# US 11,305,650 B2 · Systems and methods for warehouse environment speed zone management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,650 B2 - Document ID: US11305650B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/527,857 - Filed: 2019-07-31 - Published: 2020-02-06 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-01 - Assignees: Crown Equipment Corporation - Applicants: Crown Equipment Corporation - Inventors: Kashyap Chandrasekar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305650B2 ## CPC - B60K 31/0058: {responsive to externally generated signalling} - B66F 9/063: {Automatically guided} - B60Q 9/00: Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} - B66F 9/0755: {Position control; Position detectors} - B66F 17/003: {for fork-lift trucks} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G05D 1/0223: {involving speed control of the vehicle (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00)} - G05D 1/43: Control of position or course in two dimensions [2D] - G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management - G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting} - B60K 2031/0091: {Speed limiters or speed cutters} - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B66F: HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD ({invalid lifting devices A61G7/10; } mounting artificial islands on piles or like supports E02B17/00; scaffolding combined with lifting devices E04G1/22; lifting devices for sliding forms E04G11/24; lifting of buildings E04G23/06; shores or struts E04G25/00; lifts or other hoisting devices on ladders E06C7/12; props for mining E21D15/00) - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Systems and methods for a materials handling vehicle configured to navigate along a warehouse environment inventory transit surface, the vehicle including control architecture in communication with a drive mechanism, a materials handling mechanism, a speed zone sensing subsystem configured to provide an indication of whether the vehicle is in a speed zone, and a speed control processor configured to prompt the operator to reduce a vehicle speed of the vehicle to under a speed zone limit when the vehicle speed is approaching or in the speed zone, determine whether the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone, and apply a speed cap to limit a maximum vehicle speed of the vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below the speed zone limit when the speed control processor has determined that the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A materials handling vehicle configured to navigate along an inventory transit surface in a warehouse environment, the materials handling vehicle comprising a speed control processor, a speed zone sensing subsystem, a materials handling mechanism configured to engage goods in the warehouse environment, a drive mechanism configured to move the materials handling vehicle along the inventory transit surface, and vehicle control architecture in communication with the drive mechanism, the materials handling mechanism, the speed zone sensing subsystem, and the speed control processor, wherein: the speed zone sensing subsystem is configured to provide an indication of whether the materials handling vehicle is in a speed zone; the speed control processor is configured to prompt a vehicle operator to reduce a vehicle speed of the materials handling vehicle to under a speed zone limit when the materials handling vehicle is approaching or in the speed zone, determine whether the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone, and apply a vehicle speed cap to limit a maximum vehicle speed of the materials handling vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below the speed zone limit when the speed control processor has determined that the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem comprises an operator alert component that is configured to alert the vehicle operator the materials handling vehicle is in the speed zone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle of claim 2, wherein the operator alert component comprises a visual alert, an audible alert, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle of claim 2, wherein the operator alert component comprises a speed zone display on a display screen of the materials handling vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle of claim 2, wherein the operator alert component is further configured to alert the operator when the vehicle speed is above the speed zone limit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle of claim 2, wherein the operator alert component is further configured to alert the operator when the vehicle speed is above the speed zone limit by an overage speed in a range of between about 0.4 mph and 1 mph. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The materials handling vehicle of claim 6, wherein the overage speed is approximately 0.5 mph. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem comprises a truck-based sensor configured to detect active or passive speed zone tags. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem comprises a truck-based sensor configured for environmentally-based sensing of the speed zone. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem comprises a truck-based localization hardware configured to utilize warehouse map resident on the vehicle or an external warehouse map to sense the speed zone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein: the speed zone sensing subsystem is configured to provide an indication of whether the materials handling vehicle has exited or is approaching an exit of the speed zone; and the speed control processor is configured to release the vehicle speed cap when the speed zone sensing subsystem provides the indication that the vehicle has exited or is approaching the exit of the speed zone. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The materials handling vehicle of claim 11, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem comprises an operator alert component that is configured to alert the vehicle operator when the vehicle speed cap is released, and the operator alert component comprises a visual alert, an audible alert, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed control processor is configured to prompt the vehicle operator to reduce the vehicle speed of the materials handling vehicle to under the speed zone limit when the vehicle speed is above the speed zone limit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed zone sensing subsystem is configured to provide an indication of whether the materials handling vehicle is in the speed zone of a plurality of speed zones in the warehouse environment, each speed zone comprising a speed zone limit from a plurality of speed zone limits, and at least one speed zone limit is different from another speed zone limit of the plurality of speed zone limits. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speed control processor is configured to override the vehicle speed cap applied to the materials handling vehicle based on an operator override action, the operator override action comprising application of a throttle neutral action, application of a braking system, utilization of a dedicated override button, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 16 A materials handling vehicle configured to navigate along an inventory transit surface in a warehouse environment, the materials handling vehicle comprising a speed control processor, a speed zone sensing subsystem comprising one or more truck-based sensors, a materials handling mechanism configured to engage goods in the warehouse environment, a drive mechanism configured to move the materials handling vehicle along the inventory transit surface, and vehicle control architecture in communication with the drive mechanism, the materials handling mechanism, the speed zone sensing subsystem, and the speed control processor, wherein: the speed zone sensing subsystem is configured to provide an indication of whether the materials handling vehicle is in a speed zone, and the one or more truck-based sensors are configured (i) to detect active or passive speed zone tags, (ii) for environmentally-based sensing of the speed zone, or (iii) both; the speed control processor is configured to prompt a vehicle operator to reduce a vehicle speed of the materials handling vehicle to under a speed zone limit when the materials handling vehicle is approaching or in the speed zone, determine whether the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone, and apply a vehicle speed cap to limit a maximum vehicle speed of the materials handling vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below the speed zone limit when the speed control processor has determined that the vehicle speed is under the speed zone limit in the speed zone. ### Claim 17 A materials handling vehicle configured to navigate along an inventory transit surface in a warehouse environment, the materials handling vehicle comprising an operation control processor, a restricted zone sensing subsystem, a materials handling mechanism configured to engage goods in the warehouse environment, a drive mechanism configured to move the materials handling vehicle along the inventory transit surface, and vehicle control architecture in communication with the drive mechanism, the materials handling mechanism, the restricted zone sensing subsystem, and the operation control processor, wherein: the restricted zone sensing subsystem is configured to provide an indication of whether the materials handling vehicle is in a restricted operation zone; the operation control processor is configured to prompt a vehicle operator to reduce an operation of the materials handling vehicle to under an operation limit when the materials handling vehicle is approaching or in the restricted operation zone, determine whether the operation is under the operation limit in the restricted operation zone, and apply an operation cap to limit a maximum operation value of the materials handling vehicle to a magnitude that is at or below the operation limit when the operation control processor has determined that the operation is under the operation limit in the restricted operation zone. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The materials handling vehicle of claim 17, wherein the restricted operation zone is a speed zone, the operation is a vehicle speed, the operation limit is a speed zone limit, and the operation cap is a vehicle speed cap. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The materials handling vehicle of claim 17, wherein the operation is a vehicle acceleration, the operation limit is a vehicle acceleration limit, and the operation cap is a vehicle acceleration cap. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The materials handling vehicle of claim 17, wherein the operation is a lift height, the operation limit is a lift height restriction, and the operation cap is a lift height cap. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The materials handling vehicle of claim 17, wherein the operation is a lift speed, the operation limit is a lift speed limit, and the operation cap is a lift speed cap. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The materials handling vehicle of claim 17, wherein the operation is a lift acceleration, the operation limit is a lift acceleration limit, and the operation cap is a lift acceleration cap.