JP2002087793A - Pallet carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely realize high work efficiency even if a non-skilled operator operates a pallet carrying device. SOLUTION: This pallet carrying device 1 carries pallets 9 by using forks 4. The device is provided with: a laser transmitting means mounted on the tip side of the forks 4 for transmitting a laser beam nearly in parallel with the lengthwise direction of the forks 4 from the tip side of the forks 4 toward the front side thereof, an ultrasonic wave transmitting means mounted on the tip side of the forks 4 for transmitting an ultrasonic wave nearly in parallel with the lengthwise direction of the forks 4 from the tip side of the forks 4 toward the front side thereof, an ultrasonic wave receiving means for receiving the ultrasonic wave reflected from an object present on the front side, a distance measuring means 17 for measuring the distance between the tip side of the forks 4 and the object from the time the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by the ultrasonic wave transmitting means and the time the ultrasonic wave is received by the ultrasonic wave receiving means, and a warning means 19 for generating an alarm when the distance value measured by the distance measuring means 17 is smaller than a predetermined value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pallet loading device for loading a pallet using a fork, for example, a forklift, and more particularly, to a safety operation when a fork is inserted into a pallet and when the pallet is transported. The present invention relates to an excellent pallet loading device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, like a forklift,
When inserting a fork into a fork insertion hole of a pallet in a pallet loading device that loads a pallet using a fork, the pilot visually checks the insertion position of the tip of the fork into the fork insertion hole while relying on experience and intuition. Deciding.

When the tip of the fork is inserted into the fork insertion hole of the pallet in this way, the pallet is lifted by raising the fork, and the pallet is conveyed in this state. However, in such a pallet loading device, since the pallets are lifted and transported, the lifted pallets obstruct the front view of the operator.

[0004] An operator of a pallet loading device of this type has a problem that a pallet loading device that lifts a pallet is mounted on another pallet placed on the floor, a wall of a work building, or an object (equipment) installed on the work building. The pallet loading device is controlled based on limited visibility conditions and the sense of distance obtained by using one's own insights, by storing the transport route confirmed before transport so as not to collide (interference) with the pallet. .

[0005]

However, such a conventional pallet loading device has the following problems.

That is, in the conventional pallet loading device,
Both the operation when the tip of the fork is inserted into the fork insertion hole of the pallet and the transport operation performed while the pallet is raised greatly depend on the experience and intuition of the operator.

[0007] Therefore, in order to complete the pallet loading operation safely and promptly, it is necessary to secure an operator with skilled operation skills and sensitivity. In other words, it is very difficult to safely and quickly complete the pallet loading operation if the pilot is operated by an operator who does not have skilled operation skills and sensitivity.

[0008] Therefore, when a pilot who is not equipped with a skillful operation technique and sensitivity operates, the pallet may be damaged in the work of inserting the fork into the fork insertion hole or carrying the fork, or other work in the work building. A large amount of time must be spent on safety confirmation so that collision with a pallet or an object (equipment) does not occur. As a result, there is a problem that work efficiency is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and facilitates the work of aligning a fork with a fork insertion hole of a pallet, and measures the distance to an object located in front of the pallet. A pallet loading device that has high safety confirmation and that can realize safe and high work efficiency even when an unskilled pilot operates. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a pallet loading device for loading a pallet using a fork, the pallet loading device is provided at a tip side of the fork, and extends from the tip side of the fork to a front side substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fork. A laser transmitting means for transmitting a laser, an ultrasonic transmitting means provided at a tip side of the fork, and transmitting ultrasonic waves from the distal end side of the fork to a front side substantially in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the fork; The ultrasonic receiving means for transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic waves reflected on the object present on the front side, and the time at which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitting means, and the time at which the ultrasonic waves are received by the ultrasonic receiving means Distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the tip side of the fork and the object, and the value of the distance measured by the distance measuring means is greater than a predetermined value. If stomach, and a warning means for issuing an alarm.

Therefore, in the pallet loading device according to the first aspect of the present invention, by taking the above means,
The fork can be securely inserted into the fork insertion hole of the pallet. Further, it is possible to measure the distance from another pallet or device existing in front.

As a result, it is possible to enhance the safety confirmation when the pallet is lifted and transported, and to realize a more rapid pallet loading operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pallet loading device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the alarm means switches the alarm tone according to the value of the distance measured by the distance measuring means.

Therefore, in the pallet loading device according to the second aspect of the present invention, by taking the above measures,
The driver can recognize the distance from another pallet or device existing in front by the tone color emitted from the alarm unit.

As a result, it is possible to further enhance the collision avoidance ability at the time of pallet transport, and realize a safe and quick pallet loading operation.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of the entire configuration of a pallet loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is a side view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the detailed configuration around the tip of the fork.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of the detailed configuration of the tip of the fork.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic transmitter and receiver provided at the tip of the fork.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the alarm system.

Pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment
Is a modification of a general forklift,
The vehicle includes a vehicle unit 2, a lift unit 3, and a fork 4. Here, description of a general forklift is omitted.

The vehicle section 2 is a vehicle applied to a general forklift. In addition to a vehicle body having an engine and a fuel tank (not shown), a tire 6, a cockpit 7
And the like, so that the vehicle can be driven by maneuvering from the cockpit 7. Also, from the cockpit 7, the fork 4
Of the fork 4 into the fork insertion hole 10 and the fork 4
Maneuvering up and down movement and back and forth movement.

The lift section 3 is a lift section applied to a general forklift, and lifts and lowers a plurality of forks 4 at the same time by a chain up or the like (not shown) based on a control instruction from a cockpit 7. The plurality of forks 4 are simultaneously moved back and forth horizontally by a not-shown insertion mechanism. That is, when the forks 4 are to be inserted into the fork insertion holes 10 of the pallet 9 (in the example shown in FIG. 1, the load 8 is placed thereon), all the forks 4 are simultaneously pushed forward and horizontally, and the fork is inserted. When pulling out the forks 4 inserted into the holes 10, all the forks 4
At the same time in the horizontal direction.

The fork 4 is a long fork applied to a general forklift. As shown in FIG. 2, the fork 4 is provided with laser transmitters 12 at both ends of a tip end thereof. Ultrasonic receiver / transmitter 1 at the center of the tip
3 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the laser transmitter 12 and the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 13 are embedded in the fork 4 so as not to be damaged when the fork 4 is inserted into the fork insertion hole 10.

The laser transmitter 12 emits a laser beam La from the tip side of the fork 4 to the front side substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fork 4. That is, the side of the pallet 9 is irradiated with the laser beam La.

As a result, when the fork 4 is inserted into the fork insertion hole 10, the position of the fork 4 is shifted with respect to the fork insertion hole 10. In such a state, any one of the laser traces d of the laser light La emitted from the laser transmitters 12 provided at both ends of the tip end of the fork 4 is reflected on the side surface of the pallet 9.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the fork 4 is shifted to the left with respect to the fork insertion hole 10, and the laser beam La emitted from the laser transmitter 12 (#L) provided at the left end of the fork 4 is used as the laser. This shows a case where the trace d is reflected on the side surface of the pallet 9.

The operator finely adjusts the position of the fork 4 while observing the laser mark d so that the laser light La passes through the fork insertion hole 10 and the laser mark d is not reflected on the side surface of the pallet 9. The position of the fork 4 is adjusted, and after the alignment is completed in this manner, the fork 4 is operated to be inserted into the fork insertion hole 10 of the pallet 9.

The ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 13 transmits an ultrasonic wave S from the front end side of the fork 4 to the front side substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fork 4 and, as shown in FIG. S receives the ultrasonic wave S ′ reflected by the obstacle 15 in front and returning. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the time information t at which the ultrasonic wave S is transmitted by the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 13 and the time information t ′ at which the ultrasonic wave S ′ is received by the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 13 are converted into the ultrasonic wave. Output to the level meter 17.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic level meter 17 is provided below the
Then, the distance H between the tip of the fork 4 and the obstacle 15 is measured from the time information t at which the ultrasonic wave S is transmitted and the time information t 'at which the ultrasonic wave S' is received by the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 13. Then, the distance information H between the tip of the fork 4 and the obstacle 15 as the measurement result is output to the control device 18.

The control device 18 is provided below the cockpit 7, and controls the fork 4 measured by the ultrasonic level meter 17.
If the value of the distance H between the tip of the object and the obstacle 15 is shorter than a predetermined value h (H <h), an alarm sounding instruction signal W is output to the buzzer 19. At this time, an alarm sounding instruction signal W for sounding an alarm with a different tone may be output according to the value of the distance H between the tip of the fork 4 and the obstacle 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, the buzzer 19 is provided above the cockpit 7 and receives an alarm sounding instruction signal W from the control device 18 to issue an alarm based on the instruction of the alarm sounding instruction signal W. It sounds and informs the driver of the danger of collision between the fork 4 and the obstacle 15.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 13, the ultrasonic level meter 17, the control device 18, and the buzzer 19 use the ultrasonic wave S and the reflected ultrasonic wave S 'to fork. An alarm system 20, which is a system that measures a distance H between the obstacle 4 and the obstacle 15 and notifies the operator of the risk of collision according to the distance H, is configured.

Next, the operation of the pallet loading device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the pallet 9 is loaded by using the pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment, first, the driver drives the vehicle unit 2 from the cockpit 7 so that the pallet loading device 1 9 is moved to the place where it is located (S1). In this case, the pallet loading device 1
The position facing the side surface of the pallet 9 where the fork insertion hole 10 is provided by the operator, that is, as shown in FIG. 2, the direction of the hole of the fork insertion hole 10 and the longitudinal direction of the fork 4 are parallel. Is stopped at a position where

Next, with the pallet loading device 1 stopped at this location, fine adjustment is performed to align the fork 4 with the fork insertion hole 10 (S).
2). This is performed by the operator using the laser light La transmitted from the laser transmitter 12. That is, when the fork 4 is correctly inserted into the fork insertion hole 10, the laser beam La emitted forward from the laser
, The laser mark d does not appear on the side surface of the pallet 9. However, as shown in FIG. 2, when the fork 4 is displaced with respect to the fork insertion hole 10, the laser light La emitted from the laser transmitter 12 collides with the side surface of the pallet 9, and the laser mark d is projected. It is. Therefore, the operator can confirm that the laser beam La is
By finely adjusting the position of the fork 4 so that the laser mark d does not appear on the side surface of the pallet 9.
The positioning of the fork 4 is reliably performed.

As described above, when the positioning of the fork 4 with respect to the fork insertion hole 10 is surely performed, the fork 4 is inserted into the fork insertion hole 10 (S3).
In step S <b> 2, the fork 4 is smoothly inserted into the fork insertion hole 10 because the fork 4 is properly aligned with the fork insertion hole 10. After the fork 4 is inserted, the pallet 9 is lifted by raising the fork 4 (S
4).

When the vehicle unit 2 is driven in this state, the conveyance of the pallet 9 on which the load 8 is placed is started (S5). In this case, the field of view from the cockpit 7 is restricted by the pallet 9 and the load 8 placed on the pallet 9. The pallet 9 is often transported and loaded in a narrow building such as a warehouse, which not only has a limited travel area, but also has obstacles such as other pallets 9 and auxiliary equipment and auxiliary equipment nearby. There are fifteen. In the pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment, the fork 4
From the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 13 provided on the tip side of the
Is transmitted, and this ultrasonic wave S is the obstacle 1 in front.
The ultrasonic wave S ′ reflected and returned by 5 is received.

In the pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment, the difference between the time t at which the ultrasonic wave S is transmitted and the time t 'at which the ultrasonic wave S' reflected by the obstacle 15 and returned is received. , The distance H to the obstacle 15 is measured by the ultrasonic level meter 17, and when the fork 4 approaches the obstacle 15 to some extent, an alarm sounds from the buzzer 19. Thereby, the risk of collision with the obstacle 15 is recognized by the pilot, and thus,
The pallet 9 is transported to a predetermined loading place while avoiding collision with the obstacle 15.

When the pallet 9 is conveyed to a predetermined loading place, the fork 4 is lowered and the pallet 9 is moved.
Are loaded (S6). When the loading of the pallet 9 is completed, the fork 4 is pulled out from the fork insertion hole 10,
The fork 4 is released.

Further, when the next pallet 9 is to be loaded (S7: No), the process returns to step S1, and when all the pallets 9 have been loaded (S7: Yes), the operation is terminated.

As described above, in the pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment,
The operation of inserting the fork 4 into the pallet insertion hole 10 can be performed quickly and reliably.

Further, even when the pallet 9 is lifted and the pallet 9 is being conveyed in a state where visibility is degraded, the distance H to the obstacle 15 present ahead can be measured.
When the vehicle approaches the obstacle 15 too much, an alarm is issued from the buzzer 19 and the driver can be notified of the alarm.

That is, in the pallet loading device 1 according to the present embodiment, the positioning of the fork 4 in the pallet insertion hole 10 during the insertion operation and the collision of the pallet 9 with the obstacle 15 performed in the transfer operation are avoided. It is possible to easily confirm the safety of the vehicle, and even if a pilot without skilled operation skills and sensibility is operated, it is possible to realize safe and high work efficiency Become.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such configurations. Within the scope of the invented technical concept described in the claims, those skilled in the art will be able to conceive various modified examples and modified examples, and these modified examples and modified examples are also within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs to.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In addition to facilitating the work of aligning the fork with the fork insertion hole of the pallet, it is possible to measure the distance to the object existing in front and notify the operator of the result.

As described above, a pallet loading device that can provide high safety confirmation and that can realize safe and high work efficiency even when an unskilled pilot controls the vehicle. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of the entire configuration of a pallet loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a detailed configuration around a tip of a fork.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a detailed configuration of a tip portion of a fork.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by an ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver provided at the tip of a fork.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an alarm system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the pallet loading device according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 La: laser beam d: laser trace S, S ': ultrasonic wave t, t': time H, h: distance 1: pallet loading device 2: vehicle unit 3: lift unit 4: fork 6: tire 7: cockpit 8 ... Luggage 9 ... Pallet 10 ... Fork insertion hole 12 ... Laser transmitter 13 ... Ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 15 ... Obstacle 17 ... Ultrasonic level meter 18 ... Control device 19 ... Buzzer 20 ... Alarm system

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuo Muroya 1-1-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo F-term in Toshiba head office (reference) 3F333 AA02 AE02 FA36 FD11 FE02 FE05 FE05 FE09

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pallet loading device for loading a pallet using a fork, provided at a tip side of the fork, and transmitting a laser from the tip side of the fork to a front side substantially in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the fork. A laser transmitting unit, provided on the tip side of the fork, an ultrasonic transmitting unit for transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the distal end side of the fork to a front side substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fork, and the ultrasonic transmitting unit Ultrasound receiving means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected on the object existing on the front side, and time when ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitting means,
And a distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the tip side of the fork and the object from a time at which the ultrasonic wave is received by the ultrasonic wave receiving means, and a value of the distance measured by the distance measuring means,
A pallet loading device, comprising: an alarm unit for issuing an alarm when the value is shorter than a predetermined value. 2. The pallet loading device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm unit switches an alarm tone according to the value of the distance measured by the distance measuring unit. apparatus.