A detection zone is the configured area around a forklift, machine or fixed point in which a safety system reacts when a person or vehicle enters, often split into warning and stop or slowdown zones.
Zones are how a detection system turns a measured distance into an action. A typical set-up uses an outer zone that warns and an inner zone that alerts more urgently or, on compatible forklifts, slows the truck. Zones can be circular around a tag-ranging unit, shaped to a camera’s view, or drawn on a floor map in a location system, and many systems let different areas use different settings.
Zone size is a trade-off. A zone that is too small warns too late at real travel speed, because the truck needs reaction time and stopping distance. A zone that is too large fires in narrow aisles, at pick faces and around racking, producing the false alarms that teach drivers to ignore warnings. Set zones by truck type, speed and area, test them with people walking realistic routes, and review alert logs after go-live. The zone-based proximity warning post explains how zones are configured.