Systems and methods for managing movement of materials handling vehicles

An automated warehouse environment comprising a plurality of materials handling zones, a plurality of materials handling vehicles, and an asset manager in communication with the materials handling vehicles, wherein:

• the asset manager and the materials handling vehicles collectively comprise a dynamic localization engine that is programmed to establish location data of the materials handling vehicles in the warehouse environment, as the vehicles move throughout the warehouse environment;
• the asset manager further comprises a path planner that is programmed to establish a travel route for a designated vehicle along established path segments in the warehouse environment, the travel route comprising primary nodes and secondary nodes;
• at least one of the primary nodes of the travel route established by the asset manager is correlated with a materials handling zone or a dedicated vehicular zone of the warehouse environment;
• the secondary nodes of the travel route established by the asset manager are correlated with established path segments in the warehouse environment;
• the path planner is further programmed to establish the travel route through the warehouse environment by, at least, establishing one primary node as an origin node and another primary node as a destination node, and referring to location data representing the locations of the origin node, the destination node, and the designated materials handling vehicle;
• the asset manager further comprises an occupancy grid generator that is programmed to establish a dynamic occupancy grid corresponding to the warehouse environment and to lock cells of the occupancy grid in an established path segment that lead the designated materials handling vehicle as it travels in the established path segment such that additional designated materials handling vehicles traveling within the warehouse environment are prohibited from traveling along path segments that overlap the locked cells of the occupancy grid;
• and
• the designated materials handling vehicle is programmed to proceed from the origin node to the destination node along the established path segments by, at least, referring to data representing locked cells of the occupancy grid and avoiding otherwise unpermitted travel along path segments that overlap the locked cells of the occupancy grid.

An asset manager configured to communicate with a plurality of materials handling vehicles in a warehouse environment, the asset manager comprising:

• a dynamic localization engine that is programmed to establish location data of the materials handling vehicles in the warehouse environment, as the vehicles move throughout the warehouse environment;
• and
• a path planner that is programmed to establish travel routes for designated materials handling vehicles along established path segments in the warehouse environment, the travel routes comprising primary nodes and secondary nodes, wherein
• at least one of the primary nodes of the travel routes established by the asset manager is correlated with a materials handling zone or a dedicated vehicular zone of the warehouse environment,
• the secondary nodes of the travel routes established by the asset manager are correlated with established path segments in the warehouse environment,
• the path planner is further programmed to establish the travel routes through the warehouse environment by, at least, establishing origin nodes and destination nodes, and referring to location data representing the locations of the origin nodes, the destination nodes, and the designated materials handling vehicles, and
• the asset manager is programmed to respond to permission inquiries from designated materials handling vehicles proceeding from origin nodes to destination nodes along established path segments, the permission inquiries being initiated at primary and secondary nodes of the travel routes, and referring to location data of the other materials handling vehicles in the warehouse environment.

An asset manager configured to communicate with a plurality of materials handling vehicles in a warehouse environment, the asset manager comprising:

• a dynamic localization engine that is programmed to establish location data of the materials handling vehicles in the warehouse environment, as the vehicles move throughout the warehouse environment;
• a path planner that is programmed to establish a travel route for a designated vehicle along established path segments in the warehouse environment, the travel route comprising primary nodes and secondary nodes;
• and
• an occupancy grid generator that is programmed to establish a dynamic occupancy grid corresponding to the warehouse environment, wherein
• at least one of the primary nodes of the travel route established by the asset manager is correlated with a materials handling zone or a dedicated vehicular zone of the warehouse environment,
• the secondary nodes of the travel route established by the asset manager are correlated with established path segments in the warehouse environment,
• the path planner is further programmed to establish the travel routes through the warehouse environment by, at least, establishing origin nodes and destination nodes, and referring to location data representing the locations of the origin nodes, the destination nodes, and the designated materials handling vehicles, and
• the occupancy grid generator is programmed to lock cells of the occupancy grid in an established path segment that lead the designated materials handling vehicle as it travels in the established path segment such that additional designated materials handling vehicles traveling within the warehouse environment are prohibited from traveling along path segments that overlap the locked cells of the occupancy grid.