A system for determining a location of an object. The system includes an
object location tracker and a computer system. The object location
tracker is configured for attachment to a mobile vehicle and includes an
object identification reading device and a position-tracking device. The
object identification reading device senses object identification indicia
on the object, such as RF ID tags, bar codes, etc., as the mobile vehicle
moves around an environment in which the object is situated. The
position-tracking device computes the location of the object location
tracker as the mobile vehicle moves throughout environment. The computer
system associates the sensed object identification indicia of the object,
as determined by the reading device, with a location in the environment
based on the position of the object location tracker in the environment,
as determined by the position-tracking device, when the reading device
senses the object identification indicia. The mobile vehicle may include
its own mobility system, such as a forklift or an autonomous robotic
device, or the mobile vehicle may be, for example, a pushcart that is
pushed around the environment.