Patent Document ID: 9488984
Application ID: 15072360
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method comprising: analyzing a layout diagram of a storage center using a central inventory server with a central processor, a central memory and a set of central instructions; determining that the layout diagram includes a set of shelves; determining a trajectory in the layout diagram for a movement of an autonomous supply chain node vehicle in the storage center avoiding the set of shelves, with a number of portions of the trajectory each locally parallel to and within a distance constraint with respect to an adjacent shelf; wherein the central inventory server is communicatively connected with the autonomous supply chain node vehicle; wherein the autonomous supply chain node vehicle has an embedded processor, an embedded memory and a set of embedded instructions; capturing a training set of discrete overlapping images of the peripheral area along the trajectory with an imaging device on the autonomous supply chain node vehicle in a learning mode of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle; processing the training set of discrete overlapping images using the autonomous supply chain node vehicle and the central inventory server in the learning mode of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle to generate a virtual image-code tape capturing a continuous area of the storage center with a set of globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) associated with the peripheral area along the trajectory; wherein the set of GUIDs comprises identifiable image features associated with the training set of discrete overlapping images and a set of spatial information of the identifiable image features in the storage center; capturing an operating set of discrete overlapping images of the peripheral area around the autonomous supply chain node vehicle with the imaging device in a normal mode of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle; processing the operating set of discrete overlapping images using the autonomous supply chain node vehicle and the central inventory server in the normal mode of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle to compare associated identifiable image features with the set of GUIDs of the virtual image-code tape to determine a current location of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle in the normal mode; and directing the autonomous supply chain node vehicle to reposition with respect to the trajectory based on the current location of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle in the normal mode of the autonomous supply chain node vehicle.