Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a mission for a self-driving material-transport vehicle are presented. The system comprises at least one self-driving material-transport vehicle, at least one programmable logic controller, at least one field instrument, and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium in communication with at least one processor. An application signal is received from the programmable logic controller based on an activation signal from the field instrument. A mission is generated by the application signal and a mission template, and the mission is transmitted to the self-driving material-transport vehicle. In some cases, the application signal may be based on OPC-UA, and the mission and/or mission template may be based on a REST protocol.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operating robotic equipment in a controlled zone are presented. The system comprises one or more self-driving material-transport vehicles having at least one sensor, non-transitory computer-readable media, and a processor in communication with the at least one sensor and media. The media stores computer instructions that configure the processor to move the vehicle towards the controlled zone in a normal mode of operation, capture environmental data associated with the controlled zone using the at least one sensor, determine environmental-change data based on comparing the captured environmental data with known-good environmental data, and operating the vehicle in a safe mode of operation based on the environmental-change data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for self-driving collision prevention are presented. The system comprises a self-driving vehicle safety system, having one or more sensors in communication with a control system. The control system is configured determine safety fields and instruct the sensors to scan a region corresponding to the safety fields. The control system determines exclusion regions, and omits the exclusion regions from the safety field. The safety system may also include capability reduction parameters that can be used to constrain the drive system of the vehicle, for example, by restricting turning radius and speed in accordance with the safety fields.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a fleet of self-driving vehicles are disclosed. The system comprises one or more self-driving vehicles having at least one sensor for collecting current state information, a fleet-management system, and computer-readable media for storing reference data. The method comprises autonomously navigating a self-driving vehicle in an environment, collecting current state information using the vehicle's sensor, comparing the current state information with the reference data, identifying outlier data in the current state information, and generating an alert based on the outlier data. A notification based on the alert may be sent to one or more monitoring devices according to the type and severity of the outlier.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing inter-vehicle communication are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at a fleet management system, operating data from one or more self-driving vehicles via a communication network, and operating the fleet management system to determine a characteristic of a set of vehicles of one or more self-driving vehicles satisfies at least one communication condition. In response to determining the set of vehicles satisfies the at least one communication condition, the fleet management system can operate to select a stored data portion from a manager storage unit based at least on the characteristic of the set of vehicles; and transmit the data portion to the set of vehicles via the communication network. A method of providing inter-vehicle communication between one or more self-driving vehicles is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for path control for a mobile unmanned vehicle in an environment is provided. The system includes: a sensor connected to the mobile unmanned vehicle; the mobile unmanned vehicle configured to initiate a first fail-safe routine responsive to detection of an object in a first sensor region adjacent to the sensor; and a processor connected to the mobile unmanned vehicle. The processor is configured to: generate a current path based on a map of the environment; based on the current path, issue velocity commands to cause the mobile unmanned vehicle to execute the current path; responsive to detection of an obstacle in a second sensor region, initiate a second fail-safe routine in the mobile unmanned vehicle to avoid entry of the obstacle into the first sensor region and initiation of the first fail-safe routine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for WiFi mapping an industrial facility are disclosed. The system comprises a self-driving vehicle having a WiFi transceiver. The self-driving vehicle communicates with a fleet-management using the WiFi transceiver, via a WiFi access point. The self-driving vehicle receives a mission from the fleet-management system, and moves to a destination location based on the mission, using autonomous navigation. While executing the mission, the self-driving vehicle simultaneously measures the received signal strength indication of the WiFi access point and other WiFi access points in the facility, and stores the received signal strength indication in association with the location at which the received signal strength indication was measured.

Abstract: There is provided an electrically-powered material-transport vehicle having a vehicle-charging contact on one side of the vehicle, and a second vehicle-charging contact on the opposite side of the vehicle. The vehicle has a load-bearing cap that covers the top of the vehicle, and a cap elevator for raising and lowering the cap. The cap can be raised and lowered to a transit position, a payload-engagement position, a charging position, and a maintenance position. In the transit position and payload-engagement position, the cap covers the vehicle-charging contacts so that they are not exposed. In the charging position, the cap is raised so that the vehicle-charging contacts are exposed. The vehicle can enter a charging-dock with the cap in the charging position in order to recharge the vehicle's battery.

Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for operating one or more self-driving vehicles. In some embodiments, the self-driving vehicles may include a vehicle processor being operable to: control the vehicle to navigate an operating environment in an initial vehicle navigation mode; monitor for one or more trigger conditions indicating a possible change for the vehicle navigation mode; detect a trigger condition; determine a prospective vehicle navigation mode associated with the detected trigger condition; determine whether to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode; and in response to determining to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, adjust one or more vehicle attributes corresponding to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, otherwise continue to operate the vehicle in the initial vehicle navigation mode.

Abstract: A system for remote viewing and control of self-driving vehicles includes: an execution subsystem for deployment at an execution location containing a self-driving vehicle. The execution subsystem includes: a capture assembly to capture multimedia data depicting the execution location, and a server to receive the multimedia data and transmit the multimedia data for presentation at an operator location remote from the execution location. The server relays operational commands and operational status data between the self-driving vehicle and the operator location. The system includes an operator subsystem for deployment at the operator location, including: a display assembly, and a computing device to: (a) establish a connection with the server; (b) receive the multimedia data from the server and control the display assembly to present the multimedia data; and (c) receive control commands and transmit the control commands to the server for execution by the self-driving vehicle.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for traction detection and control of a self-driving vehicle. The self-driving vehicle has drive motors that drive drive-wheels according to a drive-motor speed. Traction detection and control can be obtained by measuring the vehicle speed with a sensor such as a LiDAR or video camera, and measuring the wheel speed of the drive wheels with a sensor such as a rotary encoder. The difference between the measured vehicle speed and the measured wheel speeds can be used to determine if a loss of traction has occurred in any of the wheels. If a loss of traction is detected, then a recovery strategy can be selected from a list of recovery strategies in order to reduce the effects of the loss of traction.

Abstract: An augmentation module is described for an automated guided vehicle (AGV) deployed in a facility and including a control module for controlling a drive mechanism based on navigational data received from a navigation sensor. The module includes a inter-module communications interface connected to the control module; a memory; and a processor connected to the communications interface and the memory. The processor is configured to: obtain an operational command; generate control data to execute the operational command; convert the control data to simulated sensor data; and send the simulated sensor data to the control module.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing inter-vehicle communication are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at a fleet management system, operating data from one or more self-driving vehicles via a communication network, and operating the fleet management system to determine a characteristic of a set of vehicles of one or more self-driving vehicles satisfies at least one communication condition. In response to determining the set of vehicles satisfies the at least one communication condition, the fleet management system can operate to select a stored data portion from a manager storage unit based at least on the characteristic of the set of vehicles; and transmit the data portion to the set of vehicles via the communication network. A method of providing inter-vehicle communication between one or more self-driving vehicles is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a fleet of self-driving vehicles are disclosed. The system comprises one or more self-driving vehicles having at least one sensor for collecting current state information, a fleet-management system, and computer-readable media for storing reference data. The method comprises autonomously navigating a self-driving vehicle in an environment, collecting current state information using the vehicle's sensor, comparing the current state information with the reference data, identifying outlier data in the current state information, and generating an alert based on the outlier data. A notification based on the alert may be sent to one or more monitoring devices according to the type and severity of the outlier.

Abstract: A system for path control for a mobile unmanned vehicle in an environment is provided. The system includes: a sensor connected to the mobile unmanned vehicle; the mobile unmanned vehicle configured to initiate a first fail-safe routine responsive to detection of an object in a first sensor region adjacent to the sensor; and a processor connected to the mobile unmanned vehicle. The processor is configured to: generate a current path based on a map of the environment; based on the current path, issue velocity commands to cause the mobile unmanned vehicle to execute the current path; responsive to detection of an obstacle in a second sensor region, initiate a second fail-safe routine in the mobile unmanned vehicle to avoid entry of the obstacle into the first sensor region and initiation of the first fail-safe routine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for electronically mapping a facility are presented. The method comprises obtaining a CAD file that includes graphical representations of a facility. An occupancy-map image is generated based on the CAD file. A sensor, such as a sensor on a self-driving vehicle, is used to detect a sensed feature within the facility. Based on the sensed feature, the occupancy-map image can be updated, since the sensed feature was not one of the known features in the CAD file prior to the sensed feature being detected by the sensor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring a fleet of self-driving vehicles are disclosed. The system comprises one or more self-driving vehicles, non-transitory computer-readable media in communication with the vehicles, a fleet-management system in communication with the media and vehicles, and a server in communication with the media. The fleet-management system is configured to store vehicle status records comprising a vehicle status pertaining to each of the one or more vehicles, and a timestamp in a vehicle status log on the media. The server has a processor that is configured to generate a fleet-performance report based on the vehicle status log.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a self-driving vehicle are presented. The system comprises a camera, a processor, a communications transceiver, a computer-readable medium, and a display device. The processor can be configured to receive an image of a self-driving vehicle from the camera, and vehicle information from the self-driving vehicle. A graphic comprising the image of the self-driving vehicle and a visual representation of the vehicle information is then displayed on the display device. The vehicle information may comprise any or all of vehicle-status information, vehicle-mission information, vehicle-metric information, and vehicle-environment information.

Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for monitoring an operation of one or more self-driving vehicles. The method involves operating a vehicle processor of a self-driving vehicle to: collect, during operation, operation data associated with the operation of the self-driving vehicle; detect, from the operation data, a trigger condition is satisfied during the operation; determine, for the trigger condition, a pre-condition period and a post-condition period, the pre-condition period defining a time period before the trigger condition occurred and the post-condition period defining a time period following the trigger condition; retrieve, from a vehicle data storage, the subset of the operation data collected by the self-driving vehicle during the pre-condition period and the post-condition period; and transmit the subset of the operation data to the data analysis system.