Perception-based navigation for mobile machines
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsAndrew T. Whitten, Adam Jacobson, Michael D. Braunstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A map generation application and method generates a computer-readable worksite map for managing navigation and travel for a plurality of mobile machines equipped with perception-based localization and navigation systems at a worksite. Survey data and development data associated with the worksite are obtained and used to prepare an unmarked worksite development map including one or more travel/activity areas. Marker positioning factors are obtained and are associated with the one or more travel/activity areas. The application determines assigned marker positions based on the marker positioning factors for the placement of physical markers about the worksite.
Claims20
A worksite server comprising:
- a map developer routine/module programmed to receive survey data about a physical worksite and prepare an unmarked worksite map in computer-readable format from the survey data;
- a marker assignment routine/module including an analytic engine and a simulator, the analytic engine programmed to assign at least one assigned marker position to the unmarked worksite map and the simulator programmed to simulate an effectiveness of the at least one assigned marker position based on a perceptibility of a corresponding physical marker in the physical worksite;
- and
- a map generator to generate a marker worksite map in computer-readable format that includes the at least one assigned marker position.
A computer-implemented method of developing a computer-readable worksite map of a physical worksite comprising:
- generating a worksite map including a plurality of assigned marker positions based in part on one or more marker positioning factors;
- simulating an assigned marker position from the plurality of marker positions to assess an effectiveness of a perception-based localization and navigation system to perceive a physical marker in the physical worksite that corresponds to the assigned marker position;
- and
- adjusting the assigned marker position in the worksite map to improve perceptibility of the physical marker.
A computer-implemented method for updating a computer-readable worksite map of a physical worksite comprising:
- retrieving a worksite map that includes one or more assigned marker positions;
- obtaining marker perception data from a perception-based localization and navigation system associated with a mobile machine operating at the physical worksite;
- analyzing the marker perception data to determine a perceptibility effectiveness of a physical marker in the physical worksite corresponding to an assigned marker position of the one or more assigned marker positions;
- and
- adjusting the assigned marker position in the worksite map to improve perceptibility effectiveness of the physical marker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.