SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING ON-DEMAND ROUTES FOR POWERED INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES

• US 20110191135A1
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Williams, David E., McElroy, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating in a facility on-demand routes for powered industrial vehicles to transport cargo efficiently. In one embodiment, an on-demand route generation module receives receiving a request to move cargo. The module analyzes data about the current location, the current tasking, and the driver availability of PIVs in operation. Based on the information, the module creates an on-demand route through the facility and sends a notification to an assigned PIV to pick up the cargo and carry it on the defined on-demand route.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of creating on-demand routes for PIVs, the method comprising:

receiving a dispatch order for a cargo, the dispatch order including a current location of the cargo and a destination of the cargo;

receiving one or more of current location data, current tasking data, driver availability data, and battery charge data for PIVs operating in the facility;

selecting, based at least in part on the received information, a first PIV to pickup the cargo;

defining, based on the current location data of the PIVs and the current location of the selected first PIV, an on-demand route from the current location of the selected first PIV to the current location of the cargo and from the current location of the cargo to the destination location of the cargo; and

sending the on-demand route and the cargo identification to the selected PIV.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dispatch order further includes a indication of urgency of the order.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dispatch order includes a delivery deadline.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the battery charge data comprises measurements from a battery voltage monitor on the PIVs.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current location data, current tasking data, driver availability data, and battery charge data for the PIVs are stored in a memory on the PIVs.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein defining an on-demand route further comprises:

determining a plurality of possible routes from the current location of the selected first PIV to the current location of the cargo; and

calculating a distance for each of the possible routes; and

selecting, based on the calculated distance for each possible route, a route from the current location of the selected first PIV to the current location of the cargo.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein defining an on-demand route further comprises:

determining a plurality of possible routes from the current location of the selected first PIV to the current location of the cargo;

analyzing, based on the current location data of the PIVs, traffic flows and congestion; and

selecting, based on the traffic flows and congestion, a route from one of the possible routes from the current location of the selected first PIV to the current location of the cargo.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the driver availability data includes driver certification data and shift data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current tasking data includes information about routes currently being traveled by the PIVs in the facility.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cargo information is a barcode value of a barcode associated with the cargo.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the barcode includes an RFID tag, and the current location of the barcode is determined by reading the RFID tag.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the current tasking data includes an indication of the urgency of the current task.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein selecting a first PIV to pickup the cargo further comprises:

comparing the urgency of the current task to the urgency of the dispatch order; and

selecting a first PIV based at least in part on the comparison.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the information about the routes includes an anticipated arrival time at a destination location for the current route.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the current location data, current tasking data, driver availability data, and battery charge data for the PIVs operating in the facility are received from the memory on the PIVs.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein current location data, current tasking data, driver availability data, and battery charge data are received from a wireless transponder on the PIV, the wireless transponder being in data communication with the memory on the PIV, and the wireless transponder further being polled at a substantially regular interval by one or more gateway beacons in the facility.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the one or more gateway beacons are in communication with a central server through a dedicated fiber optic network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein defining an on-demand route further comprises:

determining a plurality of possible routes from the current location of the cargo to the destination location of the cargo;

analyzing, while the selected PIV is in route to the current location of the cargo, traffic flows between the current location of the cargo and the destination location of the cargo; and

selecting, based on the traffic flows and congestion, a route from one of the possible routes from the current location of the cargo to the destination location of the cargo.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein sending the on-demand route and cargo identification to the selected PIV comprises:

sending, to the selected PIV, the selected route from the current location of the selected PIV to the current location of the cargo; and

while the selected PIV is on route to the current location of the cargo, sending the selected route from the current location of the cargo to the destination location of the cargo.