WO2020083689A1

WO2020083689A1 - Industrial truck having a load fork, method for operation, control unit, computer program and computer program product

Info

Publication number: WO2020083689A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/077740
Authority: WO
Inventors: Udo Schulz; Edwinus HEEMSKERK; Sebastian Krieger; Dion Tims; Filip Rosenstein
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 2018-10-24
Filing date: 2019-10-14
Publication date: 2020-04-30
Also published as: DE102018218191A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an industrial truck (1), comprising a load fork, which has at least two fork tines (4, 5) mounted on a fork carrier (3), and a sensor device (6, 9, 10, 11) for inserting the fork tines (4, 5) into receiving recesses in a load to be handled, wherein the sensor device (6, 9, 10, 11) comprises, in particular, at least one light source (7). According to the invention, the sensor device (6, 9, 10, 11) is designed and/or arranged to sense the distance (a, b) of the fork tines (4, 5) from one another and/or the position of at least one of the fork tines (4,5 ) on the fork carrier (3).

Description

description

title

Industrial truck with a fork, method of operation,

Control unit, computer program and computer program product

The invention relates to an industrial truck with a load fork, which has at least two fork tines movably mounted on a fork carriage, and with a sensor device for threading the fork tines into receiving recesses of a load to be handled, the sensor device in particular having at least one light source.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating such an industrial truck as well as a control device and a computer program for performing the method. The invention further relates to a computer program product with the machine-readable computer program.

State of the art

A generic industrial truck is already known from the published patent application DE 10 2012 104 808 A1. As a load handling device, this has two fork tines, which are movably mounted on a fork carriage, and a sensor device, which is emitted by a light source

Light beam detects the load to be handled, in order to carry out or influence the vehicle control, in particular a movement of the load handling means, as a function of the detected load, in order to securely thread the fork tines into receiving depressions of the load, as they do

for example with Euro pallets.

Disclosure of the invention

The industrial truck according to the invention with the features of claim 1 has the advantage that a precise movement or positioning of the Forks for threading into the recesses are guaranteed. Detection of the load itself by the sensor device is not absolutely necessary. Rather, it is possible for the user to use the invention to adjust the positioning of the fork tines to one another and / or to the fork carrier in a particularly precise manner, for example in order to prevent the threading on the one hand and avoiding the load on the load fork from tipping over on the other hand. For this purpose, it is provided according to the invention that the sensor device is designed and / or arranged to detect the distance between the fork tines and / or the position of at least one of the fork tines on the fork carriage. This makes the exact position of the

Forks on the fork carriage or the exact distance between the forks are known so that the truck user can precisely change the distance of the forks manually or adjust the position of the forks manually to support the threading process and to carry out an advantageous and safe loading process. The position of the fork tines on the fork carriage can be a relative position of the fork tines to the fork carriage.

The control device, in particular its light source, is particularly preferably arranged on one of the fork tines or on the fork carriage. This enables simple and precise detection of the distance and / or the position

feasible.

If the sensor device or light source is arranged on the fork tines, it is preferably oriented such that it emits light, in particular a light beam, in the direction of the adjacent fork tine in order to precisely detect the distance to the adjacent fork tines. The sensor device expediently also has a light receiver which, for example, depends on the running time of the adjacent fork prongs

reflected light beam calculates the distance to the fork tines.

The light source is preferably a laser light source in order to ensure a particularly precise distance detection, from which, for example, the position of one of the fork tines on the fork carriage can also be determined.

Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the light source is arranged such that the lateral, in particular horizontal, distance of the fork prong to the fork carriage. For this purpose, the light source is arranged on the fork tine and aligned with the fork carrier, or arranged on the fork carrier and aligned in the direction of the fork tine, in particular in the direction of movement of the fork tine, in order to determine the position of the fork tine on or relative to the fork carrier. If the fork tine can be moved in several directions on the fork carriage, for example vertically and horizontally, the sensor device preferably has a plurality of light sources which determine the position of the fork tine in relation to the adjacent fork tine or to the fork carriage in different spatial directions.

According to a preferred development of the invention, at least one sensor device or light source is arranged and / or designed to detect or sense a load, in particular optically, in the direction of extension of the fork tines in order to determine receiving depressions of the load for the respective fork tines. By detecting the receiving recesses of the load itself, an automated control or movement of the fork tines is made possible, which enables a precise automated threading of the fork tines into the respective receiving recess.

Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the industrial truck has at least one display device which graphically represents the detected position, the detected distance and / or the load, in particular the receiving recesses thereof. This makes it easier for the truck user to control the

Forks, especially if he does it manually. With a view of the display device, he is able to precisely align the forks with the load.

If the sensor device has a plurality of light sources, each light source preferably being assigned its own light receiver, light sources can be of the same or different design. All light sources are preferably designed as laser light sources. Alternatively, one or more of the

Light sources can also be designed as infrared light sources or scattered light sources.

The light receiver is preferably a camera sensor. As an alternative to using light sources, it is also conceivable that

To design sensor device as a lidar, radar and / or ultrasonic sensor device. The control device according to the invention with the features of claim 8 is characterized in that it is specially designed to

perform the method according to the invention or the method stored on the computer program product. In particular, that

Industrial truck according to the invention control unit according to the invention.

The inventive method with the features of claim 9 is characterized in that the distance of the

Forks to each other and / or the position of at least one of the forks on the fork carriage is detected to allow the user to operate the

Lighten the truck. Alternatively, the recorded data are used to automatically control the industrial truck, in particular to at least move the fork tines in an automated manner in order to safely thread the

Forks in the recesses of the load, in particular to ensure a Euro pallet.

A risk of the load to be handled tipping is preferably determined as a function of the detected position of the fork tines and / or the distance between the fork tines. In particular, the position of the fork tines in relation to the fork carriage is determined in order to determine whether an imbalance can arise on the fork carriage, which can cause the load or even the truck as a whole to tip over. If a risk of tipping is detected, a warning message, in particular acoustically and / or visually, is preferably output to the user of the industrial truck. Alternatively or additionally, the further movement of the fork tines and / or the industrial truck is prevented in order to avoid tipping over.

According to a preferred development of the invention, the

Sensor device also detects the load to be handled, in particular scanned, in order to determine receiving depressions of the load for the fork tines. This enables automated control or movement of the forks and the truck as a whole. This results in the advantages already mentioned above. Optionally, the fork tines and / or the industrial truck as a whole are preferably moved in order to sense the load by means of the at least one sensor device. Instead of

For example, if the light beam of the sensor device is directed through a suitable optical system for a scanning process, the movement of the Industrial truck and / or the fork tines are used to enable the load to be sensed. As a result, the sensor device itself can be designed more cost-effectively. In particular, an already occurring movement of the industrial truck and the fork tines is recorded in order to scan the load, in particular the Euro pallet, as a function of the movement that has taken place and the distance measurement of the sensor device.

Furthermore, it is preferably provided that, depending on the receiving recesses determined, the fork tines for threading into the

Receiving recesses are moved on the fork carriage. Optionally, the industrial truck for forks in the receiving recesses is driven or moved in order to carry out an automated loading process or at least partially automated loading process.

The computer program according to the invention with the features of claim 13 is characterized in that it is set up for the

Execute method according to the invention.

The computer program product according to the invention with the features of claim 14 is characterized in that it has a machine-readable computer program.

Further advantages and preferred features and combinations of features result in particular from what has been described above and from the claims.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Show this

FIG. 1 shows an industrial truck in a simplified perspective illustration,

FIG. 2 shows a method for operating the industrial truck in a simplified illustration,

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the method and

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the method. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an industrial truck 1, which is designed according to the present embodiment as a forklift 2. For this purpose, the industrial truck 1 has a fork carriage 3, on which two fork tines 4, 5 of a load fork are arranged parallel to one another. The fork tines 4, 5 are mounted on the fork carriage 3 such that they can be moved horizontally and vertically, actuators being provided which move the fork tines 4, 5 as required. The driver of the industrial truck 1 can do this, for example, by operating corresponding control levers.

The industrial truck also has a sensor device 6

Distance determination, which makes it easier for the user or driver of the industrial truck 1 to operate the fork tines. For this purpose, the sensor device 6 has a light source 7, which is designed as a laser light source and generates a laser beam, and a light receiver 8, which is designed for this purpose

Charger beam, in particular to detect a reflection of the laser beam. The sensor device 6 is arranged on one of the fork tines 5 such that it detects the distance a from the adjacent fork tines 4. For this purpose, for example, the transit time of the laser beam from one fork tine 5 to the other fork tine 5 and possibly back is recorded and the distance between the fork tines from one another is calculated from this.

The industrial truck 1 has a further sensor device 9, which detects a lateral, ie horizontal, distance b of the fork tine 5 from the fork carriage 3. For this purpose, the sensor device 9 is arranged on the fork carriage 3 and, in particular, like the sensor device 6, is designed as a laser light sensor device that measures the horizontal distance b between the fork carriage 3 and

Forks 5 captured. Knowing the distance between the fork tine 5 and the fork carriage 3 and the distance a between the fork tines 4 and 5, the horizontal position of both fork tines 4, 5 on the industrial truck 1 can be clearly determined. The industrial truck 1 optionally has a further sensor device 10, which is also designed as a distance laser light device and is arranged on the fork tines 5, the sensor device 10 being designed such that the laser beam is oriented in the direction of the fork tine 5 and thus in the direction of the load to be charged . The laser beam from the sensor device 10 thus extends parallel to the fork tines 5. A corresponding sensor device 11, which corresponds to the sensor device 10, is arranged on the fork tines 4. The fork carriage 3 can itself be moved vertically on the industrial truck and optionally also horizontally. To determine the horizontal position of the

Fork carrier is optionally assigned a further sensor device (not shown here) which detects the lateral distance of the fork carrier 3 from the fixed component of the industrial truck in order to determine the position of the fork carrier 3 and thus that of the fork tines 4, 5 on the industrial truck 1.

The load to be handled can be scanned or scanned by means of the sensor devices 10, 11 in order to

Laser devices or sensor devices 10, 11 detect distances to the industrial truck 1 to determine receiving depressions of the load into which the fork tines 4, 5 can be inserted.

The industrial truck 1 also has a display device 12, on which the user of the industrial truck 1 is shown data relating to the fork position and / or the load, which were determined by the sensor devices 6, 7, 10 and 11. In particular, the data is graphically,

preferably represented geometrically, so that the user of the industrial truck 1 can optimally control the fork tines 4, 5 to bring them into the

Introduce wells of the load. The industrial truck 1 is optionally designed to carry out the threading or insertion process in a partially automated or fully automated manner, for which purpose the industrial truck preferably has a corresponding control device 13. The control unit 13 is connected to the

Sensor devices 6, 9, 10 and 11 are connected in terms of signals and determine the position of the fork tines 4, 5 and that of the receiving depressions of the load as a function of the detected distances. Depending on the detected position of the fork tines relative to one another or to the fork carriage 3, the control device 13 also preferably determines a risk of tipping over for the load to be handled. If, for example, the fork tines are arranged off-center on the fork carriage 3, this could lead to the industrial truck 1 tipping over if the load to be handled is sufficiently heavy. If the control device 13 therefore determines a corresponding risk of tipping, a warning message is output to the driver or a movement of the fork tines 4, 5 into a corresponding position is prevented or automatically reversed. With reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4 is an advantageous in the following

Methods for operating the industrial truck are described.

Such an industrial truck 1 is usually used for handling objects stored on pallets, in particular so-called euro pallets. Such pallets have a defined shape and can be lifted and handled from two sides by a forklift. For this purpose, the pallet has lateral receiving recesses 14 into which the

Forks 4, 5 can be inserted or threaded. To thread the fork tines into the pallet 15 or the load, the user of the industrial truck has to hit the receiving recesses 14 or empty spaces between the load-bearing elements of the pallet, which means that he has to adjust the fork tines both horizontally and vertically.

As already mentioned above, the positions and / or positions of the fork tines 4, 5, optionally also those of the fork carriage 3, are graphically displayed to the user of the industrial truck 1 by the display device 12, which makes operation of the latter easier. Alternatively, text and / or numbers can also be displayed to the user.

The sensor devices 10 and 11 are used in particular to detect the receiving depressions 14 of the load to be handled or of a pallet 15 carrying the load, as is shown in FIG. 2 by way of example in a side view. While according to the present exemplary embodiment the sensor devices 10, 11 are arranged on the fork tines 4, 5, according to a further exemplary embodiment it is provided that the

Sensor devices 10, 11 are arranged in the respective fork tines 5 and 4, in which case there is preferably an optical window at the fork tip of the respective fork tine 5, 4 through which the respective laser beam can pass to the outside for distance measurement.

Alternatively, only one sensor device 6, 9 can be placed between

Reference positions of the two forks are installed. The position of the displaceable fork tines of the reference position is then detected by means of this sensor, the position of the fork tines 4 and 5 being able to be determined absolutely and relative to one another. The side of the load or the pallet 15 facing the industrial truck 1 is preferably scanned or scanned by the horizontal and / or vertical movements of the fork tines and / or the fork carriage 3. Depending on the known sizes of the carrier elements and the receiving depressions of the pallets 15, the current position of the

Forks are calculated for the associated receiving recesses 14 for threading the forks. The dimensions or features of the relevant pallets 15 are preferably stored in a model in the memory of the control unit 13. The position of the forks 4, 5 to the

Receiving recesses 14 of the pallet 15 are preferably displayed graphically and / or numerically to the user or driver of the industrial truck 1 on the display device 12. The scanning is preferably started when the truck starts or turns in the direction of the pallet 15 in order to also detect the vehicle movement of the truck for the truck

Use the scanning process. The movements of the

Industrial truck 1 in total and the fork tines 4, 5 and / or

Fork carrier 3 used to three-dimensionally scan the load, in particular the pallet 15, from the distance measurements of the one or more sensor devices 6, 9, 10, 11.

The scanning of the pallet 15 by means of the two sensor devices 10, 11 is shown as an example in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. In order to detect the distance between the fork tines 4, 5 and the pallet 15, the smaller ones ultimately become

Distance values of the measurements are recorded, parallel and non-parallel positions of pallet 5 and fork carriage 3 being recognizable.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the pallet 15 with two receiving recesses 14, as well as indicated by arrows and dash-dotted lines, the movement path of the sensor devices 10, 11, which detect the distance to the pallet 15. By vertical movement, as shown by arrows in Figure 2, the height of the receiving recesses 14 is determined. For example, the middle sampling points are used as the height plane for horizontal scanning.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the pallet 15 from an angle that is perpendicular to that of FIG. 2. With the two sensor devices 10, 11 with a fixed threading distance for the narrow side of the pallet, a change is caused by a horizontal movement of the fork carriage 3 and / or both fork tines 5, 4 of the detected distance for feature recognition. For example, the fork carriage 3 is moved horizontally to the right until the two sensor devices 10, 11 reach the edge of one

Grip the carrier element of the pallet 15 (block edge). Because the middle one

Carrier element (block) is wider than the outer carrier elements, when the fork is moved further in the horizontal direction it is clearly recognizable how the fork is aligned with the pallet 15. If the right outer edge of the right support element is detected by the right sensor, but the left sensor does not detect any change in distance, it can be determined that the fork tines are located opposite the right and the middle support element and by a movement to the left in the overlapping position with the receiving recesses 14 are feasible. The same applies to the left side of the pallet 15. FIG. 4 shows the pallet 16 again in a side view, as is also shown in FIG. 2. The front side of the pallet 15 is scanned here by two distance measurements with the sensor devices 10, 11 in order to determine the

To determine receiving wells 14. Because in this case the support elements of the pallet 15 are of equal width in this viewing angle, the scanning process must be carried out to the right or to the left in order to determine the unambiguous position of the

To determine receiving recesses 14 or the fork tines 4, 5 to the pallet 15. The horizontal arrows in FIGS. 3 and 4 show the movements of the fork tines 4, 5 or the sensor devices 10, 11 towards the pallet, which movements have to be carried out in order to achieve a clear one

Get position determination.

Claims

Expectations

1. Industrial truck (1) with a load fork, which has at least two fork tines (4, 5) mounted on a fork carriage (3), and one

Sensor device (6,9,10,11) for threading the fork tines (4,5) into

Receiving recesses of a load to be handled, the sensor device (6, 9, 10, 11) in particular having at least one light source (7), characterized in that the sensor device (6, 9, 10, 11) is designed and / or arranged for this purpose Detect distance (a, b) of the fork tines (4, 5) from one another and / or the position of at least one of the fork tines (4, 5) on the fork carriage (3).

2. Industrial truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor device (6,9,10,11) on one of the fork tines (4,5) or on the fork carriage (3) is arranged.

3. Industrial truck according to claim 2, characterized in that the sensor device (6) arranged on the fork tines (5) is oriented such that its light source emits light in the direction of the adjacent fork tine (4).

4. Industrial truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light source (7) is a laser light source.

5. Industrial truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor device (6,9,10,11) is arranged such that it detects the lateral distance (b) of at least one fork tine (5) to the fork carriage (3).

6. Industrial truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one sensor device (6,9,10,11) is arranged and / or designed to detect and / or sense a load in the direction of extension of the fork tines (4,5) to determine recesses for each fork (4,5).

7. Industrial truck according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized by a display device (12) which shows the detected position, the detected distance (a, b) and / or the scanned load

especially graphically.

8. Control device (13) for operating an industrial truck (1) with the features of claim 1, characterized in that the control device (13) is specially prepared, depending on the

Sensor device (6, 9) detects distances (a, b) to determine the position of the fork tines (4, 5) with respect to one another and / or the position of the fork tines (4, 5) on the fork carriage (3).

9. The method for operating an industrial truck (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that by means of the

Distance (a, b), the position of the fork tines (4,5) to one another and / or the position of at least one of the fork tines (4,5) on the fork carriage (3) is determined by the sensor device (6,9).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that in

Depending on the detected position of the fork tines (4,5) and / or the distance (a, b) of the fork tines (4,5) to each other, there is a risk of tipping

load to be handled is determined.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that by means of the sensor device (6,9,10,11) the load to be handled is scanned in order to determine receiving recesses for the fork tines (4,5).

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, depending on the receiving recesses determined, the fork tines (4, 5) are moved for threading into the receiving recesses on the fork carriage (3).

13. Computer program which is set up to carry out the method according to one of claims 9 to 12.

14. Computer program product, with a machine-readable

Storage medium on which the computer program according to claim 13 is stored.