Automated warehousing using robotic forklifts

Abstract

A system for automated inventory management and material handling removes the requirement to operate fully automatically or all-manual using conventional vertical storage and retrieval (S&R) machines. Inventory requests to place palletized material into storage at a specified lot location or retrieve palletized material from a specified lot are resolved into missions for autonomous fork trucks, equivalent mobile platforms, or manual fork truck drivers (and their equipment) that are autonomously or manually executed to effect the request. Automated trucks plan their own movements to execute the mission over the warehouse aisles or roadways sharing this space with manually driven trucks. Automated units drive to planned speed limits, manage their loads (stability control), stop, go, and merge at intersections according human driving rules, use on-board sensors to identify static and dynamic obstacles, and human traffic, and either avoid them or stop until potential collision risk is removed.

1 . A vehicle adapted to handle material in a warehouse or other storage facility, comprising:
 a combination of autonomous and manual vehicle controls;   one or more sensors for sensing an environment around the vehicle;   a plurality of devices for measuring the absolute and relative position of the vehicle in the facility;   a map database storing information related to the layout of the facility; and   processing electronics operative to perform the following functions:
 a) combine the absolute and relative position measurements to generate an improved estimate of location; 
 b) use the map database and improved estimate of location to autonomously guide the vehicle along a path from a material pick-up location to a drop-off location; and 
 c) use the one or more sensors to automatically detect and avoid obstacles along the path. 
   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , further including:
 one or more 3D sensors operative to detect multiple, fixed-position objects in an environment around the vehicle; and   wherein the processing electronics is further operative to match the position of the multiple, fixed-position objects against known object positions in the map database.   
     
     
         3 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processing electronics enables the vehicle to access the map database and plan its own path within the facility. 
     
     
         4 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the map database includes one or more of the following:
 waypoints,   checkpoints,   path segments, and   area sections.   
     
     
         5 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processing electronics is further operative to use the one or more sensors to navigate the vehicle through narrow doors or passageways within the facility. 
     
     
         6 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processing electronics is further operative to use one of more of the following devices to guide the vehicle along the path:
 GPS or other beacon locator,   IMU,   magnetometer,   differential odometry,   RFID fiducials, and   visual fiducials.   
     
     
         7 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , including one or more sensors to read and interpret a code that encodes location or other data. 
     
     
         8 . The vehicle of  claim 7 , wherein the code is an RFID tag or barcode. 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , further including a communications interface to an inventory control system. 
     
     
         10 . The vehicle of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a) database of inventory stored in the facility;   b) a database including other material handling vehicles in the facility; and   d) an inventory request server that accepts inventory requests, selects an available vehicle, and sends the vehicle on a mission plan using the map database.   
     
     
         11 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , including forks for moving pallets with fork pockets. 
     
     
         12 . The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sensors and processing electronics enables the vehicle to:
 a) determine the position and orientation of pallets having fork pockets, and   b) identify the specific location of the fork pockets for autonomous engagement therewith.   
     
     
         13 . The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sensors and processing electronics enables the vehicle to:
 a) identify and determine the position and orientation of shelves;   b) determine if a shelf is filled or empty; and   c) automatically place a pallet or other material on an empty shelf.   
     
     
         14 . The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sensors and processing electronics enables the vehicle to:
 place palletized material into storage at a specified lot location; or   retrieve palletized material from a specified lot location.   
     
     
         15 . The vehicle of  claim 11 , including a database of stored inventory including lot and pallet identification with pallet location.