UWB Relative Pose Sensing for Forklift Field Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for managing materials handling vehicles in industrial environments lack effective methods for determining relative pose and enforcing fields to prevent collisions and optimize navigation.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology with antenna arrays mounted on materials handling vehicles to transmit and receive signals, determining relative pose and overlapping fields, and implementing vehicle control actions based on these determinations to avoid collisions and manage vehicle operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultra-wideband radio technology with antenna arrays is used to determine relative pose and enforce fields, then collision avoidance and navigation efficiency are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring space into multiple virtual fields (safe field, slow field, stop field) with different safety zones and response levels. Each field represents a segmented region with specific collision risk characteristics, allowing the vehicle to apply different control strategies in different zones rather than using a single complex global control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual field dimension overlaying the physical workspace, creating a layered safety model. Instead of relying solely on physical distance measurements, the system adds a conceptual layer of virtual fields that extend beyond physical boundaries, enabling collision prevention through spatial reasoning in an augmented dimension.
2Productivity
If ultra-wideband radio technology with antenna arrays is used to determine relative pose and enforce fields, then navigation efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-defines multiple virtual fields (safe field, slow field, stop field) with predetermined safety distances and response protocols before navigation begins. These fields are established in advance based on vehicle dimensions and operational parameters, allowing the vehicle to navigate efficiently by simply checking which pre-defined field it occupies rather than performing complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual fields are dynamically adjusted based on real-time vehicle pose information obtained from ultra-wideband radio measurements. The system continuously updates field positions and boundaries as vehicles move, maintaining accurate collision avoidance zones without requiring a complete recalculation of the navigation plan, thus balancing adaptability with computational efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise determination of relative pose and field enforcement, enhancing collision avoidance and navigation efficiency in industrial environments.
Implementation Method 1
determine a relative pose of a materials handling vehicle with respect to the materials handling vehicle based on UWB signals transmitted from multi-antenna arrays on each of the materials handling vehicles
Data Source
AI summary
According to the embodiments described herein, system and methods for determining relative pose of materials handling vehicles in an industrial environment may include utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna array systems respective mounted on the materials handling vehicles to send mutually received information to determine the relative pose between the vehicles, determining one or more fields of each materials handling vehicle, and determining one or more overlapping fields between the materials handling vehicles based on the determined one or more fields and the relative pose. A vehicle control may be implemented based on the determined relative pose and the overlapping fields as a field enforcement, such as a control action to avoid collision between the vehicles.