Control augmentation apparatus and method for automated guided vehicles

1. An augmentation system for an automated guided vehicle (AGV) deployed in a facility and including a control module for controlling a drive mechanism based on sensor data received from a navigation sensor, the system comprising:

an inter-module communications interface connected to the control module;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the communications interface and the memory, the processor configured to:

obtain an operational command for the AGV;

generate control data defining one or more operations for the AGV to execute the operational command;

convert the control data to simulated sensor data to enable the control module to control the drive mechanism, wherein the simulated sensor data corresponds to sensor data generable by the navigation sensor in the presence of guidance infrastructure, and converting the control data to simulated sensor data comprises:

determining one or more sensors to simulate based on one or more data types of the control data, and

determining the simulated sensor data required to trigger the one or more operations defined by the control data; and

send the simulated sensor data to the control module, whereby the control module is operable to control the drive mechanism to execute the operational command based on the simulated sensor data.

2. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured for:

controlling the drive mechanism of the AGV based on sensor data received from the navigation sensor in a default control mode; and

controlling the drive mechanism of the AGV based on simulated sensor data received from the processor in a control override mode.

3. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein prior to generating the control data, the processor is configured to determine an absence of guidance infrastructure in the facility proximal the AGV based on sensor data received from the navigation sensor.

4. The augmentation system of claim 3 , wherein the memory is configured to store a map of the facility, and the processor is further configured to:

receive, via the inter-module communications interface, the sensor data from the navigation sensor of the AGV; and

based on the received sensor data and the map, determine a current position of the AGV relative to the map.

5. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein the navigation sensor includes at least one of a magnetic field sensor and a range-finding sensor.

6. The augmentation system of claim 4 , wherein the map further indicates locations of guidance infrastructure in the facility, and the processor is further configured to:

based on the determined current position of the AGV, determine the absence of guidance infrastructure proximal the current position of the AGV with reference to the map.

7. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein the memory is configured to store a plurality of conversion definitions each corresponding to a data type of control data, and the processor being further configured to convert the control data to the simulated sensor data by retrieving one of the definitions corresponding to the data type of the control data.

8. The augmentation system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the conversion definitions.

9. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the operational command by receiving the operational command from a pilot-operated computing device.

10. The augmentation system of claim 1 , wherein the memory is configured to store a map of the facility including locations of obstacles, and the processor is further configured to obtain the operational command by detecting an unmapped obstacle in the path of the AGV with reference to the map.

11. A method of navigating an automated-guided vehicle (“AGV”), the AGV being coupled to an augmentation system including a processor, the method comprising:

navigating the AGV in an environment to execute an operational command by operating the processor to:

generate control data defining one or more operations for the AGV to execute the operational command;

convert the control data to simulated sensor data to enable a control module of the AGV to control a drive mechanism of the AGV without guiding infrastructure within the environment, wherein the simulated sensor data corresponds to sensor data generable by one or more sensors of the AGV when the guiding infrastructure is present, and converting the control data to simulated sensor data comprises:

determining one or more sensors to simulate based on one or more data types of the control data, and

determining the simulated sensor data required to trigger the one or more operations defined by the control data; and

transmit the simulated sensor data to the control module of the AGV; and

operating the control module to control the drive mechanism of the AGV based on the simulated sensor data;

wherein the control module interprets the simulated sensor data in place of sensor input, and wherein operating the augmentation system to navigate the AGV is not based on the guiding infrastructure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control module is configured for:

controlling the drive mechanism of the AGV based on sensor data received from the one or more sensors in a default control mode; and

controlling the drive mechanism of the AGV based on simulated sensor data received from the processor in a control override mode.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising operating the processor to:

prior to generating the control data, determine an absence of guiding infrastructure in proximity of the AGV based on sensor data from the one or more sensors of the AGV.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the augmentation system further comprises a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a map of the environment, and the method further comprises operating the processor to:

receive sensor data from a navigation sensor of the AGV coupled to the processor; and

based on the received sensor data and the map, determine a current position of the AGV relative to the map.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the navigation sensor includes at least one of a magnetic field sensor and a range-finding sensor.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the map further indicates the locations of guiding infrastructure in the environment, and the navigation sensor includes a range-finding sensor, and the method further comprises operating the processor to:

based on the determined current position of the AGV, determine the absence of guiding infrastructure proximal the current position of the AGV with reference to the map.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the augmentation system further comprises a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a plurality of conversion definitions each corresponding to a data type of control data, and the method further comprises operating the processor to:

convert the control data to the simulated sensor data by retrieving one of the definitions corresponding to the data type of the control data.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising operating the processor to determine the conversion definitions.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising operating the processor to receive the operational command from a pilot-operated computing device.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the augmentation system further comprises a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a map of the environment, the map indicating the locations of obstacles in the environment, and the method further comprises operating the processor to obtain the operational command by detecting an unmapped obstacle in the path of the AGV with reference to the map.