SE1950211A1

SE1950211A1 - Electrically operated lifting unit for a working vehicle

Info

Publication number: SE1950211A1
Application number: SE1950211A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Jonas Gransing; Per Idsäter
Original assignee: Pmc Attachment Ab
Priority date: 2019-02-20
Filing date: 2019-02-20
Publication date: 2020-08-21
Also published as: SE544583C2; WO2020169225A1; EP3927646A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a lifting unit (1) for a working vehicle (2). The lifting unit (1) comprises a body (3) connectable to the working vehicle (2) at a loading area thereof, at least one lifting means (4) connected to the body (3), and a drive unit (8) connected to the at least one lifting means (4). The lifting unit (1) is characterized in that the at least one lifting means (4) is electrically driven and movable in lateral in relation to the body (3) of the lifting unit (1). The invention is also related to a working vehicle (2).

Description

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED LIFTING UNIT FOR A WORKING VEHICLE Technical fieldThe invention relates to a lifting unit for a working vehicle and a working vehicle having such a lifting unit.

Background artlndustrial working vehicles and forklift trucks with lifting units have been available to the materials handling industry for a number of years and mostare of common design.

Conventional forklift trucks customarily carry a vertically oriented mastassembly to which a carriage assembly is mounted for elevational movementtherealong to raise the load up to a desired elevation. The carriage assemblyis provided with a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel forks that overhangfrom the carriage assembly so as to take up the vertically exerted force of theload. The up and down movement of the carriage assembly may be renderedeffective by the combination of a lift jack and a lift chain associated therewith.Side shift cylinders are also employed to have the carriage assembly movelaterally, if appropriate. Lateral movement of the carriage assembly makes itpossible for the forklift truck to readily access to the load even in a narrowworking space and to permit unshipment of the lifted load on a preciselocation.

U.S. 3,477,6OO discloses a forklift having a typical vertical frame formovement thereon of a standard carriage to which is attached the horizontalfork arms. This particular forklift truck with its carriage as disclosed is one forpicking up loads through the horizontal fork arms and providing the loadsupport with the fork arms as the load is carried to its destination. Well knownmechanisms such as shown in the Sawyer patent are available for verticallypositioning the carriage member on the vertical frame.

The different types of lifting units on the working vehicles available onthe market today are using hydraulic drive systems. A problem with hydraulicdrive systems is that they are space-consuming and low performers inprecision.

Summary of the invention lt is an objective of the present invention to mitigate, alleviate oreliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art anddisadvantages singly or in any combination and solve at least the abovementioned problems.

According to a first aspect of the invention, these and other objects areachieved, in full or at least in part, by a lifting unit for a working vehicle. Thelifting unit comprises a body connectable to the working vehicle at a loadingarea thereof, at least one lifting means connected to the body, and a driveunit connected to the at least one lifting means. The lifting unit ischaracterized in that the at least one lifting means is electrically driven andmovable in lateral in relation to the body of the lifting unit.

This is advantageous in that the lifting unit will be extremely space-efficient since its components are electrically driven and no hydraulics arerequired. ln turn, this will improve the sight for a potential driver of the workingvehicle and thus increase the safety thereof.

The lifting unit is further advantageous in that it can be ordered as aseparate kit and mounted onto an already existing forklift or other workingvehicle in order to improve the overall safety of the same.

On a general note it should be further noted that electrically drivencomponents of this kind are controllable at a higher precision and easier tohandle than components using hydraulic drive systems.

Also, it will be possible to remove a lot of components from the workingvehicle that no longer will be necessary when the present invention has beenarranged thereto. ln turn, this will lead to a reduction in costs.

The body may comprise a rod to which the at least one lifting means isslidably arranged.

The at least one lifting means may slidably arranged to the rod via aball bush. The steel balls of the ball bush circulate on the ball track within theretainer while making rolling contact with the outer circumference of the shaft,so that the bush runs with an extremely low friction on the shaft. Since thefriction is kept to a minimum, it is possible to use a less powerful motor todrive the at least one lifting means.

The at least one lifting means may comprise two lifting means whichare movable, in lateral, simultaneously as well as in relation to each other.

The two lifting means may comprise two forks and/or two plates.

The drive unit may comprise an electric motor, a driving gear, and agear wheel, the gear wheel being in engagement with a gear rack.

The gear rack may be arranged on the body of the lifting unit.

The lifting unit may further comprise a control unit connected to thedrive unit and a camera connected to the control unit.

The lifting device may be controlled by a control system, and thecontrol system may be remotely operated by a driver.

According to a second aspect of the invention, these and other objects,and/or advantages that will be apparent from the following description ofembodiments, are achieved, in full or at least in part, by a working vehicle forcarrying a load. The working vehicle comprises a main body, and a lifting unitaccording to the features above. The body of the lifting unit is attached to theworking vehicle at a side surface of the main body.

Effects and features of the second aspect of the present invention arelargely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspectof the inventive concept. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the firstaspect of the present invention are largely compatible with the further aspectsof the invention.

Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention willappear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached claims, aswell as from the drawings. lt is noted that the invention relates to all possiblecombinations of features.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly definedotherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device, component,means, step, etc.]” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least oneinstance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unlessexplicitly stated otherwise.

As used herein, the term “comprising” and variations of that term arenot intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

By the term “|atera|” is meant in a horizontal direction when the liftingunit is provided on a working vehicle which stands on the ground.Brief description of the drawinos The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages ofthe present invention, will be better understood through the followingillustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the presentinvention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the samereference numerals may be used for similar elements, and wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a liftingunit for a working vehicle according to a first aspect of the invention.

Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the lifting unit in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is another perspective view of the lifting unit in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is another perspective view of the lifting unit in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of thelifting unit according to the first aspect of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a working vehicle for carrying a loadaccording to a second aspect of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention Fig. 1 to Fig. 4 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a lifting unit 1 fora working vehicle 2. The lifting unit 1 comprises a body 3 which isconnectable to the working vehicle 2 at a loading area thereof, two liftingmeans 4 in the form of forks which are connected to the body, and a drive unit8 connected to the lifting means 4. The body 3 comprises a rod 5 connectedto a frame 6. The two lifting means 4 slidably arranged to the rod 5 via a ballbush 7. The lifting means 4 are electrically driven by a drive unit 8 andmovable in lateral in relation to the body 3 of the lifting unit 1. ln this specific embodiment, each one of the two lifting means 4comprises a separate drive unit 8. Each drive unit 8 comprises an electricmotor 9, a driving gear 10, and a gear wheel 11, respectively. The gear wheels 11 of the drive units 8 are in engagement with a gear rack 12 that isarranged in the frame 6 of the body 3.

As an alternative, one single drive unit 8 may be used to drive both ofthe two lifting means 4. Also, the drive unit(s) 8 may be arranged somewhereon the lifting unit 1 or on the working vehicle 2.

The two lifting means 4 are constituted by two forks which aremovable, in lateral, simultaneously as well as in relation to each other.

The lifting unit 1 is further equipped with a control unit (not shown)which is connected to the drive unit 8, and a camera (not shown) which isconnected to the control unit. The camera can be used to detect the extent ofthe load to be handled by the lifting unit 1 and by means of the control unitoperate the lifting means 4 in order to adapt in relation to the load. This actcan be performed either automatically or manually by an operator of the liftingunit 1. The control unit is programmable and can be programmed to make thelifting unit 1 behave in a certain way based on the information provided by thecamera. Accordingly, the lifting unit 1 is controllable by means of a controlsystem, which control system can be operated either by means of aninterface directly on the lifting unit 1 or remotely by an operator or driver of theworking vehicle 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a lifting unit 1 for aworking vehicle 2. Here, the at least one lifting means 4 comprises two plateswhich are used to clamp the load between them.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a working vehicle 2 forcarrying a load. The working vehicle 2 has a main body 13, and a lifting unit 1according to the features above. The body 3 of the lifting unit 1 is attached tothe working vehicle 2 at a side surface 14 of the main body 13.

The following is an example of the steps that may be performed whenthe working vehicle 2 is used to carry a load from position A to position B.

The camera on the lifting unit 1 detects a load to be handled by thelifting unit 1 and sends the information to the control unit which in turn adjuststhe forks 4 in relation to the load. The adjustment of the forks 4 meansmoving them from an idle position (Fig. 1 and Fig. 3) to a working position(Fig. 2). As stated above, the forks 4 are movable separately or simultaneously as a couple. When the forks 4 have been adjusted, the loadcan be placed on the same. Thereafter, the load can be carried by the liftingunit 1 and transported from position A to position B by means of the workingvehicle 2.

The lifting unit 1 provides for a longer and lower energy consumptionand is also improved from an environmental perspective since no oil isrequired during use of the lifting unit 1.

The skilled person realizes that a number of modifications of theembodiments described herein are possible without departing from the scopeof the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

For instance, the body 3 may be constituted by the rod 5 only. ln thiscase, the rod is attached directly to the working vehicle 2. The same appliesfor the drive unit(s) 8 and the gear rack 12.

Other options than the camera is naturally also possible for detectingdetect the extent of the load to be handled by the lifting unit 1, such as alaser, a scanner or the like. ln other word, the lifting unit 1 will somehowdetect information about the load which thereafter is transferred to the liftingmeans 4 for adjustment in relation to the load.

Claims

CLAIIVIS

1. A lifting unit (1) for a working vehicle (2), comprising: a body (3) connectable to the working vehicle (2) at a loading areathereof, at least one Iifting means (4) connected to the body (3), and a drive unit (8) connected to the at least one Iifting means (4), characterized in that the at least one Iifting means (4) is electrically driven and movable inlateral in relation to the body (3) of the lifting unit (1).

2. The lifting unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein the body (3)comprises a rod (5) to which the at least one lifting means (4) is slidablyarranged.

3. The Iifting unit (1) according to claim 2, wherein at least one Iiftingmeans (4) is slidably arranged to the rod (5) via a ball bush (7).

4. The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein the at least one Iifting means (4) comprises two lifting means whichare movable, in lateral, simultaneously as well as in relation to each other.

5. The lifting unit (1) according to claim 4, wherein the two liftingmeans (4) comprises two forks.

6. The lifting unit (1) according to claim 4, wherein the two liftingmeans (4) comprises two plates.

7. The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein the drive unit (8) comprises an electric motor (9), a driving gear (10),and a gear wheel (11), the gear wheel (11) being in engagement with a gearrack (12).

8. The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein the gear rack (12) is arranged on the body (3) of the lifting unit (1 ).

9. The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,further comprising a control unit connected to the drive unit (8) and a cameraconnected to the control unit.

10.The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein the lifting unit (1) is controlled by a control system.

11.The lifting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein the control system is remotely operated by a driver.

12.A working vehicle (2) for carrying a load, comprising: a main body (13), and a lifting unit (1) according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the body (3) of the lifting unit (1) is attached to the workingvehicle (2) at a side surface (14) of the main body (13).