Height - Adaptive Forks and Crane Lifting Tools

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment, specifically to a highly adaptive forklift fork and a spreader equipped with the forklift fork, including fork teeth and a fork tooth gantry. The fork teeth are installed on the fork tooth gantry, and clips are also fixed on both sides of the fork tooth gantry. The clips are in the same plane as the fork tooth gantry, and the clips are used to be inserted into corresponding slots opened on the mechanical equipment for installing the highly adaptive forklift fork; it also includes a height sensing element and a height limit sensor. The height sensing element is installed on the fork tooth gantry or the fork teeth, the height limit sensor is matched with the height sensing element, and the height limit sensor is connected to the control system of the mechanical equipment for installing the highly adaptive forklift fork. By using this adaptive method, the safety and efficiency problems caused by not considering the impact of goods on the vehicle floor during the operation of traditional spreaders can be effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment, in particular to the field of warehousing mechanical equipment, and more specifically to a height-adaptive forklift fork and a gantry crane spreader equipped with such a forklift fork. Background Art

[0002] During the loading and unloading of heavy materials, it is usually necessary to rely on a traveling crane and a spreader installed on the traveling crane to complete the operation. In order to overcome the safety problems caused by traditional hooks in the prior art, the inventor of the present invention has disclosed a spreader in the form of a fork tooth. By using this spreader, not only can the loading and unloading be automated, but also the rotation of the materials during the lifting process can be avoided, improving the safety of the lifting operation.

[0003] However, in practical applications, we found that when loading heavy materials onto a truck, as the weight of the goods on the truck increases, the truck bed will deform, which will in turn affect the height, causing the height of the truck bed to gradually decrease. After testing, the height of the truck bed will approximately have a 10 cm difference from the start of loading to the end of loading.

[0004] This poses higher requirements for the spreader of automated loading and unloading. Because, if according to the system's instructions, the spreader directly retracts the fork after descending to a fixed height, as mentioned above, the height of the truck bed will change during the loading and unloading process, then the following problems will occur: First, during the loading process, as more and more goods are loaded on the truck bed, the height of the truck bed will continuously decrease. When the spreader descends by the specified distance, at this time, the distance between the goods and the truck bed is larger than the expected value. If the fork is directly retracted, then the goods may directly fall onto the truck bed from this height. Although the distance is not too high, because it is heavy materials, it will also cause vibration and damage to the truck bed; there is also a possibility that the goods are retracted together with the fork teeth of the fork, and the loading work is not completed; similarly, during the unloading process, as fewer and fewer goods are on the truck bed, the height of the truck bed will continuously rise. If the spreader descends at a certain height, then it may not be able to accurately insert the fork. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is the problem that the change of goods during the loading and unloading process affects the truck bed, and further affects the accuracy and safety of the operation of the spreader in the form of a fork tooth.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention discloses a highly adaptive forklift fork, including fork teeth and a fork tooth gantry. The fork teeth are installed on the fork tooth gantry, and clips are fixed on both sides of the fork tooth gantry. The clips are in the same plane as the fork tooth gantry, and the clips are used to be inserted into a corresponding card slot opened on a mechanical device for installing the highly adaptive forklift fork. It further includes a height sensing element and a height limit sensor. The height sensing element is installed on the fork tooth gantry or the fork teeth. The height limit sensor is matched with the height sensing element, and the height limit sensor is connected to the control system of the mechanical device for installing the highly adaptive forklift fork.

[0007] The connection mentioned here refers to a data connection, that is, the data obtained by the height sensing element and the height limit sensor can be transmitted to the control system through wired or wireless communication methods.

[0008] The fixing method of the fork teeth and the fork tooth gantry refers to the existing fixed installation method. The fork teeth can be one or two. When there is one fork tooth, it is fixed in the middle of the fork tooth gantry. When there are two fork teeth, they are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the fork tooth gantry. In the present invention, it should be particularly emphasized that clips are fixed on both sides of the fork tooth gantry, and the fork tooth gantry is hung on the mechanical device for installing the highly adaptive forklift fork in a non-rigid connection manner through the cooperation of the clips and the card slots, so that relative movement can occur between the fork tooth gantry and the mechanical device.

[0009] Further preferably, it further includes a counterweight. The counterweight is connected to the fork tooth gantry through a pulley. A pulley is a mechanical structure that can rotate around a central axis, mainly including a small wheel with a groove on the periphery that can rotate around the axis, a disc with a groove that can rotate around the central axis, and a flexible cable striding across the disc. In the present invention, the counterweight and the fork tooth gantry are respectively connected to both ends of the flexible cable. Usually, the flexible cable can be selected from ropes, steel cables, chains, etc.

[0010] Further preferably, it further includes a guide wheel. The clip is fixed on the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the guide wheel, and a guide wheel groove is opened on the side wall of the card slot. The guide wheel is accommodated in the guide wheel groove.

[0011] With this structure, the guide wheel can rotate with the clip as the rotation axis. When the clip moves up and down in the card slot, the guide wheel rotates due to the action of friction, thus avoiding direct friction between the clip and the card slot. To ensure safety, a relatively tight fit relationship is required between the clip and the card slot. During the relative movement process, due to the self-weight of the two, strong friction will be brought, and this friction will affect the entire device. The inventor of the present invention cleverly resolves this friction in the form of a guide wheel, reducing the damage to the device. At the same time, it can also further play a guiding role, improving the tightness of the combination and the effectiveness of movement.

[0012] In a preferred technical solution, two or more guide wheels can be provided. To avoid inconsistent load-bearing on both sides, the guide wheels are increased in a symmetric manner. For example, there is one guide wheel on each side, or two guide wheels on each side, and so on. Through the arrangement of multiple guide wheels, not only can the load-bearing capacity be increased, but also the force can be effectively dispersed.

[0013] In a preferred technical solution, it further includes a bearing plate, and the counterweight is limited by the bearing plate.

[0014] Meanwhile, in the present invention, a gantry crane spreader installed with the aforementioned height-adaptive forklift forks is further disclosed, which includes gantry columns. Card slots for the clips to be inserted are provided on the gantry columns, and the height limit sensor is fixed to the gantry columns.

[0015] The gantry crane spreader is a device widely used in current warehousing. The gantry crane spreader cooperates with the trolley and the crane to form an entire lifting system. Through the control of the control system, the position of the gantry crane spreader is adjusted by using the crane and the trolley, and the lifting and lowering of the gantry crane spreader are controlled by the control system. By providing card slots on the gantry columns of the gantry crane spreader, the height-adaptive forklift forks can be installed at the lower end of the gantry crane spreader in a relatively movable manner.

[0016] In a preferred technical solution, the bearing plate is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the gantry column. Thus, the limitation of the counterweight can be realized, avoiding the over-lowering of the counterweight and the potential safety hazards caused by suspension.

[0017] In the present invention, the fork tooth gantry and the mechanical equipment adopt a relatively movable manner to replace the traditional hard connection method, thereby providing a basis for the adaptability of the forklift forks during the loading and unloading process. At the same time, by using this adaptive method, the safety and efficiency problems caused by not considering the impact of the goods on the vehicle floor during the operation of the traditional spreader can be effectively solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the height-adaptive forklift forks.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a gantry crane spreader equipped with height-adaptive forklift forks. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] To better understand the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0021] The following combines Figure 1 and Figure 2 to see, as Figure 1The height - adaptive forklift forks shown, this view is a top - down view, including fork teeth 1, a forklift - fork gantry 2, the fork teeth 1 are fixedly installed on the forklift - fork gantry 2, and clips 7 are also fixedly installed on both sides of the forklift - fork gantry. The clips 7 are in the same plane as the forklift - fork gantry 2. The clips are used to be inserted into corresponding slots opened on the mechanical equipment for installing the height - adaptive forklift forks. In this embodiment, preferably, there is also a guide wheel 6. The clip is fixed on the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the guide wheel. As Figure 1 shown, at the rotating shaft of the guide wheel is the clip 7. A guide - wheel groove 9 is opened on the side wall of the slot. As Figure 1 described, the guide wheel is accommodated in the guide - wheel groove.

[0022] Combined with Figure 2 we can see that in this embodiment, preferably, two guide wheels 6 are provided, making it more stable and reliable.

[0023] As Figure 1 shown, there are also a height - sensing element 4 and a height - limit sensor 5. The height - sensing element 4 is installed on the forklift - fork gantry or the fork teeth. The height - limit sensor 5 is matched with the height - sensing element 4, and the height - limit sensor 5 is connected to the control system of the mechanical equipment for installing the height - adaptive forklift forks.

[0024] Further preferably, combined with Figure 2 , the height - adaptive forklift forks also include a counterweight 3 and a fixed pulley 10. One end is connected to the counterweight 3, and the other end is connected to the forklift - fork gantry 2.

[0025] Preferably, in this embodiment, as we combine Figure 2 shown, in an application scenario, there is a hoisting spreader of a traveling crane equipped with height - adaptive forklift forks. The spreader includes a gantry column 11. A guide groove 12 is opened on the gantry column, and a guide - wheel groove matching the guide wheel is further opened on the inner side wall of the guide groove. The height - limit sensor 5 is fixed to the gantry column.

[0026] We can see that in this embodiment, there is also a bearing plate 13. The counterweight is limited by the bearing plate. Since the counterweight adjusts the influence of the fork teeth on the contact surface such as the vehicle board by its own gravity, but considering safety and other factors, the inventor thought of using the bearing plate to limit the counterweight.

[0027] In a fixed pulley, the two ends of the flexible cable are respectively connected to a counterweight and a fork tooth gantry, and the counterweight can be used to adjust or reduce the gravitational effect of the fork tooth gantry and the fork teeth fixed thereon. It should be noted that in actual applications, since the weight of the fork tooth gantry and the fork teeth is very large, when the fork is retracted, the fork teeth will generate a large frictional force on the contact surface such as the vehicle board, causing damage to the surface of the vehicle board or other contact surfaces. Through the design of an appropriate counterweight, an upward pulling force can be generated to offset part of the gravity of the fork teeth and the fork tooth gantry itself, thereby reducing the friction between the fork teeth and the contact surface during the fork retraction process.

[0028] Combined with Figure 2 The described bearing plate 13 is fixed to the bottom end of the gantry column 11.

[0029] It should be noted that the height sensing element and the height limit sensor can be installed at any position according to actual needs. When the height limit sensor senses the height sensing element, it will send a signal to stop the jogging down. Therefore, the positions of the two can be set according to the actual situation and needs. As long as the condition that there is no signal induction between the two when the gantry column is in the non-descending state and the induction signal can be triggered only after the gantry column descends and enters the induction area is met.

[0030] The following combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 The structure shown in is used to further describe the working process and technical implementation process of the present invention:

[0031] Taking the loading process as an example.

[0032] First, the fork teeth are inserted into the tray 15 of the goods 14 and reach the designated loading position through the overhead crane. Then the gantry column descends to the designated height under the control of the control system. This designated height is still a certain distance from the actual loading height to ensure loading safety and prevent the goods from hitting the vehicle board.

[0033] Then, the control system activates the jogging down mode, and the gantry column jogs down at a slow rate, and the entire spreader jogs down at a very slow speed.

[0034] When the goods descend to the vehicle board height recorded in the system, if the vehicle board sinks at this time, the system does not know that the goods do not actually contact the vehicle board. According to the existing technology, the problems of the aforementioned goods falling or retreating with the fork are likely to occur when the fork is retracted at this time.

[0035] However, in the present invention, at this time, the entire spreader does not stop descending. During the continuous descent, when the goods come into actual contact with the vehicle floor 16, since the pallet has already contacted the vehicle floor, it is limited by the vehicle floor and stops moving downward. However, the fork teeth will continue to descend. After jogging down a certain distance (the height of the goods pallet 16), the fork teeth contact the vehicle floor. At this time, the fork teeth are limited by the vehicle floor and stop moving downward. Since the fork tooth gantry and the gantry column are fixed by means of clips and slots, when the gantry column continues to descend under the control of the control system, the fork teeth move upward along the slot relative to the gantry column.

[0036] In this embodiment, due to the function of the guide wheel, when the clip and the slot move relative to each other, the frictional force causes the guide wheel to rotate, thus avoiding the huge friction generated during sliding, making the contact softer, and being limited by the guide wheel, it is not easy to be misaligned.

[0037] When the height limit sensor on the gantry column senses the sensing element installed on the fork, the height limit sensor transmits this signal to the control system, and the control system stops the jogging descent of the gantry column and starts to retract the fork.

[0038] Since in this process, the fork teeth must be in actual contact with the vehicle floor to trigger the subsequent fork retraction procedure, it can ensure that the goods are in actual contact with the vehicle floor, avoiding problems such as falling off caused by the inconsistent height of placing the goods and the actual height due to the sinking of the vehicle floor after the goods are loaded.

[0039] When the fork is completely retracted, due to being disengaged from the vehicle floor limit, the fork slides along the guide wheel groove to the initial position (bottom end) under the action of gravity, completing the reset. No special control program and power are required during the reset process.

[0040] The above is the specific implementation manner of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A height - adaptive forklift control method, characterized in that: The height - adaptive forklift used in the height - adaptive forklift control method includes fork teeth and a fork - tooth gantry. The fork teeth are installed on the fork - tooth gantry. Clips are also fixed on both sides of the fork - tooth gantry. The clips are in the same plane as the fork - tooth gantry, and the clips are used to be inserted into the corresponding slots opened on the mechanical equipment where the height - adaptive forklift is installed. It also includes a height - sensing element and a height - limit sensor. The height - sensing element is installed on the fork - tooth gantry or the fork teeth. The height - limit sensor is matched with the height - sensing element, and the height - limit sensor is connected to the control system of the mechanical equipment where the height - adaptive forklift is installed. When in the loading process, First, the fork teeth are inserted into the pallet of the goods and reach the designated loading position through the hoisting equipment. Then, the gantry column descends to the designated height under the control of the control system. Then, the control system activates the jog - down mode. The gantry column jogs down at a slow rate, and the entire spreader jogs down at a very slow speed. When the goods descend to the height of the vehicle deck recorded in the system, the spreader does not stop descending. During the continuous descent, when the goods come into actual contact with the vehicle deck, since the pallet has already contacted the vehicle deck, it is limited by the vehicle deck and stops moving downward. The fork teeth continue to descend, jog - down until the fork teeth contact the vehicle deck. The fork teeth are limited by the vehicle deck and stop moving downward. Since the gantry column and the fork - tooth gantry are fixed by the cooperation of the clips and the slots, when the gantry column continues to descend under the control of the control system, the fork teeth move upward along the slots relative to the gantry column. When the height - limit sensor on the gantry column senses the sensing element installed on the forklift, the height - limit sensor transmits a signal to the control system, and the control system stops the jog - down of the gantry column and starts to retract the fork. When the forklift is completely retracted, it gets out of the vehicle - deck limit and slides along the guide - wheel groove to the initial position under the action of gravity to complete the reset. When in the unloading process, the height - adaptive adjustment method between the forklift and the vehicle deck is the same as that in the loading process.

2. A height - adaptive forklift for implementing the height - adaptive forklift control method according to claim 1, characterized in that It includes fork teeth and a fork - tooth gantry. The fork teeth are installed on the fork - tooth gantry. Clips are also fixed on both sides of the fork - tooth gantry. The clips are in the same plane as the fork - tooth gantry, and the clips are used to be inserted into the corresponding slots opened on the mechanical equipment where the height - adaptive forklift is installed. It also includes a height - sensing element and a height - limit sensor. The height - sensing element is installed on the fork - tooth gantry or the fork teeth. The height - limit sensor is matched with the height - sensing element, and the height - limit sensor is connected to the control system of the mechanical equipment where the height - adaptive forklift is installed. It also includes a counterweight, and the counterweight is connected to the fork - tooth gantry through a pulley. It also includes guide wheels. The clips are fixed axially on the rotating shaft of the guide wheels, and guide - wheel grooves are opened on the side walls of the slots, and the guide wheels are accommodated in the guide - wheel grooves.

3. The height-adaptive forklift forks according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are two or more of the guide wheels.

4. The height - adaptive forklift forks according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a bearing plate, and the counterweight is limited by the bearing plate.

5. The overhead crane spreader for implementing the height-adaptive forklift control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: This overhead crane spreader is equipped with the height - adaptive fork as described in any one of claims 2 to 4: The overhead crane spreader includes gantry columns, and the gantry columns are provided with slots for the clips to be inserted, and the height limit sensor is fixed to the gantry columns.

6. The overhead crane spreader according to claim 5, wherein: The overhead crane spreader includes gantry columns, and the gantry columns are provided with slots for the clips to be inserted.

7. The overhead crane spreader according to claim 5, wherein: A bearing plate is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the gantry column.

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