Patents by Inventor Kai Furmans

Kai Furmans has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9809395
    Abstract: A method for controlling a material flow system, wherein the material flow system includes vehicles for transporting goods packages, wherein the vehicles communicate autonomously among one another in the material flow system, wherein the vehicles move by movement steps along a material flow path from a starting node to a target node, and wherein a logical clock is associated with each node. The method includes providing each movement step of a first vehicle with a time stamp, carrying out movement steps such that for the first vehicle, successive movement steps assume monotonically increasing values for the time stamp, and for each node that is traversed, providing an outgoing movement step of the first vehicle with value of a time stamp which is less than or equal to a value of a time stamp for a subsequently incoming movement step of a second vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie
    Inventors: Zaezilia Seibold, Kai Furmans, Marco Gebhardt, Thomas Stoll
  • Publication number: 20160272436
    Abstract: A method fbr controlling a material flow system, wherein the material flow system includes vehicles for transporting goods packages, Wherein the vehicles communicate autonomously among one another in the material flow system, wherein the vehicles move by movement steps along a material flow path from a starting node to a target node, and wherein a logical clock is associated with each node, The method includes providing each movement step of a first vehicle with a time stamp, carrying out movement steps such that for the first vehicle, successive movement steps assume monotonically increasing values for the time stamp, and for each node that is traversed, providing an outgoing movement step of the first vehicle with value of a time stamp which is less than or equal to a value of a time stamp for a subsequently incoming movement step of a second vehicle,
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Zaezilia Seibold, Kai Furmans, Marco Gebhardt, Thomas Stoll
  • Patent number: 8655484
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multidirectional transport module having a control system for the goods pack movement direction and having an interface for communication with other transport modules. In this case, the invention provides for the control system to be designed to reserve the transport module for the transport of at least one goods pack in a given goods pack movement direction, in response to signals received via the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie
    Inventors: Thomas Stoll, Kai Furmans, Frank Schoenung, Stephan Mayer
  • Publication number: 20120004766
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multidirectional transport module having a control system for the goods pack movement direction and having an interface for communication with other transport modules. In this case, the invention provides for the control system to be designed to reserve the transport module for the transport of at least one goods pack in a given goods pack movement direction, in response to signals received via the interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE
    Inventors: Thomas Stoll, Kai Furmans, Frank Schoenung, Stephan Mayer