US 10,899,015 B2 · Method and system for dynamic robot positioning

Abstract

A method and a system for the exact positioning an autonomous robot device relative to a stationary structure, such as a DBCS robot in a delivery bin and sorting facility. The robot device is driven from a starting position towards a target position. An absolute positioning sensor is used to monitor the approach to towards an assumed absolute position of the target. Once the target position has entered the field of view of a vision sensor mounted to the robot device, the vision sensor takes an instantaneous image of a visual marker at the target position. The image is evaluated to determine a deviation of an actual location of the target position from the assumed target position. The latter is corrected by adding the deviation to the assumed target position. The robot device then continues and is stopped exactly at the corrected target position.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method of positioning an autonomous robot device relative to a stationary structure, the method comprising:

driving the robot device from a starting position towards a target position at the stationary structure and thereby using an absolute positioning sensor to continuously monitor a position of the robot device relative to the stationary structure;
upon determining that an assumed absolute target position has entered a field of view of a vision sensor mounted to the robot device, causing the vision sensor to take an instantaneous image of a visual marker disposed at the target position;
evaluating the instantaneous image and determining therefrom a deviation of an actual location of the target position from an assumed absolute target position;
correcting the assumed absolute target position by adding the deviation to the stored target position to define a corrected target position;
and
continuing to drive the robot device to the corrected target position and to stop the robot device at the corrected target position.

3 more elements

A system for dynamic robot positioning, the system comprising:

a robot device having a drive for autonomous driving and a controller connected to said drive for commanding the drive;
a vision sensor mounted to said robot device and connected for signal transmission to said controller;
an absolute-positioning-sensor configured for determining a coarse position of said robot device relative to a stationary structure, and for transmitting the coarse position to said controller;
a reference marker configured to cooperate with said vision sensor, said reference marker being a visual marker disposed at a defined position within the stationary structure;
wherein said controller is configured:
to drive said robot device from a starting position towards said defined position and to continuously monitor a position of said robot device relative to the stationary structure;
upon determining that the target position has entered a field of view of said vision sensor, to cause the vision sensor to take an instantaneous image of said visual marker;
to evaluate the instantaneous image and to determine therefrom a deviation of an actual location of the target position from a stored target position;
to correct the stored target position by adding the deviation to the stored target position for defining a corrected target position;
and
continuing to drive the robot device to the corrected target position and to stop the robot device at the corrected target position.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for dynamic robot positioning

Life of this patent

Method and system for dynamic robot positioning

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12