US 11,919,149 B2
Autonomous ground vehicle for solar module installation
Charles Zhou, Alameda, CA (US); William Paul Mazzetti, Jr., San Francisco, CA (US); Halston Ryan Rowe, Escondido, CA (US); and David Scott Lincoln, San Clemente, CA (US)
Assigned to Rosendin Electric, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Rosendin Electric, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/206,477.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/044,939, filed on Jun. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/992,468, filed on Mar. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0205997 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
Prior Publication US 2023/0321842 A9, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 5/00 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); B25J 15/06 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); H02S 20/32 (2014.01)
CPC B25J 15/0616 (2013.01) [B25J 5/005 (2013.01); B25J 9/162 (2013.01); B25J 9/1664 (2013.01); B25J 9/1679 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 13/087 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0231 (2013.01); H02S 20/32 (2014.12); G05D 2201/0216 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
an autonomous solar module installation platform for solar module installation onto a solar tracker, where the autonomous solar module installation platform includes at least an autonomous ground vehicle with a robotic arm for the solar module installation;
a drive module;
a global positioning system (GPS), where the GPS includes a GPS sensor housed in the autonomous ground vehicle;
a vision system, where the vision system and the GPS are configured to cooperate with driving software resident and electronic hardware in the drive module in the autonomous ground vehicle to drive itself to the solar tracker and align itself with the solar tracker; and
wherein the autonomous ground vehicle has a wireless communication system configured to wirelessly communicate and otherwise cooperate with one or more additional vehicles to perform the solar module installation, and one or more sensors to determine a weight of one or more pallets of solar modules on a deck of the autonomous ground vehicle to sense when an amount of solar modules on the deck is running low and then communicate to send out an automated signal to a material handler to come over to the autonomous ground vehicle with more pallets of solar modules.