US 12,330,924 B2
Apparatus and method for truck unloading by sensing presence or absence of pallet
Young Min Kim, Osan-si (KR)
Assigned to Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Seoul (KR)
Filed by HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD., Seoul (KR)
Filed on Apr. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/722,692.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0078083 (KR), filed on Jun. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0402733 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. B66F 9/06 (2006.01); G01S 15/04 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01)
CPC B66F 9/063 (2013.01) [G01S 15/04 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0217 (2013.01); G05D 1/0289 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A truck unloading apparatus, comprising:
a first sensor configured to generate first information as first sensing information regarding a presence or an absence of a first pallet in each of a plurality of first storage positions within a truck, the first sensor being disposed in each of the plurality of the first storage positions;
a second sensor configured to generate second information as second sensing information regarding a presence or an absence of a second pallet in each of a plurality of second storage positions within a pallet storage area, the second sensor being disposed in each of the plurality of the second storage positions; and
a controller configured to receive the first information from the first sensor and receive the second information from the second sensor and set an optimal transport path for each of at least one unmanned forklift vehicle to move the first pallet from the truck to the pallet storage area based on the received first information and the received second information,
wherein the controller is further configured to set a first shortest path between a current position of one of the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle and a first selected start point by:
finding the first shortest path for the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle;
calculating a chance of collision between the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle along the first shortest path between the current position of the one of the at least one umanned forklift vehicle and the first selected start point and another unmanned forklift vehicle along a predicted transport path; and
setting the first shortest path between the current position of the one of the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle and the first selected start point as the optimal transport path when the chance of collision is equal to or less than a preset threshold;
wherein the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle and another unmanned forklift vehicle move at a preset average speed,
wherein the chance of collision is calculated by using whether or not an access path of the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle overlaps with a certain radius from each point on the predicted transport path of another unmanned forklift vehicle based on the preset average speed,
wherein the controller is further configured to reselect the first pallet to be unloaded from the truck and set a second shortest path between the current position of the one of the at least one unmanned forklift vehicle and a second selected start point as the optimal transport path when the chance of collision exceeds the preset threshold.