Abstract: A method is provided for wireless communication between a wireless remote control device comprising a peripheral device and a controller on a materials handling vehicle comprising a central device. The method may comprise: polling via a plurality of connection event requests, by the central device, communicated with the peripheral device with which the central device is paired, the peripheral device comprising one or more activatable switches. Based on the status of one or more activatable switches, the peripheral device sending reply messages to at least a portion of the plurality of connection requests in accordance with at least one communication operating mode of the peripheral device, wherein each reply message is indicative of the status of the one or more activatable switches. Calculating, by the central device, a number of missed messages.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises a processor, a throttle, and a zone sensing subsystem coupled to the processor. The processor, responsive to the zone sensing subsystem detecting that the materials handling vehicle is in a restricted operational zone, controls the materials handling vehicle by applying a maximum vehicle operational limit of the materials handling vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below an operational limit of the restricted operational zone. Further, the processor overrides the maximum vehicle operational limit based on application of a throttle neutral action.

Abstract: According to the embodiments described herein, system and methods for determining relative pose of materials handling vehicles in an industrial environment may include utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna array systems respectively mounted on the materials handling vehicles to send mutually received information to determine the relative pose between the vehicles, determining one or more fields of each materials handling vehicle, and determining one or more overlapping fields between the materials handling vehicles based on the determined one or more fields and the relative pose. A vehicle control may be implemented based on the determined relative pose and the overlapping fields as a field enforcement, such as a control action to avoid collision between the vehicles.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an industrial facility is provided comprising a tag layout and at least one ingress/egress zone. The tag layout comprises at least one double row of tags. The ingress/egress zone is located outside of an area of the vehicle travel plane occupied by the aisle path and is bounded in its entirety by the double row of tags, by two or more double rows of tags, by a combination of one or more double rows of tags and one more selected facility boundaries, or by combinations thereof. The double row of tags is arranged in an n×m matrix that is configured for successive detection of the inner and outer rows of tags that is dependent on the point-of-origin of a sensor transit path across the double row of tags. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: An industrial system includes an electronic badge worn or otherwise transported by an industrial vehicle operator. The electronic badge has a housing, a processor, and a transceiver coupled to the processor that communicates on a personal-area network with a badge communicator that is provided on an industrial vehicle when the electronic badge and the badge communicator are in range of each other. Further, an activity sensor collects activity information about the industrial vehicle operator as the industrial vehicle operator performs work tasks. The electronic badge exchanges data collected by the activity sensor with the industrial vehicle, for communication to a remote server. An electronic message is communicated to the industrial vehicle for output to a display thereon, and the electronic message defines an assigned task that is based upon previously collected data from the activity sensor.

Abstract: A process to schedule an industrial vehicle for maintenance comprises constructing a warehouse model based upon a warehouse configuration to define a dimensionally constrained environment and virtual industrial vehicles operating within the environment. A workflow model defines tasks of the virtual industrial vehicles within the defined environment of the warehouse model. A kinematic model is based upon vehicle specifications for the virtual industrial vehicles, kinematic functions of the virtual industrial vehicles, constraints of the defined environment of the warehouse model, and a cutback curve computed for a parameter of a kinematic function of the virtual industrial vehicle. The kinematic model is applied to the workflow model to evaluate virtual industrial vehicle performance to determine ideal results. Actual use data of the industrial vehicle is collected during the industrial vehicle operation.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle includes: a power unit including: a steered wheel, and a steering device for generating a steer control signal; a load handling assembly coupled to the power unit; a controller located on the power unit for receiving the steer control signal; and a sensing device on the power unit and coupled to the controller. The sensing device monitors areas in front of and next to the vehicle. Based on sensing device data, the controller may modify at least one of the following vehicle parameters: a maximum allowable turning angle or a steered-wheel-to-steering-device ratio.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle including a battery receiving space, and a removable battery assembly, wherein: the removable battery assembly includes a battery body and a battery locking mechanism; the battery locking mechanism includes a spring-loaded battery handle and a spring-loaded locking pin; the battery receiving space includes a battery latch positioned to receive the spring-loaded locking pin; the spring-loaded battery handle includes a planar handle cam surface and the spring-loaded locking pin includes a planar pin cam surface such that the handle cam surface engages the pin cam surface with movement of the battery handle relative to the battery body; the spring-loaded battery handle is spring-biased in a locked position; and the spring-loaded locking pin is spring-biased in an extended position and is movable to a retracted position in response to movement of the battery handle from the locked position to an unlocked position.

Abstract: A spacer assembly and method for using same to fix a first component to a second component are provided. The method includes positioning the first and second spacer segments between the first and second components, the first and second spacer segments each including an inner face, an opposite outer face, and an exterior surface extending along a longitudinal axis between the inner face and the outer face. The exterior surfaces of the first and second spacer segments are coaxially aligned and secured by a securing device such that the inner faces of the first and second spacer segments define supplementary non-perpendicular angles relative to the longitudinal axis and the outer faces of the first and second spacer segments are parallel to one another. The securing device and the first and second spacer segments are removed after the first component is mechanically coupled to the second component.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle including a battery receiving space, and a removable battery assembly, wherein: the removable battery assembly includes lateral battery faces, each including a longitudinal guide structure; the battery receiving space includes opposing guide blocks, each arranged on opposite sides of the battery receiving space, and each including a securement portion and a replaceable portion; the replaceable portion of each guide block including a friction-inducing surface and a guiding surface; each friction-inducing surface facing an opposing one of the lateral battery faces; and each guiding surface facing an opposing surface of the longitudinal guide structure, with the removable battery assembly seated in the battery receiving space.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an industrial facility is provided comprising a tag layout and at least one ingress/egress zone. The tag layout comprises at least one double row of tags. The ingress/egress zone is located outside of an area of the vehicle travel plane occupied by the aisle path and is bounded in its entirety by the double row of tags, by two or more double rows of tags, by a combination of one or more double rows of tags and one more selected facility boundaries, or by combinations thereof. The double row of tags is arranged in an n×m matrix that is configured for successive detection of the inner and outer rows of tags that is dependent on the point-of-origin of a sensor transit path across the double row of tags. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle including a vehicle-side charging contact assembly coupled to a battery, a steerable drive wheel defining a drive wheel track width W, and a pair of load wheels defining a load wheel gap G between the pair of load wheels that is larger than the drive wheel track width W. A charging station includes a pair of floor-side charging contacts configured to transfer charging current to the vehicle-side charging contact assembly. The pair of floor-side charging contacts define an inner contact spacing S1 that is larger than the drive wheel track width W, and an outer contact spacing S2 that is larger than the inner contact spacing S1 and smaller than the load wheel gap G to permit passage of the steerable drive wheel between the floor-side charging contacts, followed by passage of the pair of load wheels outside of the floor-side charging contacts.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle is provided having: a power unit comprising at least one wheel; a mast assembly coupled to the power unit comprising at least one mast weldment; and a platform assembly. The platform assembly comprising: a floorboard upon which an operator may stand; a support wall connected to the floorboard and positioned adjacent to the mast assembly, the floorboard and the support wall defining an operator compartment of the platform assembly; at least one operator control assembly positioned to allow for operation by an operator located within the operator compartment; and a non-horizontal viewing window provided in the support wall.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle including a battery receiving space, and a removable battery assembly, wherein: the removable battery assembly includes a battery body and a battery locking mechanism; the battery locking mechanism includes a spring-loaded battery handle and a spring-loaded locking pin; the battery receiving space includes a battery latch positioned to receive the spring-loaded locking pin; the spring-loaded battery handle includes a planar handle cam surface and the spring-loaded locking pin includes a planar pin cam surface such that the handle cam surface engages the pin cam surface with movement of the battery handle relative to the battery body; the spring-loaded battery handle is spring-biased in a locked position; and the spring-loaded locking pin is spring-biased in an extended position and is movable to a retracted position in response to movement of the battery handle from the locked position to an unlocked position.

Abstract: According to the embodiments described herein, system and methods for determining relative pose of materials handling vehicles in an industrial environment may include utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna array systems respectively mounted on the materials handling vehicles to send mutually received information to determine the relative pose between the vehicles, determining one or more fields of each materials handling vehicle, and determining one or more overlapping fields between the materials handling vehicles based on the determined one or more fields and the relative pose. A vehicle control may be implemented based on the determined relative pose and the overlapping fields as a field enforcement, such as a control action to avoid collision between the vehicles.

Abstract: A method is provided for operating a materials handling vehicle comprising: monitoring, by a processor, vehicle acceleration in a direction of travel of the vehicle during a manual operation by an operator of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in a first vehicle orientation; collecting and storing, by the processor, data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration; receiving, by the processor, a request to implement a semi-automated driving operation; calculating, by the processor, a maximum vehicle acceleration based on acceleration data comprising the stored data, wherein the data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration used in calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration comprises only the vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle collected when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation. Based at least in part on the maximum vehicle acceleration, controlling, by the processor, implementation of the semi-automated driving operation.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprising a hitch system, and a drive mechanism. The hitch system comprises a hitch and a hitch controller. The hitch comprises a latch, one or more sensors, an actuator, and a receiving member. The latch is positionable between open and closed positions. The actuator is positionable between retracted, intermediate, and extended positions. The receiving member is configured to lead a cart hook to engage the latch when in the closed position. The one or more sensors are configured to detect a position of the latch and a presence of the cart hook received within the receiving member. The hitch controller is configured to position the actuator in one of the retracted position, the intermediate position, and the extended position, and to position the latch in one of the open position and the closed position in response to signals received from the one or more sensors.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle includes a camera, odometry module, processor, and drive mechanism. The camera captures images of an identifier for a racking system aisle and a rack leg portion in the aisle. The processor uses the identifier to generate information indicative of an initial rack leg position and rack leg spacing in the aisle, generate an initial vehicle position using the initial rack leg position, generate a vehicle odometry-based position using odometry data and the initial vehicle position, detect a subsequent rack leg using a captured image, correlate the detected subsequent rack leg with an expected vehicle position using rack leg spacing, generate an odometry error signal based on a difference between the positions, and update the vehicle odometry-based position using the odometry error signal and/or generated mast sway compensation to use for end of aisle protection and/or in/out of aisle localization.

Abstract: Battery management systems, removable battery assemblies with integrated battery management systems, and vehicles are provided for implementing the various runtime calculations disclosed herein. A vehicle, which may be a materials handling vehicle, is provided comprising a drive subsystem, a removable battery assembly, and vehicle control hardware. The battery assembly comprises a battery management system programmed to input or generate a state of charge signal representing a state of charge SOC of the battery assembly, implement a first EWMA signal filter F1 to calculate a succession of contemporary current calculations IC, implement a second EWMA signal filter F2 to calculate a runtime current IR, wherein the runtime current calculation IR comprises the contemporary current calculations IC from the first EWMA signal filter F1, and implement a remaining runtime calculation such that the vehicle control hardware responds functionally to the runtime calculation.