A robot configured to navigate a surface, the robot comprising a movement mechanism; a logical map representing data about the surface and associating locations with one or more properties observed during navigation; an initialization module configured to establish an initial pose comprising an initial location and an initial orientation; a region covering module configured to cause the robot to move so as to cover a region; an edge-following module configured to cause the robot to follow unfollowed edges; a control module configured to invoke region covering on a first region defined at least in part based at least part of the initial pose, to invoke region covering on least one additional region, to invoke edge-following, and to invoke region covering cause the mapping module to mark followed edges as followed, and cause a third region covering on regions discovered during edge-following.

The present invention discloses a module for robot navigation, an address marker and an associated robot. The module divides a whole workspace area for robot traveling into a plurality of module areas, and each module area is internally provided with a first magnetic piece having a polarity of an N pole or an S pole and a second magnetic piece having a polarity different from the polarity of the first magnetic piece. The first magnetic piece is a first magnetic strip, and the second magnetic piece is a second magnetic strip. The first magnetic strip is arranged in the Y-axis direction, and the second magnetic strip is arranged in the X-axis direction. A third magnetic strip and a fourth magnetic strip are further included. The four strips are in cross arrangement. The polarity of the second magnetic strip, the polarity of the third magnetic strip and the polarity of the fourth magnetic strip are the same. A plurality of magnetic induction sensors and an address marker recognition device are installed at the bottom of the robot. The robot can travel forward or backward or turn to a target module area according to instructions and collected marker information. The module for robot navigation, the address marker and the associated robot according to the present invention have beneficial effects of reliable and accurate positioning, low cost and convenient maintenance.

A traveling body has a position detector, a traveling controller, and a determination processor. The position detector detects a position of the traveling body while the traveling body travels. The traveling controller switches between a first traveling method and a second traveling method. In the first traveling method, the traveling body is traveled along a guide member, by detecting the guide member laid on the traveling route, whereas in the second traveling method, the traveling body is traveled based on the position detected by the position detector without depending on the guide member. The determination processor determines a detection state of the guide member. The traveling controller switches from the first traveling method to the second traveling method, when the determination processor determines that the guide member is in a detection state in which the traveling body cannot travel by the first traveling method.

A robot includes a controller configured to: detect a virtual wall signal; identify a virtual wall according to a signal threshold and the virtual wall signal; and when the virtual wall is identified, adjust the signal threshold, and control the robot to travel along an outer side of the virtual wall according to an adjusted signal threshold and the virtual wall signal, such that a driving wheel of the robot is located at the outer side of the virtual wall when the robot is traveling along the outer side of the virtual wall; wherein the outer side of the virtual wall is a side of the virtual wall within an active region of the robot.

There is provided an autonomous travel system with which a travel route of an autonomous travel device can be easily set. The autonomous travel system includes an autonomous travel device (2), a line (1) for guiding travel that is placed on a travel route traveled by the autonomous travel device (2), and a marker (3) that is placed on the travel route. To the marker (3), operation control information related to an operation of the autonomous travel device (2) is recorded so as to be readable. The autonomous travel device (2) includes a detection unit (line sensor (21)) that detects the line (1), an acquisition unit (detection sensor (22)) that acquires the operation control information from the marker (3), and a control unit (23) that controls an operation of the autonomous travel device (2) on the basis of a detection result from the detection unit and the operation control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

There is provided an autonomous travel system with which a travel route of an autonomous travel device can be easily set.

The autonomous travel system includes an autonomous travel device (2), a line (1) for guiding travel that is placed on a travel route traveled by the autonomous travel device (2), and a marker (3) that is placed on the travel route. To the marker (3), operation control information related to an operation of the autonomous travel device (2) is recorded so as to be readable. The autonomous travel device (2) includes a detection unit (line sensor (21)) that detects the line (1), an acquisition unit (detection sensor (22)) that acquires the operation control information from the marker (3), and a control unit (23) that controls an operation of the autonomous travel device (2) on the basis of a detection result from the detection unit and the operation control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

There is provided a technique capable of easily realizing control to cause an autonomous travel device to perform a predetermined operation at a predetermined position on a travel route.

An autonomous travel device (2) is an autonomous travel device that travels along a line (1) placed on a travel route, and includes a detecting unit (line sensor (21)) that detects the line (1), and a control unit that controls an operation of the autonomous travel device (2) on the basis of a detection result from the detecting unit. The control unit determines a width (W) of the line (1) on the basis of the detection result from the detecting unit. If the determined width (W) of the line (1) is smaller than a predetermined reference width, the control unit causes the autonomous travel device (2) to perform a travel operation of traveling along the line (1). On the other hand, if the determined width (W) of the line (1) is larger than or equal to the predetermined reference width, the control unit causes the autonomous travel device (2) to perform a predetermined operation different from the travel operation.

A system and method for independently routing container-located vehicles to create different finished products are disclosed. The vehicles are independently routable along a track system to deliver the containers to at least one unit operation station. At least some of the vehicles have a unique route associated therewith that is assigned by a control system to facilitate simultaneous production of different finished products.

An automated guided vehicle system including at least one automated guided vehicle (AGV) for following predetermined magnetic paths on a ground surface to carry cargo to selected points on the paths. The AGV includes a chassis, top plate mounted on the chassis for receipt of cargo, a pair of driving wheels coupled to driving motors, and plural passive omni-wheels. Control and navigation circuitry is provided to operate the motors to drive the driving wheels to cause the AGV to follow a desired one of the paths. The AGV provides illumination indicating its direction of travel and status. It also includes laser scanners for obstacle detection.

According to an embodiment, a tablet terminal, which functions as a guide image display portion, sequentially displays GUI images (guide images) that assist picking work inside a warehouse. The tablet terminal displays a guide image indicating a route to a shelf that stores the aimed commodity when an AGV starts to travel; displays a guide image indicating the shelf number and a tier level when the AGV is near the shelf that stores the aimed commodity; displays a guide image indicating a photograph of the commodity and a position of a bar code to be read by a bar code reader when the AGV is in front of the shelf that stores the aimed commodity; displays a guide image indicating a container in which the commodity should be put when the commodity is picked correctly; and displays the number of commodities for a final check.