METHOD AND SYSTEM TO RETROFIT INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUCKS FOR AUTOMATED MATERIAL HANDLING IN SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS OPERATIONS

摘要

Material handling vehicles also known as lift trucks, e.g., forklifts, pallet jacks, reach trucks etc., are an essential component of any supply chain and logistics operation. These vehicles are typically driven by human operators and are used to move goods inside factories, warehouses etc. We develop a system and method to retrofit manual lift trucks with a supplemental control system (retrofit kit) that includes sensors, communication devices, computers, electrical circuits and mechanical actuators such that a lift truck can carry out material handling tasks autonomously without the presence of a human operator. The retrofit also allows the lift truck to be controlled remotely by a human tele-operator and can transmit and receive data from a remote computer.