JP2024067784A - Load-carrying platform adjustment device - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a burden on a driver in load-carrying platform height adjustment.SOLUTION: A load-carrying platform height adjustment device 9 includes: a rear underrun protector 4 which is installed at the rear side of a vehicle 1 and extends in the vehicle width direction; measuring parts 5L, 5R which are provided on at least one end in the longitudinal direction of the rear underrun protector 4 to measure distances to an object behind the vehicle and to an object underneath the vehicle; an instruction part 13 which instructs the start of load-carrying platform height adjustment; a lifting control part 11 which adjusts the current load-carrying platform height calculated based on the distance to the object underneath the vehicle measured by the measuring parts 5L, 5R to the preset height as the height of the load-carrying platform in the time of loading and unloading operations when the start of the load-carrying platform height adjustment is instructed; and a warning part 12 that generates a warning when the distance to the object behind the vehicle measured by the measuring parts 5L and 5R is less than a predetermined distance in a case where the start of the load-carrying platform height adjustment is instructed from the instruction part 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This case concerns a bed height adjustment device for vehicles with a bed, such as trucks.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, high-riding vehicles such as trucks are equipped with underrun protection devices to prevent other low-riding vehicles such as passenger cars from rolling under the vehicle in the event of a collision.
There are two types of underrun protection: a front underrun protection provided at the front of the vehicle, and a rear underrun protection (hereinafter, also referred to as RUP. RUP is an abbreviation for Rear Underrun Protector) provided at the rear of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rear underrun protection that is arranged at the rear of the vehicle and is made of a rod-shaped member extending along the width direction of the vehicle (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-171390 A

In warehouses, trucks sometimes load and unload cargo onto platforms whose floors are higher than the ground. In order to facilitate smooth loading and unloading, the height of the cargo bed is adjusted to match the height of the platform. Specifically, the truck driver first backs up the vehicle to bring the rear end of the cargo bed closer to the platform, and then adjusts the height of the cargo bed to match the platform.

When adjusting the height of the loading platform, the driver must visually check the reverse position and the height of the loading platform. Therefore, adjusting the loading platform height during loading and unloading is time-consuming. Therefore, there is room for improvement in reducing the burden on the driver when adjusting the loading platform height of a vehicle equipped with a loading platform.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one of its objects is to reduce the burden on the driver when adjusting the height of a cargo bed in a vehicle equipped with a cargo bed.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized as the following aspects or application examples.
A loading platform height adjustment device according to an example application is a loading platform height adjustment device for a vehicle equipped with a loading platform, and includes: a rear underrun protector attached to the rear of the vehicle and consisting of a rod-shaped member extending in the vehicle width direction; a measurement unit provided at at least one longitudinal end of the rear underrun protector and configured to measure the distance to an object behind the vehicle and the distance to an object below the vehicle; an instruction unit for instructing the start of loading platform height adjustment; a lifting control unit that, when an instruction is given to start loading platform height adjustment from the instruction unit, drives the loading platform height up and down to match the current loading platform height calculated based on the distance to the object below the vehicle measured by the measurement unit to a height that is preset as the loading platform height during loading and unloading operations; and an alarm unit that, when an instruction is given to start loading platform height adjustment from the instruction unit, issues an alarm if the distance to the object behind the vehicle measured by the measurement unit is less than a predetermined distance.

In a vehicle equipped with a bed height adjustment device according to the application example, when the driver issues a command from the command unit to start adjusting the bed height during loading and unloading operations, the lifting and lowering control unit automatically adjusts the bed height to a predetermined height. This makes it easy to adjust the bed height. Also, if the distance to an object behind the vehicle measured by the measurement unit is less than the predetermined distance, the alarm unit issues an alarm. The alarm assists in the reversing of the vehicle, making it easy to reverse the vehicle to just before the platform.
This reduces the burden on the driver when adjusting the bed height.

The bed height adjustment device according to the application example can reduce the burden on the driver when adjusting the bed height of a vehicle equipped with a bed.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a bed height adjustment device according to an application example. 2 is a plan view showing a main portion of the rear underrun protection shown in FIG. 1; 3A is an exploded plan view showing a main portion of the rear underrun protection, and FIG. 3B is an exploded rear view showing a main portion of the rear underrun protection. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the platform height adjustment control, showing the state in which the vehicle is parked on a platform in a warehouse. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams relating to a modified example, where 13A is a plan view of a main portion of a rear underrun protection, and 13B is a rear view of a main portion of the rear underrun protection.

The loading platform height adjustment device according to the application examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The application examples are merely illustrative, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the application examples. The configurations of the application examples can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the application examples. The configurations of the application examples can be selected as necessary, or can be appropriately combined with various configurations included in the publicly known technology.
In the following description, the fore-and-aft direction (vehicle fore-and-aft direction D1), left-and-right direction (vehicle width direction D2), and up-and-down direction (vehicle height direction D3) are defined based on a vehicle equipped with the cargo bed height adjustment device of this application example.

[1. Configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 equipped with a bed height adjustment device 9 according to this embodiment.
The vehicle 1 is provided with a cargo bed 3. In Fig. 1, a truck provided with a cab 2 and a cargo bed 3 is taken as an example of the vehicle 1. The cab 2 and the cargo bed 3 are indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 1. Note that the type of vehicle 1 is not limited to a truck as long as it is a vehicle provided with a cargo bed.

The cab 2 is disposed at the front of the vehicle 1 and has a driver's seat provided therein.
A cargo bed 3 is disposed behind the vehicle 1 with respect to the cab 2. The cargo bed 3 is a platform-shaped portion for carrying luggage, and is attached to a frame (not shown).
A rear underrun protector (hereinafter referred to as "RUP"; RUP is an abbreviation for Rear Underrun Protector) 4 is provided at the rear end of the loading platform 3 (vehicle 1). The RUP 4 is provided to prevent another vehicle that collides with the rear of the vehicle 1 from sliding underneath, and is made of a metal hollow rod-shaped member extending in the vehicle width direction D2. The RUP 4 is attached to the rear end of the frame of the vehicle 1 (not shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 in FIG. 4) via a stay (not shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 in FIG. 4).

In FIG. 1, the components of the platform height adjustment device 9 are shown surrounded by a dashed line.
Distance sensors 5L, 5R (measuring units) are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction D2) of the RUP 4. Each of the distance sensors 5L, 5R is a distance detection means that measures the distance (front-rear distance) to an object present behind the vehicle (vehicle front-rear direction D1) and the distance (vertical distance) to an object present below the vehicle (vehicle height direction D3, perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1). That is, in this embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which the front-rear distance and the vertical distance are each output as a detection signal using one sensor (each of the distance sensors 5L, 5R).
Any type of conventionally known distance detection means may be applied as the distance sensors 5L and 5R, and examples of the distance sensors 5L and 5R include an infrared distance sensor, a laser distance sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

By measuring the front-to-rear distance with the distance sensors 5L and 5R, the distance to an object present behind the RUP4 (vehicle 1) can be measured. By measuring the top-to-bottom distance with the distance sensors 5L and 5R, the distance to an object present below the RUP4 (vehicle 1) can be measured. Here, the object present below the RUP4 is typically the road surface. In other words, the top-to-bottom distance corresponds to the height from the road surface (the tire contact surface) to the distance sensors 5L and 5R.

2 is a plan view of one end (left side) of the main part of the RUP 4 as viewed from above the vehicle 1. The left and right ends of the RUP 4 have the same structure. Therefore, only the structure of the left end of the RUP 4 will be described with reference to the drawings, and a description of the structure of the right end will be omitted.
As shown in Fig. 2, a cap member 6L incorporating a distance sensor 5L (shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 2) is attached to the end of the RUP 4. Fig. 3(a) is a plan view showing the RUP 4 and the cap member 6L disassembled, and Fig. 3(b) is a rear view showing the RUP 4 and the cap member 6L disassembled. Note that the distance sensor 5L is omitted in Figs. 3(a) and (b).

3A and 3B, an end of the RUP 4 forms an opening 4B that connects a hollow portion 4A (shown by a dashed line in the figure) in the RUP 4 to the outside. A cap member 6L is inserted into the hollow portion 4A from the opening 4B.
The cap member 6L is made of a resin member formed into a three-dimensional shape, and functions as both a protective cover that covers the end (edge) of the RUP 4 and a sensor mount for attaching the distance sensor 5L to the RUP 4. The installation position of this cap member 6L is set outside in the vehicle width direction of the load application point of the RUP 4 specified by regulations.

The cap member 6L includes a foot 6A (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) that is inserted into the hollow portion 4A when attached to the RUP 4, and a head 6B that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the RUP 4 on the opposite side to the foot 6A (outside the vehicle width direction D2). A cavity 6C (shown by a dashed line in the figure) is provided inside the cap member 6L. When the cap member 6L is attached to the RUP 4, the cavity 6C is connected to the hollow portion 4A at one end and to the outside at the other end.

The outer diameter of the foot 6A of the cap member 6L is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the hollow portion 4A in the RUP 4, and the cap member 6L can be attached (fixed) to the end of the RUP 4 by inserting the foot 6A into the hollow portion 4A in the RUP 4 and fixing it with screws 4C on the top and bottom sides. Because the cap member 6L is attached by an insertion method into the RUP 4, the cap member 6L is structured to be less likely to come off the RUP 4 compared to the conventional structure in which a protective cap is placed on the outer periphery of the RUP.

A distance sensor 5L is disposed within a cavity 6C of the head 6B.
2 and 3A, the head 6B of the cap member 6L in this embodiment has a pentagonal shape with a chamfered portion (a portion indicated by reference symbol 6D) toward the rear and left side of the vehicle 1 in a top view. The other end 6E of the cavity 6C is disposed in the chamfered portion 6D. The distance sensor 5L is attached in a position facing toward the rear and left side of the vehicle from the chamfered portion 6D.

A detection signal from the distance sensor 5L is transmitted to the VCU 10 (FIG. 1) in the vehicle 1 through a sensor cable (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) 5C.
The sensor cable 5C is routed through the cavity 6C to the hollow portion 4A of the RUP 4. The sensor cable 5C is routed through the hollow portion 4A, a stay (not shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 in FIG. 4) that supports the RUP 4, and an inside of the frame of the vehicle 1 (not shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 in FIG. 4), and is connected to the VCU 10 (see FIG. 1) in the vehicle 1.

Returning to FIG. 1, a VCU 10 is provided within the vehicle 1. The VCU 10 is an electronic control device for controlling the various devices provided in the vehicle 1, and is configured as, for example, an LSI device or embedded electronic device that integrates a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The VCU 10 performs the loading platform height adjustment control described below by executing software programs stored in memory devices such as ROM and RAM.

The VCU 10 is connected to various devices within the VCU 10 via communication lines (shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1). Specifically, an air suspension 11 and an alarm 12 are connected to the output side of the VCU 10. In addition, distance sensors 5L and 5R, a switch (indicator) 13, and a remote controller 14 are connected to the input side of the VCU 10.

The air suspension 11 is a support member that supports the frame (not shown) of the vehicle 1 so that it can be raised and lowered (moved up and down) relative to the wheels (not shown). The vehicle height can be changed by driving the air suspension 11. The raising and lowering drive of the air suspension 11 is controlled by a control signal from the VCU 10.
The alarm device 12 is a device that issues an alarm to the driver when the vehicle 1 approaches an object behind the vehicle while backing up. Examples of the alarm include issuing an alarm sound, flashing a lamp, displaying an alarm character (image) on a screen, or a combination of these. The alarm operation of the alarm device 12 is controlled by a control signal from the VCU 10.

The switch 13 is a switch for instructing the start of bed height adjustment control, which will be described later. The remote controller 14 is an operator used when manually adjusting the bed height, and instructs on/off control of the drive of the air suspension 11. When adjusting the bed height manually without using the bed height adjustment control, which will be described later, the driver adjusts the height of the bed 3 using the remote controller 14 while visually checking the height of the bed 3.
The switch 13 and the remote controller 14 are disposed, for example, near the driver's seat in the cab 2 .

2. Control
Next, the platform height adjustment control performed by the VCU 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The platform height adjustment control is a control that is performed in response to the driver's instructions (operation of switch 13) when the vehicle 1 performs loading and unloading operations on a platform 32 having a floor surface 31 located at a position higher than the ground 30, for example, in a warehouse.
When loading and unloading a cargo, the driver must back up the vehicle 1 until the rear end of the cargo bed 3 is positioned in front of the platform 32, and must align the height T1 of the cargo bed 3 with the height T2 of the platform 32. Here, the "height T1 of the cargo bed 3" is the distance from the ground 30 (the tire contact surface) to the bottom surface of the cargo bed 3. The "height T2 of the platform 32" is the distance from the ground 30 (the tire contact surface) to the floor surface 31 of the platform 32.

The bed height adjustment control includes lifting control for raising and lowering the vehicle height of the vehicle 1, warning control for issuing a warning to the driver when the vehicle 1 approaches an object behind the vehicle while reversing, and lifting control for adjusting the height T1 of the bed 3 to the height T2 of the platform 32.
That is, the bed height adjustment control is a function that assists in driving the vehicle 1 in reverse by issuing an alarm, and also automates the adjustment of the height of the bed 3.

In the lift control, the VCU 10 drives the air suspension 11 to adjust the height of the vehicle 1 based on the distance to an object below the vehicle (vertical distance Y) supplied as a detection signal from the distance sensors 5L and 5R. Adjusting the vehicle height results in adjusting the height T1 of the loading platform 3. In other words, the VCU 10 and the air suspension 11 function as a lift control unit.

Specifically, the VCU 10 calculates the current height T1 of the loading platform 3 from the detection signals (vertical distance Y) of the distance sensors 5L, 5R, and drives the air suspension 11 so as to match the calculated current height T1 of the loading platform 3 with the height T2 of the platform 32.
Since the vertical distance from the distance sensors 5L, 5R to the underside of the loading platform 3 is fixed at a predetermined distance, the VCU 10 can calculate the current height T1 of the loading platform 3 from the detection signals (vertical distance Y) of the distance sensors 5L, 5R.

The height T2 of the platform 32 is a predetermined height that is stored in advance in the storage unit 10A (FIG. 1) in the VCU 10.
The VCU 10 can adjust the height T1 of the loading platform 3 to the height T2 of the platform 32 by driving the air suspension 11 based on the difference between the calculated current height T1 of the loading platform 3 and the height T2 of the platform 32 given as a predetermined height.

The memory unit 10A pre-stores a plurality of platform heights (predetermined heights) corresponding to a plurality of work locations.
The multiple work points are multiple geographical points where loading and unloading operations are performed. Examples of the multiple work points include warehouses and baggage collection points located at various geographical points. The height of the platform 32 may vary depending on the various work points. Therefore, multiple platform heights (predetermined heights) corresponding to the multiple work points are stored (set) in advance in the memory unit 10A.

The VCU 10 identifies the work point where the vehicle 1 is currently located, obtains the platform height corresponding to the identified work point from the memory unit 10A, and sets the obtained platform height as the platform height (predetermined height) of the work point.
The work point where the vehicle 1 is currently located may be specified manually by a user input, or may be specified automatically using GPS location information. Examples of a method for specifying the work point by a user manual input include a method of inputting the name or address of a warehouse or a baggage collection point, and a method of selecting from a list of candidates for a warehouse or a baggage collection point.

In the warning control, the VCU 10 controls the warning device 12 based on the distance to an object present behind the vehicle (front-rear distance X) supplied as a detection signal from the distance sensors 5L, 5R. That is, the VCU 10 and the warning device 12 function as a warning unit.
Specifically, when the vehicle 1 is reversing, if the detection signals (front-rear distance X) from the distance sensors 5L, 5R are less than a predetermined distance, the VCU 10 activates the alarm 12 to generate an alarm.

When the vehicle 1 is reversing during loading and unloading operations, the detection signals (front-rear distance X) of the distance sensors 5L, 5R correspond to the distance between the rear end of the loading platform 3 (the rear end of the vehicle 1) and the platform 32.
The predetermined distance is preset as a distance that prevents the rear end of the vehicle 1 from coming too close to the platform 32 when the vehicle 1 is reversing.

[3. Actions and Effects]
In the vehicle 1 equipped with the bed height adjustment device 9 of this application example, when the driver presses the switch 13 during loading and unloading operations, the height T1 of the bed 3 is automatically adjusted to the height T2 (predetermined height) of the platform 32 by the above-mentioned lifting and lowering control. This makes it easy to adjust the height of the bed 3. In addition, by the above-mentioned alarm control, an alarm is generated when the vehicle 1 gets too close to the platform 32 when backing up to just before the platform 32. The alarm assists in the backing up of the vehicle 1, making it easy to back up the vehicle 1 to just before the platform 32.
This reduces the burden on the driver in adjusting the bed height during loading and unloading operations.

In addition, in the bed height adjustment device 9 of this application example, the distance sensors 5L, 5R are attached to both ends of the RUP 4. No brackets are required to attach the distance sensors 5L, 5R to the vehicle 1. If the distance sensors were attached to a location other than the RUP 4, the development and manufacturing costs of the brackets may be high depending on the attachment location. In this regard, the structure of this application example in which the distance sensors 5L, 5R are attached to both ends of the RUP 4 makes it possible to attach the distance sensors 5L, 5R to an existing vehicle 1 at low cost.

[4. Other]
In the above application example, the distance sensors 5L and 5R are configured as sensors that measure the front-rear distance and the up-down distance, but the distance sensors 5L and 5R may be configured as sensors that measure the left-right direction (the distance to an object present outside the vehicle width direction D2) in addition to the front-rear distance and the up-down distance. In this case, the VCU 10 can perform interference prevention control for a lateral object when the vehicle 1 turns, based on the left-right distance detected by the distance sensors 5L and 5R. Specifically, the interference prevention control is to activate the alarm 12 to generate an alarm when the ROH (rear overhang, see FIG. 4) on the rear side from the rear wheels becomes too close to a lateral object when the vehicle 1 turns.
Another example of an alarm function utilizing the vertical distance measured by distance sensors 5L, 5R, in addition to the above, is a function that activates an alarm 12 to generate an alarm when the underside of the rear of the vehicle gets too close to the road surface as the vehicle 1 goes up a slope.

In the above application example, the distance sensors 5L, 5R are configured as sensors that measure the front-rear distance and the up-down distance, and a structure in which one sensor is provided at each end of the RUP 4 has been given as an example, but as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), a structure in which two sensors, a first distance sensor 51 that measures the front-rear distance and a second distance sensor 52 that measures the up-down distance, are provided at each end of the RUP 4 may also be used. In this case, both the first distance sensor 51 and the second distance sensor 52 are provided within one cap member 6L.
Furthermore, distance sensors (measuring units) that measure forward/backward distances and upward/downward distances may be provided at least at one end of the RUP 4 .

1 Vehicle 2 Cab 3 Cargo bed 4 RUP (Rear Underrun Protector)
4A Hollow portion 4B Opening 4C Screw 5L, 5R Distance sensor 5C Sensor cable 6L Cap member 6A Foot portion 6B Head portion 6C Hollow portion 6D Chamfered portion 6E Other end 9 Bed height adjustment device 10 VCU
10A Memory unit 11 Air suspension 12 Alarm 13 Switch 14 Remote controller 30 Ground 31 Floor surface 32 Platform 51 First distance sensor 52 Second distance sensor D1 Vehicle longitudinal direction D2 Vehicle width direction D3 Vehicle height direction T1 Height T2 Height X Front-rear distance Y Up-down distance

Claims (1)

A bed height adjustment device for a vehicle equipped with a bed, comprising:
a rear underrun protector attached to a rear of the vehicle and consisting of a rod-shaped member extending in a vehicle width direction;
a measuring unit provided at least at one end of the rear underrun protection in a longitudinal direction thereof, the measuring unit configured to measure each of a distance to an object behind the vehicle and a distance to an object below the vehicle;
An instruction unit for instructing the start of bed height adjustment;
a lifting control unit that, when an instruction to start adjusting the platform height is received from the instruction unit, drives the lifting control unit to lift and lower the current platform height calculated based on the distance to the object below the vehicle measured by the measurement unit to a preset platform height during loading and unloading operations;
a warning unit that, when the instruction unit instructs the start of bed height adjustment, issues a warning if the distance to the object behind the vehicle measured by the measurement unit is less than a predetermined distance.

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