Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-28
2002-12-10
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S069000, C701S210000, C180S168000, C318S568120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06493614
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2001-84392, filed Dec. 24, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereby by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automatic guided system, and more particularly to an automatic guided system and control method thereof, which is capable of correcting an error of position recognition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a conventional Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) is configured to move a load along a guide line positioned on a road surface. The conventional AGV moves along a continuous guide line by detecting the continuous guide line, which is formed of a magnetic tape and positioned on a path of movement. The conventional AGV uses a magnetic sensor to detect the continuous guide line. Additionally, the conventional AGV recognizes a stop position by detecting a stop position tag located at a certain position of the guide line, and performs work by operating a robot at the stop position.
A position of the conventional AGV is recognized by detecting the stop position tag and an encoder value for rotation of wheels of the AGV. However, when the stop position tag is not recognized or the encoder value is erroneous, an accident may occur due to the erroneous recognition of the position of the AGV.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic guided system and control method thereof, which corrects an error of position recognition while an automatic guided vehicle of the automatic guided system moves.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an automatic guided system including guide lines positioned along a path of movement, stop position tags formed beside the guide lines at predetermined positions, and an automatic guided vehicle moving along the guide lines and stopping at the positions of the stop position tags to perform work using a robot. The automatic guided vehicle includes a vision unit to photograph the guide lines, a stop position detection unit to detect the stop position tags, a moving unit to drive wheels of the automatic guided vehicle to move the vehicle, an encoding unit to detect rotation of the wheels, and a control unit to control the moving unit in response to output data from the vision unit, the stop position detection unit, and the encoding unit.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a method to control an automatic guided system having an automatic guided vehicle moving along first and second guide lines and stopping at predetermined positions of stop position tags. The first guide line is divided into a plurality of zones at first regular intervals and the second guide line is divided into a plurality of zones the same as the first guide line. Each of the zones of the second guide line are divided into a plurality of differently colored sections at second regular intervals. Thus, according to an aspect of the present invention, the method to control an automatic guided system includes calculating first position information using a predetermined color code corresponding to the respective colored section of the second guide line and information of one of the stop position tags. The method also includes calculating second position information using an encoder value for wheels of the automatic guided vehicle, calculating an error of position recognition using the first and second position information, and correcting the second position information.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5170351 (1992-12-01), Nemoto et al.
patent: 5525884 (1996-06-01), Sugiura et al.
patent: 5961559 (1999-10-01), Shimbara et al.
patent: 6256560 (2001-07-01), Kim et al.
Camby Richard M.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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