WO2010006667A2 - Infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys - Google Patents

Infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010006667A2
WO2010006667A2 PCT/EP2009/003396 EP2009003396W WO2010006667A2 WO 2010006667 A2 WO2010006667 A2 WO 2010006667A2 EP 2009003396 W EP2009003396 W EP 2009003396W WO 2010006667 A2 WO2010006667 A2 WO 2010006667A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
trolley
infrared
designed
processing system
detection means
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Application number
PCT/EP2009/003396
Other languages
French (fr)
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WO2010006667A3 (en
Inventor
Marco Brogi
Original Assignee
Bromas S.R.L.
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Filing date
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Application filed by Bromas S.R.L. filed Critical Bromas S.R.L.
Publication of WO2010006667A2 publication Critical patent/WO2010006667A2/en
Publication of WO2010006667A3 publication Critical patent/WO2010006667A3/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
    • G05D1/0242—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
    • G05D1/0234—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using optical markers or beacons
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0268—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means
    • G05D1/027—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of automatically moving trolleys and in particular refers to an infrared-guiding system for automatically guided trolleys.
  • Automatically guided trolleys typically form part of automated-warehousing systems, the aim of which is to perform all the operations for picking up goods from a plurality of shelves inside an automated warehouse (with the aid of accessories or equipment) , moving said goods around in the warehouse, transporting them, and placing them on the shelves inside the warehouse.
  • Said operations are generally referred to, in an industrial context, as “logistic operations”.
  • AGVs automatically guided trolleys
  • Fixed-guide trolleys move along a path identified by an insulated conductor traversed by an a . c . current at a specific frequency (1-100 kHz) .
  • the conductor is positioned in the flooring on which the displacements are performed, and its arrangement is fixed and is decided only after a careful planning of the layout of the automatic warehouse in which they will be laid.
  • fixed-guide trolleys move on metal rails proper, fixed in an unremovable way on the floor of the warehouse .
  • free-guide automatically guided trolleys they typically use a laser-beam or reflected-light optical- guide system, which exploit precisely a laser beam or other source of photons that operates in the visible or in the infrared and sends the aforesaid beam of photons to purposely provided reflecting means, which are designed to enable reflection of the beam towards the automatically guided trolley in such a way that one or more sensors will enable identification of the reflected beam and will determine, through a numeric processing, the path that the trolley has to follow.
  • said systems can use, for example:
  • fixed-guide systems render access to the warehouse difficult for traditional means for displacement of goods, such as for example fork-lift trucks for handling pallets, in so far as the guides positioned and fixed on the floor frequently create an insurmountable obstacle.
  • the purpose of the present invention is to provide an infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys which will be free from the drawbacks described above.
  • an infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys is provided, as claimed in Claim 1.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a warehouse with an automatically guided trolley equipped with a guide system according to the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main components of an automatically guided trolley equipped with a system according to the invention.
  • an automatically guided trolley with an infrared guiding system which comprises at least one body 2, provided with a loading surface 3, and a plurality of wheels 4 of a fixed or steering type, which are able to cause the trolley to follow both rectilinear and curved paths.
  • the trolley 1 is moreover provided, in a front part thereof, with a tower 5 rotating on a substantially horizontal surface and on which a plurality of video cameras 6 are arranged, the purpose of which is to acquire the image of the environment of a warehouse 100 that surrounds the trolley 1.
  • the video cameras 6 are designed to enable identification of the areas 101 that can be traversed by the trolley 1.
  • the video cameras 6 possess elements sensitive to the near infrared and, in the field framed by a plurality of lenses 6a thereof, identify a plurality of targets 20 arranged on the structures of the warehouse 100 in such a way as to be visible by the video cameras 6 themselves and in a number that increases as the size of the warehouse 100, the complexity of the path that the trolley 1 has to follow, and the level of accuracy of positioning of the trolley 1 that it is intended to obtain from the system increase .
  • the video cameras 6 can rotate with the tower 5, the lenses 6a can have a reduced filming field, and hence present images with greater details; in such a way as to identify precisely a limited number of targets 20.
  • the rotation of the tower 5 hence enables reduction in the number of targets 20 to be arranged in the warehouse 100 as compared to a system provided with video cameras fixed with respect to the trolley.
  • the trolley 1 finally comprises one or more illuminators 12, which operate on the frequency range of the infrared and are oriented in such a way as to be set in a direction substantially corresponding to that of a front wall of the trolley 1.
  • the targets 20 can be of two types.
  • a first type of targets 20 regards active targets (technically known as "beacons”), i.e., ones that emit an infrared signal when they are illuminated by at least one illuminator 12.
  • the active targets comprise at least one infrared transmitter, an electrical -supply source of their own (such as, for example, a simple photovoltaic cell or one coupled with a battery) or, alternatively, a connection to an external electrical -supply source.
  • a second type of targets is characterized by elements without infrared transmitters (for example, a passive target can be a material that absorbs infrared radiation or a material that reflects said radiation) .
  • the targets 20 are able, according to the type described above, to transmit, absorb, or reflect infrared radiation according to a unique encoding, in such a way as to enable unique identification of their code and consequently of their position by the on-board processor 7.
  • Said type of unique encoding can, alternatively, be a particular modulation of the infrared signal transmitted or, in the case of passive targets, a particular geometrical configuration of the reflector.
  • the video cameras send a plurality of data in analog or numeric format, corresponding to acquired images to an on-board processor 7, positioned inside the body of the trolley 1, which identifies in real time the images filmed by the video cameras 6, enabling identification of the position of the targets 20 inside the images.
  • each of the video cameras 6 supplies to the on-board processor 7 a respective image 31, 32 in which areas 30a, 30b are present, which substantially correspond to targets 20 lit up by the illuminator ' 12.
  • Said areas 30a, 30b are characterized by a set of co-ordinates that are transmitted to a remote processor 8, the operating modalities of which will be described more fully in what follows.
  • the on-board processor 7 communicates with a remote processor 8, which is typically set in a control centre of the warehouse 100 and in which a purposely designed software:
  • - is able to define the point" of destination and to calculate the path towards which the trolley 1 will have to move, knowing the aforesaid instantaneous position of the trolley 1 and of the spaces that can be traversed by the trolley.
  • the on-board processor 7 can be a generic computer or a hardware system dedicated to recreation of the environment that surrounds the trolley 1. By means of a plurality of operations of processing of the images transmitted by the video cameras ⁇ , the on-board processor 7 represents in vector format the workplace in which the trolley 1 moves around.
  • connection between the on-board processor 7 and the remote processor 8 occurs, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, with a wireless numeric data- transmission system.
  • the aforesaid data transmission is carried out via radio, and consequently the trolley 1 further comprises an antenna 9, electrically connected to the on-board processor 7, whilst the remote processor 8 is in turn electrically connected to a base antenna 10.
  • Radio-transmission systems can integrate means designed to process the signal transmitted and received in such a way as to guarantee a greater immunity thereof to disturbance and background noise (whether natural or artificial) in such a way as to ensure a greater guarantee of a data-exchange procedure that will be free from errors in reception.
  • the trolley 1 is finally provided with a navigation system of an inertial type.
  • Said system is substantially based upon measurements of both linear and angular acceleration and preferably uses a sensor 13 of a MEMS type.
  • the senor 13 of a MEMS type has a plurality of accelerometers equal to the number of degrees of freedom of motion of the trolley 1, the position of which is obtained substantially by means of an operation of mathematical integration of the measurements of acceleration processed by the sensor 13.
  • the on-board processor 7 on the basis o the parameters of the environment of the warehouse 100 around the trolley 1, sends electrical signals designed to actuate movement members 11 on the wheels or systems for steering said wheels) of ⁇ the trolley 1.
  • sending of electrical signals by the on-board processor 7 is preferably carried out by means of one or more signal -transmission cables 7a (shown in Figure 2) or, alternatively, through a radio communication.
  • the trolley 1 is made to move by the signals sent from the on-board processor 7 in two different operating modes.
  • a first operating mode the trolley 1 moves rapidly and substantially in a straight line for a certain stretch of warehouse.
  • the video cameras 6 film the surrounding environment at a first frame rate t s i and at a first resolution ri (defined as number of rows by number of columns of pixels of the image filmed by the video camera 6) that is rather low in such a way as to give priority to the rate of processing of the acquired images over the detail of representation of the images themselves.
  • a second operating mode is instead characterized by a slow movement of the trolley 1 and is used when the trolley curves or approaches a destination point, in which it picks up the goods.
  • the video cameras 6 film the surrounding environment at a second frame rate t s2 that is substantially higher than the first frame rate t s i of the first operating mode, just as the resolution r 2 of the image acquired by the video cameras 6 is higher than the resolution T 1 of the image acquired by the video cameras 6 in the first operating mode.
  • the precision of the estimate of positioning of the trolley 1 is assigned a higher priority than the rate at which the image acquired by the video cameras 6 can be processed.
  • a portable programming device 21 the targets 20 are programmed, and by means of the systems previously described and mounted on board the trolley 1 the position of the latter is identified and is then sent to the remote processor 8 for acquisition.
  • the properties of each area of the warehouse 100 are compiled in a software of the remote processor 8: code and position of the goods, areas traversed by the trolley 1, and travelling speed thereof.
  • the trolley described does not require fixed guides installed along its path and consequently enables use of a number of systems in one and the same environment of warehouse 100, reducing the times for handling of the goods.
  • the video cameras 6 of the trolley 1 operate in a frequency range substantially coinciding with the infrared and since the trolley 1 is equipped with at least one illuminator 12 that is active in the infrared, it is able to move around in a way that is immune to the traditional problems of poor lighting and is altogether immune to the optical noise that is possibly present inside the warehouse 100 and can jeopardize operation of the traditional systems for navigation of automatically guided trolleys.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)
  • Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)

Abstract

An infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys (1), which are designed to handle and move around goods in a warehouse (100); the system possesses: a plurality of infrared-detection means (6) arranged on said trolley and designed to identify infrared radiation inside said warehouse (100); and a processing system (7), set on said trolley (1) and designed to process data transmitted by said infrared-detection means (6) to the processing system (7); the infrared-detection means (6) receive an infrared signal coming from a plurality of emitters (20) arranged inside said warehouse (100), and the processing system (7) exchanges data for movement of the trolley (1) with members (11) for movement of the trolley (1), which are designed to impress a motion on a plurality of means of locomotion (4) of the trolley (1).

Description

INFRARED GUIDING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GUIDED TROLLEYS
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to the field of automatically moving trolleys and in particular refers to an infrared-guiding system for automatically guided trolleys.
Automatically guided trolleys (known by the acronym "AGV", which stands for "Automatic Guided Vehicle") typically form part of automated-warehousing systems, the aim of which is to perform all the operations for picking up goods from a plurality of shelves inside an automated warehouse (with the aid of accessories or equipment) , moving said goods around in the warehouse, transporting them, and placing them on the shelves inside the warehouse. Said operations are generally referred to, in an industrial context, as "logistic operations".
The ever- increasing need for transport without direct human intervention inside automatic warehouses and the need to increase the number of operations of handling and/or transportation of goods has rendered necessary the introduction of an automated management of the operations of movement .
In addition, when these operations find their application in other fields, for example in the sector of services for carrying disabled persons or the like, we can no longer talk of "logistic functions" ; consequently, any activity performed will be referred to hereinafter by the new acronym AGM (Automated-Guide Movement .
Known to the art are automatically guided trolleys (AGVs) with fixed or else free guide.
Fixed-guide trolleys move along a path identified by an insulated conductor traversed by an a . c . current at a specific frequency (1-100 kHz) . In this case, the conductor is positioned in the flooring on which the displacements are performed, and its arrangement is fixed and is decided only after a careful planning of the layout of the automatic warehouse in which they will be laid.
Alternatively, fixed-guide trolleys move on metal rails proper, fixed in an unremovable way on the floor of the warehouse .
As regards free-guide automatically guided trolleys, they typically use a laser-beam or reflected-light optical- guide system, which exploit precisely a laser beam or other source of photons that operates in the visible or in the infrared and sends the aforesaid beam of photons to purposely provided reflecting means, which are designed to enable reflection of the beam towards the automatically guided trolley in such a way that one or more sensors will enable identification of the reflected beam and will determine, through a numeric processing, the path that the trolley has to follow.
In detail, said systems can use, for example:
- a reflecting strip positioned on the floor, which is to be lit up by a light source set on the trolley itself; and
- one or more rotating lasers, which are able to determine the position inside the premises.
Systems of a known type are, however, characterized by certain disadvantages. In the first place, fixed-guide systems involve equipping of the warehouse by laying cables, sensors embedded in the floor, and rails, which, in addition to entailing a considerable outlay of capital, render the automatic warehouse in which they are installed altogether inflexible in regard to any change in the arrangement of the shelves given that this operation would entail complete redesign of the guide systems.
In addition, fixed-guide systems render access to the warehouse difficult for traditional means for displacement of goods, such as for example fork-lift trucks for handling pallets, in so far as the guides positioned and fixed on the floor frequently create an insurmountable obstacle.
As regards free-guide systems, they present the following disadvantage:
- in the case of reflecting-strip systems, any interruptions or spots present thereon can cause malfunctioning of the system for guiding the trolley;
- in the case of rotating laser sources, during rotation the trolley cannot move or its capacity for movement is extremely limited.
In addition, automatic warehouses are very frequently subject to a high content of agents capable of obscuring the reflecting power of reflecting strips, thus rendering unstable operation of free-guide trolleys of a known optical type.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys which will be free from the drawbacks described above.
According to the present invention, an infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys is provided, as claimed in Claim 1.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings, which illustrate a non- limiting example of embodiment thereof and in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a warehouse with an automatically guided trolley equipped with a guide system according to the invention; and
- Figure 2 is a block diagram of the main components of an automatically guided trolley equipped with a system according to the invention.
With reference to Figure 1, designated as a whole by 1 is an automatically guided trolley with an infrared guiding system, which comprises at least one body 2, provided with a loading surface 3, and a plurality of wheels 4 of a fixed or steering type, which are able to cause the trolley to follow both rectilinear and curved paths.
The trolley 1 is moreover provided, in a front part thereof, with a tower 5 rotating on a substantially horizontal surface and on which a plurality of video cameras 6 are arranged, the purpose of which is to acquire the image of the environment of a warehouse 100 that surrounds the trolley 1. In greater detail, the video cameras 6 are designed to enable identification of the areas 101 that can be traversed by the trolley 1.
The video cameras 6 possess elements sensitive to the near infrared and, in the field framed by a plurality of lenses 6a thereof, identify a plurality of targets 20 arranged on the structures of the warehouse 100 in such a way as to be visible by the video cameras 6 themselves and in a number that increases as the size of the warehouse 100, the complexity of the path that the trolley 1 has to follow, and the level of accuracy of positioning of the trolley 1 that it is intended to obtain from the system increase .
Since the video cameras 6 can rotate with the tower 5, the lenses 6a can have a reduced filming field, and hence present images with greater details; in such a way as to identify precisely a limited number of targets 20. The rotation of the tower 5 hence enables reduction in the number of targets 20 to be arranged in the warehouse 100 as compared to a system provided with video cameras fixed with respect to the trolley.
The trolley 1 finally comprises one or more illuminators 12, which operate on the frequency range of the infrared and are oriented in such a way as to be set in a direction substantially corresponding to that of a front wall of the trolley 1.
In greater detail, the targets 20 can be of two types.
A first type of targets 20 regards active targets (technically known as "beacons"), i.e., ones that emit an infrared signal when they are illuminated by at least one illuminator 12. In detail, the active targets comprise at least one infrared transmitter, an electrical -supply source of their own (such as, for example, a simple photovoltaic cell or one coupled with a battery) or, alternatively, a connection to an external electrical -supply source.
A second type of targets, referred to as "passive targets", is characterized by elements without infrared transmitters (for example, a passive target can be a material that absorbs infrared radiation or a material that reflects said radiation) .
The targets 20 are able, according to the type described above, to transmit, absorb, or reflect infrared radiation according to a unique encoding, in such a way as to enable unique identification of their code and consequently of their position by the on-board processor 7.
Said type of unique encoding can, alternatively, be a particular modulation of the infrared signal transmitted or, in the case of passive targets, a particular geometrical configuration of the reflector.
As is shown in Figure 2, the video cameras send a plurality of data in analog or numeric format, corresponding to acquired images to an on-board processor 7, positioned inside the body of the trolley 1, which identifies in real time the images filmed by the video cameras 6, enabling identification of the position of the targets 20 inside the images.
In fact, by means of a process of extrapolation of the position via acquisition of the stereographic image, it is possible to determine the distance between the trolley 1 and the position of the targets 20 lit up by the illuminator 12.
In greater detail, as is shown in Figure 3, each of the video cameras 6 supplies to the on-board processor 7 a respective image 31, 32 in which areas 30a, 30b are present, which substantially correspond to targets 20 lit up by the illuminator ' 12. Said areas 30a, 30b are characterized by a set of co-ordinates that are transmitted to a remote processor 8, the operating modalities of which will be described more fully in what follows.
Finally, the on-board processor 7 communicates with a remote processor 8, which is typically set in a control centre of the warehouse 100 and in which a purposely designed software:
- is able to identify the spaces 103 that can be travelled along by the trolley 1 via storage of the layout of the warehouse;
- knows a starting position and an instantaneous position of the trolley 1;
- sees to management of the goods 102 in the warehouse;
- is able to define the point" of destination and to calculate the path towards which the trolley 1 will have to move, knowing the aforesaid instantaneous position of the trolley 1 and of the spaces that can be traversed by the trolley.
In greater detail, the on-board processor 7 can be a generic computer or a hardware system dedicated to recreation of the environment that surrounds the trolley 1. By means of a plurality of operations of processing of the images transmitted by the video cameras β, the on-board processor 7 represents in vector format the workplace in which the trolley 1 moves around.
Connection between the on-board processor 7 and the remote processor 8 occurs, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, with a wireless numeric data- transmission system. In greater detail, the aforesaid data transmission is carried out via radio, and consequently the trolley 1 further comprises an antenna 9, electrically connected to the on-board processor 7, whilst the remote processor 8 is in turn electrically connected to a base antenna 10.
Data transmission via radio is to be preferred to other types of wireless transmission, such as, for example, infrared transmission or optical transmission, in so far as it is known that radio-transmission systems can integrate means designed to process the signal transmitted and received in such a way as to guarantee a greater immunity thereof to disturbance and background noise (whether natural or artificial) in such a way as to ensure a greater guarantee of a data-exchange procedure that will be free from errors in reception.
In order to improve the performance of navigation of the trolley 1 inside the premises of the warehouse 100, the trolley 1 is finally provided with a navigation system of an inertial type. Said system is substantially based upon measurements of both linear and angular acceleration and preferably uses a sensor 13 of a MEMS type.
In detail, the sensor 13 of a MEMS type has a plurality of accelerometers equal to the number of degrees of freedom of motion of the trolley 1, the position of which is obtained substantially by means of an operation of mathematical integration of the measurements of acceleration processed by the sensor 13.
The on-board processor 7, on the basis o the parameters of the environment of the warehouse 100 around the trolley 1, sends electrical signals designed to actuate movement members 11 on the wheels or systems for steering said wheels) of ■ the trolley 1. In detail, sending of electrical signals by the on-board processor 7 is preferably carried out by means of one or more signal -transmission cables 7a (shown in Figure 2) or, alternatively, through a radio communication.
In particular, the trolley 1 is made to move by the signals sent from the on-board processor 7 in two different operating modes.
In a first operating mode, the trolley 1 moves rapidly and substantially in a straight line for a certain stretch of warehouse. In the first operating mode the video cameras 6 film the surrounding environment at a first frame rate tsi and at a first resolution ri (defined as number of rows by number of columns of pixels of the image filmed by the video camera 6) that is rather low in such a way as to give priority to the rate of processing of the acquired images over the detail of representation of the images themselves. A second operating mode is instead characterized by a slow movement of the trolley 1 and is used when the trolley curves or approaches a destination point, in which it picks up the goods. In the second operating mode, the video cameras 6 film the surrounding environment at a second frame rate ts2 that is substantially higher than the first frame rate tsi of the first operating mode, just as the resolution r2 of the image acquired by the video cameras 6 is higher than the resolution T1 of the image acquired by the video cameras 6 in the first operating mode. In fact, in the second operating mode, the precision of the estimate of positioning of the trolley 1 is assigned a higher priority than the rate at which the image acquired by the video cameras 6 can be processed.
In a first step of installation of the system, once the targets 20 have been arranged inside the warehouse 100, by means of a portable programming device 21 the targets 20 are programmed, and by means of the systems previously described and mounted on board the trolley 1 the position of the latter is identified and is then sent to the remote processor 8 for acquisition.
At this point, once the model of the warehouse 100 has been obtained, the properties of each area of the warehouse 100 are compiled in a software of the remote processor 8: code and position of the goods, areas traversed by the trolley 1, and travelling speed thereof.
The advantages of the present invention emerge clearly from the foregoing description. In detail, the trolley described does not require fixed guides installed along its path and consequently enables use of a number of systems in one and the same environment of warehouse 100, reducing the times for handling of the goods.
In addition, the absence of particular structures installed in a fixed way on the floor of the warehouse 100 guarantees a considerable flexibility in the event of change of layout. In fact, in this case, it is sufficient merely to change the workplace of the trolley 1, which must be reconstructed in a vector form and saved in the processing systems, and to re-order the targets for identification of the path.
Since the video cameras 6 of the trolley 1 operate in a frequency range substantially coinciding with the infrared and since the trolley 1 is equipped with at least one illuminator 12 that is active in the infrared, it is able to move around in a way that is immune to the traditional problems of poor lighting and is altogether immune to the optical noise that is possibly present inside the warehouse 100 and can jeopardize operation of the traditional systems for navigation of automatically guided trolleys.
Finally, the presence of two different progression modes, in the case in point a slower one and a faster one, enables an increase in the efficiency of the trolley 1 in terms of time of traversal of its path and equally in terms of accuracy and precision of positioning with respect to the targets.
What has been described so far as regards the system according to the present invention concerns a preferred and non-limiting example of embodiment, which may undergo numerous variations and changes, all of which fall within the same inventive idea. The shape of the trolley, the arrangement of the targets and of the video cameras, as well as the shape and height of the tower of the trolley may vary from what has been described and represented in the figures according to the destination of use and the operating conditions of the system.

Claims

1. An infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys (1) , which are designed to handle goods, moving around in free areas (103) of a warehouse (100) , the system comprising :
- a plurality of infrared-detection means (6) arranged on said trolley and designed to identify infrared radiation inside said warehouse (100) ; and
- a processing system (7) , set on said trolley (1) and designed to process data transmitted by said infrared- detection means (6) to said processing system (7) ; and being characterized in that said infrared-detection means (6) receive an infrared signal coming from a plurality of emitters (20) arranged inside said warehouse (100) and in that said processing system (7) exchanges data for movement of said trolley (1) with members (ϊl) for movement of the trolley (1) , which are designed to impress a motion on a plurality of means of locomotion (4) of said trolley (1) .
2. The system according to Claim 1, further comprising at least one infrared-emitting device (12) , set on said trolley (1) ; said infrared-emitting device (12) :
- receiving an electrical signal from said processing system (7) ; and
- being designed to direct a beam of infrared radiation towards said emitters (20) .
3. The system according to Claim 2, wherein said emitters (20) are of a passive type and are substantially made of a reflecting material or a material that absorbs infrared radiation.
4. The system according to Claim 2, wherein said emitters (20) are of an active type and comprise at least one infrared transmitter, designed to transmit said infrared radiation when it is activated by said infrared- emitting devices (12) present on said trolley (1) .
5. The system according to Claim 1, wherein: an inertial navigation system (13) is installed on said trolley (1) ; said inertial navigation system (13) exchanges data with said processing system (7) and supplies measurements of acceleration of the trolley (1) during its movement; said inertial navigation system (13) comprises acceleration sensors of a MEMS type.
6. The system according to Claim 1, wherein said processing system (7) controls said members (11) for movement of the trolley (1) in a first operating mode and in a second operating mode:
- said first operating mode, in which the trolley (1) moves rapidly and substantially in a straight line and in which said infrared-detection means (6) acquire numeric images at a first frame rate (tsi) and at a first resolution (ri) ; and
- said second operating mode, in which the trolley (1) curves or approaches a destination point along its path and in which said infrared-detection means (6) acquire numeric images at a second frame rate (ts2) substantially higher than the first frame rate (tsi) and at a resolution (r2) higher than the resolution (ri) of the image acquired by said infrared-detection means (6) in the first operating mode .
7. The system according to Claim 1, further comprising a remote processor (8), positioned outside said trolley (1) , which is designed to define at least one point of destination and a path (102) along which said trolley (1) travels; said remote processor
(8) exchanging data with said processing system (7) by means of a radio connection made possible by a pair of antennas (9, 10) .
9. The system according to Claim 8, wherein said remote processor (8) calculates the path that must be followed by the trolley (1) on the basis of the data transmitted by- said infrared-detection means (8) to said processing system (7) .
PCT/EP2009/003396 2008-06-23 2009-05-13 Infrared guiding system for automatically guided trolleys WO2010006667A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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IT000489A ITTO20080489A1 (en) 2008-06-23 2008-06-23 INFRARED DRIVING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC DRIVING TROLLEYS
ITTO2008A000489 2008-06-23

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JP2013161399A (en) * 2012-02-08 2013-08-19 Murata Mach Ltd Carriage vehicle
CN103324199A (en) * 2013-07-10 2013-09-25 贵州大学 Intelligent tracing trolley
CN103713638A (en) * 2013-12-20 2014-04-09 江苏清弘物联网股份有限公司 Miniature car model navigation system
WO2019055281A3 (en) * 2017-09-14 2019-04-25 United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. Automatic routing of autonomous vehicles intra-facility movement
CN110450882A (en) * 2018-05-08 2019-11-15 同人拓丰（北京）科技有限公司 A kind of novel detection trolley
US20230025904A1 (en) * 2019-12-20 2023-01-26 Compagine General Des Etablissements Michelin Method for monitoring tires of more than 30 inches via video means

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CN103645738B (en) * 2013-12-20 2016-06-29 江苏清弘物联网股份有限公司 A kind of Miniature car model navigation method

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Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2013161399A (en) * 2012-02-08 2013-08-19 Murata Mach Ltd Carriage vehicle
CN103324199A (en) * 2013-07-10 2013-09-25 贵州大学 Intelligent tracing trolley
CN103713638A (en) * 2013-12-20 2014-04-09 江苏清弘物联网股份有限公司 Miniature car model navigation system
WO2019055281A3 (en) * 2017-09-14 2019-04-25 United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. Automatic routing of autonomous vehicles intra-facility movement
CN110450882A (en) * 2018-05-08 2019-11-15 同人拓丰（北京）科技有限公司 A kind of novel detection trolley
US20230025904A1 (en) * 2019-12-20 2023-01-26 Compagine General Des Etablissements Michelin Method for monitoring tires of more than 30 inches via video means

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ITTO20080489A1 (en) 2009-12-24

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