Materials Handling Vehicle Orientation With Shaped Collision Fields
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles operating in closed environments, such as warehouses, face challenges in detecting and avoiding collisions with objects due to reduced visibility and inadequate object detection capabilities, impacting operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A materials handling vehicle system equipped with sensors for detecting direction and steer angle, along with a computing device that determines a shaped detection field to monitor potential collision spaces, alerts or adjusts operations to avoid objects, and selects fields based on vehicle type, speed, and location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vision-based sensors are used to improve object detection, then visibility for the user is improved, but the ability to detect, alert, and avoid objects while maintaining operational efficiencies is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The detection field shape is dynamically adjusted based on vehicle motion characteristics. The system continuously modifies the detection field geometry to match the predicted movement path, ensuring optimal detection coverage while maintaining operational efficiency. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to focus computational resources on relevant areas rather than using a static detection pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of the detection field (shape, size, orientation) based on vehicle speed, steering angle, and direction of motion. By adjusting these parameters in real-time, the system optimizes object detection for the current operational context without compromising productivity, as the detection field adapts to match actual vehicle trajectory patterns.
2Adaptability or versatility
If heavy vehicles with reduced visibility are used to maneuver in tight spaces, then the vehicle can operate in closed environments, but the operator's ability to identify collisions is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary computational layer that processes sensor data and generates predictive detection fields. This intermediary system bridges the gap between limited operator visibility and the need for reliable collision identification by automatically analyzing the environment and predicting potential collision zones based on vehicle motion and surrounding objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and prediction of collision zones before the vehicle actually reaches them. By using the detected direction of motion and steer angle to predict future vehicle positions and potential collision areas in advance, the system provides early warning to the operator, enabling proactive collision avoidance rather than reactive response.
3Reliability
If a shaped detection field is implemented based on vector of movement, then collision avoidance is enhanced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection field is segmented into distinct geometric regions (triangular, trapezoidal, rectangular shapes) that can be independently calculated and processed. This segmentation simplifies the computational complexity by breaking down the complex detection field generation into manageable geometric operations based on the vehicle's vector of movement, making the system more tractable while maintaining reliable collision avoidance.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provided herein include systems and methods for orienting a materials handling vehicle. Some embodiments of a system may include a materials handling vehicle that includes a single ultra wide band (UWB) antenna and at least one vehicle sensor and a computing device. The computing device may cause the system to receive data related to a first plurality of locations of the materials handling vehicle, determined via the UWB antenna, determine, from the data, a first initial orientation of the materials handling vehicle, and receive vehicle sensor data from the at least one vehicle sensor on the materials handling vehicle. Some embodiments may be configured to determine an updated vehicle orientation and an updated vehicle location, based on the data and the vehicle sensor data and provide a user interface that includes a depiction of the materials handling vehicle in the updated vehicle orientation and the updated vehicle location.