Vehicle control limits

• US 8,718,860 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Waltz, Lucas B., Zheng, Bing, Mallak, Thomas L., Mangette, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/626,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701 23- 25, 701/408, 340/988, 340/989, 901/1, 700/245, 700/253
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

Included are embodiments for providing vehicle control limits. One embodiment of a system includes a navigation system and a vehicle that includes a memory component that stores a program. Embodiments of the system are configured to receive an indication for automatic control of the vehicle, receive a route for the vehicle to reach a destination for completing a work order from the navigation system, and determine a vehicle limit, wherein the vehicle limit is based on a current state of the vehicle. Some embodiments are configured to communicate the vehicle limit from a vehicle control module (VCM) to a navigation control module (NCM), determine, via the NCM, an automatic command based on the destination and the vehicle limit and send the automatic command to a motor of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a navigation system; and

a vehicle that comprises a memory component that stores a program that, when executed by a processor of the vehicle, causes the vehicle to perform at least the following;

receive an indication for automatic control of the vehicle;

receive a route for the vehicle to reach a destination for completing a work order from the navigation system;

determine a vehicle limit, wherein the vehicle limit is based on a current state of the vehicle;

communicate the vehicle limit from a vehicle control module (VCM) to a navigation control module (NCM), wherein the NCM facilitates automatic control of the vehicle to prevent the NCM from sending a vehicle command to the VCM that violates the vehicle limit;

determine, via the NCM, an automatic command to reach the destination, wherein the determination is made based on the received route to the destination and the vehicle limit; and

send the automatic command to a motor of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the indication for automatic control is received from an external source.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the external source comprises at least one of the following:

a navigation system operator, a vehicle operator, and the navigation system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation system determines the destination.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the current state of the vehicle comprises at least one of the following:

a current fork height, a current vehicle speed, a current wheel angle, and a current load weight.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle limit comprises at least one of the following:

a speed limit, a maximum wheel angle, an acceleration limit, and a deceleration limit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the current state of the vehicle upon which the vehicle limit is based comprises a current fork height.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the current state of the vehicle upon which the vehicle limit is based comprises a current load weight.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the VCM implements manual control commands; and

the vehicle limit is received by the NCM from the VCM.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the automatic command comprises:

determining a vehicle condition; and

determining an efficient operation of the vehicle to traverse the route, taking into consideration the vehicle condition and without violating the vehicle limit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle condition comprises at least one of the following:

a current load weight, a current vehicle speed, a current wheel angle, and a current fork height.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to the NCM receiving the automatic command, the NCM communicates the vehicle limit to the navigation system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the VCM communicates at least one of the following to the NCM:

a traction speed feedback, a traction speed limit, a traction acceleration force limit, a traction deceleration force limit, a wheel angle feedback, a counterclockwise maximum wheel angle, clockwise maximum wheel angle, wheel rate limit, a fork height feedback, a hoist speed limit, a hoist acceleration limit, a fork height limit, an accessory position, an accessory upper limit, an accessory lower limit, and an accessory speed limit.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a management computing device for processing the work order, wherein:

the work order identifies a location of a product that needs to be moved;

the management computing device sends data related to the location of the product to the navigation system; and

the navigation system determines whether the vehicle will complete the work order.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the destination comprises a three-dimensional destination.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation system comprises a server.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a work order, the work order related to movement of load to a three-dimensional destination;

determining a route for a vehicle to reach the three-dimensional destination for completing the work order;

determining a vehicle limit, wherein the vehicle limit is based on a current state of the vehicle;

sending the vehicle limit from a vehicle control module (VCM) to a navigation control module (NCM) to prevent the NCM from sending a command to the VCM that violates the vehicle limit;

determining, by a computing device via a processor of the computing device, an automatic command for routing the vehicle, based on the three-dimensional destination and the vehicle limit; and

sending the automatic command to the vehicle.

18. A vehicle, comprising:

a memory component that stores a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the vehicle to perform at least the following;

receive an indication for automatic control of the vehicle;

receive a route to reach a destination;

determine a vehicle limit of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle limit is based on a current state of the vehicle;

communicate the vehicle limit from a vehicle control module (VCM) to a navigation control module (NCM) to prevent the NCM from sending a command to the VCM that violates the vehicle limit; and

utilize the NCM to navigate the vehicle to the destination, while adhering to the vehicle limit.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein navigating the vehicle to the destination comprises the NCM communicating with the VCM to provide a control command.