Patent №
US 4,940,925
Granted
1990-07-10
Filed 1988
Owner
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, 13500 NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, DALLAS, TX 75265, A CORP. OF DE
+2 more
Lab
—
AI components
2
vision · planning
Assignment
Recorded
Dataset
AIPD
2023_r1 edition
Application
07265196
A visual navigation system provides absolute position information to multiple automatically guided vehicles (AGVs) such as mobile robots. The beacon-equipped AGVs emit light visible to overhead television cameras. The beacons are arranged and controlled so that the vision systems can acquire, measure, and report the locations of multiple AGVs. The system controller incorporates a programmable "factory map", or knowledge base, of allowable paths of travel for the AGVs, which navigate by dead reckoning with periodic position updates from the visual navigation system. The visual navigation system notifies the autonomous AGVs and the system controller when an AGV strays from its command path. The combination of computer controls in the elements of the system provides the means to stop and to recover straying AGVs. The navigation system visually monitors normal AGV travel, off-course corrections, "lost" AGV searches, and recovery. Thus, it provides closed-loop, servo-like operation.
AI classification
Ownership
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, 13500 NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, DALLAS, TX 75265, A CORP. OF DE
assignment · 50600826
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
assignment · 50940910
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, A CORP. OF DE.
assignment · 51080002
Assignors
HUANG, PHEN-LAN, WILLISTON, JOHN P., RICE, HARADON J., WAND, MARTIN A., DOTY, THOMAS J.
On an employer assignment, the assignors are typically the inventors.