Robotics Company Chooses Trimble BX992 for Centimeter-Level GNSS in Fully Autonomous Parking Valet Robot
Overview
Founded in 2015, Stanley Robotics is a developer of smart and high density car storage solutions for the airport and car logistics industries. The company developed Stan, a fully autonomous outdoor parking and valet robot, that is now operational at several airports in Europe, including the Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport in France and soon to be at the Gatwick Airport in London. The fully autonomous robots paired with an intelligent storage management software allow Stanley Robotics to move cars into place with ease and efficiency.
Photo Credit: Stanley Robotics
Need
Effective high-density car storage solutions require vehicles to be moved from outside to inside and parked with high-precision navigational accuracy. To avoid the costs of human drivers, a smart and fully autonomous system is required. Centimeter-level localization is vital so that these robots are able to navigate these vehicles in a canyon of cars and narrow alleys without damage or injury.
Challenge
The Stanley Robotics team needed to combine perception algorithms and intelligent management software with reliable GNSS technology to achieve centimeter-level localization for a safe and efficient solution. Anthony Troublé, Robot Team Manager at Stanley Robotics, explains, “The robot must move fast to handle high traffic flow and precisely to park cars as densely as possible. When looking for an accurate, available and reliable localization solution, Trimble is the company name that comes first.”
“When looking for an accurate, available and reliable localization solution, Trimble is the company name that comes first.”
Solution
For Stan, the team selected the Trimble BX992 dual-antenna enclosure and two Trimble AV59 GNSS antennas. The BX992 is installed inside the robot and the two antennas are mounted on the robot’s head with maximum separation between them. In order for the robot to attain centimeter-level localization, a Trimble BX992 base and a Trimble Zephyr antenna are installed at the drop-off cabins where
customers leave their cars until robots move them to a more permanent location. The Trimble BX992 base broadcasts RTK corrections over a WiFi link to the robots.
Results
The first outdoor car park managed by robots opened to the public in 2018 at Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport. Since testing started in 2017, four Stan robots are now fully operational in the Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport car park, which can accommodate up to 500 vehicles. Stanley Robotics announced in January 2019 that they will open 2,000 spaces at Lyon in the summer of 2020. The airport is looking to eventually expand this system to up to 6,000 spaces in total. In 2019, Stanley Robotics signed a contract with Gatwick Airports, the first UK airport to use robots that valet park passengers’ cars.
This case study was originally posted by Trimble. Click here to see the full case study.
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About Trimble
Trimble is the leading provider of high-precision positioning solutions that maximize productivity and enhance profitability using centimeter-level GNSS technology. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and System Integrators can integrate these technologies to achieve product differentiation and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
About Canal Geomatics
Canal Geomatics Inc. is the industry-leading distributor of high-precision positioning solutions in North America, specializing in automotive, airborne, rail, marine, UAS and robotics. Our mission is to find the best solution for each unique application and extend premium support to ensure the long-term success of our customers. Canal Geomatics is a proud supplier of Trimble precision GNSS products.
Trimble BX992 Rugged GNSS Enclosure
The rugged Trimble BX992 enclosure, based on the BD992-INS dual antenna system, features powerful integrated GNSS and inertial navigation in an environmentally-sealed enclosure built to withstand harsh environments.
Supporting triple frequency operation for the GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo constellations, it provides rapid reliable RTK initializations for centimeter-level positioning applications, as well as high-accuracy GNSS/DGNSS positioning in challenging environments such as urban canyons.