WO2023287004A1

WO2023287004A1 - Pallet contact sensing apparatus and method for forklift

Info

Publication number: WO2023287004A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/007026
Authority: WO
Inventors: 박윤승; 조병훈
Original assignee: (주)러셀로보틱스
Priority date: 2021-07-16
Filing date: 2022-05-17
Publication date: 2023-01-19
Also published as: KR102318079B1

Abstract

A pallet contact sensing apparatus for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a DOG part which includes both ends and a contact surface raised a certain height from both of the ends; a body part which encloses the DOG part, and includes a groove portion for guiding the ascending or descending motion of the DOG part and a fastening means for maintaining engagement with the side surface of a fork of the forklift; elastic members which are located between the respective ends of the DOG part and the lower end of the groove portion provided in the body part; a blocking part which is located on the rear surface of the contact surface of the DOG part; and a horseshoe sensor which is embedded in the body part and positioned so that the blocking part becomes inserted therein according to the ascending or descending motion of the DOG part.

Description

Pallet contact detection device and method for forklift

The present invention relates to a pallet contact sensing apparatus and method for a forklift.

In general, since an autonomous guided vehicle does not require a driver, it can play a role in enhancing the price competitiveness of products or services by reducing manpower at the logistics site, improving productivity, and improving the working environment.

An unmanned transport device such as a forklift or a crane lifts bulky and heavy cargo to load or unload the vehicle, or uses a pallet to support the cargo during transport or storage.

However, the movement of the pallet using the existing unmanned transfer device requires the premise that the pallet is placed in the correct position and position with the fork, and there is a problem that it is impossible to load the cargo if the position or posture of the pallet is slightly changed. In addition, when the fork and the pallet come into contact in the process of the fork entering/exiting the fork with respect to the hall of the pallet after the cargo is transferred to the pallet, an accident such as the pallet falling may occur.

Due to these problems, a method of using color information and morphological information of a pallet using a single camera or a stereo camera and a method of recognizing a pallet by attaching an artificial landmark have been recently studied.

In this regard, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0120982 (title of invention: forklift system, and control method thereof) discloses that when a fork end sensor unit provided at the front end of a fork contacts a pallet during a forking operation, an elastic member Disclosed is a forklift system that detects contact as it is compressed, and a control method thereof.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention, when the forklift forks the pallet hole, the fork moves through the pallet through the elastic member located at both lower ends of the dog coupled to the side of the fork and the horseshoe sensor located between the elastic member. It is intended to provide a pallet contact detection device and method for a forklift that detects contact with the upper and lower sides of the.

However, the technical problem to be achieved by the present embodiment is not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical problem, a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a dog part including both ends and a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from both ends; a main body part including a dog part, a groove part for guiding an upward or downward motion of the dog part, and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to the side surface of the fork of the forklift; an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and the lower end of the groove part included in the body part; It includes a blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part and a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.

A forklift according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle body; left fork and right fork; an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to the side of the left fork; an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to the side of the right fork; In accordance with the operation of each pallet contact detection device, a control unit detects the contact state between the fork and the pallet in the process of entering or exiting the fork and performs an emergency stop operation, each pallet contact detection device having both ends and both ends A dog portion including a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from the dog portion; a main body part including a dog part and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to a side surface of a fork of a fork of a fork and a groove part for guiding an upward or downward movement of the dog part; an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and the lower end of the groove part included in the body part; It includes a blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part and a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.

A pallet contact sensing method performed by a control unit of a forklift according to another embodiment of the present invention includes (a) a forklift in which each pallet contact sensing device is coupled to the side of the left fork and the right fork enters or exits the fork with respect to the pallet performing an action; (b) according to the operation of each pallet contact detection device, detecting the contact state of the fork and the pallet in the entry or exit process of the fork, and receiving the detection information by the control unit; And (c) performing an emergency stop operation of the fork when at least one pallet contact sensing device detects a contact state between the fork and the pallet by the control unit, but each pallet contact sensing device is installed on the side of the left fork. It includes a combined upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device, and an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to the side of the right fork, and a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from both ends and both ends Dog part comprising; a main body part including a dog part and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to a side surface of a fork of a fork of a fork and a groove part for guiding an upward or downward movement of the dog part; an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and the lower end of the groove part included in the body part; It includes a blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part and a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and can maintain a state in which the fork of the forklift does not come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the pallet hole during a fork loading or unloading operation.

That is, it is possible to prevent the fork from contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the pallet hole during the forking operation of the forklift. In addition, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the forking operation by enabling the fork to be easily inserted into the center of the hole of the pallet.

1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view for explaining that a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a contact of a pallet.

3 is a view showing a forklift to which a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention is coupled.

4 is a diagram illustrating an upper pallet contact sensing device and a lower pallet contact sensing device coupled to side surfaces of a fork according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a pallet contact sensing method performed by a control unit of a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected" but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with another element interposed therebetween. . In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

In this specification, 'unit' includes a unit realized by hardware or software, or a unit realized using both, and one unit may be realized using two or more hardware, and two or more units may be implemented. The above units may be realized by one piece of hardware. Meanwhile, '~unit' is not limited to software or hardware, and '~unit' may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or configured to reproduce one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, '~unit' refers to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. Functions provided within components and '~units' may be combined into smaller numbers of components and '~units' or further separated into additional components and '~units'. In addition, the components and '~units' may be implemented to regenerate one or more CPUs in the device.

The network refers to a connection structure capable of exchanging information between each node, such as autonomous forklifts and servers, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet (WWW : World Wide Web), wired and wireless data communications network, telephone network, and wired and wireless television communications network. Examples of wireless data communication networks include 3G, 4G, 5G, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, visible light communication (VLC: Visible Light Communication), LiFi, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

In the present specification, the forklift may be implemented in the form of an autonomous work vehicle capable of communicating with a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift through a network as well as a general forklift controlled by a person. For example, an autonomous work vehicle may include an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) or a Laser Guided Vehicle (LGV).

As shown in FIG. 1, the forklift pallet contact sensing device 100 includes a dog part 110, a body part 120, a fastening means 130, an elastic member 140, a blocking part 150, a horseshoe sensor 160, bearing means 170 and a communication unit (not shown).

Specifically, the pallet contact sensing device 100 for a forklift includes a dog part 110 including both ends and a contact surface 111 raised by a predetermined height from both ends, and the dog part 110 is built in, and the dog part 110 Body portion 120, dog portion 110 including a groove portion 125 for guiding the ascending or descending movement of ) and a fastening means 130 for maintaining a coupled state to the side of the fork 11 of the forklift 1 ) The elastic member 140 disposed between each end of the body portion 120 and the lower end of the groove portion 125 included in the body portion 120, the blocking portion 150 disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface 111 of the dog portion 110, and It is built into the body part 120 and includes a horseshoe sensor 160 positioned so that the blocking part 150 is inserted according to the upward or downward motion of the dog part 110 .

For example, when the pallet contact sensing device 100 contacts a pallet, the dog part 110 serves as a pressing device by the elastic force of both elastic members 140 . In addition, when the dog part 110 moves downward along the groove part 125 by an external force due to contact with the pallet, the blocking part 150 may be inserted into the horseshoe sensor 160 . At this time, the horseshoe sensor 160 senses the contact detection information, and the pallet contact detection device 100 may transmit the detection information through a communication unit.

For example, the main body 120 may include a fastening groove through which the fastening means 130 passes, and the fastening means 130 may be formed in a screw shape. That is, the fastening means 130 is inserted into the fastening groove of the body part 120, and the fastening means 130 passing through the body part 120 maintains a coupled state to the side of the fork 11 of the forklift 1 can be contracted to do so.

In addition, the horseshoe sensor 160 may be formed in a horseshoe shape with a groove into which the blocking portion 150 is inserted, and may sense that the blocking portion 150 is inserted by operating based on a magnetic field or laser.

In addition, bearing means 170 moving along the groove portion 125 may be further coupled to both end portions of the dog portion 110 . For example, the bearing means 170 may be coupled to both ends of the dog part 110, respectively, to induce the dog part 110 to move up or down. On the other hand, the bearing means 170 includes a bearing for linear motion of the dog part 110 along the groove part 125, and uses a conventionally known technique, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , in the pallet contact sensing device 100, as an external force is applied to the contact surface 111 of the dog part 110, the dog part 110 moves downward along the groove part 125, and the dog As the unit 110 moves downward, the blocking unit 150 is inserted into the horseshoe sensor 160 to detect the application of an external force. In addition, in the pallet contact sensing device 100, as the application of external force to the contact surface 111 of the dog part 110 is released, the dog part 110 moves upward by the elastic member 140, and the dog part 110 ), the blocking unit 150 separates from the horseshoe sensor 160 according to the upward movement of the external force, so that the release of the external force can be sensed. For example, the pallet contact sensing device 100 may transmit sensing information generated as the blocking unit 150 is inserted into or separated from the horseshoe sensor 160 to a control unit of a forklift described later through a communication unit.

Illustratively, the pallet contact sensing device 100 may be coupled to the side surfaces of the left and right forks 11, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), before the pallet contact detection device 100 senses the contact of the pallet P during the forking operation of the forklift, the elastic member 140 is the contact surface of the dog part 110 ( 111) may maintain a protruding state from the body portion 120. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), when the pallet contact detection device 100 detects the contact of the pallet P during the forking operation of the forklift, the dog unit 110 An external force may be applied to the contact surface 111 and the elastic member 140 may be compressed. At this time, the dog part 110 moves downward along the groove part 125, and the blocking part 150 may be inserted into the horseshoe sensor 160.

3 is a view showing a forklift to which a pallet contact sensing device for a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention is coupled. 4 is a diagram illustrating an upper pallet contact sensing device and a lower pallet contact sensing device coupled to side surfaces of a fork according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the forklift 1 includes a vehicle body 10, a left fork 11a and a right fork 11b, an upper pallet contact sensing device 100a coupled to the side of the left fork 11a, and a lower pallet contact detection According to the operation of the device 100b, the upper pallet contact sensing device 100a and the lower pallet contact sensing device 100b coupled to the side of the right fork 11b, each pallet contact sensing device 100, the fork 11 It may include a control unit 20 that detects the contact state of the fork 11 and the pallet P in the entry or exit process of and performs an emergency stop operation.

Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the upper pallet contact sensing device 100a is coupled to the side surfaces of the left fork 11a and the right fork 11b so that the dog portion 110 faces upward, respectively. can As shown in FIG. 4( b ), the lower pallet contact sensing device 100b may be coupled to the side surfaces of the left fork 11a and the right fork 11b so that the dog part 110 faces downward.

That is, when the forklift performs a forking operation, the upper pallet contact sensing device 100a may detect contact with the upper side of the pallet P hole, and the lower pallet contact sensing device 100b may detect contact with the upper side of the pallet P hole. It can detect contact with the lower side. For example, the upper and lower pallet

contact sensing devices

100a and 100b coupled to the side surfaces of the left and

right forks

11a and 11b, respectively, according to the operation of the pallet contact sensing device 100 through the communication unit, block unit 150 ) may transmit sensing information generated as the horseshoe sensor 160 is inserted or detached to the control unit 20 .

On the other hand, when the pallet contact detection device 100 of the present invention is applied to a conventional manned forklift rather than an unmanned transfer device, the pallet contact detection device 100 detects the contact state between the fork and the pallet, emergency stop or emergency An output unit may be included to output a warning.

In the case of a configuration performing the same function among the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 described above, a description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the pallet contact sensing method performed by the controller 20 of the forklift 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects each pallet contact on the side of the left fork 11a and the right fork 11b The forklift 1 to which the device 100 is coupled performs an entry or exit operation of the fork 11 with respect to the pallet P (S110), according to the operation of each pallet contact sensing device 100, the fork ( 11) detects the contact state of the fork 11 and the pallet P in the entry or exit process, and the control unit 20 receives the detection information (S120) and the control unit 20, at least one When the pallet contact detection device 100 detects the contact state between the fork 11 and the pallet P, performing an emergency stop operation of the fork 11 (S130).

Here, each pallet contact sensing device 100 includes an upper pallet contact sensing device 100a and a lower pallet contact sensing device 100b coupled to the side of the left fork 11a, and coupled to the side of the right fork 11b. A dog part 110 including an upper pallet contact detection device 100a and a lower pallet contact detection device 100b, and including both ends and contact surfaces 111 raised by a predetermined height from both ends, dog part 110 Body part including a groove part 125 for guiding the upward or downward movement of the dog part 110 and a fastening means 130 for maintaining the coupled state to the side of the fork 11 of the forklift 1 120, an elastic member 140 disposed between each end of the dog part 110 and the lower end of the groove part 125 included in the body part 120, on the rear surface of the contact surface 111 of the dog part 110 The blocking part 150 and the horseshoe sensor 160 are embedded in the body part 120 and positioned so that the blocking part 150 is inserted according to the upward or downward motion of the dog part 110 .

In step S120, each pallet contact sensing device 100 further includes a communication unit (not shown), and as an external force is applied to the contact surface 111 of the dog unit 110, the dog unit 110 moves along the groove unit 125 , and according to the downward movement of the dog part 110, the blocking part 150 is inserted into the horseshoe sensor 160 to detect the application of an external force, and the external force to the contact surface 111 of the dog part 110. As the application of is released, the dog part 110 moves upward by the elastic member 140, and the blocking part 150 separates from the horseshoe sensor 160 according to the upward movement of the dog part 110, thereby reducing the external force. Deauthorization can be detected. At this time, the communication unit may transmit sensing information generated as the blocking unit 150 is inserted into or separated from the horseshoe sensor 160 according to the operation of each pallet contact sensing device 100 to the control unit 20 .

The pallet contact sensing method performed by the controller of the forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention described above can be implemented in the form of a recording medium including instructions executable by a computer, such as a program module executed by a computer. there is. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. Also, computer readable media may include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.

Although the methods and apparatus of the present invention have been described with reference to specific embodiments, some or all of their components or operations may be implemented using a computer system having a general-purpose hardware architecture.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

Claims

In the pallet contact sensing device for a forklift,

a dog portion including both ends and a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from the both ends;

a body part including a groove part for guiding an upward or downward motion of the dog part and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to a side surface of the fork of the forklift;

an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and a lower end of the groove part included in the body part;

A blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part, and

A pallet contact sensing device for a forklift comprising a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.
According to claim 1,

As external force is applied to the contact surface of the dog part, the dog part moves downward along the groove, and according to the downward movement of the dog part, the blocking part is inserted into the horseshoe sensor to detect the application of the external force, and to detect the contact surface of the dog part. As the application of the external force is released, the dog part moves upward by the elastic member, and the blocking part separates from the horseshoe sensor according to the upward movement of the dog part to sense the release of the external force. A pallet for a forklift touch sensing device.
According to claim 1,

A pallet contact sensing device for a forklift, wherein bearing means moving along the groove are further coupled to both ends of the dog portion.
In a forklift,

vehicle body;

left fork and right fork;

an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to a side surface of the left fork;

an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to a side surface of the right fork;

In accordance with the operation of each pallet contact detection device, a control unit detecting the contact state between the fork and the pallet in the process of entering or taking out the fork, and performing an emergency stop operation,

Each of the pallet contact sensing devices

a dog portion including both ends and a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from the both ends;

a body part including a groove part for guiding an upward or downward motion of the dog part and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to a side surface of the fork of the forklift;

an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and a lower end of the groove part included in the body part;

A blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part, and

The forklift includes a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.
In the pallet contact sensing method performed by the controller of the forklift,

(a) performing an entry or exit operation of a fork to a pallet by a forklift to which each pallet contact sensing device is coupled to the side of the left fork and the right fork;

(b) detecting a contact state between the fork and the pallet in the process of entering or taking out the fork according to the operation of each pallet contact detection device, and receiving detection information by the control unit; and

(c) performing, by the control unit, an emergency stop operation of the fork when at least one of the pallet contact sensing devices detects a contact state between the fork and the pallet;

Each of the pallet contact sensing devices

An upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to side surfaces of the left fork, and an upper pallet contact detection device and a lower pallet contact detection device coupled to side surfaces of the right fork,

a dog portion including both ends and a contact surface raised by a predetermined height from the both ends;

a body part including a groove part for guiding an upward or downward motion of the dog part and a fastening means for maintaining a coupled state to a side surface of the fork of the forklift;

an elastic member disposed between each end of the dog part and a lower end of the groove part included in the body part;

A blocking part disposed on the rear surface of the contact surface of the dog part, and

A method for detecting pallet contact by a forklift, comprising a horseshoe sensor built into the main body and positioned so that the blocking part is inserted according to the upward or downward movement of the dog part.
According to claim 5,

In step (b),

As external force is applied to the contact surface of the dog part, the dog part moves downward along the groove, and according to the downward movement of the dog part, the blocking part is inserted into the horseshoe sensor to detect the application of the external force, and to detect the contact surface of the dog part. As the application of the external force is released, the dog part moves upward by the elastic member, and according to the upward movement of the dog part, the blocking part separates from the horseshoe sensor to sense the release of the external force. Pallet contact detection method.