Patent ID: 11914394
Assignee: CROWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 16:
17. A method of executing path validation logic with respect to a materials handling vehicle comprising a vehicle body, materials handling hardware, one or more wheels, a drive unit, a steering unit, a localization module, a navigation module, and a path validation tool, the drive unit, steering unit, localization module, and navigation module cooperate to direct the materials handling vehicle along a travel path in a warehouse, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of inputs into the path validation tool, the plurality of inputs comprising environmental layout data of the warehouse, a proposed travel path within the warehouse, kinematics of the materials handling vehicle, a dynamic exterior boundary of the materials handling vehicle, and a dynamic clearance boundary of the materials handling vehicle that is enlarged relative to at least a portion of the dynamic exterior boundary of the materials handling vehicle to define an enlarged boundary about at least a portion of the materials handling vehicle;
determining a vehicle pose along the proposed travel path through the path validation tool;
determining whether the dynamic exterior boundary or the dynamic clearance boundary of the vehicle is likely to intersect obstacles represented in the environmental layout data based on the determined vehicle pose and a degree of potential impingement at candidate positions along the proposed travel path to respectively identify an obstacle collision error or a pinch point error;
identifying the obstacle collision error as a collision intersection determined when the dynamic exterior boundary of the vehicle is likely to intersect obstacles represented in the environmental layout data;
identifying the pinch point error as a pinch point intersection determined when the dynamic clearance boundary of the vehicle is likely to intersect obstacles represented in the environmental layout data
eliminating the obstacle collision error, the pinch point error, or both, by modification of the proposed travel path, wherein when the obstacle collision error and the pinch point error are identified, the obstacle collision error is prioritized for elimination over the pinch point error when both are identified;
mitigating the obstacle collision error, the pinch point error, or both, to avoid a collision when the proposed travel path is not modifiable to eliminate the obstacle collision error, the pinch point error, or both, by modification of the proposed travel path through the path validation tool, wherein when the obstacle collision error and the pinch point error are identified, the obstacle collision error is prioritized for elimination over the pinch point error when both are identified; and
navigating the materials handling vehicle along the modified proposed travel path through cooperation of the drive unit, steering unit, localization module, navigation module, and the path validation tool.