Steer maneuvers for materials handling vehicles
First Claim
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1. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
- receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle;
detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle, the environment comprising;
a hug zone displaced laterally from the left or right side of the vehicle;
a stop zone laterally inwardly from the hug zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the stop zone the vehicle is caused to initiate a braking operation;
a no steer zone laterally outwardly from the stop zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the no steer zone the vehicle is not permitted to turn toward the no steer zone; and
a steer zone located laterally between the no steer zone and the hug zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the steer zone the vehicle is permitted to turn toward the steer zone as long as no portion of the object is located in the no steer zone; and
performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object, wherein the desired distance is maintained between the vehicle and the selected object as the vehicle travels on a desired heading.
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Abstract
A materials handling vehicle implements a steer maneuver to hug an object. A controller on the vehicle receives sensor data from at least one sensing device and detects that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle using the received sensor data. The controller performs a steer maneuver by causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object as the vehicle travels on a desired heading.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
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receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle; detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle, the environment comprising; a hug zone displaced laterally from the left or right side of the vehicle; a stop zone laterally inwardly from the hug zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the stop zone the vehicle is caused to initiate a braking operation; a no steer zone laterally outwardly from the stop zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the no steer zone the vehicle is not permitted to turn toward the no steer zone; and a steer zone located laterally between the no steer zone and the hug zone, wherein if an object is detected in at least a portion of the steer zone the vehicle is permitted to turn toward the steer zone as long as no portion of the object is located in the no steer zone; and performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object, wherein the desired distance is maintained between the vehicle and the selected object as the vehicle travels on a desired heading. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
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receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle; detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle; and performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object, wherein the selected object is an object that is determined to be the closest object to the vehicle within the environment, as measured in a lateral direction that is perpendicular to a central axis of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
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receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle; detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle; in response to an operator initiated request, performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object, wherein the operator designates whether to substantially maintain the vehicle at a desired distance from an object on the left or right side of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
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receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle; detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle; and performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object, wherein if the selected object is located outside of a hug zone or hug line defined within the environment, the vehicle is automatically steered such that the selected object is at least partially located in the hug zone or on the hug line, at which point the vehicle is automatically steered to the desired heading while maintaining the desired distance from the selected object.
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54. A method for a materials handling vehicle to implement a steer maneuver comprising:
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receiving sensor data from at least one sensing device by a controller on a materials handling vehicle; detecting that a selected object is in an environment proximate the vehicle, the environment including first and second hug zones, the first hug zone displaced laterally from the left side of the vehicle and the second hug zone displaced laterally from the right side of the vehicle; and performing a steer maneuver by the controller causing the vehicle to steer such that the vehicle is substantially maintained at a desired distance from the selected object as the vehicle travels on a desired heading, wherein the controller is programmable to only perform a steer maneuver if an object is detected in a select one of the first and second hug zones. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification