrete moments based upon an estimated path to a breaching point radially projected from the verified relative location of the one or more of the reflective beacons;
• identify one of the control solutions as an optimal solution based upon a performance cost function, wherein the one of the control solutions is associated with an optimal threshold allowable speed;
• and
• a vehicle actuation system comprising at least a vehicle actuator configured to respond to when the mobile industrial vehicle exceeds the optimal threshold allowable speed by causing the mobile industrial vehicle to alter movement operations of the mobile industrial vehicle to avoid collision with the high value asset.

An enhanced system for front guard collision avoidance by a mobile industrial vehicle of objects in a direction of travel of a mobile industrial vehicle based upon multi-sensor data fusion, the system comprising:

• a sensing processing system disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the sensing processing system further comprising:
• a LiDAR sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect one or more of the objects in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a camera sensor mounted in a forward orientation to detect the one or more objects in front of the mobile industrial vehicle,
• a multi-processor module responsive to inputs from each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor and operative to fuse the sensor data detected by each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor to identify a relative location of the one or more of the objects based upon a multi-sensor fused data source using the detected LiDAR sensor data and the detected camera sensor data, wherein the multi-processor module of the sensing processing system is operatively configured to fuse the sensor data detected by each of the LiDAR sensor and the camera sensor in order to identify the relative location of the one or more of the objects by being programmatically operative to:
• determine one or more bounding boxes based upon sensor data generated by the camera sensor when detecting the one or more objects;
• determine a mapped space based upon sensor data generated by the LiDAR sensor when detecting the one or more of the objects;
• project the determined one or more bounding boxes into the determined mapped space;
• and
• compare the determined one or more bounding boxes to objects detected in the mapped space to verify the relative location of the one or more of the objects;
• a model predictive controller disposed on the mobile industrial vehicle, the model predictive controller configured by being programmatically operative to:
• determine a plurality of control solutions, wherein each of the control solutions defines a threshold allowable speed for the mobile industrial vehicle at discrete moments based upon an estimated path to a breaching point radially projected from the verified relative location of the one or more of the objects;
• identify one of the control solutions as an optimal solution based upon a performance cost function, wherein the one of the control solutions is associated with an optimal threshold allowable speed;
• and
• a vehicle actuation system comprising at least a vehicle actuator configured to respond to when the mobile industrial vehicle exceeds the optimal threshold allowable speed by causing the mobile industrial vehicle to alter movement operations of the mobile industrial vehicle to avoid collision with the objects.

A method for enhanced collision avoidance by a mobile industrial vehicle using a multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system and that may operate in a plurality of different operating areas, the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system having a plurality of sensors, the method comprising the steps of:

• operating, by the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system on the mobile industrial vehicle, in a first collision avoidance mode while the mobile industrial vehicle is operating in a first of the different operating areas;
• detecting, by one of the sensors of the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system, a first object identification marker;
• identifying, by the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system, the detected first object identification marker to be an operating boundary identification marker;
• detecting, by the one or more of the sensors of the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system, when the mobile industrial vehicle passes a zonal boundary associated with the operating boundary identification marker and enters a second of the different operating areas;
• and
• changing, by the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system, operations from the first collision avoidance mode to a second collision avoidance mode governing operations of the multi-mode onboard collision avoidance system when in the second of the different operating areas, wherein the second collision avoidance mode comprises at least one operating parameter that is more restrictive compared to the at least one operating parameter in the first collision avoidance mode.