KR100449371B1 - Manipulation levers of forklift and forklift - Google Patents

Abstract

The operation lever 32 is located on the main frame of the forklift. The operation lever 32 is provided with the lever main body 36 mounted to the main body frame so that tilting was possible. On this lever body 36, a grip 46 is formed which is shaped to be gripped by hand with the palm facing downward. The grip 46 is rotatably mounted to the grip 46. The knob 54 is rotated by selectively moving the knob 54 up and down with the thumb of the hand holding the grip 46.

Description

Manipulation levers and forklifts for forklifts {MANIPULATION LEVERS OF FORKLIFT AND FORKLIFT}

The present invention relates to an operating lever of a forklift. In particular, the present invention relates to an operating lever of a standing forklift.

In a standing reach type battery type forklift, the driver's seat is located around the rear side of the body frame. The driver in the driver's seat operates the forklift to carry out driving and unloading operations. The driver's seat is defined by the side frame on the left, the front frame and the protection frame on the right.

7 is a partial front view of a standing reach forklift. The steering wheel 1 is arranged in the side panel located at the top of the side frame. For example, a lift lever 3, a tilt lever 4, and a reach lever 5 are arranged in the front panel 2 located above the front frame. The lift lever 3 is used for raising and lowering the fork. The inclined lever 4 is used to incline the fork. The reach lever 5 is used for mast movement. On the right side of the front panel 2, a traveling operation lever 6 used for moving the body frame is provided. The raising lever 3, the inclination lever 4, the reach lever 5, and the travel operation lever 6 are inclined in the front-rear direction.

The driver 7 operates the steering wheel 1 with his left hand. On the other hand, the driver 7 operates the lift lever 3, the tilt lever 4, the reach lever 5, and the travel operation lever 6 with the right hand. In the reach type forklift, the driver 7 frequently needs to carry out unloading operation, in particular, the lifting operation of the fork and the traveling operation of the main body frame simultaneously or continuously. Therefore, the driver 7 operates the lift lever 3, the inclination lever 4, and the reach lever 5 with the right hand, and the drive operation lever 6 with the right forearm or the right elbow.

When the driver 7 needs to change the moving direction of the main body frame from the forward side to the reverse side while performing the lift operation of the fork, the driver 7 moves the right arm before pressing the drive operation lever 6 backward. It is necessary to lift and hold the lift lever 3 again. The operation is complicated and reduces efficiency. Moreover, since such an operation is frequently performed during the unloading operation, the driver 7 becomes more tired.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-236797 discloses an operation lever selectively tilted in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. When the operation lever is tilted forward or backward, the vehicle moves. When the operation lever is inclined leftward or rightward, the fork is raised or lowered.

According to the operation lever described above, since the moving direction of the fork is different from the moving direction of the lever, the driver feels inconvenience and it takes a long time to learn the lever operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an operation lever that facilitates the unloading operation and the driving operation of a forklift.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operating lever located on the main frame of the forklift. The operating lever includes a lever body, a grip, and a knob. The lever body is arranged to be tiltable to the body frame. The grip is arranged on the lever body. The shape of the grip is formed so that it can be gripped by hand with the palm facing down. The knob is rotatably arranged on the grip. The knob is rotated by holding the grip and selectively moving the knob up and down with the thumb of the hand.

The present invention also provides a forklift having a standing driver's seat. The forklift includes a front panel located at the front side of the driver's seat, an operation lever, a first detection device, a second detection device, and a controller. The operation lever includes a lever body, a grip, and a knob. The lever body is arranged on the front panel and selectively inclined in the front-rear direction. The grip is arranged on the lever body. The shape of the grip is formed so that it can be gripped by hand with the palm facing down. The knob is rotatably arranged on the grip. The knob is rotated by moving the knob up and down with the thumb of the hand holding the grip. The first detection device detects the tilt movement direction and the tilt movement angle of the lever body. The second detection device is located in the grip. The second detection device detects the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the knob. The controller controls the body frame to move in the same direction as the inclined movement direction of the lever body according to the value detected by the first detection device, and moves the fork according to the value detected by the second detection device to the same direction as the rotation direction of the knob. Control to climb up and down.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, illustrating the principles of the invention by way of example.

Together with the objects and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be better understood from the drawings and the description of the preferred embodiments.

1 is a partial perspective view showing a standing reach type battery type forklift according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the operation lever provided in the forklift shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a plan view of the operation lever shown in FIG.

4 is a side view showing the operation lever along the line 4-4 shown in FIG.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing the grip of the operation lever along the line 5-5 shown in Fig. 4;

6 is a schematic diagram showing a control system for moving the forklift and unloading operation in relation to the operation lever of the present invention; and

7 is a partial front view showing a conventional rich battery type forklift.

Description of the main parts of the drawing

7: driver 10: forklift

12: driver's seat 14: mast

16, 18, 20: frame 24: lumbar support

28: steering wheel 26, 30: panel

32: operation lever 34: wrist support

36: lever body 38: slot

40: first potentiometer 42: controller

44: drive unit 46: grip

54 knob 56 protrusion

58: second potentiometer 60: lift cylinder

62: first oil control valve 64: seesaw switch

66: Reach Cylinder 68: Second Oil Control Valve

70 cross button 72 inclined cylinder

74: third oil control valve 76: side moving cylinder

78: fourth oil control valve 80: horn button

The rich battery type forklift 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In FIG. 1, a part of the driver's seat 12 of the forklift 10 is illustrated. The driver 7 stands in the driver's seat 12 of the forklift 10 when the forklift 10 is operated to drive and unload.

The driver 7 regards the direction from the driver's seat 12 toward the mast 14 as omnidirectional. The driver's seat 12 is defined by the front frame 16, the side frame 18 on the left side, and the protection frame 20 on the right side. The front frame 16 is provided on the front of the body frame, for example to cover the controller and the unloading oil control valve. The side frame 18 covers the drive device and the steering device, for example. An opening 22 is provided between the rear end of the protective frame 20 and the side frame 18, so that the driver 7 gets on and off the driver's seat 12. On the upper inner surface of the curved portion of the protective frame 20, a waist support 24 for supporting the driver's waist is arranged.

The panel 26 located on top of the side frame 18 is provided with a steering wheel 28. An operation lever 32 is arranged in the front panel 30 located above the front frame 16. The wrist support 34 protrudes from the front panel 30 to support the right forearm and the right elbow of the driver 7.

2 to 5 describe the operation lever 32 in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation lever 32 includes a lever body 36 rotatably arranged on the front frame 16. The lever body 36 extends upwardly through the slot 38 formed in the front panel 30. The slot 38 extends in the front-rear direction of the main body frame. The lever body 36 selectively tilts in the front-rear direction along the slot 38. The lower end portion (not shown) of the lever body 36 is connected to the input shaft of the first potentiometer 40 (first detection device) for detecting the tilt movement angle and the tilt movement direction of the lever body 36. In the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 6, the value detected in the first potentiometer 40 is sent to the controller 42 which is a microcomputer. The controller 42 controls the drive device 44 in accordance with the detected value, causing the body frame to move in accordance with the inclination of the lever body 36. The tilt movement direction of the lever body 36 is the same as the direction in which the body frame moves. A spring (not shown) is arranged between the lever body 36 and the input shaft of the first potentiometer 40. The lever body 36 is held in a substantially vertical neutral position by the spring force at the time of non-operation of the lever body 36.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the operation lever 32 includes a grip 46 arranged at the upper end of the lever body 36. The grip 46 preferably comprises two separate grip pieces 46a, 46b (see Fig. 3) made of synthetic resin. The upper end of the lever main body 36 is arranged between these grip pieces 46a and 46b. The grip pieces 46a and 46b are joined to each other by bolts and nuts, and are fixed to the lever body 36. The grip 46 extends along the axis L in a bar-like shape, and the shape of the grip 46 is formed to be gripped by hand with the palm facing downward. The driver 7 grips the grip 46 with his right hand with his palm facing down. The driver 7 grips the grip 46 mainly with ring finger and base. Therefore, the right part 48 of the grip 46 gripped by the ring finger and the base is narrow in the direction perpendicular to the axis L. As shown in FIG. The left part 50 of the other end of the grip 46 is wide. The driver 7 places a detection and a stop on the upper surface of the left part 50. The rear portion 52 extends substantially perpendicularly from the base portion of the grip 46 or the connection with the lever body 36. The driver 7 places the base of the right hand thumb (the convex part of the thumb) in the rear part 52.

The driver 7 places the right forearm and the right elbow on the wrist support 34 and positions the right forearm in the left and right directions. That is, the driver 7 grips the grip 46 so that the right forearm is parallel to the horizontal X-axis extended in the width direction of the main body frame. Thus, the grip 46 is arranged on the lever body 36 so that the driver 7 easily grips the grip 46. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the axis L of the grip 46 is inclined counterclockwise at an angle α of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the X-axis when viewed directly from above. For the same reason, when the lever body 36 is in the neutral position, the axis L of the grip 46 is inclined perpendicularly to the X-axis (see FIG. 4).

At the left end of the grip 46, a substantially cylindrical knob 54 is arranged to rotate about the axis L, so that the knob 54 is selectively moved up and down with the thumb of the hand holding the grip. ) Can be rotated. The knob 54 is fixed to the input shaft of the second detection device, which is the second potentiometer 58 of the present embodiment. The second potentiometer 58 is embedded in the grip 46 with, for example, a screw. Preferably, knob 54 is, for example, screwed to an input shaft of a reducer (not shown) connected to the input shaft of second potentiometer 58. The protrusion 56 extends along the axis L on the outer circumferential surface of the knob 54. The driver 7 easily rotates the knob 54 by pressing the protrusion 56 up and down with the thumb of the right hand holding the grip 46. As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 6, the second potentiometer 58 connected to the knob 54 detects the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the knob 54 and sends this detected value to the controller 42. In a preferred embodiment, the controller 42 controls the first oil control valve 62 connected to the lift cylinder 60 in accordance with the detected value sent from the second potentiometer 58 to thereby fork the fork (not shown). The mast 14 is moved up and down. Thus, the fork of the forklift is selectively lifted in accordance with the rotation of the knob 54. The protrusion is moved according to the movement of the thumb, and the moving direction of the protrusion is the same as the direction in which the fork is selectively lifted. The knob 54 is held in a neutral position by a spring (not shown) inserted into the reducer when the knob 54 is not operated. A "knob" includes a means for rotating an axis, such as a lever.

In the left part 50 of the grip 46, a switching means for mast reach (seesaw switch 64 in the embodiment of the present invention) is arranged. The seesaw switch 64 (or reach switch) is arranged in the proper position and in the proper direction so that the driver 7 mainly operates with the index finger of the right hand. One end of the seesaw switch 64 is located toward the front side of the main body frame, and the other end is located toward the rear side of the main body frame. The seesaw switch 64 controls the forward and backward movement of the mast 14. The seesaw switch 64 is connected to the controller 42. The controller 42 controls the second oil control valve 68 connected to the reach cylinder 66 according to the output signal sent from the seesaw switch.

In the rear portion 52 of the grip 46 a cross button 70 is located. The cross button 70 is arranged at the position where the driver 7 presses with the thumb of the right hand holding the grip 46. The cross button 70 includes an upper end (first end) 70a, a lower end (second end) 70b, a right side (third end) 70c, and a left side (fourth end) 70d. do. The upper end part 70a and the lower end part 70b of the cross button 70 form inclination switch means for controlling the inclination of the mast 14 in the front-back direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 42 controls the third of the inclined cylinder 72 according to a signal sent from the cross button 70 when the driver 7 presses the upper end 70a or the lower end 70b. The oil control valve 74 is controlled. The mast 14 of the forklift is selectively inclined in the front-rear direction according to the operation of the inclination switch, and the operation direction of the inclination switch is the same as the inclination movement direction of the mast 14.

The forklift 10 is attached with a side shift attachment (not shown) which is one of the options of the unloading attachment. The lateral movement attachment includes a lateral movement cylinder 76 arranged in a lifting bracket for moving the fork left and right. The right part 70c and the left part 70d of the cross button 70 correspond to the lateral movement attachment. The controller 42 controls the fourth oil control valve (connected to the lateral movement cylinder 76 according to the signal sent from the cross button 70 when the driver 7 presses the right side 70c or the left side 70d. 78).

The horn button 80 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged in front of the left part 50 of the grip 46. Horn button 80 is mainly pressed by the middle finger.

Hereinafter, the operation of moving the forklift and unloading operation using the operation lever 32 will be described.

Basically the driver 7 stands in the position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1. In particular, the driver 7 stands in the driver's seat 12, leans his back on the lumbar support 24 on the protective frame 20, holds the steering wheel 28 with his left hand, and with the right hand of the operating lever 32. Hold grip 46. In this state, the driver 7 places the right elbow and the right forearm close to the right elbow on the wrist support 34 located on the front panel 30. This keeps the right hand and the right forearm holding the grip 46 substantially horizontal, thereby reducing fatigue of the right arm. Moreover, the body is supported by two positions, namely, the waist support 24 and the wrist support 34, thereby maintaining stability. Also, the right arm posture is similar to the driving posture used in the prior art reach type forklift shown in FIG. Therefore, even if the driver is familiar with the forklift of the prior art, the driver 7 easily operates the forklift 10 having the operation lever 32 according to the preferred embodiment.

When the driver 7 moves the right forearm forward with the right elbow as the point, the lever body 36 and the grip 46 of the operation lever 32 are inclined forward. At the same time, the first potentiometer 40 detects the tilt movement direction and the tilt movement angle of the lever body 36 and sends this detected value to the controller 42. As a result, the controller 42 controls the drive device 44 to advance the forklift 10 at a speed corresponding to the tilting angle of the operation lever 32.

When the driver 7 tilts the operation lever 32 in all directions, the right hand can slide from the grip 46. Thus, as shown in Figs. 2 to 5, a flange 82 is preferably formed at the right end of the grip 46 to prevent slippage of the hand. The flange 82 extends in the direction crossing the axis L of the grip 46. When the driver 7 moves the right forearm backward with the right elbow as the point, the lever body 36 is inclined backward. Thereafter, the forklift 10 moves in the rearward direction at a desired speed in accordance with the inclined movement direction and the inclined movement angle of the lever body 36.

With the grip 46 held, the knob 54 can be operated with the thumb following the inclined operation of the operation lever 32 or the movement operation of the forklift. For example, when the protrusion 56 of the knob 54 is moved upward with the thumb, the controller 42 controls the first oil control valve 62 in accordance with the output signal from the second potentiometer 58. The first oil control valve 62 is controlled to supply hydraulic oil to the lift cylinder 60. Thus, the fork is raised. On the other hand, when the protrusion 56 of the knob 54 moves downward, the controller 42 changes the position of the first oil control valve 62. The hydraulic oil in the raising cylinder 60 returns to the oil tank 84. Thus, the fork is lowered.

When the driver 7 applies an upward force against the knob 54 with the thumb, the fork is raised. When the driver 7 applies a downward force against the knob 54 with the thumb, the fork is lowered. Thus, the moving direction of the knob 54 is the same as the actual moving direction of the fork. Thus, the driver 7 performs the work for raising the fork without inconvenience.

The driver 7 can operate the fork-reach seesaw switch 64 by the detection, following the movement operation of the forklift or the operation of raising the fork, while holding the grip 46. When the driver 7 presses the front end of the seesaw switch 64, the controller 42 controls the second oil control valve 68 in accordance with the output signal from the seesaw switch 64. Thereafter, the piston rod of the reach cylinder 66 is extended. As a result, the mast 14 moves in all directions. When the driver 7 presses the rear end of the seesaw switch 64, the mast 14 moves backward. Therefore, the switch operation direction and the actual moving direction of the mast 14 are the same. Thus, the driver 7 can easily operate the forklift.

When the upper end part 70a is pressed, the mast 14 is inclined in all directions. When the lower end portion 70b is pressed, the mast 14 is inclined backward. When the right side 70c is pressed, the fork moves to the right side. When the left portion 70d is pressed, the fork moves to the left side. Therefore, the driver 7 performs the inclined operation of the mast 14 and the lateral movement operation of the fork using the cross button 70 without any inconvenience. During the movement or unloading operation of the forklift, the driver 7 can make an alarm by pressing the horn button 80 with the stop.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in various other forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, the present invention can be implemented in the following forms.

In standing forklifts, forklift movement and fork lift operations are often performed continuously. Therefore, the operation lever can be configured by enabling only the tilt operation of the lever body and the rotation operation of the knob. For other operations, i.e., operation for fork reach, tilt operation of the mast, and lateral movement operation of the fork, a dedicated operation lever can be provided separately.

In a preferred embodiment, the operating lever 32 of the present invention is applied to a standing forklift. However, the operation lever 32 may be applied to a counter-balance type forklift. In this case, the fork is raised and lowered according to the upward or downward rotation of the knob, and the mast is inclined according to the forward or backward tilt of the lever body.

The operation lever 32 of the present invention is applied to a forklift in which the mast and the fork are inclined integrally, but the operation lever 32 may be applied to the forklift in which only the fork is inclined.

Accordingly, the examples and embodiments of the invention are illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details set forth herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

The present invention has the following advantages. The operation lever of the present invention improves the unloading operation and the traveling operation of the forklift.

Claims (13)

In the operation lever located on the main frame of the forklift, A lever body 36 mounted on the body frame to be tiltable; A grip 46 mounted to the lever body 36 and shaped to be gripped by hand with the palm facing downward, and A knob 54 rotatably mounted to the grip 46 to rotate by selectively moving the thumb of the hand holding the grip 46 up and down, And a fork of the forklift is selectively raised and lowered in accordance with the rotation of the knob 54. 2. The operation lever according to claim 1, wherein the lever main body (36) is capable of selectively tilting in the front-rear direction of the main body frame, and the main body frame moves in accordance with the tilting of the lever main body (36). 3. The operation lever according to claim 2, wherein the inclination movement direction of the lever body (36) is the same as the movement direction of the body frame. delete 2. The operation lever according to claim 1, wherein the knob (54) includes a protrusion (56) moving in accordance with the movement of the thumb, wherein the moving direction of the protrusion (56) is the same as the selective lifting direction of the fork. 4. The grip 46 according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the grip 46 includes inclined switches 70a and 70b, and the mast of the forklift moves forward and backward in accordance with the operation of the inclined switches 70a and 70b. And optionally tilted, wherein the operation direction of the inclined switches 70a and 70b is the same as the inclined movement direction of the mast. 4. The grip 46 according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the grip 46 includes inclined switches 70a and 70b, in which the fork of the forklift moves forward and backward in accordance with the operation of the inclined switches 70a and 70b. And optionally tilted, wherein the operation direction of the inclined switches 70a and 70b is the same as the inclination movement direction of the fork. 4. The forklift according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the forklift is rich, and on the grip 46, a reach switch 64 is provided so that the grip 46 can be operated by a finger of a hand held by the grip. And the mast of the forklift is selectively moved in the front-rear direction in accordance with the operation of the reach switch 64, and the operation direction of the reach switch 64 corresponds to the movement direction of the mast. The axis L of the grip 46 is inclined at 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis X extending in the width direction of the main body frame when viewed from above. Operation lever characterized in that. The operating lever according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the axis (L) of the grip (46) is inclined to a vertical plane. In the operation lever located on the main frame of the forklift, A lever body 36 mounted on the body frame to be tiltable; A grip 46 mounted to the lever body 36 and shaped to be gripped by hand with the palm facing downward, and A knob 54 rotatably mounted to the grip 46 to rotate by selectively moving the thumb of the hand holding the grip 46 up and down, A flange 82 is formed on the grip 46, and the flange 82 extends in a direction crossing the axis L of the grip 46. A forklift having a standing driver's seat and including a front panel 30 positioned at the front side of the driver's seat, A lever body 36 arranged on the front panel 30 and capable of selectively tilting in the front-rear direction, and a grip mounted to the lever body 36 and configured to be gripped by a hand with the palm facing downward ( 46 and an operating lever 32 including a knob 54 rotatably mounted to the grip 46 to rotate by moving the thumb of the hand holding the grip 46 up and down, A first detecting device 40 for detecting the tilt movement direction and the tilt movement angle of the lever body 36, A second detection device 58, positioned on the grip 46, for detecting the rotation direction and rotation angle of the knob 54; and The main body frame is controlled to move in the same direction as the inclined movement direction of the lever main body 36 according to the value detected by the first detecting device 40, and the knob 54 according to the value detected by the second detecting device 58. A forklift comprising a controller for controlling the fork to move up and down in the same direction as the rotational direction of; 13. The forklift according to claim 12, wherein a wrist support (34) is formed on the front panel (30) for placing the forearm or elbow of the hand holding the grip (46).