US 12,462,072 B2
Systems and methods for surveying a manufacturing environment
Sarah Garrow, Detroit, MI (US); and Shankar Narayan Mohan, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Sep. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/484,153.
Prior Publication US 2023/0100699 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 30/13 (2020.01); G05B 19/418 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G06F 18/20 (2023.01); G06F 18/2113 (2023.01); G06F 18/22 (2023.01); G06F 18/2413 (2023.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); G06V 20/52 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)
CPC G06F 30/13 (2020.01) [G05B 19/4185 (2013.01); G05B 19/41885 (2013.01); G06F 18/22 (2023.01); G06F 18/2414 (2023.01); G06F 18/29 (2023.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); G06V 20/52 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G05B 2219/23456 (2013.01); G05D 1/00 (2013.01); G06F 18/2113 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for surveying an environment, the method comprising:
segmenting a plurality of nodes into a plurality of communities based on a first traversability score and a second traversability score of one or more edges disposed between each node of the plurality of nodes, wherein each community from among the plurality of communities includes a set of nodes from among the plurality of nodes, and wherein the first traversability score is indicative of a traversability of a carrier robot along each edge of the one or more edges and the second traversability score is indicative of a traversability of a drone along each edge of the one or more edges;
identifying a plurality of community centroids based on the plurality of communities, wherein each community centroid from among the plurality of community centroids corresponds to a respective community from among the plurality of communities;
determining, for each community centroid from among the plurality of community centroids, a community type based on a distance between the community centroid and one or more charging stations;
generating a plurality of intercommunity routes based on the plurality of community centroids, the one or more charging stations, the community type, and one or more performance constraints; and
deploying the carrier robot or the drone to move according to the plurality of intercommunity routes and to perform a surveying routine about the plurality of intercommunity routes, wherein the carrier robot is deployed in response to a value of the first traversability score exceeding a value of the second traversability score, and wherein the drone is deployed in response to the value of the second traversability score exceeding the value of the first traversability score.