MXPA00001675A - Motor cover for a work assist vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A work assist vehicle (10) includes a self propelled, steerable body (20) having a chassis (24) and a drive mechanism (30) supported on the chassis;a mast assembly (40) coupled to the body;and, a personnel compartment (50) attached to the mast assembly and being movable by the mast assembly toward and away from the body. The body further includes a cover (80) adapted to extend over a portion of the chassis and a weight sensor assembly (90) coupled to the chassis and the cover. The weight sensor assembly is capable of detecting if someone or something is located on the cover.

Description

ENGINE COVER FOR AN AUXILIARY WORK VEHICLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to electrically driven auxiliary work vehicles that are particularly useful for transporting articles retrieved from shelves in a warehouse, or as a work platform which allows an operator to rise to approximately 1.8 m (6 feet) or more. from the floor of a work area and, more particularly, with such a vehicle having a weight sensor assembly to detect whether something or someone is located in a portion of the vehicle beneath a vertically movable passenger compartment. The taking of small parts is currently done by personnel who manually push carts equipped with several shelves and a low level ladder by which the operator climbs to reach items accommodated up to a height of 2.7 m (9 feet) high. A higher intake lift, up to 3.6 m (12 ft.) Is completed with movable ladder supports that are installed in the manual and large place. Both trolleys and mobile ladder supports require the operator to climb up and down while manually holding the items.

A compact aerial lift vehicle which can be used to lift parts is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,273,132. The vehicle is separable into several parts for storage and can be controlled by an operator supported on a platform which can be raised along a vertical pole member removably mounted on a vehicle body. There is no provision to prevent the platform from falling on something or someone located in the body below the platform. Such action can damage or harm what is on the vehicle or cause damage to the platform and / or the body of the vehicle if the platform is allowed to descend. The damage, dangers or damages may also result if the vehicle moves in this situation. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved auxiliary work vehicle which includes a means for detecting whether someone or something is located on a portion of a vehicle body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an auxiliary work vehicle, capable of multiple tasks, designed to transport and elevate an operator with goods or equipment. Its use includes the order to elevate, maintenance of the service in place, handling of materials, supply of cargo and similar. It is designed to be compact in size and to be highly maneuverable for use in narrow storage aisles and small offices. According to a first aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary work vehicle comprises: a self-driving addressable body that includes a chassis and a drive mechanism supported on the chassis; a post assembly placed to the body; and a personnel compartment attached to the pole assembly that can be moved by the pole assembly toward and away from the body. The body further includes a cover adapted to extend over a portion of the chassis and a sensor weight assembly coupled to the chassis and cover. The weight sensor assembly is able to detect if something or someone is located on the cover. The body further comprises a controller. The weight sensor assembly may comprise a support bar coupled to the chassis so that it can move relative to the chassis. The cover engages the support bar so that it moves with the support bar. At least one spring is placed between the support bar and the chassis to deflect the support bar away from the chassis. At least one microswitch is coupled to the chassis and placed adjacent to the base of the support. At least one microswitch is activated by the support bar if the support bar is moved against at least one spring towards the chassis by something or someone located on the cover. At least one microswitch generates a presence detection signal when activated and the presence detection signal is coupled to the controller. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle comprises: a self-driving addressable body that includes a chassis and a drive mechanism supported on the chassis; a pole assembly coupled to the body; and a base attached to the pole assembly and movable by the pole assembly towards and away from the body. The body further includes a cover adapted to extend over a portion of the chassis and a weight sensor assembly coupled to the chassis and cover. The weight sensor assembly is able to detect if someone or something is located on the cover. Therefore, an object of the invention of the present application is to provide a detection device for detecting whether something or someone is located on a portion of the auxiliary work vehicle and can be harmed or damaged or a danger to the vehicle can be caused if the vehicle operation. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of an auxiliary work vehicle including the invention of the present application; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle of Figure 1 with the platform or operator compartment in its raised position; Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the vehicle shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of the vehicle shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a rear elevation view of the vehicle with the operator compartment in its lowest position and with the portion of the vehicle shown in dashed lines; Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the vehicle with the operator compartment in the raised position; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the drive motor compartment (the operator compartment is in the raised position) with the motor cover installed; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the drive motor compartment (the operator compartment is in the raised position) with the motor cover removed; Figure 9 is a plan view of the engine compartment with the engine cover installed; Figure 10 is a plan view of the engine compartment with the motor cover removed; Figure 11 is a view taken along line of sight 11-11 in Figure 9; Figure 12 is a view taken along line of sight 12-12 in Figure 10; Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view of the engine cover, and Figure 14 is a simplified electrical diagram of a control circuit used in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The auxiliary work vehicle 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in Figures 1-6. It includes a self-driving addressable body 20 having a front part 20a and a rear part 20b. The body 20 comprises a chassis 24 and a driven mechanism 30 supported on the chassis 24. The driving mechanism 30 includes a pair of driving wheels 32 mounted near the rear 20b of the body 20, and a pair of steerable or freewheeling wheels. 34 mounted near the front 20a of the body 20. A load plate or platform 26 is removably attached to the chassis 24. The pole assembly 40 engages the body 20. As shown in Fig. 2, the pole assembly 40 includes three sections 41,42 and 43 recessed. It also includes a lifting device for carrying out the retraction extension of the sections 42 and 43. The lifting device comprises a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) coupled to a hydraulic pump and the motor assembly 44 which, in turn, is coupling to a vehicle controller 150, see Figure 14. The button switches 46a and 46b for pressing are provided, see Figure 5, and are coupled to the controller 150, see Figure 14. Before actuation of the switch 4ßa, the The lifting device extends the pole sections 42 and 43 from their retracted positions, see FIGS. 1 and 3, to their fully extended positions, which are shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. When the switch 46b is activated, the lifting device Retracts sections 42 and 43. Although three post sections are illustrated, the number of post sections made may actually vary. An operator or personnel compartment 50 is attached to the pole assembly 40 and specifically to the exterior or upper post section 43. Therefore, the compartment 50 moves with the upper pole section 43. The compartment 50 includes a base 52 removably attached to the pole section 43, a rail member 54 mounted to the pole section 43 and extending around the sides and in the front of the personnel compartment 50, and a pair of gate members 56a and 5ßb pivotally joined to rail member 54 in 58a and 58b, respectively, and to base 52 at 58c and 58d, respectively. The gate members 56a and 56b can be moved from a closed position, as shown in FIG. 1, to an open position, where the gate members 56a and 56b extend into the personnel compartment 50. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base 52 includes a floor 52a on which the operator 60 is stopped. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the rail member 54, as well as the upper part of the section 43 of post, is positioned approximately at the waist level of an operator 60 who is standing inside the personnel compartment 50. The pole assembly 40 does not extend above the rail member 54 in the illustrated embodiment, thereby providing the operator 60 with unobstructed access to everything that is above the top edge of the rail member 54. As shown in Figure 6, the lower pole section 41 joins the body 20 and extends up and forward of the vehicle at an alpha angle of about 5o from the vertical. Therefore, to the extent that the post sections 42 and 43 extend, the personnel compartment 50 moves up and forward. The personnel compartment 50 benefits from a 5 ° inclination of the pole assembly 40 wherein the upper portion of the compartment 50, near the operator's waist 60, is larger than the floor and therefore accommodates the operator 60 comfortably without Increase the length of the vehicle 10. A removable load tray 100 can be mounted on the pole section 43 to assist the operator 60 to lift materials from shelves, or hold materials to be used during maintenance. The personnel compartment 50 includes a pair of control handles, specifically a steering control handle 59a and a traction control handle 59b, see Figure 1. The control handles 59a and 59b are coupled to the controller 150, see Figure 14. When the vehicle 10 is in operation, the operator 60 should have one hand on the steering control handle 59a and the other hand on the pull control handle 59b. This ensures that the hands of the operator are within the personnel compartment 50 when the vehicle 10 is moved or during the lifting operations - or laughs abate. The chassis 24 includes a traction motor compartment 70 which is located directly below the personnel compartment 50. In figures 2, 8, 10 and 12, a motor cover 80 has been removed, which normally encloses the traction motor compartment 70, to show the contents of the compartment 70. Also in figure 2 an assembly has been removed 90 weight sensor, which will be discussed in detail in the following. The traction motor compartment 70 comprises a floor 71 and a pair of side wheels 72. The drive mechanism 30 further includes two gearboxes 36 and two electric drive motors 38. The gearboxes 36 connect the wheels 32 to the motors 38. The motors 38 are connected to the controller 150 which, in turn, is connected to the steering control handle 59a and the traction control handle 59b, see Figure 14. The controller 150 controls the operation of the motors 38 in response to the signals generated by the handles 59a and 59b. The gearboxes 36 are mounted on side walls 72 of the engine compartment 70 and the engines 38 are mounted to the gearboxes 36. The centerline of each of the traction motors 38 is below the center axes of the engines. wheels 32, and in this manner allow the floor 52a of the personnel compartment 50 to decrease as close to the floor level as possible, at a height of approximately 18 cm (7 inches-- above the floor). of weight is located in the engine compartment 70, see Figures 8 and 10-12, It comprises a support bar 92 comprising a generally H-shaped portion 92a and a pair of vertically extending side portions 92b. 80 motor is connected to the support bar 92, as will be discussed in more detail in the following. The bar 92 is supported on four springs 94 that surround a similar number of bolts 95. The bolts 95 pass through the openings in the brackets 92c weldably attached or in some other way coupled to the H-shaped portion 92a and they are threadedly attached to the 71st floor of the engine compartment. The bar 92 deviates away from the floor 71 by the springs 94 but is able to move against the force of the springs towards the floor 71 when it is driven by a downward force. A first, second, third and fourth normally-closed micro-switches of positive action 96a-96d are fixedly coupled to the 71st floor and placed directly below the H-shaped bar 92. The micro-switches 96a-96d are connected to the controller 150 of the vehicle, see Figure 14. When the bar 42 is pressed towards the floor 71, it activates one or more of the microswitches 96a-96d. As indicated above, the engine cover 80 encloses the engine compartment 70, see Figs. 7, 9 and 11. The cover-80 - includes a main body portion 82 and an access panel 84, see also Fig. 13. Both the main body portion 82 and the access panel 84 are formed of molded plastic. The main body portion 82 includes a floor area 82a, a recessed area 82b that is provided with three openings 110a, 110b, and 110c, a pair of semi-cylindrical motor cover elements 82c, vertical panels 82d with flange portions 82e generally horizontal to cover the upper edges 72a of the side walls 72 of the engine compartment and openings 82f to accommodate the gearboxes 36. The access panel 84 covers the recessed area 82b. Openings 86 are provided in the vertical panels 82d, the floor area 82a, the recessed area 82b and the access panel 84 so as to allow the bolts 86a to pass therethrough and threadably engage the openings 82f on the bar 92. The cover 80 is connected only to the bar 92 so as to move towards and away from the floor 71 with the bar 92. The openings 110a and 110c provide access to blocks 130 for disconnecting electrical power from the traction motor while the opening 110b provides access to the chain tensioning screws 135, see figure 10. The recess 82b, and the openings HOa-llOc, are covered by the access panel 84. As shown in Figure 11, the vertical space between the motor cover 80 and the components in the traction motor compartment 70 are kept to a minimum, in order to ensure that the floor 52a of the personnel compartment 52 does not make contact with motor cover 80.

If something or someone, for example, a tool, a telephone directory, a part, a package or the like is placed or is placed on the engine cover 80, the weight of something or someone causes the engine cover 80 and the bar 90 are depressed, activating one or more of the microswitches 96a-96d. The switches 96a-96d are connected in series and to the vehicle controller 150, see figure 14. If any of the micro-switches 96a-96d are activated as a result of something or someone being located on the cover 80, then the movement of the vehicle and the lowered function of the passenger compartment by the vehicle controller 150. More specifically, if one or more of the microswitches 96a-96d is activated, the controller 150 prevents the lifting device from lowering the passenger compartment 50 when the operator 60 operates the switch 46b. It also causes the vehicle 10, if it is in motion, to be stopped by regeneration, that is, it causes the motors 38 to act as generators and return energy to the batteries (not shown) which are also part of the drive mechanism. Once the vehicle 10 is no longer moving, the controller 1-50 causes activation of the brakes 38a coupled to the engines 38, allowing them to engage, see Figures 8 and 10. The lifting function will not be inhibited but will remain active An alarm 160 will also sound and an LED lamp 160b will be lit during the time that one of the microswitches 96a-96d remains on, indicating a fault condition. By removing the fault (by removing something or someone from the cover), the vehicle 10 will operate normally without requiring a reset of the keys, however the lowering function will not be restored immediately, but will be completely restored after a period of time. delay, such as delay of 7.5 seconds. Although the shape of the apparatus described herein constitutes a preferred embodiment of this invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus and that changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. An auxiliary work vehicle, comprising: a self-driving addressable body that includes a chassis and a drive supported on the chassis; a pole assembly coupled to the body; a personnel compartment attached to the pole assembly and movable by the pole assembly towards and away from the body; and the body further includes a cover adapted to extend over a portion of the chassis and a weight sensor assembly coupled to the chassis and cover, the sensor weight assembly is capable of detecting whether something or someone is located on the cover.

2. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 1, wherein the chassis portion comprises a motor compartment which is located directly below the personnel compartment.

3. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 1, wherein the pole assembly comprises two or more pole sections and a lifting device coupled to the chassis and at least one of the pole sections, the device Lifting causes that at least one pole section moves towards and away from the chassis, and at least one pole section engages the personnel compartment so that the compartment moves with the pole section.

4. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 3, wherein the body further comprises a controller.

5. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 4, wherein the weight sensor assembly comprises: a support bar coupled to the chassis and movable relative to the chassis, the cover engages the support bar; at least one spring placed between the support bar and the chassis to deflect the support bar away from the chassis; and at least one microswitch coupled to the chassis and positioned adjacent to the support bar, at least one microswitch is activated by the support bar if the support bar moves against at least one spring towards the chassis by someone or something that is located on the cover, at least one micro-switch generates a detected presence signal in case it is activated, the detected presence signal is coupled to the controller.

6. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 5, wherein the support bar comprises a generally H-shaped bar.

7. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 6, wherein at least one microswitch comprises a first, second, third and fourth micro-switches placed below the generally H-shaped bar.

8. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 5, wherein the controller, upon receiving the detected presence signal, prevents the lifting device from lowering the personnel compartment towards the chassis.

9. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 8, wherein the drive comprises at least one drive wheel and at least one drive motor assembly coupled and adapted to drive at least one drive wheel, the controller it prevents the impeller motor assembly from driving at least one drive wheel upon receiving the detected presence signal.

10. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 9, wherein the drive motor assembly includes a brake, the controller causes the brake to engage upon receiving the detected presence signal.

11. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 10, in which the microswitch is deactivated when the object of the cover is removed, the controller allows the lifting device to lower the personnel compartment towards the chassis for a period of delay default after the deactivation of at least one microswitch.

12. A vehicle, comprising: a self-driving addressable body including a chassis and a driving mechanism supported on the chassis; a pole assembly coupled to the body; a base attached to the pole assembly and movable by the pole assembly towards and away from the body; and a body that further includes a cover adapted to extend over a chassis portion and a weight sensor assembly coupled to the chassis and cover, the sensor weight assembly is capable of detecting whether something or someone is located on the cover.

13. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 12, wherein the chassis portion comprises a compartment which is located directly below the base.

14. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 12, wherein the pole assembly comprises two or more pole sections, and a lifting device coupled to the chassis and at least one or more pole sections, the device Lifting causes that at least one pole section moves towards and away from the chassis, and at least one pole section engages the base so that the base moves with a pole section.

15. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 14, wherein the body further comprises a controller.

16. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 15, wherein the weight sensor assembly comprises: a support bar coupled to the chassis and movable relative to the chassis, the cover engages the support bar; at least one spring placed between the support bar and the chassis to deflect the support bar away from the chassis; and at least one microswitch coupled to the chassis and positioned adjacent to the support bar, at least one microswitch is activated by the support bar if the support bar moves against at least one spring towards the chassis by someone or something which is located on the cover, at least one micro-switch generates a detected presence signal if activated, the detected presence signal is transmitted to the controller.

17. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 16, wherein the controller, upon receiving the detected presence signal, prevents the lifting device from lowering the base towards the chassis.

18. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 17, wherein the drive comprises at least one drive wheel and at least one drive motor assembly coupled and adapted to drive at least one drive wheel, the controller further prevents the drive motor assembly from driving at least one drive wheel, upon receipt of the detected presence signal.

19. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 18, wherein the drive motor assembly includes a brake, the controller causes the brake to engage when receiving the detected presence signal.

20. The auxiliary work vehicle, as described in claim 19, wherein the microswitch is deactivated when the object of the cover is removed, the controller allows the lifting device to lower the base towards the chassis for a predetermined period of delay after the deactivation of at least one microswitch.