US 12,748,433 B1 · Systems and methods of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under various safety modes

Abstract

Systems and methods of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under various safety modes is disclosed. Each of the safety modes is determined autonomously based at least on one or more payload characteristics. The method involves operating a processor to: initiate a mission involving a payload; receive an initial set of payload characteristics prior to engaging the payload; defining an initial safety mode based on the initial set of payload characteristics; monitor the payload to detect one or more characteristic variations from the initial set of payload characteristics; and in response to determining one or more characteristic variations, automatically adapting the initial safety mode into an active safety mode to align an operation of the self-driving vehicle with the payload. In the absence of a payload, the self-driving vehicle can enter a basic safety mode.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under a plurality of safety modes determined autonomously based at least on one or more payload characteristics, the method comprising:

operating the self-driving material-transport vehicle to initiate a mission involving a payload;
receiving an initial set of payload characteristics prior to engaging the payload by the self-driving material-transport vehicle;
defining an initial safety mode based at least on the initial set of payload characteristics for initiating engagement with the payload;
while engaged with the payload, monitoring the payload to detect one or more characteristic variations from the initial set of payload characteristics;
in response to determining the one or more characteristic variations from the initial set of payload characteristics, automatically adapting the initial safety mode into an active safety mode defined based at least on the one or more characteristic variations to align an operation of the self-driving material-transport vehicle with the payload;
and
operating the self-driving material-transport vehicle to enter a basic safety mode upon detection of an absence of the payload from the self-driving material-transport vehicle.

4 more elements

A system of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under a plurality of safety modes determined autonomously based at least on one or more payload characteristics, the system comprising a processor operable to:

operate the self-driving material-transport vehicle to initiate a mission involving a payload;
receive an initial set of payload characteristics prior to engaging the payload by the self-driving material-transport vehicle;
define an initial safety mode based at least on the initial set of payload characteristics for initiating engagement with the payload;
while engaged with the payload, monitor the payload to detect one or more characteristic variations from the initial set of payload characteristics;
in response to determining the one or more characteristic variations from the initial set of payload characteristics, automatically adapt the initial safety mode into an active safety mode defined based at least on the one or more characteristic variations to align an operation of the self-driving material-transport vehicle with the payload;
and
operate the self-driving material-transport vehicle to enter a basic safety mode upon detection of an absence of the payload from the self-driving material-transport vehicle.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under various safety modes

Life of this patent

Systems and methods of operating a self-driving material-transport vehicle under various safety modes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20