Adaptive acceleration for materials handling vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12411505-B2
Application number	US-202418741989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2024
Priority date	Nov 3, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A method is provided for operating a materials handling vehicle comprising: monitoring, by a processor, vehicle acceleration in a direction of travel of the vehicle during a manual operation by an operator of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in a first vehicle orientation; collecting and storing, by the processor, data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration; receiving, by the processor, a request to implement a semi-automated driving operation; calculating, by the processor, a maximum vehicle acceleration based on acceleration data comprising the stored data, wherein the data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration used in calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration comprises only the vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle collected when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation. Based at least in part on the maximum vehicle acceleration, controlling, by the processor, implementation of the semi-automated driving operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a materials handling vehicle comprising:
monitoring, by a processor, vehicle acceleration in a direction of travel of the vehicle during a manual operation by an operator of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in a first vehicle orientation;
collecting and storing, by the processor, data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle comprising data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation during the manual operation;
receiving, by the processor, a request to implement a semi-automated driving operation;
calculating, by the processor, a maximum vehicle acceleration based on acceleration data comprising the stored data, wherein the data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle used in calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration comprises the vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle collected when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation and wherein vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle corresponding to when the vehicle is traveling in a second vehicle orientation, which is different from the first vehicle orientation, is not used by the processor when calculating the maximum acceleration; and
based at least in part on the maximum vehicle acceleration, controlling, by the processor, implementation of the semi-automated driving operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second vehicle orientation is substantially 180 degrees different from the first vehicle orientation.

3. The method claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a load handling assembly comprising at least one fork and a load support extending generally transverse to the at least one fork, wherein the load support is adapted to support a load carried by the at least one fork when the vehicle is accelerating while traveling in the second orientation and decelerating while traveling in the first orientation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the materials handling vehicle comprises a load handling assembly and a power unit, the first orientation comprises a power unit first direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the processor, operation of the vehicle indicative of a start of a pick operation occurring during the manual operation of the vehicle; and
based on detecting the start of the pick operation, resetting, by the processor, the stored data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the maximum vehicle acceleration is calculated by the processor based only on the acceleration data collected and stored after the resetting by the processor.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring vehicle acceleration along a transverse direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle during the manual operation of the vehicle;
collecting and storing data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the transverse direction;
when calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration, using the data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the transverse direction.

8. A method for operating a materials handling vehicle comprising:
monitoring, by a processor, vehicle acceleration in a direction of travel of the vehicle during a manual operation by an operator of the vehicle when traveling in a first vehicle orientation;
monitoring, by the processor, vehicle deceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle during the manual operation by the operator of the vehicle when traveling in a second vehicle orientation;
collecting and storing, by the processor, first data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle comprising data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation and second data related to the monitored vehicle deceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle comprising data related to the monitored vehicle deceleration when the vehicle is traveling in the second vehicle orientation;
receiving, by the processor, a request to implement a semi-automated driving operation;
calculating, by the processor, a maximum vehicle acceleration based on the stored first and second data, wherein the first data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle used in calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration comprises the vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle collected when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation and wherein the second data related to the monitored vehicle deceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle used in calculating the maximum vehicle acceleration comprises the vehicle deceleration data collected in the direction of travel of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in the second vehicle orientation, and wherein vehicle acceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle corresponding to when the vehicle is traveling in the second vehicle orientation, which is different from the first vehicle orientation, is not used by the processor when calculating the maximum acceleration; and
based at least in part on the maximum vehicle acceleration, controlling, by the processor, implementation of the semi-automated driving operation.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein vehicle deceleration data in the direction of travel of the vehicle corresponding to when the vehicle is traveling in the first vehicle orientation is not used by the processor when calculating the maximum acceleration.

10. The method claim 8 , wherein the vehicle comprises a load handling assembly comprising at least one fork and a load support extending generally transverse to the at least one fork, wherein the load support is adapted to support a load carried by the at least one fork when the vehicle is accelerating while traveling in a second orientation and decelerating while traveling in the first orientation, wherein the second vehicle orientation is substantially 180 degrees different than the first vehicle orientation.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the materials handling vehicle comprises a load handling assembly and a power unit, the first vehicle orientation comprises a power unit first direction and the second vehicle orientation comprises a load handling assembly first direction.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
detecting, by the processor, operation of the vehicle indicative of a start of a pick operation occurring during the manual operation of the vehicle; and
based on detecting the start of the pick operation, resetting, by the processor, the stored first and second data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration and deceleration.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the maximum vehicle acceleration is calculated by the processor based only on the first and second data stored after the resetting by the processor.

14. A system for operating a materials handling vehicle comprising:
a memory storing executable instructions; and
a processor in communication with the memory, wherein execution of the executable instructions by the processor causes the processor to:
monitor vehicle acceleration in a direction of travel of the vehicle during a manual operation by an operator of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in a first orientation;
collect and store data related to the monitored vehicle acceleration in the direction of travel of the vehicle comprising data related to the moni

Assignees

• Crown Equip Corp

Inventors

• Simon Andreas
• Theos Sebastian
• Nachtigal Johannes

Classifications

• B66F9/07581

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B66F9/07572

  Propulsion arrangements · CPC title

• B62B5/0069

  Control · CPC title

• B60K31/0058

  responsive to externally generated signalling · CPC title

• G05D13/62 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means, e.g. use of a tachometric dynamo, use of a transducer converting an electric value into a displacement {(electric motor control H02P)} · CPC title