Abstract: Controlling a maximum vehicle speed for an industrial vehicle includes determining, by a processor of the industrial vehicle, a torque applied to the traction wheel of the industrial vehicle; converting the torque to an equivalent force value; and determining an acceleration of the industrial vehicle while the torque is applied to the traction wheel. Additional steps include calculating a load being moved by the industrial vehicle, based at least in part on the acceleration and the equivalent force value; and controlling the maximum speed of the industrial vehicle based on the calculated load being moved by the industrial vehicle.

Abstract: An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader. The reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout and the reader module discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout, correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data, correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

Abstract: Systems and methods for site commissioning to generate accurate representations and models of warehouse infrastructure. In one embodiment, a method of site commissioning includes receiving point cloud data for warehouse infrastructure and using point cloud data by a site commissioning tool to overlay infrastructure models, and generate an infrastructure model. The site commissioning tool may combine bay models with three-dimensional location information of the point cloud data to generate accurate representations of the warehouse infrastructure including the location of infrastructure elements and characteristics of the warehouse infrastructure, such as bay opening dimensions. Generating an accurate representation of bay models provides a parametric definition of as-built infrastructure. A method is also provided for condition point cloud data for use in a site commissioning tool. Some embodiments are directed to a site commissioning user interface for a site commissioning tool.

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: Systems and methods for a materials handling vehicle configured to navigate along a warehouse environment inventory transit surface, the vehicle including control architecture in communication with a drive mechanism, a materials handling mechanism, a speed zone sensing subsystem configured to provide an indication of whether the vehicle is in a speed zone, and a speed control processor configured to prompt the operator to reduce a vehicle speed of the vehicle to under a speed zone limit when the vehicle speed is approaching or in the speed zone, determine whether the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone, and apply a speed cap to limit a maximum vehicle speed of the vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below the speed zone limit when the speed control processor has determined that the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone.

Abstract: A control system for an industrial vehicle includes a badge communicator and an information linking device. The badge communicator has a transceiver for short range communication with electronic badges that are within in a fixed short range of the badge communicator, defining a first zone. The information linking device is programmed to execute program code. The program code extracts a current state of an operating parameter read from an industrial vehicle network bus, generates a second zone within the first zone that is defined based upon the extracted industrial vehicle operating parameter, detects a presence of an electronic badge within the first zone, determines whether the electronic badge is within the second zone, performs a first action if the detected electronic badge is not within the second zone, and performs a second action if the electronic badge is within the second zone.

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 UWB antenna array systems respective 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 process for modifying vehicle performance parameters for one or more kinematic functions while executing an assigned task is disclosed. The process comprises receiving, for an industrial vehicle, a job specification and decomposing the job specification into a workflow model, with the workflow model defining the tasks of the industrial vehicle. The process further comprises associating the tasks with a kinematic model. The kinematic model is generated by identifying the kinematic function of the industrial vehicle, receiving constraints associated with an operation of the industrial vehicle, and computing a cutback curve for a parameter of the kinematic function. The kinematic model is applied to the workflow model. The performance parameter of the industrial vehicle is modified based on the applied kinematic model to the workflow model.

Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprising a path validation tool and a drive unit, steering unit, localization module, and navigation module that cooperate to navigate the vehicle along a warehouse travel path. The tool comprises warehouse layout data, a proposed travel path, vehicle kinematics, and a dynamic vehicle boundary that approximates the vehicle physical periphery. The tool executes path validation logic to determine vehicle pose along the proposed travel path, update the dynamic vehicle boundary to account for changes in vehicle speed and steering angle, determine whether the dynamic vehicle boundary is likely to intersect obstacles represented in the layout data based on the determined vehicle pose at candidate positions along the proposed travel path, determine a degree of potential impingement at the candidate positions by referring to the dynamic vehicle boundary and obstacle data, and modify the proposed travel path to mitigate the degree of potential impingement.

Abstract: An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader. The reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout and the reader module discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout, correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data, correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

Abstract: According to the subject matter of the present disclosure, an automated warehouse environment is provided where designated materials handling vehicles are programmed to initiate permission inquiries at primary and secondary nodes of a travel route in the warehouse environment. Alternatively, or additionally, the present disclosure also presents an automated warehouse environment where an asset manager comprises an occupancy grid generator, and a designated materials handling vehicle is programmed to avoid otherwise unpermitted travel along path segments that overlap the locked cells of the occupancy grid.

Abstract: Vehicles, systems, and methods for navigating or tracking the navigation of a materials handling vehicle along a surface that may include a camera and vehicle functions to match two-dimensional image information from camera data associated with the input image of overhead features with a plurality of global target locations of a warehouse map to generate a plurality of candidate optical targets, an optical target associated with each global target location and a code; filter the targets to determine a candidate optical target; decode the target to identify the associated code; identify an optical target associated with the identified code; determine a camera metric relative to the identified optical target and the position and orientation of the identified optical target in the warehouse map; calculate a vehicle pose based on the camera metric; and navigate the materials handling vehicle utilizing the vehicle pose.

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 system collects information related to a lockout event that occurs on an industrial vehicle. A lockout condition associated with an industrial vehicle is detected by a processor executing on the industrial vehicle. Responsive thereto, the industrial vehicle operator is locked out so that the industrial vehicle cannot be driven from its locked location. A message is wirelessly communicated to a server application that indicates that the industrial vehicle has been locked. When the processor executing on the industrial vehicle receives a command to unlock the industrial vehicle, the industrial vehicle is unlocked and the identity is stored, of the person who unlocked the industrial vehicle.

Abstract: A system for adjusting control of an industrial vehicle comprises a badge communicator that communicates with electronic badges that are in short range proximity of the industrial vehicle; and a controller coupled to memory, wherein the controller executes program code stored in the memory to adjust control of operating parameters of the industrial vehicle. The controller executes the program code to receive a badge identifier wirelessly transmitted by a detected electronic badge and identify a role associated with the badge identifier. Based on the role associated with the badge identifier, the controller modifies a set point of the industrial vehicle from a first set point to a second set point by communicating information concerning the set point to a vehicle control module of the electronic vehicle.

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 computer-implemented process of tracking events, is carried out by detecting that a first badge is within a personal-area network wireless communication range of a second badge, thus designating an encounter, and performing, by processor executing instructions read out from memory, an event logging transaction responsive to the encounter. The event logging transaction is performed by receiving, from the first badge, an electronic message characterizing an observation made by the user of the first badge relative to a user of the second badge, converting the electronic message received from the first badge into a pinpoint response, and generating an event record comprising an identification of an event type, and the pinpoint response.

Abstract: Vehicles, systems, and methods for navigating or tracking the navigation of a materials handling vehicle along a surface that may include a camera and vehicle functions to match two-dimensional image information from camera data associated with the input image of overhead features with a plurality of global target locations of a warehouse map to generate a plurality of candidate optical targets, an optical target associated with each global target location and a code; filter the targets to determine a candidate optical target; decode the target to identify the associated code; identify an optical target associated with the identified code; determine a camera metric relative to the identified optical target and the position and orientation of the identified optical target in the warehouse map; calculate a vehicle pose based on the camera metric; and navigate the materials handling vehicle utilizing the vehicle pose.