# US 12,117,825 B2 · Industrial vehicle fleet recommender

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- Number: US 12,117,825 B2
- Document ID: US12117825B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/485,806
- Filed: 2023-10-12
- Published: 2024-02-01
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-20
- Assignees: Crown Equipment Corporation
- Applicants: Crown Equipment Corporation
- Inventors: Jacob J. Thomson; Lisa Wong; Lucas B. Waltz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12117825B2

## CPC

- G05D 1/0005: {with arrangements to save energy}
- B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries
- G05D 1/0217: {in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria}
- G05D 1/0291: {Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127)}
- G05D 1/644: Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance
- G05D 1/69: Coordinated control of the position or course of two or more vehicles
- G06Q 10/06312: {Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling}
- G06Q 10/06395: {Quality analysis or management}
- G06Q 10/067: Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q 10/0674: {using process simulation}
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)}
- G01C 21/206: {specially adapted for indoor navigation}
- G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)}
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- 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
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)

## Abstract

A process to schedule an industrial vehicle for maintenance comprises constructing a warehouse model based upon a warehouse configuration to define a dimensionally constrained environment and virtual industrial vehicles operating within the environment. A workflow model defines tasks of the virtual industrial vehicles within the defined environment of the warehouse model. A kinematic model is based upon vehicle specifications for the virtual industrial vehicles, kinematic functions of the virtual industrial vehicles, constraints of the defined environment of the warehouse model, and a cutback curve computed for a parameter of a kinematic function of the virtual industrial vehicle. The kinematic model is applied to the workflow model to evaluate virtual industrial vehicle performance to determine ideal results. Actual use data of the industrial vehicle is collected during the industrial vehicle operation. The industrial vehicle is scheduled for maintenance based on a comparison of the actual use data to the ideal results.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process to determine when to schedule an industrial vehicle for maintenance, the process comprising:
constructing a warehouse model in a digital computer device, based upon received input variables related to a warehouse configuration, so as to define an environment that is dimensionally constrained, wherein virtual industrial vehicles operate within the defined environment;
constructing a workflow model in the digital computer device that defines tasks of the virtual industrial vehicles within the defined environment characterized by the warehouse model;
constructing a kinematic model in the digital computer device based upon received data characterizing vehicle specifications for the virtual industrial vehicles, kinematic functions of the virtual industrial vehicles, constraints of the defined environment in which the virtual industrial vehicles operate based on the constructed warehouse model, and a cutback curve computed for a parameter of a select one of the kinematic functions of the virtual industrial vehicles;
applying the kinematic model to the workflow model based upon travel paths of the workflow model to evaluate virtual industrial vehicle performance and determine ideal results;
collecting data of the industrial vehicle during the industrial vehicle operation, wherein the collected data is actual use data;
comparing the ideal results to the actual use data of the industrial vehicle; and
scheduling, based on the comparing of the ideal results to the actual use data of the industrial vehicle, the industrial vehicle for maintenance.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, via a user interface, an indication of whether at least one industrial vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode; and
wherein constructing the warehouse model is further based upon the indication of whether the at least one industrial vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process of claim 2 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions of the virtual industrial vehicles comprising limiting the cutback curve by an automation feature of the industrial vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, via a user interface, an indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in a semi-autonomous mode; and
wherein constructing the warehouse model is further based upon the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in a semi-autonomous mode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode comprises receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode for AutoPositioning restrictions.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode comprises receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode for End-of-Aisle restrictions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The process of claim 6 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions comprises limiting the cutback curve by the end-of-aisle restriction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode comprises receiving, via the user interface, the indication of whether the industrial vehicle is operating in the semi-autonomous mode for Speed Limit restrictions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via a user interface, input variables concerning the warehouse configuration comprising receiving warehouse configuration variables that indicate an aisle length of aisles in the warehouse.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via a user interface, input variables concerning the warehouse configuration comprising receiving warehouse configuration variables that indicate a bay height of bays in the warehouse.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via a user interface, input variables concerning the warehouse configuration comprising receiving warehouse configuration variables concerning racking within the warehouse.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via a user interface, operational variables concerning a fleet configuration comprising receiving, via the user interface, operational variables concerning an operator skill level efficacy variable.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions comprising limiting the cutback curve by the operator skill level efficacy variable.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via a user interface, operational variables concerning a fleet configuration comprising receiving, via the user interface, operational variables concerning operator shifts.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising receiving workflow parameters including a slot interaction time for a putaway and a slot interaction time for a retrieval, the workflow parameters used to construct the workflow model.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions comprising limiting the cutback curve by a vehicle speed.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions comprising limiting the cutback curve by a height of a load-handling feature of the industrial vehicle.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the kinematic functions comprising limiting the cutback curve by a fork height of a forklift truck.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising computing the cutback curve for the parameter of the select one of the functions comprising limiting the cutback curve by a certification of the vehicle operator.