Method and system for detecting position of a vehicle relative to tracks the vehicle is running on
AssigneeAutostore Technology AS
InventorsIngvar Hognaland, Ivar Fjeldheim, Jørgen Djuve Heggebø
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle for an automated storage and retrieval system is configured to follow a set route on a track being laid out in the automated storage and retrieval system and having one or more track features. The vehicle includes a first set of wheels capable of moving the vehicle in a first direction; a second set of wheels capable of moving the vehicle in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a plurality of sensors attached to the vehicle and configured to detect track features and to measure a distance to a track feature while the vehicle is moving in the first direction or the second direction.
Claims20
A vehicle for an automated storage and retrieval system,
- wherein the vehicle is configured to follow a set route on a track being laid out in the automated storage and retrieval system and having one or more track features,
- wherein the vehicle comprises:
- a first wheel support supporting a first set of wheels configured to move the vehicle in a first direction;
- a second wheel support supporting a second set of wheels configured to move the vehicle in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- and
- a plurality of sensors attached to the vehicle and configured to detect the one or more track features and to measure a distance to a particular track feature of the one or more track features while the vehicle is moving in the first direction or the second direction, based on intensities of light reflected from different track features of the track, wherein a first one of the plurality of sensors is attached to the first wheel support and a second one of the plurality of sensors is attached to the second wheel support;
- wherein the first one of the plurality of sensors attached to the first wheel support is configured to detect the one or more track features when the first wheel support is in an active state, and configured to measure the distance to the particular track feature when the first wheel support is in a passive state.
A method for tracking a position of a vehicle following a set route on a track being laid out in an automated storage and retrieval system and having one or more track features,
- wherein the vehicle comprises:
- a first wheel support supporting a first set of wheels configured to move the vehicle in a first direction;
- a second wheel support supporting a second set of wheels configured to move the vehicle in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- and
- a plurality of sensors attached to the vehicle and configured to detect the one or more track features and to measure a distance to a particular track feature of the one or more track features while the vehicle is moving in the first direction or the second direction, wherein a first one of the plurality of sensors is attached to the first wheel support and a second one of the plurality of sensors is attached to the second wheel support;
- wherein the first one of the plurality of sensors attached to the first wheel support is configured to detect the one or more track features when the first wheel support is in an active state, and configured to measure the distance to the particular track feature when the first wheel support is in a passive state;
- wherein the method comprises:
- moving the vehicle in the first direction or the second direction while:
- detecting the one or more track features by the first one of the plurality of sensors, based on intensities of light reflected from different track features of the track;
- and
- measuring the distance to the particular track feature by the first one of the plurality of sensors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.