Precise Pickups: How ANT Pallet Detection Works

What level of pickup precision is achievable with ANT natural feature navigation? This quick guide explains exactly how pallet detection (and the detection of other objects) works, courtesy of ANT trackers.

Vehicles driven by ANT natural feature navigation achieve positioning accuracy of 1 cm. This is essential for effective navigation around a site. However, a vehicle knowing its own position is one thing, accurately detecting and picking up an object is quite another. 

The detection challenge

If a manual worker with a pallet jack, say, deposits a pallet in a designated area, this positioning is rarely centimeter-accurate – they just drop it!

If the next person to collect the object is human, that’s no problem. But AGVs and AMRs are programmed to work more precisely than this. By default, AGVs need an object to be exactly where they are programmed to collect it from.

The key to success is having a navigation system flexible enough that it can cope with a little imprecision. That’s where ANT trackers come in.

How ANT pallet detection works

ANT tracker is a set of features, which are configured in BlueBotics’ ANT lab configuration software. Several different types of trackers are available, each designed to detect a different category of object (pallet, rack etc.).

The user defines two key parameters in ANT lab:

1. The payload detection area. This is the search zone within which a pallet or object is expected to be found. There is no size limit to this zone. The user must just consider what other objects or infrastructure are nearby in order not to confuse the tracker algorithm (for example, leading to a vehicle picking up an adjacent pallet).

2. The maximum deviation allowed from the vehicle’s virtual path. Again, careful consideration is required here, based on the environment and likely traffic around the detection area.

Once these two parameters have been configured, ANT trackers use a vehicle’s laser scanner data to identify the features of a target object, such as a pallet or rack. With this position known, ANT corrects the vehicle’s trajectory to ensure an accurate detection and pickup. 

What ANT trackers are available?

Four types of ANT tracker are currently available:

• Pallet tracker: for detecting multiple types of pallets (including custom formats)
• Four-leg tracker: for detecting racks/wheeled trolleys/tables
• Hitch tracker: for detecting the tow bar/hitch mechanism of a towed cart system/dolly train
• External tracker: for detecting custom payloads (e.g. used by AGVs with a clamping mechanism that grabs large objects/boxes)

ANT trackers are included by default with ANT lite⁺ and ANT localization⁺ systems.

Benefits of ANT trackers

ANT’s tracker functionality offers three key benefits:

• Highly accurate object detection: no matter how badly an object is placed, irrespective of the correction angle or distance, ANT’s Pallet Tracker can find it
• Quick pick up: the vehicle’s trajectory is adjusted while it is moving, rather than stopping and then changing direction. This difference can save up to a minute per pickup.
• Flexibility: with several types of ANT tracker available – including the highly customizable External Tracker – any type of object can be accurately detected

Let’s talk pallet detection

Got a question about ANT trackers? Let’s discuss it further in a free Discovery Call with our expert team. Get in touch to schedule a call today.