Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Justin Miller

Jianbo Lu

Sanghyun Hong

Raj Sohmshetty

Smruti Panigrahi

Mario Anthony Santillo

Timothy Mark Feldkamp

Meghna Menon

Matthew Cui

Shankar Narayan Mohan

Kilian Vas

Zhijun Han

Doug Cantriel

A system includes a robotic system including a robot disposable at a mobile workstation, where the robot is configured to perform an automated operation on a workpiece. The system includes one or more transfer robots configured to transfer the robotic system to or from the mobile workstation. The system includes a control system configured to command the transfer robot to perform a transfer operation of the robotic system, where the transfer operation includes at least one of disposing the robotic system at the mobile workstation or retrieving the robotic system from the mobile workstation. The control system is configured to control the mobile workstation and the robotic system based on image data from the one or more infrastructure sensors, position data from the one or more on-board position sensors, the automated operation to be performed by the robot, or a combination thereof.

Method and system for operating a transfer robot in a manufacturing environment

A method includes defining a manufacturing transformation for a mobile workpiece based on mobile workpiece state information of the mobile workpiece, where the manufacturing transformation is an automated operation to be performed on the mobile workpiece. The method includes selecting a set of one or more manufacturing systems from among the one or more manufacturing systems for the mobile workpiece based on the manufacturing transformation and manufacturing system state information associated with the one or more manufacturing systems, where the manufacturing system state information provides data related to at least one of availability, capability, and constraints of the of the one or more manufacturing systems. The method includes defining manufacturing process steps of the manufacturing transformation based on the set of one or more manufacturing systems. The method includes defining a location for performing the manufacturing process steps on the mobile workpiece.

System and method for generating dynamic manufacturing process sequences

Systems and methods are provided herein for managing a transportation device fleet using teleoperation. Teleoperation may be beneficial for performing fleet management tasks such as rebalancing, relocation of devices to charging stations, and/or assisting devices operating autonomously that encounter obstacles and are unable to proceed autonomously.

Systems and methods for managing a transportation device fleet using teleoperation commands

Autonomous vehicle fleet management systems are provided herein. An example method includes receiving, via a control module of a first electric vehicle, trip characteristics data associated with a second electric vehicle. The trip characteristics data includes information such as vehicle location, a trip destination, and a route plan associated with the second electric vehicle. The control module or a connected control server selects a charging station for recharging the first electric vehicle based at least in part on the trip characteristics data and at least one route optimization option associated with the first electric vehicle. The example method further includes determining a travel route to the charging station and navigating the first electric vehicle to the charging station along the travel route using an autonomous vehicle navigation system associated with the control module.

Self-balancing autonomous vehicle fleet

A bake-steering apparatus for controlling autonomous navigation of an electric scooter includes at least one electric motor coupled to at least one wheel of the scooter to provide driving power to enable forward momentum of the scooter, at least a pair of brake pads on the scooter such that each brake pad is adapted to make mechanical braking contact with respective ones of the wheels to provide navigational steering of the scooter, and a computational module on the scooter and electrically connected to each brake pad. The computational module is adapted to receive electrical signals and compute them into corresponding braking commands so as to determine the mechanical braking contact to generate corresponding slowing and turning of the forward momentum of the scooter so as to provide navigational steering of the scooter.

Brake-steering apparatus for controlling autonomous navigation of an electric scooter

This disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for using an autonomous vehicle to provide navigation assistance to a delivery robot. In one exemplary implementation, the delivery robot is transported by the autonomous vehicle to a delivery destination such as a residence or a workplace. The delivery robot disembarks at the delivery destination for delivering a package to a recipient at the residence or workplace. A computer system in the autonomous vehicle communicates with a navigation assistance system of the autonomous vehicle to obtain information pertaining to a terrain between the autonomous vehicle and a package drop-off spot at the residence or workplace, and uses the information to generate a route map of the terrain. The autonomous vehicle may transmit the route map and/or navigation instructions derived from the route map, to the delivery robot to assist the delivery robot navigate around obstacles and reach the package drop-off spot.

Systems and methods for providing navigation assistance to a delivery robot

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for enhanced human-robot interactions. A device such as a robot may send one or more pulses. The device may identify one or more reflections associated with the one or more pulses. The device may determine, based at least in part on the one or more reflections, a cluster. The device may associate the cluster with an object identified in an image. The device may determine, based at least in part on an image analysis of the image, a gesture associated with the object. The device may determine, based at least in part on the gesture, a command associated with an action. The device may to perform the action.

Self-driving mobile robots using human-robot interactions

Systems and methods for swapping mobile robot batteries on battery charging stations are disclosed herein. An example system may comprise at least one mobile robot, wherein the mobile robot may be optionally coupled to a modular component, and wherein the mobile robot and the modular component may each have robot batteries configured to be detachably removed from the mobile robot and the modular component. An example system may also comprise at least one battery charging station for receiving robot or modular component batteries for charging, and also for providing charged batteries to mobile robots or modular components. Finally, the system may comprise a service provider and a network that may be used to manage data and handle interactions between the mobile robots and the battery charging stations.

Systems and methods for efficient power management of modular mobile robot platforms with replaceable batteries

The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for predicting the movement intent of objects. In one aspect, a mobile robot predicts the movement intent of pedestrians from past pedestrian trajectory data and landmark proximity. In another aspect, a host mobile robot predicts the movement intent of other robots/vehicles using motion analysis models for different driving behaviors, including curve negotiation, zigzagging, rapid acceleration/deceleration, and tailgating. In a further aspect, a mobile robot can self-predict movement intent and share movement intent information with surrounding robots/vehicles (e.g., through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication). The mobile robot can self-predict future movement by comparing the operating values calculated from the monitored components to the operating limits of the mobile robot (e.g., an adhesion limit between the tires and ground). Exceeding operating limits can be an indication of skidding, oversteering, understeering, or fishtailing.

Growing community of inventors

Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Justin Miller