Driver-Support SLAM for Human-Operated Fleet Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing material-transport vehicles, including both human-operated and automated systems, face challenges such as the inability to lift and manipulate complex payloads, navigate tight spaces quickly, recognize and react to complex situations, or operate without navigational strips. Additionally, upgrading entire fleets of traditional human-operated vehicles is often prohibitively expensive.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a driver-support system with human-operated material-transport vehicles, which includes sensors for determining vehicle location and velocity, and a transceiver for communicating with a fleet-management system. This system allows for the transmission of vehicle-mission information, receipt of fleet information, and implementation of features like path planning, collision avoidance, and task-status updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If driverless automated vehicles are used to increase automation level, then automation capability is improved, but ability to lift and manipulate complex payloads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the vehicle fleet into different types (automated vehicles for simple transport tasks and human-operated vehicles for complex payload manipulation), allowing each segment to specialize in specific functions where they excel
Solution Approach 2:
A fleet management system acts as an intermediary that coordinates between automated and human-operated vehicles, optimizing task allocation based on vehicle capabilities and current operational needs
2Extent of automation
If driverless automated vehicles are used to increase automation level, then automation capability is improved, but ability to navigate quickly in tight spaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments navigation tasks by spatial characteristics, assigning human-operated vehicles to tight-space operations where quick maneuvering is needed and automated vehicles to open-area transport where automation excels
Solution Approach 2:
The fleet management system dynamically assigns vehicles to tasks based on real-time conditions, allowing the most suitable vehicle type to handle each specific navigation scenario
3Extent of automation
If traditional human-operated vehicles are replaced entirely by automated vehicles to increase automation, then automation capability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of complete fleet replacement, the system implements partial automation by deploying automated vehicles for suitable tasks while retaining human-operated vehicles for complex operations, achieving automation benefits without full replacement costs
Solution Approach 2:
The fleet management system creates a universal infrastructure that supports both automated and human-operated vehicles, allowing the facility to leverage strengths of both vehicle types within a single integrated system
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a driver-support system for use with a human-operated material-transport vehicle, and methods for using the same. The system has at least one sensor, a human-vehicle interface, and a transceiver for communicating with a fleet-management system. The system also has a processor that is configured to provide a mapping application and a localization application based on information received from the sensor. The mapping application and localization application may be provided in a single localization-and-mapping (“SLAM”) application, which may obtain input from the sensor, for example, when the sensor is an optical sensor such as a LIDAR or video camera.