CN116057808A - On-board charging station for remote control devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A system is provided comprising: a material handling vehicle; a wearable remote control device (1032) comprising: a wireless communication system including a wireless transmitter; and a rechargeable power supply; a receiver at the vehicle for receiving information from the wireless transmission a transmission from the transmitter; a controller at the vehicle, communicatively coupled to the receiver, the controller responsive to receipt of the transmission from the remote control device (1032); and a charging station at the vehicle (1050). The charging station (1050) can charge the rechargeable power source of the wearable remote control device (1032). The charging station may include visual indicators (1060, 1070).

Description

Onboard charging station for remote control devices

Background technique

Materials handling vehicles are commonly used for picking goods in warehouses and distribution centers. Such vehicles typically include a power unit and a load handling assembly, which may include a load carrying fork. The vehicle also has a control structure for controlling the operation and movement of the vehicle.

In a typical picking operation, operators fill orders from available inventory items located in storage areas provided along one or more aisles of a warehouse or distribution center. An operator drives the vehicle between various pick locations for the item(s) to be picked. The operator can either use the control structure on the vehicle or via a wireless remote control device associated with the vehicle, such as the remote control device disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent No. 9,082,293, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. This article) to drive the vehicle.

Contents of the invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided a system comprising: a material handling vehicle; a wearable remote control device comprising: a wireless communication system including a wireless transmitter; and a rechargeable power supply; a receiver at the vehicle for receiving data from a transmission from the wireless transmitter; a controller at the vehicle, communicatively coupled to the receiver, the controller responsive to receipt of the transmission from the remote control device; and a charging station at the vehicle. The charging station can charge the rechargeable power source of the wearable remote control device. The charging station may include a visual indicator configured to indicate one or more of: the charging status of the rechargeable power supply when coupled to the charging station, the removal of the rechargeable power supply from the charging station charging status at the time of charging, the pairing status between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle controller, or the physical connection of the remote control device to the charging station.

The visual indicator may display a first color when the remote control device is attached to the charging station. The visual indicator may display a second color when the remote control device has been paired with the vehicle controller.

Visual indicators can provide one of a flashing display or a fully filled display.

A visual indicator may provide a visual indication as a cue for the operator to perform an action. The action could be a test to confirm that the remote control device works and can communicate with the vehicle.

The visual indicators may define a first visual indicator, and the charging station may further include a second visual indicator. The first visual indicator and the second visual indicator may be configured to be activated independently of each other such that either the first visual indicator is activated and the second visual indicator is not activated, or the second visual indicator is activated while the second visual indicator is activated. A visual indicator is not activated.

The first visual indicator may provide one of an intermittent display or a steady state display when activated.

The intermittent display can be operated at a first pulsation rate or a second pulsation rate, wherein the frequencies of the first rate and the second rate are different.

The second visual indicator, when activated, may provide one of an intermittent display, a partially filled display, or a steady state display.

The first visual indicator and the second visual indicator may be configured to be activated simultaneously.

The first visual indicator may be located near a docking port of the charging station that is configured to receive the wearable remote control device, and may be shaped to correspond to a graphic provided on the wearable remote control device to assist the user in docking the wearable remote control device. Locate and connect to the docking port of the charging station.

The first visual indicator may define a visual display related to plugging the wearable remote control device into the charging station.

The first visual indicator or the second visual indicator may provide a visual indication that the charging station is enabled or disabled, either alone or in combination with each other.

The first visual indicator or the second visual indicator may provide, either alone or in combination with each other, a visual display related to a charging error occurring at the charging station or the rechargeable power source.

The first visual indicator or the second visual indicator may provide, either alone or in combination with each other, a visual display related to a pairing error occurring between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle.

The first visual indicator or the second visual indicator may alone or in combination with each other provide a visual display related to a communication error occurring between the wearable remote control device and the controller.

When the vehicle is started, the first indicator may pulse until the remote control device is connected to the docking port of the charging station, such that the first indicator turns off when the remote control device is connected to the docking port.

When the vehicle is started, the first indicator pulses until the remote control device is connected to the docking port of the charging station, changes to a steady ON display after the remote control device is connected to the docking port, and remains ON, thereby providing a steady ON display until The rechargeable power supply is fully charged.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for coupling a wearable remote control device to a charging station, wherein the wearable remote control device may include a wireless transmitter, a rechargeable power supply, and at least one control that enables wireless transmission of The transmitter wirelessly transmits the request to a controller of the materials handling vehicle; and wherein the materials handling vehicle may include a receiver for receiving the transmission from the wireless transmitter. A controller can be communicatively coupled to the receiver and can respond to receipt of a transmission from the remote control device. The charging station may be configured to charge the rechargeable power source of the wearable remote control device and may include a visual indicator. The method may include displaying, via a visual indicator, an indication of one or more of: the state of charge of the rechargeable power supply when coupled to the charging station, the state of charge of the rechargeable power supply when it is removed from the charging station, The pairing status between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle controller, or the physical connection of the remote control device to the charging station.

Description of drawings

1 and 2 are side and top views of a material handling vehicle capable of remote wireless operation in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

2A is a side view of another material handling vehicle capable of remote wireless operation in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of several components of a material handling vehicle capable of remote wireless operation in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;

4-7 are views of remote control devices according to various aspects of the present invention;

8A and 8B are cross-sectional views illustrating a remote control device engaged with a charging station in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;

9 and 10 are views of another remote control device according to various aspects of the present invention;

11 is a schematic diagram of several components of a charging station according to various aspects of the invention;

12-14 are views illustrating a remote control device and a charging station according to various aspects of the present invention;

15 is a schematic diagram of several components of a remote control device according to various aspects of the present invention;

Figure 16 depicts a method according to various aspects of the invention;

Figure 17 depicts a pairing method according to various aspects of the invention;

Figure 18 depicts another pairing method according to various aspects of the present invention;

19 depicts a method for re-pairing a vehicle and a remote control device in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;

20 depicts a method of re-establishing communication between a vehicle and a remote control device in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;

Figure 21 depicts a method of charging a remote control device in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;

Figure 22 depicts another method of charging a remote control device in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

Figure 23 is a schematic illustration of several components of a kit according to various aspects of the invention;

24 is a view of another remote control device according to various aspects of the present invention;

Figure 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating various aspects of the invention;

Figures 26 and 27 illustrate a remote control device and charging station constructed in accordance with another embodiment;

28A-28I illustrate various states of the first and second visual indicators of the charging station of FIGS. 26 and 27; and

29A-29C illustrate various states of the first and second visual indicators of the charging station of FIGS. 26 and 27 .

Detailed ways

In the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration and not of limitation specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the invention.

low level pick truck

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2 , a materials handling vehicle 10 , illustrated as a low level order picking truck, includes a load handling assembly 12 extending from a power unit 14 . The vehicle 10 forms part of a system 8 according to aspects of the invention which will be described more fully below. The load handling assembly 12 includes a pair of forks 16 each having a load supporting wheel assembly 18 . In addition to or instead of the illustrated arrangement of forks 16, load handling assembly 12 may include other load handling features, such as load backrests, scissor lift forks, outriggers, or separate height-adjustable forks, only Give a few examples. Still further, load handling assembly 12 may include load handling features such as masts, load platforms, catch cages, or other support structures carried by forks 16 or otherwise provided for handling loads supported and carried by vehicle 10 . While this disclosure has been made with reference to the illustrated vehicle 10, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the vehicle 10 may include a variety of other industrial vehicles, such as forklifts, reach trucks, etc., and unless otherwise specified , the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings should not be limited to pick trucks. Additionally, the vehicle 10 may be realized in other forms, styles, and features, including vehicles 10 that do not include load handling components, such as trailers and the like.

The illustrated power unit 14 includes a walk-through operator station 20 that separates a first end section (opposite the fork 16 ) of the power unit 14 from a second end section (closer to the fork 16 ). Operator station 20 includes a platform 21 on which an operator may stand to drive vehicle 10 and/or provide a location where the operator may operate various included features of vehicle 10 .

A presence sensor 22 (see FIG. 2 ) may be provided to detect the presence of an operator on the vehicle 10 . For example, presence sensor 22 may be located on, above or below platform 21 , or otherwise provided around operator station 20 . In the exemplary vehicle 10 of FIG. 2 , the presence sensors 22 are shown in dashed lines, indicating that they are located below the platform 21 . In such an arrangement, presence sensor 22 may include a load sensor, a switch, or the like. Alternatively, presence sensor 22 may be implemented above platform 21, such as by using ultrasonic, capacitive or other suitable sensing techniques. Utilization of the presence sensor 22 will be described in more detail herein.

According to one embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the vehicle 10 may include a mast extending perpendicularly from the power unit 14 and including an antenna 30 provided for receiving control signals from a corresponding wireless remote control device 32 . The pole may include a light 33 at the top, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 2A , the antenna may be located within other vehicle components so that control signals from the remote control device 32 are received elsewhere in the vehicle 10 , as will be discussed below. Remote control device 32 includes additional components of system 8 that will be described in more detail below.

Remote control 32 may be manually operated by an operator, such as by pressing a button or other control, to cause remote control 32 to transmit at least a first type of signal specifying a travel request to vehicle 10 with which remote control 32 is paired. A travel request is a command requesting the vehicle 10 to travel, as will be described in greater detail herein. Although the remote control device 32 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a finger-mounted configuration, various implementations of the remote control device 32 may be implemented, including, for example, glove configurations, lanyard or belt-mounted configurations, and the like. Still further, the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 may include any additional and/or alternative features or implementations, examples of which are described in the application filed on September 14, 2006 entitled "SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS OF REMOTELY CONTROLLING A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE" Disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/825,688; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/855,310, filed September 14, 2007, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS OFREMOTELY CONTROLLING A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE," now U.S. Patent No. 9,082,293; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/855,324, filed September 14, 2007, entitled "SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS OF REMOTELY CONTROLLING AMATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE," now U.S. Patent No. 8,072,309; filed July 2, 2009 U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/222,632 titled "APPARATUSFOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING AMATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE" filed on December 4, 2009 and titled "MULTIPLE ZONE SENSING FOR MATERIALSHANDLING VEHICLES" .12/631,007, now U.S. Patent No. 9,645,968; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/119,952, filed December 4, 2008, entitled "MULTIPLE ZONE SENSING FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLED MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLES"; and/or Disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,017,689, issued March 28, 2006, entitled "ELECTRICAL STEERING ASSIST FOR MATERIAL HANDLING VEHICLE," the entire disclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference. Additional details related to remote control device 32 are discussed in detail below.

The vehicle 10 also includes one or more non-contact obstacle sensors 40 provided about the vehicle 10 , for example towards the first end section of the power unit 14 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . Obstacle sensor 40 is operable to define at least one detection zone. For example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling in response to a wirelessly received travel request from the remote control device 32, the at least one detection zone may define an area at least partially forward of the forward travel direction of the vehicle 10, as also described in more detail herein. describe.

The obstacle sensor 40 may comprise any suitable proximity detection technology, such as an ultrasonic sensor, an image capture device, an infrared sensor, a laser scanner sensor, etc., capable of detecting the presence of an object/obstacle or capable of generating The signal(s) of the presence of an object/obstacle within the detection zone. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the vehicle 10 includes a first obstacle detector 42 mounted to the power unit 14 and a pair of second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B. The first obstacle detector 42 is spaced apart from the second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B along the vertical axis V _A of the vehicle 10 defining the vertical direction, that is, the second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B are located at the first obstacle detection Below the detector 42 (closer to the ground than the first obstacle detector 42), see FIG. 1 . The second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B are spaced apart from each other along a horizontal axis H _A of the vehicle 10 defining a horizontal direction, see FIG. 2 .

The first obstacle detector 42 may comprise a swept laser sensor capable of detecting objects, for example, in first, second and third zones _Z1 , _Z2 , _Z3 (also referred to herein as scanning zones or detection zones), The first, second and third zones Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ may comprise planar zones, see FIGS. 1 and 2 . The second zone Z ₂ may include a "stop zone", and the first and third zones Z ₁ and Z ₃ may include left and right "steer bumper zones", such as those issued on May 28, 2013 titled "STEER CORRECTION FOR AREMOTELY OPERATED MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE" US Patent No. 8,452,464, the stop zone and the left and right steering bumper zones, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is to be noted that the first obstacle detector 42 may be able to detect objects in more or fewer zones than the three zones Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ shown. In one exemplary detection zone configuration, any or all of the detection zones may be used as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,002,581, issued April 7, 2015, entitled "OBJECTTRACKING AND STEER MANEUVERS FOR MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLES" , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B may include point laser sensors capable of detecting one or more zones Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ of first obstacle detector 42 and vehicle 10 (ie, in zone Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ , as shown in FIG. 1 ) and/or objects passing through the zones Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ , and preferably capable of detecting at least objects below the second zone Z2 object. Thus, the second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B are able to detect objects located in the non-detection zone DZ of the first obstacle detector ₄₂ , see FIG _. , Z ₃ and is therefore not sensed by the first obstacle detector 42 . Therefore, the first obstacle detector 42 is used to detect objects located outside the non-detection zone DZ along the travel path of the power unit 14 , while the second obstacle detectors 44A and 44B are used to detect objects located The objects in the driving path of the power unit 14 in the non-detection zone DZ directly ahead are shown in FIG. 1 .

Additional sensor configurations and/or detection zones may be used, such as discussed in the various patents and patent applications incorporated herein by reference.

The vehicle 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 also includes a charging station 50 that includes additional components of the system 8 and is provided for charging the rechargeable power source of the remote control device 32 . Additional details related to charging station 50 will be described below.

Control system for remote operation of low-level pick trucks

Referring to FIG. 3 , a block diagram illustrates a control arrangement for integrating remote control commands with the vehicle 10 . A receiver 102 , which may be for example a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio, is provided for receiving commands issued by the remote control device 32 . The receiver 102 transmits the received control signal to the controller 103, and the controller 103 implements an appropriate response to the received command, so it may also be referred to as a master controller herein. In this regard, the controller 103 is implemented in hardware and can also execute software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.). Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied thereon. For example, vehicle 10 may include memory storing a computer program product which, when implemented by the processor of controller 103 , implements steering corrections as more fully described herein.

Accordingly, controller 103 may define at least in part a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code and may include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements, eg, through a system bus or other suitable connection. The memory elements may include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, memory integrated into a microcontroller or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable gate array or other reconfigurable processing device, and the like.

A response implemented by the controller 103 in response to a command received wirelessly (e.g., via the wireless transmitter 178 of the remote control device 32 (discussed below)) and sent to the receiver 102 on the vehicle 10 may include one or more action or inaction, depending on the logic being implemented. Aggressive action may include controlling, adjusting, or otherwise affecting one or more components of vehicle 10 . The controller 103 may also receive information from other inputs 104 (eg, from sources such as presence sensors 22, obstacle sensors 40, switches, load sensors, encoders, and other devices/features available to the vehicle 10) to respond to The appropriate action is determined from commands received from the remote control device 32. The sensors 22 , 40 , etc. may be connected to the controller 103 via an input 104 or via a suitable truck network, such as a Control Area Network (CAN) bus 110 .

In an exemplary arrangement, the remote control device 32 is operable to wirelessly transmit a control signal to the receiver 102 on the vehicle 10, the control signal representing a first type of signal, such as a drive command. A drive command is also referred to herein as a "drive signal", a "drive request" or a "go signal". The travel request is used to initiate a request to the vehicle 10 to travel, for example, as long as the travel signal is received by the receiver 102 and/or sent by the remote control device 32 for a predetermined amount, e.g., to make the vehicle 10 go forward in a first direction or jog for a limited time. Driving distance or limited time. For example, the first direction may be defined by the vehicle 10 moving first in the power unit 14 , ie, the direction in which the fork 16 is rearward. However, other driving directions may alternatively be defined. Also, the vehicle 10 may be controlled to travel in a generally straight direction or along a previously determined heading. Accordingly, the limited driving distance may be specified by an approximate driving distance, driving time, or other measure.

Thus, the first type of signal received by the receiver 102 is transmitted to the controller 103 . If the controller 103 determines that the travel signal is a valid travel signal and that current vehicle conditions are appropriate (explained in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 9,082,293, which has been incorporated herein by reference), then the controller 103 sends Go ahead and stop signal for vehicle 10 . Stopping the vehicle 10 may be achieved, for example, by either allowing the vehicle 10 to coast to a stop or by initiating a braking operation to brake the vehicle 10 to a stop.

As an example, controller 103 may be communicatively coupled to a traction control system, shown as traction motor controller 106 of vehicle 10 . Traction motor controller 106 is coupled to traction motor 107 that drives at least one steer wheel 108 of vehicle 10 . Controller 103 may communicate with traction motor controller 106 to accelerate, decelerate, adjust, and/or otherwise limit the speed of vehicle 10 in response to receiving a travel request from remote control device 32 . The controller 103 may also be communicatively coupled to a steering controller 112 that is coupled to a steering motor 114 that steers at least one steered wheel 108 of the vehicle 10 . In this regard, vehicle 10 may be controlled by controller 103 to travel a desired path or maintain a desired heading in response to receiving a travel request from remote control device 32 .

As yet another illustrative example, controller 103 may be communicatively coupled to brake controller 116 that controls vehicle brakes 117 to slow down, stop, or otherwise mode controls the speed of the vehicle 10 . Still further, where applicable, the controller 103 may be communicatively coupled to other vehicle features (such as the main contactor 118 and/or other outputs 119 associated with the vehicle 10) in response to implementing remote driving functionality. desired action.

According to various aspects of the invention, controller 103 may communicate with receiver 102 and with traction motor controller 106 to operate vehicle 10 under remote control in response to receiving travel commands from an associated remote control device 32 . Also, if the vehicle 10 is traveling under remote control in response to a travel request and an obstacle is detected in one or more of the detection zones Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ , the controller 103 may be configured to perform various action. In this regard, when a travel signal is received by the controller 103 from the remote control device 32, the controller 103 may consider any number of factors to determine whether action should be taken on the received travel signal to initiate and/or maintain the vehicle 10 of the mobile.

Accordingly, if the vehicle 10 moves in response to commands received by the remote control device 32, the controller 103 can dynamically alter, control, adjust, or otherwise affect the remote control operation, such as by stopping the vehicle 10, changing the steering angle or take other actions. Thus, certain vehicle features, the state/condition of one or more vehicle features, the vehicle environment, etc. may affect the manner in which the controller 103 responds to travel requests from the remote control device 32 .

The controller 103 may deny acknowledgment of the received travel request based on predetermined condition(s), eg, related to the environment or operational factor(s). For example, the controller 103 may ignore otherwise valid travel requests based on information obtained from one or more of the sensors 22 , 40 . As an illustration, in accordance with aspects of the present invention, controller 103 may optionally consider factors such as whether an operator is on board vehicle 10 when determining whether to respond to a drive command from remote control device 32 . As mentioned above, the vehicle 10 may include at least one presence sensor 22 for detecting whether an operator is present on the vehicle 10 . In this regard, the controller 103 may also be configured to respond to a travel request to operate the vehicle 10 under remote control when the presence sensor(s) 22 designate that no operator is on board the vehicle 10 . Thus, in this embodiment, the vehicle 10 cannot be operated in response to wireless commands from the remote control device 32 unless the operator is physically away from the vehicle 10 . Similarly, the controller 103 may refuse to acknowledge the travel request from the remote control device 32 if the obstacle sensor 40 detects that an object, including an operator, is approaching and/or approaching the vehicle 10 . Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the operator must be within a limited range of the vehicle 10, eg, close enough to the vehicle 10 to be within wireless communication range (this may be limited by setting a maximum operator distance from the vehicle 10). Other arrangements may alternatively be implemented.

Any other number of reasonable conditions, factors, parameters, or other considerations may also/alternatively be implemented by the controller 103 to interpret and take action in response to signals received from the transmitter 178 . Other exemplary factors are found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/825,688, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF REMOTELY CONTROLLING A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE"; Application Serial No. 11/855,310, now U.S. Patent No. 9,082,293; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/855,324, now U.S. Patent No. 8,072,309, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF REMOTELY CONTROLLING AMATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE"; TELY CONTROLLING A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE," U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/222,632; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/631,007, entitled "MULTIPLE ZONE SENSING FORMATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLES," now U.S. Patent No. 9,645,968; and MULTIPLE ZONE SENSING FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLED MATERIALSHANDLING VEHICLES" is set forth in more detail in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/119,952, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Upon acknowledging the drive request, controller 103 interacts with traction motor controller 106 , eg, directly or indirectly (eg, via a bus such as CAN bus 110 , if used), to propel vehicle 10 . Depending on the particular implementation, controller 103 may interact with traction motor controller 106 and optionally steering controller 112 to propel vehicle 10 whenever a ride control signal is received. Alternatively, the controller 103 may interact with the traction motor controller 106 and optionally the steering controller 112 to advance the vehicle 10 for a period of time or a predetermined period of time in response to the detection and maintenance of drive control actuation on the remote control device 32 distance. Still further, the controller 103 may be configured to "time out" and stop travel of the vehicle 10 based on a predetermined event, such as exceeding a predetermined period of time or distance traveled, regardless of detected actuation of a corresponding control maintained on the remote control device 32 .

The remote control device 32 may also be operable to transmit a second type of signal (such as a "stop signal" indicating that the vehicle 10 should brake and/or otherwise come to a standstill). The second type of signal may also be implicit, eg, under remote control in response to a drive command, after implementing a "drive" command, eg, after the vehicle 10 has traveled a predetermined distance, for a predetermined time, etc. If the controller 103 determines that the wirelessly received signal is a stop signal, the controller 103 sends a signal to the traction motor controller 106, the brake controller 116, and/or other truck components to bring the vehicle 10 to a standstill. As an alternative to a stop signal, the second type of signal may include a "coast signal" or a "controlled deceleration signal" specifying that the vehicle 10 should coast, eventually decelerating to a standstill.

The time required to bring the vehicle 10 to a complete standstill may vary depending on, for example, the intended application, environmental conditions, the capabilities of the particular vehicle 10, the load on the vehicle 10, and other similar factors. For example, after completing a suitable jog move, it may be desirable to allow the vehicle 10 to "roll" for some distance before coming to a standstill, so that the vehicle 10 comes to a slow stop. This may be accomplished by decelerating the vehicle 10 to a stop using regenerative braking. Alternatively, the braking operation may be applied after a predetermined delay time to allow the vehicle 10 to additionally travel a predetermined range after initiation of the stopping operation. For example, it may also be desirable to bring vehicle 10 to a stop relatively sooner if an object is detected in the path of travel of vehicle 10 or if an immediate stop is desired following a successful jogging maneuver. For example, the controller 103 may apply a predetermined torque to the braking operation. In this case, the controller 103 may instruct the brake controller 116 to apply the brakes 117 to bring the vehicle 10 to a stop.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is an on-board charging station 50 that may be in communication with the controller 103 . As will be explained in more detail below, the charging station 50 may be used to charge the rechargeable power source 180 of the wireless remote control device 32 . Charging station 50 may be located on a side of vehicle 10 , such as near operator station 20 , near manual steering controls of vehicle 10 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ), or on a side panel of power unit 14 .

Pairing system 34 may communicate wirelessly with a compatible proximity system on wireless remote control device 32 using a proximity system. Using the pairing system 34 , the vehicle 10 and wireless remote control device 32 may be "paired" such that the vehicle 10 will only transmit and receive messages from its paired wireless remote control device 32 . In addition to or instead of short-range or other types of wireless communication (such as near field communication (NFC)), pairing system 34 may also use physical contact that allows electrical communication between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10, at least for the initial pairing procedure (procedure). For example, the electrical contacts of the charging station 50 for charging the remote control device 32 may be used to pair the vehicle 10 with the remote control device 32 as will be described in greater detail herein. Pairing system 34 includes components that physically implement the communication method used to send messages (eg, Bluetooth, NFC, BLE, Wi-Fi, etc.), and includes components that programmatically exchange information in an agreed-upon protocol to establish and maintain pairings. Accordingly, pairing system 34 includes devices that can execute programmable instructions to implement predetermined algorithms and protocols to accomplish pairing operations.

In FIG. 3 , charging station 50 , receiver 102 and pairing system 34 are depicted as distinct functional blocks. However, one of ordinary skill will recognize that two or more of these components may be combined into a single element to provide a multifunctional device.

system

As mentioned above, the vehicle 10 (including the charging station 50 ) and the remote control device 32 form the system 8 according to an aspect of the invention. The remote control device 32 and the charging station 50 will now be described in sequence.

Referring to FIGS. 4-8 , the remote control device 32 according to this embodiment is a finger-mounted device, but the remote control device 32 may take other forms, such as glove-mounted devices, wrist-worn devices, lanyard-type devices, and the like. The remote control device 32 may be mountable on one finger, two fingers, or more than two fingers of the operator.

The remote control device 32 shown in FIGS. 4-8 includes a polymeric rigid base 172 (see FIG. 6 ) and a polymeric rigid upper housing 174 . The base 172 and the upper housing 174 are coupled together via any suitable means and define the internal components for receiving the remote control device 32, including wireless communication including a wireless transmitter 178 (such as the wireless transmitter 178 described above with reference to FIG. 3 ). system 456, and the interior area 176 of the rechargeable power source 180). In one exemplary embodiment, wireless transmitter 178 includes model BGM121 manufactured by SiLabs. It is to be noted that the terms "transmitter" and "receiver" as used herein are intended to refer to a device capable of one-way communication, that is, a device that only transmits or receives signals, or a device capable of two-way communication, such as both A transceiver that transmits and receives signals.

The rechargeable power source 180 may be a supercapacitor, a high capacity battery, or the like. For example, an AVX supercapacitor, model number SCCR20E335PRB, with a voltage rating of 3V and a capacitance of 3.3F can be used. The rechargeable power supply 180 is small enough to fit within the interior area 176, while also having sufficient capacity when substantially fully charged to yield at least two hours, at least four hours, at least eight hours or more of the use period of the remote control device 32. A usage period of up to eight hours may be preferred to correspond with an operator's eight hour work shift.

A supercapacitor (also known as a supercap or ultracapacitor) is a high-capacity capacitor that has a much higher capacitance value than other capacitors, but usually has a lower voltage limit to bridge the gap between electrolytic capacitors and renewables. Gap between rechargeable batteries. They typically store 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume or mass than electrolytic capacitors, can accept and deliver charge faster than batteries, and can withstand more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries. Because ultracapacitors may be used in applications requiring many rapid charge/discharge cycles, some embodiments of remote control device 32 may include ultracapacitors as rechargeable power sources 180 . In an embodiment of the invention, the current supplied to the supercapacitor can be limited to about 2A and can be charged to full charge in about 2 seconds or less. Regardless of the specific type of rechargeable power source 180 used, embodiments of the present invention contemplate recharging rechargeable power source 180 via charging station 50 to a desired amount (such as a full state of charge, or low charge) within a desired charging period. at a substantially full state of charge) (as will be discussed in detail herein). The power supplied to rechargeable power source 180 by charging station 50 may vary depending on the capacity of rechargeable power source 180 , the desired amount of charge, and/or the desired period of charge, as will be discussed in greater detail herein.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the remote control device 32 also includes securing structure 188 for securing the remote control device 32 to one or more fingers of the operator's hand. The securing structure 188 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes a retention strap 190 that includes, for example, a hook and loop strap fastener 191 to secure the retention strap 190 to a single finger (eg, index finger) of the operator. The remote control device 32 is provided with first and second slots 192A and 192B at opposite ends of the remote control device 32 for receiving the retention strap 190 .

The retention strap 190 shown in FIG. 6 defines a first finger receiving area 194 for receiving a single finger _OF of an operator using the remote control device 32 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ). Right-handed and left-handed versions of the remote control device 32 can be created. The remote control device 32 is releasably held on the operator's index finger via a holding strap 190 . In one exemplary embodiment, the first end 190A of the retention strap 190 passes through the first slot 192A and the second end 190B of the retention strap 190 passes through the second slot 192B. A first end 190A of the retention strap 190 can be permanently secured to the rigid base 172, such as via stitching or gluing, while a second end 190B of the retention strap 190 can be releasably inserted through the second slot 192B and folded back such that the hook and loop Strap fasteners 191 engage each other to secure retaining strap 190 to the operator's fingers. The retention strap 190 can be adjusted to accommodate different sized fingers or to allow the remote control device 32 to be worn on a glove (not shown). Note that other types of retaining straps 190 may be used.

The remote control device 32 also includes at least one control, depicted in FIGS. 4-8 as first, second, and third controls 196A-C. Controls 196A-C each include a button 197A-C and a toggle switch 198A-C located below the corresponding button 197A-C. Switches 198A-C are communicatively coupled to wireless communication system 456 such that actuation of each of controls 196A-C causes wireless transmitter 178 to wirelessly transmit a corresponding request to vehicle 10 . In the exemplary remote control device 32 depicted in FIGS. 4-8 : the first control 196A includes a drive button 197A which, when pressed, causes the wireless transmitter 178 to wirelessly transmit a request to drive the vehicle 10 across a floor surface; The second control 196B includes a horn button 197B, which, when pressed, causes the wireless transmitter 178 to wirelessly transmit a request for the vehicle 10 to sound the horn/audible alarm; and the third control 196C includes a brake button 197C, which, when pressed, , the wireless transmitter 178 is caused to wirelessly transmit a request to stop the vehicle (if moving under wireless control) and optionally power down.

The remote control device 32 is compact and substantially the entire remote control device 32 can be mounted and positioned directly over the operator's index finger. Accordingly, there is minimal or no disruption to the operator performing work tasks caused by wearing the remote control device 32 . Since rigid base 172 and upper housing 174 are preferably formed from a durable and rigid polymeric material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, or nylon, remote control device 32 is durable and long-lasting. Rigid base 172 and upper housing 174 define a durable, generally inflexible and rigid structure.

An operator may easily manually actuate drive button 197A with his/her thumb to cause wireless transmitter 178 to wirelessly transmit at least a first type signal specifying a drive request or command to vehicle 10 . It is contemplated that the drive request may cause the vehicle 10 to travel, either for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined amount of time, as long as the operator holds down the drive button 197A. For example, horn button 197B and brake button 197C may be actuated by the operator's other hand.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the remote control device 32 also includes one or more charging contacts 210, it should be noted that more or fewer charging contacts 210 than the four shown may be used, for example, a charging contact 210 may be used One charging contact 210 or two or more charging contacts 210 . In addition, the remote control device 32 also includes one or more sensors in the form of a first presence contact 212 , illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 as a single first presence contact 212 intermediate the four charging contacts 210 . The charging contact 210 and the first presence contact 212 may be disposed within an opening 214 formed in the outer surface of the upper housing 174 of the remote control device 32 . The tops of the charging contacts 210 and the first presence contacts 212 can be positioned below the outer surface of the upper housing, i.e., the charging contacts 210 and the first presence contacts 212 can be recessed in the opening 214, which can prevent accidental contact. Instead, the charging contact 210 and the first presence contact 212 are damaged. It is to be noted that other configurations of the number, orientation and placement of charging contacts 210 and first presence contact(s) 212 may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In an embodiment, the charging contact 210 is mated or engaged with an element, such as the electrical contacts of the on-board charging station 50 or the charging element 220 (discussed below), and the first presence contact 212 is in contact with the second presence contact. A complementary second sensor in the form of 222, such as a switch, pogo pin or pressure pin of the on-board charging station 50, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and described in more detail herein, mates or engages. It is to be noted that one or more of the charging contacts 210 and corresponding charging elements 220 may be provided for redundancy. In one example, the four charging contacts 210 shown in FIGS. 4-7 and the four charging elements 220 shown in FIGS. 12-14 may be arranged as two pairs of redundant contacts/elements 210/220 , wherein as long as one charging contact 210 from each pair engages and is in electrical communication with its corresponding charging element 220, charging of rechargeable power source 180 (as discussed below) is enabled.

Embodiments of the invention also contemplate contactless or inductive charging, wherein the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 can be charged by the remote control device 32 near or on the surface of a compatible inductive charging station (not shown). Such an inductive charging station may be located, for example, in the driving or steering controls of vehicle 10 so that rechargeable power source 180 may be charged while an operator is manually driving vehicle 10 from operator station 20 .

9 and 10 illustrate another exemplary remote control device 32 , where like reference numerals correspond to similar components to those listed above with respect to FIGS. 4-8 . The remote control device 32 according to this embodiment is intended as a two-finger design, i.e. the fixation structure 188 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. The receiving areas 194 , 195 are for receiving the index and middle fingers of an operator using the remote control device 32 . The remote control device 32 according to FIGS. 9 and 10 comprises two charging contacts 210 instead of the four charging contacts 210 in the remote control device 32 of FIGS. 4-8 . The remaining components of the remote control device 32 of FIGS. 9 and 10 may generally be substantially the same as the remote control device 32 of FIGS. 4-8 , and thus will not be described in detail herein.

FIG. 11 provides a functional block level diagram of a vehicle charging station 50 with pairing system 34 incorporated into charging station 50 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As explained in more detail below, the charging station 50 may include a receiver 102 , such as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio 402 that may communicate with the vehicle's controller 103 . Although not shown, communication may take place over the vehicle's CAN bus, and thus charging station 50 may include a CAN bus interface. The charging station 50 may also include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 404 or other visual indicators to help convey information to the operator. For example, an LED may be used to indicate that the remote control device 32 is currently coupled with the charging station 50 . Other LEDs may indicate the current state of charge of the remote control device's rechargeable power source 180 . A current limiter 406 or other protective circuitry may be provided to help ensure that the remote control device 32 is safely recharged as the current limiter 406 allows voltage from the vehicle power supply to be provided to the charging element 220 of the charging station 50 for charging the remote control device 32. The rechargeable power supply 180 of the control device charges. These charging elements 220 interface with the charging contacts 210 of the remote control device 32 and provide an electrical connection between the vehicle's power source and the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 . The second presence contact 222 engages the first presence contact 212 to detect when the remote control device 32 is physically connected to the charging station 50 such that the charging contact 210 is engaged with the charging element 220 . According to an embodiment, the pairing process is initiated after the second presence contact 222 is engaged by the first presence contact 212 .

It is to be noted that the first and second presence contacts 212, 222 may be provided on either the remote control device 32 or the charging station 50, respectively. That is, while the second presence contact 222 is illustrated on the charging station 50 and the first presence contact 212 is illustrated on the remote control device 32, the second presence contact 222 may be located on the remote control device 32 and the first presence contact 212 may be located on the remote control device 32. A presence contact 212 may be located on the charging station 50 .

The relationship between the second presence contact 222 and the charging element 220 is such that when the charging process is initiated, the charging contact 210 of the remote control device 32 and the charging element 220 of the charging station 50 engage the first presence contact at the second presence contact 222. Points 212 are previously in contact with each other, see FIG. 8A , which shows that the second presence contact 222 has a height less than the height of the charging element 220 relative to the corresponding charging element 220 and the element housing from which the second presence contact 222 extends. body 220A and the top surface of the second presence contact housing 222A. Power is initiated from the charging station 50 to the remote control device 32 via the charging element/charging contacts 220/210 only after the second presence contact 222 engages the first presence contact 212 . During the charging process, the charging contact 210 of the remote control device 32 engages with the charging element 220 of the charging station 50 and the second presence contact 222 engages with the first presence contact 212, thereby enabling charging via the charging element/charging contact. 220/210 supplies power from the charging station 50 to the remote control device 32, see FIG. 8B. After the rechargeable power source 180 has been charged to a desired amount, such as fully charged or to a desired amount less than full charge as described herein, charging from the charging station 50 via the charging element/charging contacts 220/210 to the remote The control device 32 is powered off. In the event that remote control device 32 is removed from charging station 50 before rechargeable power source 180 is charged to the desired amount, as remote control device 32 is removed from charging station 50, after charging element 220 is disengaged from charging contacts 210 Previously, the second presence contact 222 was disengaged from the first presence contact 212 . When the second presence contact 222 is disengaged from the first presence contact 212, the power supply from the charging station 50 to the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 via the charging element/charging contacts 220/210 is cut off. This arrangement is intended to prevent arcing between the charging element 220 and the charging contacts 210 . Using the first presence contact 212 and the second presence contact 222 in the form of pogo pins provides the following advantages: precise control of the relative height of the second presence contact 222 to the charging element 220; small footprint, good sealing, For example, to prevent moisture from entering the second presence contact housing 222A from around the second presence contact 222; If placed in contact with one or more of the charging elements 220, this prevents current from flowing into the foreign object.

Instead of the presence contacts 212, 222 for initiating power supply from the charging station 50 to the remote control device 32, there may be a separate switch which the operator engages to start the charging operation. In one particular embodiment using inductive charging, such a switch may be incorporated into the vehicle's steering controls such that the operator's grip on the steering controls is detected and charging is subsequently enabled.

Control 414 for providing control signals to operate LED 404 can come from a variety of sources. For example, when remote control device 32 is operating within range of charging station 50, controller 103 may receive information regarding the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 and drive the display of LED 404 to communicate this information using the CAN bus interface. When the remote control device 32 is coupled with the charging station 50, the LED 404 can be used to communicate that a) the remote control device 32 is physically connected to the charging station 50, b) there is a remote control device 32 currently paired with the vehicle's controller 103, c ) the progress/state of charge of the current charging operation, and/or d) the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 . The information for items c) and d) may be sent by the remote control device 32 to the charging station 50 eg via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection, which will be discussed in more detail below. According to one aspect, because the pairing and charging process is performed very quickly, the LED 404 may not display the progress/charging status of the current charging operation. After the remote control device 32 is removed from the charging station 50, the remote control device 32 can store its charging profile and then send the charging profile to the charging station 50, for example via a BLE connection, where the charging profile can be evaluated, for example, by the controller 103 to determine if proper charging of the rechargeable power source 180 is occurring. The second presence contact 222 may also send a control signal to the control 414 indicating whether the charging contact 210 of the remote control device 32 is properly coupled to the corresponding charging element 220 of the charging station 50 .

12-14 illustrate other features of the charging station 50 located at the vehicle 10 . The charging station 50 may include one or more physical protrusions or guide structures 420 that help guide the proper alignment of the remote control device 32 so that the charging elements 220 of the station are aligned with the charging contacts 210 of the remote control device 32, i.e., (a (or more) guide structures 420 to align the remote control device 32 in the correct orientation for charging the rechargeable power source 180. In Fig. 12, a single guide structure 420 comprising a plurality of guide surfaces is shown. Guide structure(s) 420 may be placed around the location of charging element 220 and may be shaped or angled so that remote control device 32 is physically guided to properly align when operator places remote control device 32 in charging station 50 . allow.

In FIG. 13 , LED 404 includes a visual indicator 424 that indicates that remote control device 32 is attached to charging station 50. Visual indicator 424 may illuminate, flash, or gradually fill in a first color to indicate that remote control device 32 is attached to charging station 50, and fill in a second color or completely fill in the first color to indicate that remote control device 32 has been connected to the vehicle. The controller 103 is paired, ie, the visual indicator 424 may use the second color or a fully filled first color as a pairing indicator confirming that communication is established between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 . Additionally, in accordance with an optional aspect of the present invention, after communication is established between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10, LED 404 may blink, illuminate as a second color, or provide some other visual indication as a signal to the operator to perform an action. A clue, as a test to confirm that the remote control device 32 is functional and can communicate with the vehicle 10, such as by concurrently pressing the horn button 197B and the brake button 197C. It should be appreciated that separate indicators can be used to indicate that the remote control device 32 is attached to the charging station 50 and to indicate that the remote control device 32 has been paired with the vehicle 10 , as opposed to a single indicator that can perform both functions. Purpose.

The LED 404 can also be used as an indicator to identify the progress of the recharging operation when the remote control device 32 is attached. When remote control device 32 is not attached to charging station 50 , LED 404 may be used as an indicator to indicate the current charging status of rechargeable power source 180 of remote control device 32 . Thus, the LED 404 can indicate the rechargeable power source when the charging station 50 is charging the rechargeable power source 180 as well as during use of the remote control device 32 (i.e., when the operator is using the remote control device 32 to assist in performing work operations) 180 state of charge. In an exemplary embodiment, LED 404 may include a series of lights, each light representing the state-of-charge level of rechargeable power source 180.

In FIGS. 12 and 14 , exemplary locations of the second presence contact 222 within the charging station 50 are shown. It is to be noted that the remote control device 32 shown in FIGS. 12-14 is the one-finger embodiment of FIGS. 4-7 . Note also that the charge contact 210 and the first presence contact 212 of the single-finger and two-finger embodiments may be arranged as mirror images of each other. Thus, the same charging station 50 can be used for either one-finger or two-finger remote control device 32 instances.

Charging stations 50 may be located at various locations on vehicle 10 . Its location should be such that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the vehicle 10, but is an accessible and convenient location for the operator. In an embodiment, the charging station 50 is located in the operator station 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 where the charging station 50 is located in the operator station 20, but is also accessible from the On the surface of the side, or, for an inductive charging embodiment, within the steering controls of the vehicle 10.

Charging station 50 may include a voltage regulator (not shown) that converts electrical power received by charging station 50 from vehicle 10 into a regulated direct current (DC) voltage signal selected based on charging characteristics of rechargeable power source 180 . For example, in embodiments where the rechargeable power source 180 is the above-described AVX supercapacitor or equivalent, a 3V DC (1%) supply voltage may be provided to the current limiter 406 .

It is to be noted that the remote control device 32 is described herein as having an exemplary configuration and that structural modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, one or more components of remote control device 32 may be combined into an integral component, or components may be replaced with alternative components that serve a similar/identical purpose.

In one embodiment, rechargeable power source 180 is charged via charging station 50 when one or more charging contacts 210 engage corresponding charging elements 220 of charging station 50 . In some embodiments, there are at least two charging contacts 210 or at least four charging contacts 210 and corresponding charging elements 220 . In some embodiments, one or more pairs of charging contacts 210 are provided, where at least one charging contact 210 of each pair must engage a corresponding charging element 220 for charging to occur. As noted above, at least one of the remote control device 32 and the charging station 50 may include, for example, a second presence contact 222 (such as a switch). A second presence contact 222 detects whether at least one charging contact 210 is properly engaged with at least one corresponding charging element 220 to charge the rechargeable power source 180, wherein if a correct engagement is detected, power transfer is enabled by the charging station 50. to rechargeable power source 180, and if proper engagement is not detected, charging station 50 does not enable power transfer to rechargeable power source 180.

Furthermore, the arrangement of the remote control device 32 and the charging station 50 is configured such that the second presence contact 222 indicates the removal of the remote control device 32 from the charging station 50, which is at least one charging contact 210 with at least one corresponding charging element. Power transfer from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 is stopped before disengagement 220 . Accordingly, power transfer from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 ceases until at least one charging contact 210 disengages from at least one corresponding charging element 220 . For example, this can be achieved by setting the height of the charging element 220 and the second presence contact 222, as shown in FIG. Before the presence contacts 212 engage, the charging element 220 is pushed down into the corresponding element housing 220A.

FIG. 15 is a block-level functional diagram of a portion 450 of remote control device 32 related to recharging rechargeable power source 180 . Other parts of the remote control device 32 , such as, for example, those related to the mechanical actuators, are not depicted in FIG. 15 . As noted above, remote control device 32 may include one or more charging contacts 210 configured to engage corresponding charging elements. In some embodiments, the charging element may be charging element 220 of charging station 50 . In other embodiments, the charging element may be the charging element of an adapter connected to a power source to recharge rechargeable power source 180 .

Remote control device 32 may include protection circuitry 452 that limits electrical parameters, such as voltage and/or current, within intended operating ranges. Charge controller and disconnect circuitry 454 may monitor the voltage received from protection circuitry 452 and monitor the current state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 to determine when to stop charging rechargeable power source 180 . For example, according to one exemplary embodiment, when the charge on rechargeable power source 180 reaches 3V, charge controller and disconnect circuitry 454 may operate to stop further charging. Charge controller and disconnect circuitry 454 may include temperature sensing capability or be connected to a temperature sensor so that rechargeable power source 180 may be charged (or discharged) to different charge levels. In some embodiments, rechargeable power source 180 is discharged to a high temperature state of charge, eg, below a fully charged state, if the sensed temperature is determined to be above a predetermined set point temperature. In an exemplary aspect of the invention, the sensed temperature is ambient temperature. In an alternative aspect, the sensed temperature is battery temperature. In some embodiments, if the sensed temperature is determined to be above a predetermined threshold temperature, then rechargeable power source 180 is charged at charging station 50 to a predetermined charge level below the 100% charge level. This can help prevent damage or degradation of rechargeable power source 180 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , remote control device 32 may include a wireless communication system 456 such as, for example, a BLE radio that may communicate with BLE radio 402 of charging station 50 via a BLE connection. The wireless communication system 456 and/or the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 may be configured, for example, when the remote control device 32 is paired with the vehicle 10 and/or the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 is charged at the charging station 50 to enter low power mode, for example, to ensure that only remote control devices 32 within a minimum distance from charging station 50 (e.g., less than five inches or less than three inches corresponding to the signal strength of communications received from remote control devices 32) are identified is the remote control device 32 to be paired. Furthermore, if the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 is to identify two or more remote control devices 32 that are available for pairing and cannot determine the correct remote control device for pairing, then the charging station 50 cannot communicate with any available remote control devices 32 . The remote control device 32 is paired and the operator may be required to repeat the pairing process.

Associating/pairing the remote control device with the vehicle

16-18 illustrate details of an exemplary pairing process in accordance with aspects of the invention. The remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 described above will be used to describe the pairing process of FIGS. 16-18 , but it should be understood that other configurations/styles of remote control devices and vehicles may be paired together in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 16 , the method 500 begins when the vehicle operator retrieves the remote control device 32 at 502 . If the remote control device 32 is a wearable device as in the embodiments of FIGS. one or more) fingers.

The vehicle operator then initiates a power-on sequence to enable the vehicle 10 for operation, ie, the operator starts the vehicle 10 at 504 . Upon starting the vehicle 10 , the operator may be required to provide login information to the vehicle 10 . This information may be provided by, for example, entering a personal identification number (PIN) into the control panel of the vehicle 10, by providing a login ID to the vehicle 10 using a key fob, or the operator's PIN may be encoded into a memory device (such as integrated into a remote control radio frequency identification (RFID) chip in device 32).

The operator then initiates the pairing operation with the vehicle 10 at 506 and the pairing system 34 then pairs the remote control device 32 used by the operator with the vehicle 10 at 508 . Details of two exemplary pairing operations will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18 .

Once paired, the system 8 may provide a visual indication, for example, by displaying a message on the vehicle 10, illuminating the LED 424 in a predetermined color, making an audible or visual queue indicating that the pairing is complete, etc.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the remote control device 32 can be unpaired from the vehicle 10 by turning off the power to the vehicle 10 . Other exemplary methods for unpairing the remote control device 32 from the vehicle 10 are described below in an exemplary use case.

The operation of two example pairing systems 34 is described with respect to FIGS. 17 and 18 , respectively, which are flowcharts of example methods 550 and 600 for pairing a vehicle 10 and a remote control device 32 using the pairing system 34 , the pairing System 34 is part of a charging station 50 onboard vehicle 10 . The description of methods 550 and 600 of FIGS. 17 and 18 begins with insertion of remote control device 32 into charging station 50 , corresponding to step 506 of FIG. 16 .

17 and method 550, at 552, when the second presence contact 222 is engaged by the first presence contact 212 when the remote control device 32 is plugged into the charging station 50, the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 is enabled to begin Scan or listen for nearby BLE transmissions. As discussed above, engagement of the first presence contact 212 to the second presence contact 222 can also cause the current limiter 406 to be activated so that power from the vehicle 10 can be provided from the charging element 220 to the charging contact 210, which This will cause the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 to be recharged. Thus, pairing and charging operations are initiated by a single act of coupling remote control device 32 with charging station 50 . Instead of pairing the remote control device 32 with the vehicle controller 103 using BLE transmission, the remote control device 32 may be paired with the vehicle controller 103 through, for example, direct physical contact between the charging contacts 210 and the charging element 220 . Alternatively, dedicated mating contacts (not shown) may be provided on the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 (e.g., at the charging station 50) to connect the remote control device 32 to the vehicle controller 103 via direct physical contact. pair. Such mating contacts on the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 may engage each other at the same time as the charging contacts 210 engage the charging element 220 so that the pairing process may occur concurrently with the charging process. These pairing contacts can be used alone to perform message exchange for pairing operations.

According to one aspect of the invention, where the pairing process is done wirelessly, at 554 the remote control device 32 detects the presence of voltage at its charging contacts 210 and begins transmitting instructions to the remote control device 32 via the wireless transmitter 178 BLE announcements that can be used to communicate with nearby devices.

In response, the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 may receive one of the transmitted announcements and, at 556 , issue a BLE scan request directed to the particular remote control device 32 associated with the received announcement. If the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 is to identify two or more remote control devices 32 that are available for pairing, i.e., by simultaneously scanning or listening for nearby BLE transmissions from two or more remote control devices 32 receives a BLE announcement that the vehicle 10 cannot be paired with any available remote control device 32 and the operator may be required to repeat the pairing process by removing the remote control device 32 from the charging station 50 and then reinserting the remote control device 32 into the charging station 50 .

At 558 , remote control device 32 responds to the scan request with the unique identification code received by BLE radio 402 .

At 560 , the vehicle 10 verifies the code and instructs the BLE radio 402 to open a BLE connection and begin communicating with the remote control device 32 .

Once a communication session is established between remote control device 32 and charging station 50 at 562 , a predetermined pairing algorithm may be implemented between remote control device 32 and charging station 50 to complete the pairing operation at 564 . Once paired, the vehicle 10 wirelessly communicates with the remote control device 32 and the controller 103 of the vehicle 10 is able to implement wireless requests received from the remote control device 32 .

In the example flowchart described above with respect to FIG. 17 , a similar method can be implemented to use, for example, one or more of the charging elements 220 of the charging station 50 and the charging contacts 210 of the remote control device 32 or the above-mentioned dedicated mating contacts to connect A remote control device 32 is paired with the vehicle 10 . Instead of transmitting and receiving messages via a wireless/BLE radio, the same or equivalent type of messages may be communicated via elements/contacts 220/210 via various protocols. Messages can be modulated and transmitted on one of the elements/contacts 220/210 providing voltage. In either case, the pairing of the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 may occur concurrently with the charging of the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 .

18 and method 600, at 602, when second presence contact 222 is engaged by first presence contact 212 when remote control device 32 is plugged into charging station 50, BLE radio 402 of charging station 50 is activated. A predetermined (eg, 1500ms) timeout is enabled to start scanning or listening for nearby BLE transmissions from the remote control device 32 . As discussed above, engagement of the first presence contact 212 to the second presence contact 222 can also cause the current limiter 406 to be activated so that power from the vehicle 10 can be provided from the charging element 220 to the charging contact 210, which The rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32 will be charged. Thus, pairing and charging operations are initiated by a single act of coupling remote control device 32 with charging station 50 such that components of remote control device 32 physically contact elements of charging station 50 . Instead of pairing the remote control device 32 with the vehicle controller 103 using BLE transmission, the remote control device 32 may be paired with the vehicle controller 103 through, for example, direct physical contact between the charging contacts 210 and the charging element 220 . Alternatively, dedicated pairing contacts (not shown) may be provided on the remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 (eg, at the charging station 50) to pair the remote control device 32 with the vehicle controller 103 via direct physical contact . Such mating contacts on the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 may engage each other concurrently with the engagement of the charging contacts 210 to the charging element 220 so that the pairing process may occur concurrently with the charging process. These pairing contacts can be used alone to perform message exchange for pairing operations.

At 604 , the signal strength of BLE transmissions between the wireless transmitter 178 and the BLE radio 402 may be reduced during the pairing process to help prevent any other vehicles 10 in the vicinity from receiving BLE transmissions from the remote control device 32 .

According to one aspect of the invention, where the pairing process is done wirelessly, at 606 the remote control device 32 detects the presence of voltage at its charging contacts 210 and begins charging with a preset timeout (e.g., a 2000 ms timeout). BLE announcements are transmitted via the wireless transmitter 178 at a predetermined rate (eg, a 20 ms rate) indicating that the remote control device 32 is available to communicate with nearby vehicles 10 . If the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 is to identify two or more remote control devices 32 that are available for pairing, i.e., by simultaneously scanning or listening for nearby BLE transmissions from two or more remote control devices 32 receives a BLE announcement that the vehicle 10 cannot be paired with any available remote control device 32 and the operator may be required to repeat the pairing process by removing the remote control device 32 from the charging station 50 and then reinserting the remote control device 32 into the charging station 50 .

Charging station 50 may provide power to recharge rechargeable power source 180 for up to about, eg, 1000 ms before sending a BLE advertisement from wireless transmitter 178 . Charging of rechargeable power source 180 by charging station 50 will be discussed in detail below.

In response to receiving the BLE advertisement from the wireless transmitter 178, at 608, the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 may issue a BLE scan request.

At 610, the remote control device 32 receives the scan request from the BLE radio 402 and uses the address of the BLE radio 402 to create a unique identification code, which the remote control device 32 sends back to the BLE radio 402 at 612.

At 614 , the vehicle 10 verifies the code and instructs the BLE radio 402 to open a BLE connection and begin communicating with the remote control device 32 . It is to be noted that if the vehicle 10 receives more than one valid identification code during step 614, for example, if the vehicle 10 receives identification codes from two different remote control devices 32, then the pairing will fail and the vehicle 10 will issue an error message or other warning, and the operator will be required to repeat the pairing process by removing the remote control device 32 from the charging station 50 and then reinserting the remote control device 32 into the charging station 50 .

At 616, once the communication session is established between the remote control device 32 and the charging station 50, the pairing operation may be completed and the signal strength of the BLE transmission between the wireless transmitter 178 and the BLE radio 402 may be increased at 618. returned to its normal level.

At 620 the operator may be asked to perform an action as a test to confirm that the remote control device 32 is functional and can communicate with the charging station 50, such as by pressing a sequence of buttons on the remote control device 32, for example, by concurrently pressing the horn button 197B and brake button 197C.

Once paired, the vehicle 10 wirelessly communicates with the remote control device 32 and the controller 103 of the vehicle 10 is able to implement wireless requests received from the remote control device 32 .

According to aspects of the invention, the pairing period (which is the period of time it takes to establish communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10, beginning with steps 552/602 and ending with steps 564/616) may be less than the charging period (which is is the time it takes to charge the rechargeable power source 180 to the desired state of charge at the charging station 50), where charging of the rechargeable power source 180 will be discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 21 and 22 .

Referring to FIG. 19 , according to another aspect of the present invention, after performing work operations, the vehicle operator may need to leave the vehicle 10 temporarily, eg, to take a break. The exemplary method 700 is shown for shutting down, restarting, and re-pairing the vehicle 10 with the remote control device 32 used by the operator. The operator turns off power to the vehicle 10 at 702 to take a break and the like. After a period of time, the vehicle operator re-energizes the vehicle 10 . During this period of rest, the remote control device 32 may continue to be paired with the vehicle 10 for a predefined period of time. This status of maintaining pairing between the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 may be indicated on a touch screen (not shown) provided on the vehicle 10, for example, by illuminating the LED 424 in a predetermined color, pattern, or the like. therefore. If the operator powers the vehicle 10 before the predefined time period expires at 704 , the vehicle 10 may detect the remote control device 32 at 706 , wherein the remote control device 32 remains paired with the vehicle 10 . In this regard, the operator may or may not have to take some type of action at 708, such as by pressing a button on the vehicle 10 (e.g., on the charging station 50, on a touchscreen, etc.), or by pressing a remote A sequence of buttons on the control device 32.

A successful operator action at 708 results in confirmation of pairing between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 at 710 . The visual queue can be displayed on an indicator (LED 424) to indicate pairing, for example, by illuminating the LED 424 with the second color described above.

Alternatively, according to this aspect of the invention, if the operator powers the vehicle 10 after the predefined time period expires at 712, the operator may be required to re-pair the remote control device 32 to the vehicle 10 as originally paired. , for example, by plugging remote control device 32 into charging station 50 at 714 .

Referring to FIG. 20 , an example method 800 is shown for re-establishing communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 after a period of time when no vehicle-related activity is performed. At 802, the controller 103 on the vehicle 10 detects that no vehicle-related activity is performed for a given period of time after communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 has been established. Exemplary vehicle-related activities include driving the vehicle 10 (either manually using manual controls in the operator station 20, other manual controls (e.g., on the side of the vehicle 10), or via the remote control device 32), standing in a On the platform 21, on the load handling assembly 12, move or place items, etc. At 804, if no vehicle-related activity occurs for greater than a first predetermined amount of time after the communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 is established, then at 806 the communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 terminated and must be re-established using the pairing system 34 , ie by plugging the remote control device 32 into the charging station 50 at the vehicle 10 . This terminated pairing status between the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 may be indicated on the touch screen, for example, by illuminating the LED 424 in a predetermined color, pattern, or the like.

At 808, if no vehicle-related activity occurs after communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 is established for less than a second predetermined amount of time, the second predetermined amount of time being equal to or less than the first predetermined amount of time, then Communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 is terminated at 810 , but may be re-established without the pairing system 34 , for example by performing a validation method with the remote control device 32 . The confirmation method may include, for example, an operator executing a button sequence on remote control device 32, such as by long pressing one or more of buttons 197A-C. This pairing status between the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 may be indicated on the touch screen, for example, by illuminating the LED 424 in a predetermined color, pattern, or the like.

21 is a flowchart of an example method 900 for charging a remote control device in accordance with the principles of the present invention. In particular, the remote control device may be the same as or similar to the remote control device 32 discussed herein, and may include a wireless communication system 456 including a wireless transmitter 178 (e.g., capable of one-way or two-way communication), a rechargeable power supply 180, and Wireless transmitter 178 is caused to wirelessly transmit the request to at least one control (eg, controls 196A-C) of a controller of materials handling vehicle 10 .

The method 900 for charging a remote control device 32 begins at 902 by initiating contact between a component of the remote control device 32 and an element of the charging station 50 located at the vehicle 10 , and then sensing the contact between the remote control device component and a component of the charging station 50 . Contact between charging station components. As noted above, the remote control device 32 may include one or more charging contacts 210 each arranged to engage a corresponding charging element 220 of the charging station 50 such that when they are engaged, the second presence contact 222 Or similar device engages the corresponding first presence contact 212 to detect or sense that the charging contact(s) 210 and charging element(s) 220 are in contact with each other. However, other components of the remote control device 32 and other elements of the charging station 50 may be used to detect/sense the initiation of contact.

Next, at 904 , a charging period begins in which power is supplied from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 . As mentioned above, by way of example, the circuitry of charging station 50 is configured such that upon sensing contact between charging contact(s) 210 and charging element(s) 220 , 50 supplies power to the charging contacts 210 of the remote control device 32 to charge the rechargeable power source 180 . Once rechargeable power source 180 is substantially fully charged (or charged to a desired amount less than substantially fully charged), remote control device 32 may be removed from charging station 50 .

Accordingly, the method of FIG. 21 continues at 906 by breaking contact between the remote control device component and the charging station element, and sensing the interruption of contact between the remote control device component and the charging station element. As mentioned above, the charging contact(s) 210 of the remote control device 32 and the charging element(s) 220 of the charging station 50 are arranged such that when the two systems are disengaged, the charging contact(s) can be detected or sensed. state. One example is the second presence contact 222 that can detect when the remote control device 32 is removed from the charging station 50 .

Finally, upon sensing this interruption at 906 , charging station 50 may cease power from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 at 908 , thereby ending the charging period. It is to be noted that second presence contact 222 may be located on remote control device 32 and its disengagement may result in discontinuation of power from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 . Power from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 may also be discontinued when rechargeable power source 180 is charged to a desired amount (either fully charged or less than fully charged), as described herein.

Method 900 may include other optional steps shown in FIG. 21 . For example, method 900 may also include confirming establishment of communication between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 at 910 , eg, using at least one of an audible or visual queue. The method 900 may also include establishing communication (eg, pairing) between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 during a pairing period at 912 when the remote control device component is in contact with the charging station element, such that the controller 103 receives information from the remote The control device 32 transmits and enables wireless requests from the remote control device 32 . Such communication between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 may be established concurrently during charging of rechargeable power source 180 at charging station 50 such that the pairing period overlaps the charging period. In at least some embodiments, the pairing period is less than or equal to the charging period.

Additionally, method 900 may include, at 914 , displaying a state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 at vehicle 10 (eg, at charging station 50 ), wherein the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 is This can be displayed at the vehicle 10 while charging and during use of the remote control device 32 . The state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 may be displayed, for example, via a series of lights, each light representing a level of the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 .

22 is a flowchart of another example method 950 for charging a remote control device, such as the remote control device 32 discussed herein, comprising a wireless transmitter 178 (e.g., capable of One-way or two-way communication) wireless communication system 456, rechargeable power source 180, and at least one control (eg, controls 196A-C) that cause wireless transmitter 178 to wirelessly transmit requests to a controller of materials handling vehicle 10. As used herein, the term "control" when used to describe the controls of the remote control device 32 is meant to include any structure capable of providing the desired functionality, including but not limited to buttons, switches, dials, and the like.

The method 950 for charging the remote control device 32 begins at 952 by initiating contact between a component of the remote control device 32 and an element of the charging station 50 located at the vehicle 10 and then sensing the contact between the remote control device component and a component of the charging station 50 . Contact between charging station components. As noted above, the remote control device 32 may include one or more charging contacts 210 each arranged to engage a corresponding charging element 220 of the charging station 50 such that when they are engaged, the second presence contact 222 or similar device to engage corresponding presence contacts 212 to detect or sense that charging contact(s) 210 and charging element(s) 220 are in contact with each other. However, other components of the remote control device 32 and other elements of the charging station 50 may be used to detect/sense the initiation of contact.

At 954, the current state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 is determined. Step 954 may be performed before or after step 952, i.e., the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 may be communicated to charging station 50 while remote control device 32 is coupled to charging station 50 and while remote control device 32 is in use by an operator. , as discussed in this paper.

Based on the current state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 and after performing step 952 , at 956 , a charging period begins in which power is supplied to rechargeable power source 180 from charging station 50 . In one exemplary embodiment, at step 958A, if the voltage of the rechargeable power source 180 is lower than the voltage threshold VT, the charging station 50 charges the rechargeable power source 180 at the first higher power level PL1. According to this embodiment, at step 958B, if the voltage of the rechargeable power source 180 is higher than the voltage threshold VT, the charging station 50 charges the rechargeable power source 180 at the second lower power level PL2. In either case (i.e., at step 958A or step 958B), the resulting charging period may be about the same, i.e., charging the rechargeable power source 180 from above or below the voltage threshold VT to the desired amount may cost about the same time. Although only two power levels PL1, PL2 associated with a single voltage threshold VT have been discussed herein, additional voltage thresholds and power levels may be used where the charging period may always be about the same time regardless of the rechargeable power source 180 What is the charge level when plugged into the charging station 50. Additionally, an equation may be used to dynamically set the power level based on the current state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 .

Once the charging period is complete (i.e., once rechargeable power source 180 is charged to a desired amount, i.e., substantially fully charged or charged to an amount less than substantially fully charged, e.g., in view of the sensed temperature, if the technology exists In the system 8, or if less than a full charge is desired), the remote control device 32 can be removed from the charging station 50.

Accordingly, the method of FIG. 22 continues at 960 by breaking contact between the remote control device component and the charging station element, and sensing the interruption of contact between the remote control device component and the charging station element. As mentioned above, the charging contact(s) 210 of the remote control device 32 and the charging element(s) 220 of the charging station 50 are arranged such that when the two systems are disengaged, it is possible to detect or sense the status. One example is the second presence contact 222 that can detect when the remote control device 32 is removed from the charging station 50 .

Finally, after this interruption is sensed at 960, or after rechargeable power source 180 is charged to a desired amount, charging station 50 may cease power from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 at 962, thereby ending the charging period .

Method 950 may include other optional steps shown in FIG. 22 . For example, method 950 may also include confirming establishment of communication between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 at 964 , eg, using at least one of an audible or visual queue. Method 950 may also include establishing communication (eg, pairing) between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 during a pairing period at 966 when a remote control device component is in contact with a charging station element, such that controller 103 receives a The control device 32 transmits and enables wireless requests from the remote control device 32 . Such communication between remote control device 32 and vehicle 10 may be established concurrently during charging of rechargeable power source 180 at charging station 50 such that the pairing period overlaps the charging period. In at least some embodiments, the pairing period is less than or equal to the charging period, although the pairing period may be greater than the charging period, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Additionally, method 950 may include, at 968 , displaying a state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 at vehicle 10 (eg, at charging station 50 ), wherein the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 is This can be displayed at the vehicle 10 while charging and during use of the remote control device 32 . The state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 may be displayed, for example, via a series of lights, each light representing a level of the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 .

According to an aspect of the invention, the charging period may depend on the capacity of rechargeable power source 180 , the charging rate/power level supplied by charging station 50 , and/or the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 when plugged into charging station 50 . Accordingly, when the remote control device 32 is placed in the charging station 50 , regardless of the current state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 , a desired charging period can be achieved. For example, the current state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 may be known to vehicle 10 , eg, the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 may be communicated to charging station 50 , as discussed herein. Charging station 50 may, for example, be instructed by controller 103 to power rechargeable power source 180 at a different rate or level based on the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 when remote control device 32 is placed in charging station 50 such that when remotely controlled When device 32 is placed in charging station 50 , the charging period is generally about the same regardless of the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 . For example, as discussed above with reference to steps 958A/B of FIG. First rate/power level. If the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 is the second, higher state of charge, then a second, lower rate/power level may be provided from charging station 50 to rechargeable power source 180 . The resulting charging period in both cases may be about the same time, for example within about 0.5 seconds of the desired charging period. Any number of rechargeable power source charge states and corresponding rates/power levels may be implemented such that the time required to charge rechargeable power source 180 is within a desired charging period. Additionally, rechargeable power source 180 may increase its useful life when charged at a lower power level. Thus, an additional advantage of consistent charging periods as in the present invention is that rechargeable power source 180 is sometimes charged at a lower power level, for example, when rechargeable power source 180 is plugged into charging station 50 when the state of charge is more favorable as discussed above. High second state of charge. Thus, charging rechargeable power source 180 at different power levels as discussed herein may increase rechargeable power source 180 as opposed to charging at a consistent, higher power level with each charge. 180 service life.

Furthermore, while the pairing period described herein as the period of time it takes to establish communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 may be less than or equal to the charging period, the charging period may also be less than the pairing period. As one example, it may be determined that rechargeable power source 180 does not need to be fully charged in order to operate for a desired period of use. For example, a full charge of rechargeable power supply 180 may provide an operating time that is greater than a desired period of use (eg, an operator's shift), such that rechargeable power supply 180 does not need to be fully charged to operate for the desired period of use. In such a case, charging station 50 may be programmed to charge rechargeable power source 180 to a state of less than full charge, which is sufficient for the remote control device to remain operational throughout the desired period of use. The time it takes to charge rechargeable power source 180 to this sub-full state may be less than the pairing period. Other situations may also occur where the charging period may be less than the pairing period.

Referring to Figure 23, the principles of the present invention may also be implemented as a kit 1000 for retrofitting a materials handling vehicle 10'. In FIG. 23, elements similar or identical to those described above with reference to FIGS. 1-22 include the same reference numerals followed by a prime ('). Elements described with respect to FIG. 23 but not specifically shown in FIG. 23 are equivalent to elements having the same reference numerals as above but without primes.

Vehicle 10' may include a vehicle controller 103' that responds to wireless requests from an associated remote control device 32' used by an operator interacting with vehicle 10', similar to those types of vehicle 10 and remote control devices 32 described above. An example kit 1000 would include a charging station 50' located at the vehicle 10', the charging station 50' for charging the rechargeable power supply 180' of the remote control device 32', wherein the charging station 50' is electrically coupled to the vehicle power supply, and A receiver 102', such as a BLE radio, is communicatively coupled to a controller 103' of the vehicle 10'. In particular, charging station 50' is configured such that rechargeable power source 180' is charged to a desired amount (full charge or less than full charge as discussed herein) at charging station 50' within a desired charging period.

The kit 1000 may also include a pairing system 34' for establishing communication between the remote control device 32' and the vehicle 10' to enable the controller 103' to implement wireless requests from the remote control device 32'. Pairing system 34' may, for example, be similar to pairing system 34 and may implement the pairing algorithm(s) detailed in FIGS. 17 and/or 18 . Accordingly, the kit 1000 may also include a pairing indicator, such as a visual indicator 424', which confirms the establishment of communication between the remote control device 32' and the vehicle 10'. Additionally, the pairing system 34' can be configured such that the pairing period (the period of time it takes to establish communication between the remote control device 32' and the vehicle 10') can be less than or equal to the charging period (charging the rechargeable power supply 180' to the time period spent in demand). The pairing period may also be greater than the charging period. The pairing system 34' may be incorporated into the charging station 50' or may be a separate element.

It is contemplated that communication between the remote control device 32' and the vehicle 10' is established concurrently during charging of the rechargeable power source 180' at the charging station 50', ie, the pairing period and the charging period may overlap. Furthermore, in some embodiments, communication between remote control device 32' and vehicle 10' and charging of rechargeable power source 180' at charging station 50' is initiated with a single action. For example, a single action may include physically contacting a component of the remote control device (e.g., one or more charging contacts 210 as described above) with an element of the charging station (e.g., one or more corresponding charging elements 220), as described above mentioned.

The remote control device 32' used in conjunction with the kit 1000 can be the same as the remote control device 32 disclosed herein. Thus, a remote control device manufactured for use with a vehicle 10 including the integrated charging station 50 and associated components may also be used with the kit 1000 for an existing vehicle 10'.

As described above with respect to charging station 50, charging station 50' of kit 1000 may also include guide structure 420' to align remote control device 32' in the proper orientation for charging rechargeable power source 180'.

Kit 1000 may also include an indicator (eg, LED 404', light, or similar structure) that may be configured to be attachable to vehicle 10' for indicating the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180'. The indicator may indicate the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180' both when the charging station 50' is charging the rechargeable power source 180' and during use of the remote control device 32'. In some embodiments, the indicator includes a series of lights, each light representing the state-of-charge level of the rechargeable power source 180'.

Kit 1000 includes at least one charging element 220' on charging station 50' that engages at least one corresponding charging contact 210' of remote control device 32'. Furthermore, at least one of the remote control device 32' or the charging station 50' includes a presence contact 212' or 222' that detects whether at least one corresponding charging contact 210' and at least one charging element 220' are properly engaged with each other. If proper engagement is detected, power transfer to the rechargeable power source 180' of the remote control device 32' is initiated by the charging station 50', and if not detected, the charging station 50' does not enable power transfer to the rechargeable power source 180'. Send electricity. In at least some embodiments, remote control device 32' includes at least two charging contacts 210' or at least four charging contacts 210' positioned to engage corresponding charging elements 220' on charging station 50'.

The arrangement of the remote control device 32' and the charging station 50' of the kit 1000 is configured such that the presence of the contacts 212' or 222' indicates removal of the remote control device 32' from the charging station 50', which is at least one of the charging contacts 210' Power delivery from the charging station 50' to the rechargeable power source 180' ceases prior to disengagement from the at least one corresponding charging element 220'. Accordingly, power transfer from charging station 50' to rechargeable power source 180' ceases until at least one charging contact 210' disengages from at least one corresponding charging element 220'.

The kit 1000 can also utilize contactless or inductive charging, wherein the rechargeable power supply 180' of the remote control device 32' can be charged by being near or on the surface of a compatible inductive charging station (not shown). For example, such an inductive charging station may be located in the driving or steering controls of the vehicle 10' so that the rechargeable power source 180' may be charged while the operator is manually driving the vehicle 10' from the operator station 20'. Kit 1000 according to this aspect of the invention may be at least partially located in a vehicle steering control or other vehicle component that facilitates contactless/inductive charging of rechargeable power source 180', e.g., rechargeable power source 180' may Charging is done by the operator holding the steering/steering controls.

Kit 1000 may utilize any other features and/or functionality of remote control device 32' and charging station 50' as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-22. It is to be noted that if the vehicle 10' used with the kit 1000 was previously set up to interact with a wireless remote control device, the controller logic in the vehicle controller 103' may need to be updated for use with the kit 1000 and has been used in The receiver provided on the vehicle 10' (i.e., for receiving wireless requests from a remote control device used with the vehicle 10' before the kit 1000 is installed on the vehicle 10') can be turned off so that the receiver 102 of the kit 1000 ' instead (ie, for use with the remote control device 32' associated with the kit 1000).

Referring now to FIG. 24 , a remote control device 32 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be incorporated into a glove garment 1100 . The use of the glove garment 1100 eliminates the need for the retaining strap 190, and the first controls 196A can be provided on the fingers of the glove garment 1100 rather than being part of the upper housing 174, but the remote control device 32 shown in FIG. The remaining components may be the same or similar to those of the remote control device 32 of FIGS. 4-7 , including the shape of the portion of the upper housing 174 that engages with the charging station 50 at the vehicle 10 . Accordingly, the charging station 50 at the vehicle 10 may be identical to the charging station 50 described above, i.e., since the charging station engaging portion of the upper housing 174 of the remote control device 32 incorporated into the glove garment 1100 may have the same features as those of FIGS. 4-7 . In embodiments where the charging station engaging portion of the upper housing 174 of the remote control device 32 is the same size, the same charging station 50 may be combined with either the finger mounted remote control device 32 of FIGS. 4-7 or the glove garment 1100 of FIG. 24 Use with the remote control device 32 in.

If the remote control device 32 incorporated into the glove garment 1100 is used in conjunction with the inductive charging techniques disclosed herein, the inductive charging structure may be incorporated into the palm of the glove garment 1100, for example. Such a charging structure in glove garment 1100 may be used with a charging element, for example, incorporated into the steering control of a vehicle paired with remote control device 32, in which case the rechargeable power source of remote control device 32 may be The operator is charged while holding the steering controls.

According to additional aspects of the invention, there may be conditions and/or events that cause the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 32 to become unpaired, wherein, as described herein, a full pairing process using the pairing system 34 may be required to pair the vehicle 10 with the remote control device 32 . The control device 32 is re-paired. There may be other conditions or events that cause the vehicle 10 to become unpaired from the remote control device 32, where something other than a full pairing process using the pairing system 34 may be required, as described herein, to pair the vehicle 10 with the remote control device 32. Device 32 is re-paired. Several exemplary use cases for unpairing and re-pairing will now be described.

A first exemplary use case may occur by powering off vehicle 10 . According to this first use case, the remote control device 32 is unpaired from the controller 103 and requires a full pairing process with the pairing system 34 , as described herein, to re-pair the vehicle 10 with the remote control device 32 . According to this exemplary first use case, a full pairing process with pairing system 34 may be required to re-pair remote control device 32 to vehicle 10 whenever vehicle 10 is powered down.

A second exemplary use case may be substantially as described above with respect to FIG. 19 , in which the vehicle operator temporarily leaves the vehicle 10 , eg, to take a break. The details of this second exemplary use case are discussed above with reference to FIG. 17 and will not be repeated.

If no vehicle-related activity occurs for greater than a first predetermined amount of time after communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 is established (third use case), or if communication between the remote control device 32 and the vehicle 10 is established The third and fourth exemplary use cases may occur after no vehicle-related activity occurs for less than a second predetermined amount of time (fourth use case). The details of these third and fourth exemplary use cases are discussed above with reference to FIG. 20 and will not be repeated.

Several exemplary use cases may arise where multiple remote control devices 32 and/or multiple vehicles 10 are involved. In a fifth exemplary use case, assume that the first remote control device 32 is currently paired with the first vehicle 10 and the second remote control device 32 is currently paired with the second vehicle 10 . In this fifth use case, the first remote control device 32 is plugged into the charging station 50 of the second vehicle 10 . In this case, the charging station 50 of the second vehicle 10 may charge the rechargeable power source 180 of the first remote control device 32, the first remote control device 32 may become unpaired from the first vehicle 10, and the second remote control device 32 may become unpaired. The second remote control device 32 may become unpaired from the second vehicle 10 . In the fifth use case, the first remote control device 32 will not be paired with the second vehicle 10 .

In a sixth exemplary use case and with reference to FIG. 24 , assume that the remote control device 32 is currently paired with the first vehicle 10A such that the remote control device 32 is in wireless communication with the first vehicle 10A and that the second vehicle 10B is not currently paired with the remote control device . In this sixth use case, the remote control device 32 is paired with the second vehicle 10B using a pairing process, for example by plugging the remote control device 32 into the charging station 50 of the second vehicle 10B. Using this pairing process, the charging station 50 of the second vehicle 10B can charge the rechargeable power source 180 of the remote control device 32, and the remote control device 32 can become paired with the second vehicle 10B such that the remote control device is compatible with the second vehicle 10B. The vehicle 10B communicates wirelessly. This pairing process also causes the remote control device to become unpaired from the first vehicle 10A so that the remote control device is no longer in wireless communication with the first vehicle 10A. Once the remote control device 32 is paired with the second vehicle 10B and unpaired with the first vehicle 10A, the second vehicle 10B can respond to remote requests from the remote control device 32 while the first vehicle 10A can no longer respond to requests from the remote control device. 32 remote requests.

As noted above, the wireless communication system 456 of the remote control device 32 and/or the BLE radio 402 of the charging station 50 may be configured to, for example, when the remote control device 32 is paired with the second vehicle 10B and/or the remote control device 32 Recharging power supply 180 enters a low power mode while charging at charging station 50, for example, to ensure that only remote control devices 32 within a minimum distance from charging station 50 (corresponding to the signal strength of communications received from remote control device 32) The remote control device 32 is identified for pairing with the second vehicle 10B.

According to a sixth exemplary use case, prior to the pairing process, the second vehicle 10B may be sent, for example by a warehouse management system WMS with which the second vehicle 10B is in communication, to a specified location (such as for example the location of the operator, the location of the first vehicle 10A, the operator or and/or the end of the aisle where the first vehicle 10A is located, a designated waiting area, etc.). The second vehicle 10B may be an unladen vehicle (ie, without a load), thus ready to carry items to be picked by the operator. For example, when the first vehicle 10A is loaded with a desired amount of picked items and is ready to be sent to a different location (i.e., a different location than the current location of the vehicle 10, such as the loading dock LD or the picked items on the first vehicle 10A will be sent to other locations), for example, the warehouse management system WMS may instruct the second vehicle 10B to move to a specified location. The operator may also request that the second vehicle 10B be sent to a specified location, eg, using controls on the first vehicle 10A, via a headset, or the like. Once the second vehicle 10B is paired with the remote control device 32 , the second vehicle 10B can no longer execute commands from the warehouse management system WMS, so that the second vehicle 10B will only implement wireless commands from the remote control device 32 it is paired with.

Once the remote control device 32 is unpaired from the first vehicle 10A, the warehouse management system WMS may send instructions to the first vehicle 10A to move to the loading dock LD and/or another location, such as a vehicle charging station (not shown). Using this sixth exemplary use case, an operator can quickly switch between vehicles 10A, 10B, thereby increasing work productivity and efficiency.

In the seventh exemplary use case, it is assumed that the first remote control device 32 is currently paired with the vehicle 10 and the second remote control device 32 is not paired with the vehicle. In this seventh use case, the second remote control device 32 is plugged into the charging station 50 of the vehicle 10 . In this case, the charging station 50 of the vehicle 10 may charge the rechargeable power source 180 of the second remote control device 32, the first remote control device 32 may become unpaired from the vehicle 10, and the second remote control device 32 will not be paired with vehicle 10.

In an eighth exemplary use case, the remote control device 32 is moved out of range of the vehicle 10 , ie, the wireless transmitter 178 is no longer able to communicate with the receiver 102 for a predetermined period of time. According to an eighth use case, the remote control device 32 may become unpaired from the vehicle 10 . According to an eighth use case, if the remote control device 32 moves back within range of the vehicle 10 after a predetermined period of time, the vehicle 10 may need to be shut down and restarted to pair with the remote control device 32 using the pairing system 34 , including with a previously paired remote control device 32 . device 32 or a different remote control device 32 pair. If the remote control device 32 is moved back within range of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined period of time, the vehicle 10 may not need to be shut down and restarted to pair with the previously paired remote control device 32 , for example, the previously paired remote control device 32 may be activated via The remote control device 32 is re-paired with the vehicle 10 by plugging it into the vehicle's charging station 50 . Pairing the vehicle 10 with a different remote control device 32 may require the vehicle to be shut down and restarted regardless of how long the previously paired remote control device 32 has been out of range of the vehicle 10 .

Additional exemplary use cases regarding pairing and/or charging sessions will now be described.

In a ninth exemplary use case, a desired state of charge (e.g., a substantially fully charged state) of rechargeable power source 180 can be determined by charging rechargeable power source 180 at charging station 50 in five seconds or less. to fulfill. According to this use case, a substantially fully charged state of rechargeable power source 180 may result in a period of use of remote control device 32 of at least eight hours.

In a tenth exemplary use case, charging station 50 varies the power level supplied to rechargeable power source 180 according to the state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 when remote control device 32 is plugged into charging station 50, as described herein with respect to FIG. 22 . Regardless of the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 when the remote control device 32 is plugged into the charging station 50, the charging period according to the tenth use case will always be approximately four seconds. Thus, predictable charging periods are achieved.

It is to be noted that the type of transmission (eg, request, such as a travel request) sent by the remote control device 32 to the vehicle 10 may be other types of transmissions. As one example, the transmission may include a location-based transmission that informs the controller 103 of the vehicle 10 where the remote control device 32 is located relative to the vehicle 10 . These types of location transmissions may be used by controller 103 , for example, to follow remote control device 32 . Thus, the vehicle 10 may follow an operator who wears, holds or carries the remote control device 32 . Such a remote control device 32 may be charged by a charging station 50 and paired with the vehicle 10 as described herein.

According to another aspect of the invention, charging of rechargeable power source 180 by charging station 50 may be disabled while vehicle 10 is in motion. This aspect of the invention may not be applicable to inductive charging of rechargeable power source 180 .

Additionally, when an operator attempts to pair a remote control device 32 with a vehicle 10 in communication with the warehouse management system WMS, the warehouse management system WMS may determine whether one or more remote control device operational checks have occurred within a predetermined period of time (e.g., within within the last 12 hours). Such operational checks may include, for example, checks to ensure operability of controls of the remote control device 32 , such as the horn and/or brake buttons 197B, 197C. If such operational check(s) have not been performed within a predetermined period of time, the vehicle 10 may communicate to the operator that an operational check must be performed before the remote control device 32 is paired with the vehicle 10, i.e., only during the predetermined period of time The remote control device 32 is only allowed to pair with the vehicle 10 if one or more remote control device operation checks have been performed. Operational checks may be performed by the operator implementing the controls, for example, by pressing and holding the horn and/or brake buttons 197B, 197C.

Additionally, when an operator attempts to pair a remote control device 32 with a vehicle 10 in communication with the warehouse management system WMS, the warehouse management system WMS may determine whether the operator is authorized to operate the vehicle 10 that the operator is attempting to pair with the remote control device 32 . For example, a vehicle that is only used in a specific location, such as in a cold storage, can only be paired with the remote control device 32 that the operator will use the vehicle in that location. As another example, an operator may be limited to operating certain vehicles. In these cases, the remote control device 32 may only be authorized to pair with such vehicles if these condition(s) are met.

According to an aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that an operator is standing on the platform 21 of the vehicle 10, such as detected by the presence sensor 22, the remote control device 32 may be controlled by disabling or reducing one or more components (for example, wireless communication). components of the system 456, including the wireless transmitter 178) to increase the charge life of the rechargeable power source 180 in a given cycle of operation.

The terms "pairing" and "synchronization" (as used herein and in the various patents and published patent applications incorporated herein by reference) are used interchangeably herein to describe the security process whereby the wireless remote control device and The vehicle controllers recognize each other as valid command and response devices.

A charging station 1050 and remote control device 1032 constructed in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27 . Components on charging station 1050 that are substantially the same as those on charging station 50 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used for charging station 50 . Similarly, elements on remote control device 1032 that are substantially the same as elements on remote control device 1032 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used for elements on remote control device 32 .

Charging station 1050 includes docking port 1052, which may include a pocket or recess shaped to receive remote control device 1032 such that charging contacts 210 on remote control device 1032 align with charging elements 220 at charging station 1050 Or engage to enable charging of the rechargeable power supply 180 forming part of the remote control device 1032 . It is also contemplated that remote control device 1032 may also interact with docking port 1052 to allow charging of rechargeable power source 180 via contactless charging operations, eg, inductive charging.

Charging station 1050 may include one or more visual indicators that communicate information to an operator, which may include one or more of the following: Rechargeable power source 180 when remote control device 1032 is coupled to charging station 1050 state of charge of the remote control device 1032, the state of charge of the rechargeable power source 180 when the remote control device 1032 is removed from the charging station 1050, the pairing state between the wearable remote control device 1032 and the vehicle controller 103, and/or the physical state of the remote control device 1032 Connect to charging station 1050.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 , first visual indicator 1060 and second visual indicator 1070 are provided on charging station 1050 . The first visual indicator 1060 may include one or more lights, such as LEDs. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 , a first visual indicator 1060 may be provided adjacent to a docking port 1052 defined within charging station 1050 , which includes a pocket or recess shaped to receive remote control device 1032 as described above. groove. Graphics 1034 may be provided on remote control device 1032 adjacent to a travel button 197A also provided on remote control device 1032, see FIG. A request for vehicle 10 to travel across the floor surface is transmitted. The first visual indicator 1060 may be shaped to correspond to the graphic 1034 provided on the remote control device 1032 to assist the user in locating and connecting the remote control device 1032 to the docking port 1052 of the charging station 1050 . In the illustrated embodiment, the graphic 1034 provided on the remote control device 1032 is shaped as an upward facing isosceles triangle when the remote control device 1032 is coupled to the charging station 1050, but may include any other geometric shape, image, icons etc. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the first visual indicator 1060 is generally shaped as a downward-pointing isosceles triangle, but may include any other geometric shape, image, icon, or the like. A first visual indicator 1060 shaped as a downward facing triangle provides an indication to the user that the remote control device 1032 should be positioned relative to the docking port 1052 such that the upward facing triangle 1034 on the remote control device 1032 is positioned in relation to the first The visual indicators 1060 are adjacent to match or mirror the first visual indicators 1060 .

The second visual indicator 1070 may be positioned adjacent to the first visual indicator 1060 , such as just above the first visual indicator 1060 as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 . The second visual indicator 1070 may be defined by a plurality of linearly arranged lights, such as LEDs, that may be activated individually and in succession. The light of the second visual indicator 1070 may have a different color than the one or more lights of the first visual indicator 1060 .

When the vehicle 10 including the charging station 1050 is powered on, i.e., goes from an OFF state to an ON state, the first visual indicator 1060 can be activated and preferably pulses ON and OFF to provide an indication of when the wearable remote control device 1032 is plugged in. to the relevant visual display in the docking port 1052, while the second visual indicator 1070 remains OFF, see FIG. 28A. With the first visual indicator 1060 activated, i.e. pulsating ON and OFF, and the second visual indicator 1070 OFF, this indicates to the operator that the charging station 1050 is enabled and working and that she/he needs to turn the remote control Device 1032 is coupled to docking port 1052 of charging station 1050 for pairing and charging. If the first visual indicator 1060 is not activated, this may indicate that the charging station 1050 is not activated. Accordingly, the first visual indicator 1060 and the second visual indicator 1070 may be configured to be activated independently of each other such that the first visual indicator 1060 may be activated while the second visual indicator 1070 is not activated.

Once the remote control device 1032 has been physically connected to the docking port 1052 of the charging station 1050, the first visual indicator 1060 can be deactivated, i.e. turned off (OFF), and at least one of the lights defining the second visual indicator 1070 can Activated to convey to the operator that the remote control device 1032 has been physically connected to the docking port 1052, see Figure 28B. Once docking of the remote control device 1032 occurs, the remote control device 1032 will attempt to pair with the vehicle controller 103 and the rechargeable power supply 180 of the remote control device 1032 will begin charging by the charging station 1050 . The lights defining the second visual indicator 1070 may be activated sequentially, such as from left to right as shown in FIGS. State of charge upon arrival at charging station 1050 . Once the rechargeable power source 180 is fully charged, all lights defining the second indicator 1070 can be activated, ie turned ON, see Figure 28C.

FIGS. 29A-29C provide an alternative embodiment compared to the embodiment of FIGS. 28A-28C for activating and deactivating the first vision during physical connection and pairing of the remote control device 1032 with the docking port 1052 of the charging station 1050. indicator 1060 and a second visual indicator 1070. The embodiment of FIGS. 29A-29C can be used for all charging/pairing cycles, such as the initial cycle after the vehicle 10 is powered on from the OFF state and subsequent charging cycles that occur before the vehicle 10 is powered off. As described above, when the vehicle 10 including the charging station 1050 is powered on, i.e., goes from an OFF state to an ON state, the first visual indicator 1060 can be activated and preferably pulses ON and OFF to provide a connection to the wearable remote control device. 1032 is inserted into the docking port 1052 associated visual display, while the second visual indicator 1070 remains OFF, see FIGS. 28A and 29A . With the first visual indicator 1060 activated, i.e. pulsating ON and OFF, and the second visual indicator 1070 OFF, this indicates to the operator that the charging station 1050 is enabled and working and that she/he needs to turn the remote control device 1032 is coupled to a docking port 1052 of a charging station 1050 for pairing and charging. Once the remote control device 1032 has been physically connected to the docking port 1052 of the charging station 1050, the first visual indicator 1060 can remain activated to provide a steady ON display, and at least one of the lights defining the second visual indicator 1070 can Activated to convey to the operator that the remote control device 1032 has been physically connected to the docking port 1052, see FIG. 29B. Once docking of the remote control device 1032 occurs, the remote control device 1032 will attempt to pair with the vehicle controller 103 and the rechargeable power supply 180 of the remote control device 1032 will begin charging by the charging station 1050 . The lights defining the second visual indicator 1070 may be activated sequentially, such as from left to right as shown in FIGS. The state of charge when power source 180 is coupled to charging station 1050 . Once the rechargeable power source 180 is fully charged, all lights defining the second indicator 1070 can be activated, ie turned on, and the first visual indicator 1060 can be deactivated, ie turned off, see Figure 29C.

Because the first visual indicator 1060 remains activated, as shown in FIG. 29B, while the rechargeable power source 180 is charging, both the first visual indicator 1060 and the second visual indicator 1070 provide a reminder to the operator that the remote The control device 1032 should remain connected to the charging station 1050 and charging of the rechargeable power source 180 not complete until the first visual indicator 1060 is deactivated and all lights of the second visual indicator 1070 are activated, ie, see FIG. 29C .

In FIGS. 28B, 28C, 29B, and 29C, the individual lights of the second visual indicator 1070 may be activated or turned on one after the other, which may be described as causing the second visual indicator 1070 to "grow". ". As noted above, a desired state of charge of rechargeable power source 180 , eg, a substantially full state of charge, may be achieved by charging rechargeable power source 180 at a charging station in five seconds or less. For example, if the second visual indicator 1070 has five discrete segments or lights, the timing of the "growth" of the second visual display 1070 can be configured such that the time period between activating each of the five lights is approximately One second (+/-5%) causes all lights to be activated, including the fifth light, indicating that the rechargeable power supply is fully charged. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the timing between activating each of the first four segments, LEDs or lights of the second visual indicator 1070 may be about 1.2 seconds (+/- 5%) and activating the fifth segment according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The first and last segment occurs approximately 200ms (+/- 5%) after activating the previous or fourth light. One benefit of having a non-uniform timing delay between activating the light segments of the second visual indicator 1070 is to reduce the chances of an operator misinterpreting the lighting cues, removing the remote control device 1032 prematurely, and thereby preventing the rechargeable power supply 180 from being fully charged. Chance.

In either embodiment involving activation of the first visual indicator 1060 (i.e., FIGS. 28A-28C or 29A-29C), the first visual display 1060 may blink or pulse ON if the rechargeable power source 180 cannot be charged. and OFF to provide a visual display indicating an error, while the second visual display 1070 is turned off, see Figure 28I. The error may be related to a defect in rechargeable power source 180, charging station 1050, or both. The rate at which the first visual indicator 1060 blinks ON and OFF to indicate an error may be different in frequency compared to the rate at which the first visual indicator 1060 is pulsed ON and OFF when the vehicle 10 is powered on.

As mentioned above, once the rechargeable power source 180 is fully charged, all lights of the second visual indicator 1070 may be activated. All lights of the second visual indicator 1070 may also pulse to provide the operator with an intermittent display as a reminder to perform an action, such as a test to confirm that the remote control device 1032 is working and can communicate with the vehicle 10, ie, pairing has been successful. The remote control device 1032 may also include a horn button 197B and a brake button 197C, similar to the horn and brake buttons 197B, 197C provided on the remote control device 32, see FIG. 4 . Actions such as tests to confirm that the control device 32 is functioning and can communicate with the vehicle may include pressing the horn button 197B to determine whether the horn on the vehicle 10 is activated and/or pressing the brake button 197C to determine whether the brakes on the vehicle are applied. move. Once the test is successfully completed, all lights of the second visual indicator 1070 can be activated in succession to define a steady state display. Thus, based on the information to be conveyed to the operator/user, the second visual indicator 1070 may define an intermittent display, a steady state display, or a display with less than all lights activated, ie a partially filled display. If the test is not successfully completed, the first visual indicator 1060 may flash or pulse ON and OFF to indicate an error while the second visual indicator 1070 is off, see FIG. 281 . The error may have occurred due to an unsuccessful pairing between the remote control device 1032 and the vehicle controller 103 . The rate at which the first visual indicator 1060 blinks or pulses ON and OFF to indicate that the test was not successfully completed may be different than the frequency at which the first visual indicator 1060 is pulsed ON and OFF when the vehicle 10 is powered on.

As described above, after the vehicle has been turned off and on, the rechargeable power source 180 has been successfully fully charged and the test has been successfully completed, all lights of the second visual indicator 1070 may be continuously activated to define a steady state display. If, after rechargeable power supply 180 has been successfully fully charged and the test has been successfully completed, operation of vehicle 10 and remote control device 1032 causes rechargeable power supply 180 to deplete some of its 1032 connects to socket port 1052 for charging. After charging, the second visual indicator 1070 may not pulse to prompt the operator to perform the test, even though the rechargeable power source 180 may reach full charge again. Since the vehicle 10 has not been turned off and started again since the last successful test, the second visual indicator 1070 may not pulse to prompt the operator to perform the test again, but instead remain on its steady state display, indicating that the rechargeable power source 180 is fully charged .

Once the rechargeable power supply 180 has been fully charged and the test has been successfully completed, indicating that the pairing has been successfully completed, the first visual indicator 1060 can remain OFF and all lights of the second visual indicator 1070 can remain NO to define a steady state display . When the first and second visual indicators 1060 and 1070 are in these states, see FIG. 28E , this can indicate to the operator that the pairing state between the remote control device 1032 and the vehicle controller 103 is positive and active and that the vehicle 10 Operation can be via a remote control device 1032 . During operation of the vehicle 10 using the remote control device 1032, the rechargeable power source 180 will lose charge over time, which will be indicated by the second visual indicator 1070, i.e. from right to left as shown in FIGS. 26, 27 and 28F The extended lights will be deactivated or turned off to indicate that the power level of power supply 180 is reduced when remote control device 1032 is not coupled to charging station 1050 . When the battery is low, only the single light of the second visual indicator 1070 can be activated and the first visual indicator 1060 can be turned on to provide a steady state display, signaling to the operator that she/he needs to recharge the power supply 180, see Figure 28G. Thus, the first visual indicator 1060 may define an intermittent display, see Figures 28A and 28I, or a steady state display, see Figures 28G and 29B. It should also be noted that both the first and second visual indicators 1060 and 1070 provide a steady state display when activated as shown in Figure 28G. When the charge on the rechargeable power source 180 has been depleted, the second visual indicator 1070 may turn off and the first visual indicator 1060 may pulse to indicate to the operator that the power source 180 needs charging, see FIG. 28H .

As noted above, the rate at which the first visual indicator 1060 blinks ON and OFF to indicate an error may be a different frequency than the rate at which the first visual indicator 1060 pulses ON and OFF when the vehicle 10 is powered on. For example, the error may be related to an error with the charging station 1050 that prevents it from charging the remote control device 1032 . For example, the error may also be related to an error with the remote control device 1032 or its power supply 180 , preventing it from receiving charge from the charging station 1050 . Furthermore, an error may, for example, involve both the charging station 1050 and the remote control device 1032, resulting in a communication message between the two devices that is not received by the intended recipient of the communication message.

As noted above, the second visual indicator 1070, when activated, may provide an intermittent display that may instruct the operator to perform an action, as in the example of FIG. 28D , or may indicate to the operator, as in the example of FIG. 28E One of the steady state displays where the remote control device 1032 is fully ready for use.

In addition, when the first visual indicator 1060 and the second visual indicator 1070 are activated at the same time, the first visual indicator 1060 and the second visual indicator 1070 can each provide an indication of a reproducibility as shown in the example of FIG. 28G Charging power supply 180 has a corresponding steady state display of low battery.

In the example of FIG. 28A , first visual indicator 1060 may pulse as a means of defining a visual display related to plugging wearable remote control device 1032 into charging station 1050 .

As noted above, the example of FIG. 281 includes a blinking first visual indicator to provide a display that some error has occurred. This is merely an example, and more generally, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates that first visual indicator 1060 or second visual indicator 1070 may be provided individually or in combination with each other to occur with charging station 1050 or rechargeable power source 108 Visual display related to charging errors.

As noted above, the example of FIG. 28I includes a first visual indicator 1060 that blinks to provide a display that some kind of error has occurred. This is merely an example, and more generally, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates that first visual indicator 1060 or second visual indicator 1070 may be provided, either alone or in combination with each other, between wearable remote control device 1032 and vehicle 10. A visual display of pairing errors that occur between them. As previously stated, the term "pairing" (as used herein) describes the secure process by which the wireless remote control device 1032 and the vehicle controller 103 recognize each other as valid command and response devices. A pairing error can occur when two devices initially try to pair with each other but fail, or after a successful pairing, causing the pairing to be interrupted or lost in some way.

As noted above, the example of FIG. 28I includes a first visual indicator 1060 that blinks to provide a display that some kind of error has occurred. This is merely an example, and more generally, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates that first visual indicator 1060 or second visual indicator 1070 may be provided in conjunction with wearable remote control device 1032 and controller 103 , either alone or in combination with each other. Visual display related to communication errors that occur between. Once paired, both the remote control device 1032 and the controller 103 act as transmitters and receivers of messages communicated between the two according to a predetermined communication protocol. Communication errors may include, for example, one of the devices not receiving an expected message.

Having thus described the invention of the present application in detail and with reference to the examples thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. A system comprising: material handling vehicles; Wearable remote control devices, including: a) a wireless communication system comprising a wireless transmitter, and b) rechargeable power supply; a receiver at the vehicle to receive transmissions from the wireless transmitter; a controller at the vehicle, communicatively coupled to the receiver, the controller responsive to receipt of the transmission from the remote control device; and A charging station at a vehicle for charging a rechargeable power source of a wearable remote control device, the charging station comprising a first visual indicator and a second visual indicator, wherein the first visual indicator or the second At least one of the two visual indicators is configured to indicate one or more of: a) the charging status of the rechargeable power supply when coupled to the charging station, b) the rechargeable power supply when it is removed from the charging station , c) the pairing status between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle controller, or d) the physical connection of the remote control device to the charging station. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator are configured to be activated independently of each other such that either the first visual indicator is activated and the second visual indicator is not activated , or the second visual indicator is activated while the first visual indicator is not activated. 3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first visual indicator, when activated, provides one of an intermittent display or a steady state display. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the intermittent display operates at a first pulsation rate or a second pulsation rate, wherein the frequencies of the first rate and the second rate are different. 5. The system of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the second visual indicator, when activated, provides one of an intermittent display, a partially filled display, or a steady state display. 6. The system of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first visual indicator and the second indicator are configured to be activated simultaneously. 7. The system of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the first visual indicator is located near a docking port of the charging station configured to receive a wearable remote control device and is shaped to be compatible with the wearable remote control device. Graphical correspondence provided on the remote control device to assist the user in locating and connecting the wearable remote control device to the docking port of the charging station. 8. The system of any of claims 1-7, wherein the first visual indicator defines a visual display associated with plugging the wearable remote control device into the charging station. 9. The system of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the first visual indicator or the second visual indicator, either alone or in combination with each other, provide a visual display related to whether the charging station is enabled or disabled. 10. The system of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the first visual indicator or the second visual indicator provide either alone or in combination with each other that a charging error occurred with the charging station or the rechargeable power supply. related visual display. 11. The system according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the first visual indicator or the second visual indicator provide information on communication between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle, either alone or in combination with each other. Visual display related to pairing errors. 12. The system of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the first visual indicator or the second visual indicator provide either alone or in combination with each other that occurs between the wearable remote control device and the controller. Visual display related to communication errors. 13. The system of any one of claims 1-12, wherein when the vehicle is started, the first indicator pulses until the remote control device is connected to the docking port of the charging station such that when the remote control device is connected to the docking port When the first indicator turns off. 14. The system of any one of claims 1-12, wherein when the vehicle is started, the first indicator pulses until the remote control device is connected to the docking port of the charging station, after the remote control device is connected to the docking port Changes to a steady state ON display, and remains ON, thereby providing a steady state ON display until the rechargeable power source is fully charged. 15. A method for coupling a wearable remote control device to a charging station, wherein the wearable remote control device includes a wireless transmitter, a rechargeable power source, and at least one control that causes the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit a request to a controller of the materials handling vehicle; and wherein the material handling vehicle includes: a receiver for receiving a transmission from the wireless transmitter; a controller communicatively coupled to the receiver, the controller responsive to receipt of the transmission from the remote control device; a charging station configured to charging a rechargeable power source of a wearable remote control device and including a first visual indicator and a second visual indicator, The methods include: An indication of one or more of the following is displayed by at least one of the first visual indicator or the second visual indicator: the state of charge of the rechargeable power supply when coupled to the charging station, the rechargeable power supply from the charging station The charging status when removed, the pairing status between the wearable remote control device and the vehicle controller, or the physical connection of the remote control device to the charging station.

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