US 11,748,700 B2
Automated warehousing using robotic forklifts or other material handling vehicles
Charles J. Jacobus, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Glenn J. Beach, Grass Lake, MI (US); Steve Rowe, Grass Lake, MI (US); and Charles J. Cohen, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to Cybernet Systems Corp., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed by Cybernet Systems Corp., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/74,376.
Application 17/074,376 is a continuation of application No. 16/506,054, filed on Jul. 9, 2019, granted, now 11,367,043.
Application 16/506,054 is a continuation of application No. 15/715,683, filed on Sep. 26, 2017, granted, now 10,346,797, issued on Jul. 9, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/399,786, filed on Sep. 26, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0056499 A1, Feb. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. G06F 7/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); B66F 9/075 (2006.01); G06K 19/077 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B66F 9/06 (2006.01); G06K 19/06 (2006.01)
CPC G06Q 10/087 (2013.01) [B66F 9/063 (2013.01); B66F 9/0755 (2013.01); G05D 1/0234 (2013.01); G05D 1/0246 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01); G06K 19/06037 (2013.01); G06K 19/07758 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0216 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for automated inventory management and material handling, comprising:
a plurality of robotic material handling and delivery vehicles, each including:
a) drive-by-wire operation with automated and manual controls,
b) a location determining subsystem,
c) a proximity obstacle detection and avoidance subsystem,
d) a subsystem to support automatic traversal from a pick-up location to one or more drop-off locations using a warehouse or yard map;
an inventory request manager in communication with the plurality of robotic material handling and delivery vehicles;
wherein the inventory request manager is operative to generate mission plans for the vehicles that include vehicle selection and vehicle scheduling; and
wherein the robotic material handling and delivery vehicles are operative to execute the mission plans by:
comparing points generated by the mission plan based on warehouse or yard map to an actual vehicle position using the location determining subsystem, and
incrementally bring the actual, measured vehicle location successively closer to plan-generated locations based upon the comparison.