Traffic management for materials handling vehicles in a warehouse environment

A traffic management system comprising a traffic management server and a plurality of materials handling vehicles, each of the plurality of materials handling vehicles comprising a vehicle body, a plurality of vehicle wheels, a traction control unit, a braking system, a steering assembly, and a navigation subsystem, wherein:

• the plurality of materials handling vehicles are configured to navigate a vehicle transit surface in a warehouse environment;
• the plurality of vehicle wheels support the vehicle body;
• the traction control unit, the braking system, and the steering assembly, are operatively coupled to one or more of the plurality of vehicle wheels;
• the navigation subsystem is configured to cooperate with the traction control unit, the braking system, and the steering assembly to navigate the materials handling vehicle along the vehicle transit surface in the warehouse environment;
• and
• the traffic management server is configured to cooperate with the navigation subsystems of the plurality of materials handling vehicles to:
• receive a request from the navigation subsystem of a target materials handling vehicle to proceed through an intersection;
• determine whether a prior request to proceed through the intersection has been received from a different materials handling vehicle;
• determine whether the prior request comprises a corresponding exit notification indicating that the different materials handling vehicle has progressed through and exited from the intersection;
• transmit permission for the target materials handling vehicle to proceed through the intersection to the navigation subsystem of the target materials handling vehicle in response to a determination that (i) the traffic management server has not received the prior request from the different materials handling vehicle or (ii) the prior request from the different materials handling vehicle comprises the corresponding exit notification;
• and
• navigate the target materials handling vehicle through the intersection based on the transmission of the permission to proceed through the intersection.