JPH0656399A - Fork-lift truck - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a job for storage control over a pallet achievable in an efficient manner by installing an arm state detector, detecting the height of a pallet lifting arm (fork) and its tilt angle, and a bar code reader, respectively. CONSTITUTION:This fork-lift truck 5 is provided with an arm state detecting part, detecting the height of an arm and its tilt angle, and a bar code scanner part for reading a bar code 14 stuck to a load and a pallet storage rack. At the time of driving the fork-lit truck 5, scanning is performed to the bar code scanner part by a computer part, and as for the arm state detecting part, whether a fork lift has uplifted the pallet or not is checked by it. Accordingly, such a recognition that what the pallet is stowed in which place is made possible from those of data of the pallet 11 at a time when this fork-lift truck 5 uplifted this pallet 11 and the bar code showing a location at a time when it unloads the pallet 11 and pulls out the arm.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a forklift.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional forklift, when moving a pallet or a pallet and a load by the forklift, information about the movement is often dependent on the memory and visual inspection of a forklift operator, or the operator is required to input position information. In any case, the structure was such that the degree of dependence on the operator would be extremely high.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the pallet position information depends on the memory of the operator, and there are the following drawbacks. 1. Because it relies on the five humans, there are mistakes that you forget or misunderstand. 2. If the worker takes a rest, it is difficult to transfer the information up to the previous day. 3. Others have difficulty grasping the position of each pallet. 4. The location information cannot be recognized in real time. 5. When the operator is made to input the positional information, the efficiency of the original work is reduced by the input work. Also, some technical education must be given to the worker in order to input. 6. When the operator inputs the positional information, the work is performed while driving the forklift, so that the attention is distracted and an unexpected disaster may occur.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a bar code reading device and an arm position detecting device in a forklift to read the location of a pallet for luggage and detect the state of the arm of the forklift.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a forklift truck that can move luggage accurately and quickly.

A second object of the present invention is to further provide a forklift equipped with a device for constantly grasping the position and working condition of the arm of the forklift in an office.

A third object of the present invention is to further provide a forklift equipped with a device for exchanging information between a forklift operator and an office.

[0007]

A forklift according to the present invention comprises an arm state detecting device for detecting the height and tilt angle of a pallet lifting arm, and a bar for reading a bar code attached to a pallet or luggage and a pallet storage rack. And a code reading device.

Furthermore, it is desirable to have a three-dimensional position information recognition device or a wireless communication device that recognizes the spatial position of the arm, and it is more desirable to have both devices.

[0009]

With the functions of the arm state detecting device and the bar code reading device provided in the forklift, the forklift itself can automatically recognize the loaded items and position information of the pallet.

Further, by providing a three-dimensional position information detecting device, it is possible to automatically manage the position information of the pallet by the forklift itself.

Further, by providing a wireless device, it is possible to send the information to a computer or the like in the office in real time.

Since all of these devices are provided, the positional information of the load, pallet, and forklift itself can be always managed in real time in the office, and the load can be processed more efficiently.

[0013]

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

FIG. 1 is an electric block diagram of an embodiment of the forklift of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing a bar code being read by emitting a laser beam for scanning a bar code toward a pallet. Is a schematic side view showing a state where the pallet is stored in the pallet storage shelf, FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing that the pallet is retracting from the storage shelf after storing the pallet, and FIG. It is a flowchart which reads the barcode plate shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the forklift 5 of the present embodiment has an arm state detector 1 for detecting the height and tilt angle of the arm 15 for lifting the pallet 11, the pallet 11, or Barcodes 14, 14 attached to luggage 19 and pallet storage shelves 16
It is provided with a bar code scanner unit 2 for reading a and 18, a microcomputer unit 3 for controlling the arm state detection unit 1 and the bar code scanner unit 2, and a computer unit 4 having the microcomputer unit 3 built therein.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the above structure, the computer unit 4 is activated when the power of the forklift 5 is turned on, the microcomputer unit 3 causes the bar code scanner unit 2 to always perform bar code scanning, and the arm state detection unit 1 Have them check if the forklift has lifted the pallet.

Then, the forklift 5 is moved to the pallet 11
When the bar is lifted, the bar code scanner section 2 immediately before
Read data from the pallet 1 that is being lifted
The data is 1.

When the forklift 5 lowers the pallet 11 and retracts to pull out the arm 15, the bar code scanner unit 2 reads the bar code 18 indicating the location currently set in the storage place.

As a result, it becomes possible to recognize which pallet is stored in which place.

As is clear from the image of FIG. 2 in which the forklift 5 reads the bar code sticker 12 attached to the front pallet 11, the worker 6 on the forklift 5 moves the load on the pallet 11. do.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the bar code reading section 7 for reading the bar code 12 on the front side, and the exit hole 9 of the laser beam 10 for actually reading the bar code is shown. Laser beam 10 emitted from forklift 5
Is directed to the pallet with the barcode sticker 12 attached. Enlarged view of the part where the barcode sticker 12 is attached 13
The sticker of the bar code 14 shown in (1) indicates a pallet number or a product name.

Next, the worker 6 moves the forklift 5 forward to move the pallet 11 in front.
At this time, the barcode scanning laser beam 10 emitted from the forklift 5 reads the barcode sticker 14 of the front pallet 11. For convenience, the barcode sticker 14a attached to the surface of the luggage 19 can be read. From these, it is possible to know the number of the pallet 11 or the loaded product code.

First, the arm 15 lifts the pallet 11 of the forklift 5, as clearly shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 3 when the pallet 11 is actually stored in the shelf. Luggage 19
Aim the forklift 5 toward the direction where there is an empty space 17 on the shelf 16 for storing the pallet 11 carrying the
Move in the direction of. And empty space 1 on shelf 16
The pallet 11 is stored in 7.

After storing the pallet 11 on the shelf 16 as shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 4, the forklift 5 moves in the direction of arrow B away from the shelf 16. Before and after this storage operation, the bar code panel 18 indicating the location of the shelf 16 is read by the laser beam 10 and grasped by the computer unit 4.

More specifically, in order to pull out the arm 15 from the pallet 11, the inclination of the arm, that is, the so-called tilt angle is lowered (horizontal) and the arm 15 is retracted in the traveling direction B. At this time, the computer of the forklift 5 is moved. The unit emits a laser beam 10 for scanning a bar code and reads a bar code indicating the location of a shelf 16 containing a pallet 11.

With this, it is possible to obtain information as to what the product that has just been moved and which shelf of which shelf has been stored.

In the flowchart showing the timing of reading the bar code panel shown in FIG. 5, the program start 20 is performed when the power of the forklift is turned on. Next, when the forklift puts the arm in the pallet and lifts the pallet, the arm is slightly tilted, that is, tilted. It is determined whether or not this operation, that is, the arm-up 21 is performed. The arm angle is then flattened as the forklift lowers the pallet and retracts.
It is determined whether or not this operation, that is, the operation of the arm down 22 is performed. Then, after the operation 23a of reading the barcode plate indicating the location is performed, the check system of the arm-up 21 is returned to again.

In this way, it is possible to grasp the time of lifting during pallet operation work and the time of unloading to the shelf, and it is possible to always grasp the positional information of the product and the pallet, so that the pallet work can be performed efficiently. You can

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

Regarding the second embodiment, FIG. 6 is an electrical block diagram of the second embodiment in which the gyro 25 is provided in the microcomputer section 3 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 shows the gyro of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flow chart for receiving data, and FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing the loading operation in the present embodiment when there is no storage shelf,
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing that the present embodiment is processing a pallet temporarily placed in a passage or the like.

In this embodiment, a gyro 25 as a three-dimensional position information recognition device for recognizing the spatial position of the arm 15 of the forklift 5 is built in the computer unit 4 of the first embodiment.

As in the first embodiment, the computer section 4
When the forklift 5 starts operating when the power of the forklift 5 is turned on, first, the microcomputer unit 3 continues to scan the bar code existing in front of the forklift 5 with the bar code scanner 2. Then, the bar code immediately before the forklift 5 moves forward to lift the pallet is determined to be the final bar code.

The forklift 5 lifts the pallet,
Move it to the specified position and store it. At this time, when the arm detection unit 1 detects the arm down, the microcomputer unit 3 receives the three-dimensional position information at that time from the gyro 25. That is, which pallet (baggage) the forklift has stored in which place is automatically recorded in the computer unit 4 without any operation by the forklift operator. Further, by transferring the recorded data to the computer of the office later, it is possible to smoothly manage the location of the warehouse or the like.

The timing of reading the three-dimensional position information 23b is shown in the flowchart of FIG. By repeating the operation shown in the figure, the forklift recognizes when the pallet is lifted and when it is unloaded.

Since this embodiment has a gyro 25 which is a three-dimensional position information recognizing device, as shown in FIG.
The pallet and the load can be clearly managed even when the location is unclear, such as the case where the load and the pallet are stacked without the 6 in the state 28.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, even when the luggage / pallets 29, 30, 31 are temporarily placed in the passage because the storage space 17 is insufficient, the location can be grasped as data. There is no risk of being lost as in the past.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is an electrical block diagram of the third embodiment in which the microcomputer section 3 of the first embodiment is provided with the radio section 26 and the antenna 27.

In this embodiment, a radio unit 26 for performing wireless data communication and an electric wave transmitting / receiving antenna 27 are further provided in the first embodiment so that location management of pallets can be performed in real time. Is. The position where the product code or the pallet number having the product code read by the barcode scanner unit 2 is finally stored is transmitted to the computer in the office or the like by the wireless unit 25. As a result, the location information of the pallet, which was conventionally unknown until the worker returned to the office, can be processed in real time, and the system of the location management system will be further improved.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 11 is an electrical block diagram of the fourth embodiment in which the radio unit 26 and the antenna 27 are provided in the microcomputer unit 3 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 12 is the fifth embodiment (35).
39 is a diagram showing a state in which the locations (1) to (39) are displayed on the screen 34 of the display 33 of the office.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 11, this embodiment has both components of the second embodiment and the third embodiment, and therefore has the functions of both embodiments. ing. The forklift of this embodiment has a function of managing not only the location information of pallets but also the location information of its own arm. As shown in FIG. 12, the forklifts 35 to 39 moving in the warehouse are displayed on the screen 34 of the display 33 on the desk 32 of the office. The forklifts 35 to 39 wirelessly send their position information to the computer in the office and display the position on the screen 34 at a predetermined cycle. This makes it possible to know which forklift truck is carrying which luggage and where it was carried in the office. Therefore, a more thorough management system for forklifts and luggage can be established.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, the forklift is equipped with the arm state detecting device and the bar code reading device, so that the storage management of the pallets can be efficiently performed. Further, by providing the three-dimensional position information recognition as in the second embodiment, information can be obtained even when the position of the pallet cannot be specified, and by providing the wireless communication device as in the third embodiment, The forklift position etc. can be grasped in real time. Furthermore, the second
In the case of the fourth embodiment having the functions of the both third embodiments,
Pallet position information and forklift position can be grasped in real time at a remote office.

In this way, the present invention has an effect that it can contribute to the establishment of an efficient management system for pallets / loads and forklifts.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electric block diagram of an embodiment of a forklift of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing that a laser beam for scanning a barcode is emitted toward a pallet and a barcode is being read in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing that the present embodiment is in the process of storing pallets in a pallet storage rack.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing that the present embodiment is retracting from a storage rack after storing a pallet.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for reading a bar code plate showing a location where a pallet is lifted and stored according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an electric block diagram of a second embodiment in which the gyro 25 is provided in the microcomputer section 3 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for receiving data from the gyro of this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a loading operation according to the present embodiment when there is no storage shelf.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing that a pallet temporarily placed in a passage or the like is being processed in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an electric block diagram of a third embodiment in which the microcomputer unit 3 of the first embodiment is provided with a wireless unit 26 and an antenna 27.

FIG. 11 is an electrical block diagram of a fourth embodiment in which the microcomputer unit 3 of the second embodiment is provided with the wireless unit 26 and the antenna 27.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the locations of five units of the present embodiment (35 to 39) are displayed on the screen 34 of the display 33 of the office.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 arm state detection unit 2 bar code scanner unit 3 microcomputer unit 4 computer unit 5 fork 6 worker 7 bar code reading unit 8 7 enlarged view 9 laser beam exit hole 10 laser beam 11 pallet 12 pallet barcode sticker 13 12 enlarged view 14 Pallet bar code 14a Luggage bar code 15 Arm 16 Pallet storage shelf 17 Empty space 18 Shelf bar code 19 Luggage 20 Start 21 Arm up check 22 Arm down check 23a Bar code reading 23b 3D position information reading 24 22 Return to 25 Gyro 26 Wireless section 27 Antenna 28 Stacked luggage / pallet 29-31 Temporary luggage / pallet 32 Office desk 33 Display 34 Display screen 35-39 Position A direction Kurifuto (toward yard) B direction (away from the yard)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A forklift, comprising: an arm state detecting device for detecting the height and tilt angle of a pallet lifting arm; and a bar code reading device for reading a bar code attached to a pallet or a load and a pallet storage rack. A forklift that is characterized by: 2. The forklift according to claim 1, further comprising a three-dimensional position information recognition device that recognizes a spatial position of the arm. 3. The forklift according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication device.