US 12,221,330 B2
Lighting floor on sides of material handling vehicle to indicate limited or non-limited area
Sebastian Theos, Vaterstetten (DE); Andreas Simon, Munich (DE); Juergen Buchmann, Pliening (DE); René Konzack, Isen (DE); Christian Molnar, Schwindegg (DE); and Alfonso Costas, Munich (DE)
Assigned to Crown Equipment Corporation, New Bremen, OH (US)
Filed by Crown Equipment Corporation, New Bremen, OH (US)
Filed on Feb. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/248,997.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/979,916, filed on Feb. 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0261391 A1, Aug. 26, 2021
Int. Cl. B66F 9/075 (2006.01); B60Q 1/32 (2006.01); B60W 30/18 (2012.01); B62D 15/02 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G05D 1/222 (2024.01); G05D 1/223 (2024.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)
CPC B66F 9/0755 (2013.01) [B60Q 1/32 (2013.01); B60W 30/18009 (2013.01); B62D 15/021 (2013.01); B66F 9/07581 (2013.01); G01S 7/4815 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G05D 1/0038 (2013.01); G05D 1/005 (2013.01); G05D 1/223 (2024.01); G05D 1/2235 (2024.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); B60W 2554/4041 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4049 (2020.02)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a materials handling vehicle comprising one or more sensing devices for determining a first distance from a left side of the vehicle to a first boundary object and a second distance from a right side of the vehicle to a second boundary object and a controller coupled to the one or more sensing devices;
a light source device coupled to the controller, the light source device being controlled by the controller to designate a first area to the left side of the vehicle as either a limited operation area or a non-limited operation area and to designate a second area to the right side of the vehicle as either a limited operation area or a non-limited operation area, the limited operation area corresponding to an area where the first or the second distance is less than a predetermined distance and the non-limited operation area corresponding to an area where the first or the second distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance;
wherein, when one of the first or the second distance is less than the predetermined distance, the light source device designates the corresponding first or second area as a limited operation area in a first manner that can be observed by a person in the vicinity of the vehicle, and when concurrently the other of the first or the second distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, the light source device designates the corresponding first or second area as a non-limited operation area in a second manner that can be observed by a person in the vicinity of the vehicle.