# US 2022/0326718 A1 · Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor

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- Number: US 2022/0326718 A1
- Document ID: US20220326718A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/597,644
- Filed: 2020-07-10
- Published: 2022-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-15
- Assignees: Stanley Robotics
- Applicants: Stanley Robotics
- Inventors: Aurélien Cord; Clément Boussard; Thibaut Pierret
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220326718A1

## CPC

- G05D 1/0297: {by controlling means in a control room}
- E04H 6/182: {using car-gripping transfer means (E04H6/285 takes precedence)}
- E04H 6/24: characterised by use of dollies for horizontal transport {, i.e. cars being permanently parked on wheeled platforms}
- E04H 6/422: {Automatically operated car-parks}
- G05D 1/0274: {using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30)}
- G05D 1/246: using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM]
- G05D 1/69: Coordinated control of the position or course of two or more vehicles
- G08G 1/14: indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- E04H: BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL (foundations E02D)
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor. Each autonomous robot comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space and geolocation means, environment sensors and means for telecommunication with said supervisor. The supervisor comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space, as well as means for telecommunication with said robots, a record of a unique identifier of each of the robots, and a computer for computing the trajectories of said autonomous robots.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots comprising a plurality of autonomous robots, controlled by a supervisor, characterized in that:
Each autonomous robot comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space and geolocation means, environment sensors and means for telecommunication with said supervisor
Said supervisor comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space, as well as means for telecommunication with said robots, a record of a unique identifier of each of said robots, and a computer for computing the trajectories of said autonomous robots
Said method comprises the following steps:
Intermittent steps of computing, by said supervisor, a plurality of actions each consisting of a digital message comprising an action identifier, a designation of one or more tasks and a designation of at least one starting or ending point, associated with an identifier of one of said autonomous robots
Intermittent steps of computing, for each of said actions, at least one task consisting of digital messages comprising a designation of an operation, associated with an identifier of one of said autonomous robots
Episodic acquisition by the supervisor of digital messages transmitted by said robots, containing said unique robot identifier, the time-stamped geolocation data of said robot and, if applicable, the execution status of a task,
Episodic acquisition by the supervisor of digital messages from peripheral equipment,
Periodic recomputing of a series of tasks or actions
Periodic transmission of digital action messages
Computation by each of said robots of the commands for these actuators based on the active task message, local geolocation information and the status of its environment sensors.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor according to claim 1, characterized in that said actions further comprise a priority indicator and in that the method comprises episodic steps of recomputing the scheduling of actions and tasks based on said priority indicators.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor according to claim 1, characterized in that said digital map of the parking space is divided into surface elements, each comprising a semaphore whose status SEM(x, y)i determines the accessibility by the robot ROBi and in that said supervisor assigns, to all the semaphores SEM(x, y) corresponding to the trajectory of the robot ROBi for the execution of a task, an active status for the robot ROBi and a non-active status for all other robots.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor according to claim 1, characterized in that said digital map of the parking space is divided into surface elements, each comprising a semaphore whose status SEM(x, y)i determines the accessibility by the robot ROBi and in that said supervisor assigns, to the semaphores SEM(x, y) corresponding to the current, future and/or past positions over a given duration of the robot ROBi for the execution of a task or a maneuver, an active status for the robot ROBi and a non-active status for all other robots.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

Method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor according to claim 1, characterized in that said supervisor automatically decides to assign the robot ROBi most suitable for the execution of said task to a task, taking into account one or more criteria such as the distance to be covered, the state of charge of the robots, the rate of use of each robot or the priority of said task.