JP2019099079A - Industrial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an industrial vehicle that can light a lamp in an appropriate location in automatic operation.SOLUTION: A reach type forklift travels a predetermined travel route by controlling motors 16, 17. The reach type forklift includes: a blue light lamp 33 for irradiating a floor surface on a back side of a machine base; and a controller 34 for controlling the blue light lamp 33 to be turned on and off based on route information in automatic operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to industrial vehicles.

  Patent Document 1 and the like disclose a technique for providing a backlight for illuminating the rear of a forklift.

JP, 2016-222428, A

  By the way, similarly to the case of providing a light for irradiating light in a spot manner on the floor behind the industrial vehicle which a person gets on and drives in the vehicle, the invention is applied as it is to an industrial vehicle of a type where automatic driving is performed without people. Is considered. However, when a person rides and drives, a person (driver) can perform an operation of turning on / off, but in the type in which the automatic operation is performed, the usability with respect to turning on / off of the light deteriorates.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial vehicle capable of lighting a light at an appropriate position during autonomous driving.

  In the invention according to claim 1, in the industrial vehicle which travels a predetermined traveling route by controlling the motor, a light which illuminates at least one floor surface of the rear and the front of the machine base and route information during automatic operation And a light control unit configured to control on / off of the light based on the above.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the motor is controlled to travel on a predetermined traveling route. The light control unit controls on / off of the light based on the route information during the automatic operation, and can turn on the light at an appropriate position during the automatic operation.

  As described in claim 2, in the industrial vehicle according to claim 1, the light control unit controls ON / OFF of the light based on the route information by the mark by reading the mark on the traveling route. Good.

  As described in claim 3, in the industrial vehicle according to claim 1, the light control unit uses the positional information on the coordinates of the machine base in the traveling route as the route information to turn on / off the light. It is good to control.

  As described in claim 4, in the industrial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, it is preferable that automatic driving is possible without a person on the vehicle and that human driving is possible.

  According to the present invention, the light can be turned on at an appropriate position during automatic operation.

The outline side view showing a reach type forklift. The perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of reach type forklift. The electric schematic block diagram of a reach-type forklift. The flowchart for demonstrating an effect | action. The outline top view for explaining the situation where a reach type forklift runs.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a reach type forklift will be described below with reference to the drawings. The reach-type forklift of this embodiment can be used with or without boarding. That is, while a person can ride and drive, automatic driving can be performed without a person getting on.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reach type forklift 10 includes a machine base 11. The machine base 11 has a pair of left and right reach legs 12 extending forward. A front wheel 13 is disposed in front of the reach leg 12. Thus, a pair of left and right front wheels 13 is provided on the front side of the machine base 11.

  A rear wheel 14 and a caster wheel (auxiliary wheel) 15 are disposed behind the machine base 11. The rear wheel 14 is provided on the left side of the machine base 11, and the caster wheel 15 is provided on the right side of the machine base 11. The rear wheels 14 are drive wheels and steered wheels.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reach type forklift 10 travels with three wheels of two front wheels 13 and one rear wheel 14. On the machine base 11, a traveling motor 16, a steering motor 17, and a battery 18 serving as an electric power source of the traveling motor 16 and the steering motor 17 are mounted. Then, the rear wheel 14 is rotationally driven by the traveling motor 16 and steered by the steering motor 17.

  The reach type forklift 10 includes a cargo handling device 19 in front of the machine base 11. The cargo handling device 19 includes masts 20 that move back and forth along each reach leg 12 by driving a reach cylinder (not shown). In front of the mast 20, a pair of left and right forks 21 are provided via lift brackets 22. The fork 21 moves up and down along the mast 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reach-type forklift 10 is provided with a standing type operator cab 23 at the rear of the machine base 11. Steering tables 24 a and 24 b are provided in front of and to the left of the cab 23. On a steering table 24 a located in front of the cab 23, a direction lever 25 that causes the reach-type forklift 10 to travel is provided, and a plurality of cargo handling levers 26 that operate the cargo handling device 19. The direction lever 25 is operated to rotationally drive the rear wheel 14 to drive the vehicle. Specifically, when the direction lever 25 is turned forward, it is forward, and when the direction lever 25 is turned backward, it is reverse. In the relationship between the operation amount of the direction lever 25 and the vehicle speed, the vehicle speed is increased as the operation amount of the direction lever 25 is larger. Therefore, when there is a difference between the operation amount of the direction lever 25 and the actual vehicle speed, the vehicle speed is controlled to be the vehicle speed according to the operation amount of the direction lever 25.

  Then, the operation direction of the direction lever 25 and the operation amount of the direction lever 25 are detected by sensors, and the traveling motor 16 is controlled. Thus, the rear wheel 14 is driven at a speed according to the amount of operation in the direction of travel according to the direction of operation of the direction lever 25.

  A steering wheel 24 for steering the rear wheel 14 is provided on a steering table 24 b located to the left of the cab 23. Further, a brake pedal 28 is provided on the floor of the cab 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29 is provided on the rear surface of the machine base 11. By operating the boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29, it is possible to switch between a boarding mode in which a person rides and performs driving and a non-boarding mode in which an automatic operation is performed without a person getting on.

  At the time of non-boarding mode setting, it travels while detecting the guide wire (for example, magnetic type lead wire) 50 embedded in the floor with a sensor (for example, magnetic sensor), and detects the mark M installed on the floor. Driving is done. That is, since the reach type forklift 10 reads the mark M while being guided by the guide line 50, and the mark M is a relative address (relative current position), what should be done at that address is determined in advance. Run according to this rule.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a head guard 30 is attached to the cab 23 of the reach type forklift 10. Specifically, a support 31 is provided upright on the machine base 11, and an upper frame 32 is provided at the upper end of the support 31.

  A blue light 33 is provided at the center in the left-right direction on the rear side end face of the upper frame 32. As shown in FIG. 1, the blue light 33 is attached so that the optical axis is directed obliquely backward and downward so that the optical axis is at a position separated by a predetermined distance at the rear of the machine base 11. The floor surface 51 of can be illuminated with colored light in a spotwise manner. The blue light from the blue light 33 along with the lighting of the blue light 33 makes it possible to notify the operator working behind the existence of the forklift 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the machine base 11 is provided with a controller 34.
As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 34 has a function of executing various processes in a predetermined procedure, and includes a storage unit 35 that stores information of various controls such as a control program. Connected to the controller 34 are a direction lever sensor 36, a steering wheel operation sensor 37, a vehicle speed sensor 38, a boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29, an induction sensor 39, a mark sensor 40, a traveling motor 16, a steering motor 17, and a blue light 33. ing. The controller 34 can control the traveling motor 16 so that the rotational direction and rotational speed of the rotatably driven rear wheel 14 can be adjusted. The controller 34 can control the steering motor 17 so that the steering angle of the steerable rear wheel 14 can be adjusted. The controller 34 can control the travel motor 16 and the steering motor 17 to travel a predetermined travel path.

  The direction lever sensor 36 detects the operating direction of the direction lever 25 and the amount of operation of the direction lever 25. The operation direction of the direction lever 25 is a forward instruction direction for advancing the reach type forklift 10 and a reverse instruction direction for reversing. The direction lever sensor 36 outputs, to the controller 34, an electrical signal corresponding to the operation direction and the amount of operation of the direction lever 25. The controller 34 controls the traveling motor 16 so as to drive the rear wheel 14 at a speed according to the amount of operation in the direction of travel according to the direction of operation of the direction lever 25.

  The steering wheel operation sensor 37 is disposed on the steering wheel 27 and detects an operation amount (angle) of the steering wheel 27. The steering wheel operation sensor 37 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of operation of the steering wheel 27 to the controller 34. The controller 34 controls the steering motor 17 to adjust the direction of the rear wheel 14 as a steered wheel so that the steering angle corresponds to the operation amount (angle) of the steering wheel 27.

  The vehicle speed sensor 38 detects the rotation of the rear wheel 14 to calculate the vehicle speed. The controller 34 can detect from the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 38 whether or not the rear wheel 14 has actually been rotated rearward.

  The induction sensor 39 detects the induction wire 50 embedded in the floor and sends the result to the controller 34. The mark sensor 40 detects the mark M installed on the floor surface 51, and sends the result (the reading result of the mark M on the floor surface 51) to the controller 34.

  The controller 34 performs setting of a boarding mode in which a person rides and operates, or setting of a non-boarding mode in which automatic operation is performed without a person on the basis of a signal from the boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29. During automatic operation, the controller 34 controls the traveling motor 16 and the steering motor 17 to travel along the guiding wire 50 based on the detection result of the guiding wire 50 by the guiding sensor 39 and the detection result of the mark M by the mark sensor 40. Control the vehicle speed and steering.

The controller 34 controls the blue light 33 to turn on / off, that is, to control turning on and off.
When the blue light 33 is controlled to be on / off by the controller 34, the blue light 33 can be turned on during a manned operation (during a boarding operation). An example will be described. (A) always off (off), (b) always on (on) by mode selection etc. (c) turn on the blue light 33 when the direction lever (travel drive lever) 25 is back operated, d) The blue light 33 is turned on when the rear drive wheel 14 as a traveling drive wheel is rotated backward. Specifically, in (c), the blue light 33 is turned on as a reflection of the operator's intention to move backward, and in (d), the blue light 33 is turned on when the rear wheel 14 actually starts to rotate in the back direction.

Next, the operation of the reach type forklift 10 will be described.
The controller 34 executes the control shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 34 takes in the operation position of the boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29 in step S100 and determines whether or not the automatic operation is in progress from the operation position of the boarding operation / automatic operation switching switch 29. If the automatic driving is in progress, the process proceeds to step S101. If the automatic driving is in progress and the boarding operation is in progress, the process proceeds to step S102.

The controller 34 controls the on / off of the blue light 33 according to whether or not the predetermined light on condition is satisfied in step S102.
Specifically, for example, as described above, the blue light 33 is turned on / off during the boarding operation. That is, (a) always off, (b) always on, or (c) the blue light 33 is turned on when the direction lever (travel drive lever) 25 is back operated, or (d) travel When the rear wheel 14 which is a driving wheel rotates in the back direction, the blue light 33 is turned on.

In step S101, the controller 34 controls the on / off of the blue light 33 according to the mark M which is setting data (path information) on the path.
A specific traveling example will be described with reference to FIG. In the plan view of FIG. 5, the horizontal plane is defined by orthogonal X and Y directions.

  In FIG. 5, the reach-type forklift 10 automatically operates along the guiding line 50. The reach type forklift 10 loads the load W on the fork 21 at the point A. And the reach-type forklift 10 carrying the load W travels the route R1 → the route R2 → the route R3 in reverse. The route R1 extends in the X direction. The path R2 extends in the Y direction. The path R3 extends in the X direction. The path R1 is bent at a right angle at a point P1 from the path R2. From the path R2 to the path R3, the point R2 is bent at a right angle, and from the point P2 the path R4 extends in the Y direction and the path R5 extends in the X direction. In the route R4, there is an area D in which the worker works.

  When going straight on in the Y direction on the route R2, it passes through the coexistence area B with people. The route R3 is a motor vehicle exclusive passage C, and the motor vehicle exclusive passage C is a work place through which only the reach type forklift 10 passes and workers do not coexist.

  After passing coexistence area B with people, it turns 90 degrees and travels route R3, but works ahead of turning point (turning point) P2 which turns 90 degrees ahead of coexistence area B with people in Y direction There are people who feel that lighting of the blue light 33 is troublesome in the area D.

  A mark M1 is provided at the entrance of the coexistence area B with people in the travel route, and a mark M2 is provided at the exit of the coexistence area B with people. The mark M1 is a command to write on and the mark M2 is a command to write off.

  When traveling on such a route, the blue light 33 is turned off (turns off) from the point A to the front of the coexistence area B with people. Then, the marks M1 and M2 in the traveling route are read, and on / off of the blue light 33 is controlled based on the route information by the marks M1 and M2. Specifically, in the coexistence area B with people, the blue light 33 is turned on (lit). Therefore, in the coexistence area B with people, it is possible to urge attention by lighting the blue light 33.

  And if it passes through coexistence area B with a person, blue light 33 will be turned off (lights out). Then, with the blue light 33 turned off (turned off), it turns 90 degrees at point P2 and continues traveling. Thereafter, while the blue light 33 is turned off (turned off), the passage C is passed while the blue light is turned off (turned off).

  In this way, if the blue light is turned on (turned on) when turning 90 degrees at point P2 from the coexistence area B with people (if the blue light is not turned off at the mark M2), work is performed in the work area D Even if the forklift does not go to the work area D, a warning is given by the blue light to a worker, so that the lighting of the blue light 33 is felt to be bothersome. However, since the blue light is turned off at the mark M2, a person working in the work area D does not feel bothersome. Further, after turning by 90 degrees at P2, since it is the dedicated passage C for the motor vehicle, no worker coexists, so it is not necessary to call attention by turning on the blue light 33. Therefore, in the passage C for motor vehicles, the blue light can be turned off to reduce the power consumption by the blue light, and energy saving of the forklift can be achieved.

  In the case of a route where the reach type forklift 10 does not turn 90 degrees at P2 and goes straight ahead and passes through the work area D, the blue light is not turned off at the mark M2 and the blue light remains on while passing And alert the workers.

A comparative example will be described.
As a comparative example, in order to notify the worker located at the rear of the forklift 10 with the blue light 33 in the presence of the forklift 10 in the manned forklift, the conditions for lighting the blue light 33 during the boarding operation can be selected as follows. .

As one of them, it is always off.
As the second, always on.
As the third, it interlocks with the back operation of the direction lever (travel drive lever) 25.

As the fourth, it interlocks with the back direction rotation of the rear wheel (traveling drive wheel) 14.
On the other hand, in the case of an automatically operated forklift (reach-type forklift 10), work is performed in a predetermined route and work place. At this time, it is better to temporarily cancel the alerting due to the lighting of the blue light 33 when the work place is such that the workers do not coexist or when the worker feels that the lighting of the blue light 33 is troublesome. However, in the case where the blue light 33 is lit under the same conditions as the above-mentioned manned forklift, there is a need to temporarily cancel the alerting due to the lighting of the blue light 33 (the need to temporarily not turn on the light) I can not respond.

  In the present embodiment, data to turn on / off the blue light 33 is set in advance according to the route based on the read mark (data), and during automatic operation it is in the middle of traveling or the like according to the data Also by controlling the on / off of the blue light 33, it is possible to meet the need to temporarily cancel the alerting due to the lighting of the blue light 33 (the need to not perform lighting temporarily). Therefore, the blue light can be appropriately turned on / off from the viewpoint of alerting, annoyance of the worker, and energy saving.

  In addition, in the case of the autonomous driving forklift (reach-type forklift 10) of the boarding and driving type, the condition described above during the boarding operation (the first is always off as the part 2. the second is always on. The third is the traveling drive). It interlocks with the back operation of the lever. (4) It can also be turned on / off with the back direction rotation of the traveling drive wheel.

  Specifically, the function of the blue light 33 informing the rear worker of the presence of the forklift 10 is impaired, and the function of the blue light 33 of the manned forklift (reach-type forklift 10) is impaired during on-and-off operation. The on / off of the blue light 33 can be suitably controlled during automatic operation.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A blue light 33 as a light for illuminating the floor behind the machine base 11 as a construction of the reach type forklift 10 as an industrial vehicle which travels a predetermined traveling route by controlling the motors 16 and 17. A controller 34 is provided as a light control unit that controls on / off of the blue light 33 based on the route information during automatic operation. Therefore, since on / off of the blue light 33 is controlled based on the route information during automatic operation by the controller 34 as the light control unit, the blue light 33 can be lighted at an appropriate position during automatic operation. .

  (2) The controller 34 as the light control unit controls the on / off of the blue light 33 based on the route information by the mark M by reading the mark M in the traveling route. Therefore, route information can be easily obtained.

(3) The blue light 33 can be usefully used because it can be operated automatically without a person on it and can be operated with a person on board.
The embodiment is not limited to the above, and may be embodied as follows, for example.

  ○ On / off of the blue light 33 was controlled based on the route information by the mark M by reading the mark M on the floor surface while being guided by the guiding wire 50. Instead of this, the present invention may be applied to the case of traveling while recognizing the current position of the machine base by GPS or the like without using the guiding wire. In this case, the on / off control of the light is controlled by detecting the current position of the machine base instead of the mark.

  Specifically, on / off of the blue light 33 is controlled from the map information and the current position of the vehicle. That is, the controller 34 as the light control unit controls on / off of the blue light 33 as the light using the position information on the coordinates (for example, the XY coordinates in FIG. 5) of the machine base 11 in the traveling route as the route information. . Specifically, for example, it turns on at point P10 (X10, Y10) in FIG. 5 and turns off at point P11 (X11, Y11) in FIG. In this case, accurate route information can be obtained.

  ○ In the forklift 10, the light is irradiated to the rear floor surface by the light (blue light 33), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the front floor surface may be illuminated. Alternatively, light may be applied to both the rear floor and the front floor. The point is that the light may illuminate at least one of the rear and front floor surfaces of the platform 11.

○ Although applied to the reach type forklift, it may be applied to other forklifts.
○ Besides forklifts, it may be applied to other industrial vehicles such as towing vehicles. In the case of a forklift, it is better to light the back with lights, and in the case of a tow car, it is better to light the front.

○ The light irradiated to the floor was blue (blue), but it is not limited to this and may be a color other than blue light. For example, it may be red light or white light.
○ Although the industrial vehicle is a dual-purpose type that can be used with or without boarding, it may instead be dedicated for non-boarding.

  10 ... reach type forklift, 11 ... machine base, 14 ... rear wheel, 16 ... traveling motor, 17 ... steering motor, 33 ... blue light, 34 ... controller, 51 ... floor surface, M ... mark.

Claims (4)

In an industrial vehicle that controls a motor and travels a predetermined traveling route,
Lights that illuminate at least one of the floor front and rear of the platform;
A light control unit that controls on / off of the light based on the route information during automatic operation;
An industrial vehicle characterized by comprising:   2. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light control unit controls on / off of the light based on route information of the mark by reading a mark on a traveling route.   The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light control unit controls on / off of the light by using position information on coordinates of the machine on a traveling route as the route information. The industrial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein automatic driving is possible without a person on the vehicle and a human being can ride the vehicle.