Guidance system for manually guided vehicles

• US 7,966,107 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH (Liebherr-International AG)
• Original Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH (Liebherr-International AG)
• Inventors: Sawodny, Oliver, Schneider, Klaus, Arnold, Eckard
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Shelley
• Application Number:
  US11/441,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207
• US Class Current: 701/26
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A guidance system for manually guided vehicles such as reach stackers or straddle carriers is disclosed. In accordance with the disclosure, the position of the vehicles is permanently automatically detected and supplied to a guiding system for carrying out. Starting from transport job lists made available externally, the travel jobs are assigned to the individual vehicles in an optimized form. Suitable travel routes for the travel jobs are determined and the travel jobs, including the travel routes, are automatically transferred to the vehicle operators. Their carrying out is monitored.

Claims

1. A guidance system for manually guided vehicles comprising reach stackers or straddle carriers, where

a position of the vehicles is permanently automatically detected and supplied to a guiding system for evaluation;

starting from transport job lists made available externally, an optimized travel job assignment to individual vehicles takes place;

suitable travel routes and schedules are determined for the travel jobs;

the travel jobs, including the travel routes, are automatically transferred to a vehicle operator and their carrying out is monitored; and

the travel routes are dynamically adapted during the processing of the travel jobs, wherein a scheduling and routing of the travel jobs takes into account the travel jobs currently being processed.

2. A guidance system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a load taken up by a vehicle is automatically identified by means of image processing.

3. A guidance system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a dynamic simulation model is connected via an interface.

4. A guidance system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a database system is present to monitor the dynamic adapting.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic adapting includes routing according to priority rules at crossroads and one-way street rules.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapting includes adapting the travel route of a vehicle during the processing of the travel job taking account of the travel route of one or more remaining vehicles.

7. A guidance system for deploying a plurality of manually guided vehicles comprising reach stackers or straddle carriers, comprising:

a terminal control and information system, a central planning and routing system, and a device for precise position detection associated with each vehicle, wherein the control and information system and the central planning and routing system are configured to permanently automatically detect a position of each vehicle via the device for precise position detection, to determine an optimized travel job assignment for each vehicle starting from transport job lists;

to determine suitable travel routes for the travel jobs, and to automatically transfer the travel jobs, including the travel routes, to vehicle operators, and wherein upon the guidance system'"'"'s central planning and routing system taking over the travel jobs from the terminal control and information system, dynamically adapted travel routes and schedules are determined taking into account travel jobs currently being processed.

8. The guidance system of claim 7, wherein the terminal control and information system and the central planning and routing system are further configured to monitor a carrying-out of the travel jobs.

9. The guidance system of claim 7, further comprising image processing equipment for identifying a load taken up by a vehicle.

10. A method for deploying a plurality of manually guided reach stacker and straddle carrier vehicles, comprising:

permanently automatically detecting a position of the vehicles;

supplying the position of the vehicles to a guiding system for evaluation;

determining an optimized travel job assignment for the individual vehicles starting from transport job lists made available externally;

adapting suitable travel routes for the travel jobs by adapting the travel route of each individual vehicle during the processing of the travel job taking account of the travel route of one or more remaining vehicles; and

automatically transferring the travel jobs, including the travel routes, to a vehicle operator.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring a carrying-out of the travel jobs.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying a load taken up by a vehicle via image processing means.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein adapting suitable travel routes includes adapting the travel route of each individual vehicle based on priority rules at crossroads and one-way street rules.