The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 10, 1990
Filed:
Oct. 31, 1988
Martin A Wand, Plano, TX (US);
Anh V Ho, Dallas, TX (US);
Chuan-Fu Lin, Westboro, MA (US);
Phen-Lan Huang, Richardson, TX (US);
John P Williston, Plano, TX (US);
Haradon J Rice, Plano, TX (US);
Thomas J Doty, Dallas, TX (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
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.