Forklifts, reader assembly for forklifts, and warehouse storage system thereof

A reader assembly for forklifts comprising:

• a cavity positioned on a first surface of the reader assembly;
• one or more tag readers detachably placed within the cavity, wherein the one or more tag readers are configured to read one or more passive tags placed on a set of pre-defined locations in a warehouse, wherein a reading range of the one or more tag readers is limited to a predefined distance;
• and2
• a control unit configured to:
• receive information associated with a first passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the first passive tag is placed on an object and is mapped to a package information associated with the object;
• receive information associated with a second passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the second passive tag is placed on a floor bay associated with a plurality of storage shelves and is mapped to a bay number of the floor bay;
• receive information associated with a third passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the third passive tag is placed on a storage shelf of the plurality of storage shelves and is mapped to a shelf number of the storage shelf;
• and
• detect a current location of the object in the warehouse based on the received information associated with each of the first passive tag, the second passive tag, and the third passive tag.

A warehouse storage system comprising:

• a floor comprising a plurality of floor bays, wherein each of the plurality floor bays comprise a plurality of racks, and wherein each of the plurality of racks comprise a plurality of storage shelves;
• a plurality of forklifts, wherein each of the plurality of forklifts comprises:
• a forklift mast comprising a carriage assembly affixed to a first surface of the forklift mast, wherein the carriage assembly comprises one or more forks;
• and
• a reader assembly affixed to a second surface of the carriage assembly, wherein the reader assembly comprises:
• a cavity positioned on a third surface of the reader assembly;
• and
• one or more tag readers detachably placed within the cavity, wherein the one or more tag readers are configured to read one or more passive tags placed on a set of pre-defined locations in a warehouse, wherein a reading range of the one or more tag readers is limited to a distal end of the one or more forks;
• and
• a control unit configured to:
• receive information associated with a first passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the first passive tag is placed on an object and is mapped to a package information associated with the object;
• receive information associated with a second passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the second passive tag is placed on a floor bay associated with a plurality of the storage shelves and is mapped to a bay number of the floor bay;
• receive information associated with a third passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the third passive tag is placed on a storage shelf from the plurality of storage shelves and is mapped to a shelf number of the storage shelf;
• and
• detect a current location of the object in the warehouse based on the received information associated with the first passive tag, the second passive tag, and the third passive tag.

A method for detecting a current location of an object in a warehouse, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a control unit, information associated with a first passive tag information from one or more tag readers, wherein the one or more tag readers are configured to read the first passive tag in response to a forklift picking-up an object, wherein the first passive tag is placed on the object and is mapped with a package information associated with the object;
• receiving, by the control unit, information associated with a second passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the one or more tag readers are configured to read the second passive tag in response to the forklift being within a predefined proximity from a floor bay associated with a plurality of storage shelves, wherein the second passive tag is placed on the floor bay and is mapped to a bay number of the floor bay;
• receiving, by the control unit, information associated with a third passive tag from the one or more tag readers, wherein the one or more tag readers are configured to read the third passive tag in response to the forklift unloading the object onto a storage shelf of the plurality of storage shelves, wherein the third passive tag is placed on the storage shelf and is mapped to a shelf number of the storage shelf;
• and
• detecting a current location of the object based on the received information associated with the first passive tag, the second passive tag, and the third passive tag.