A fork arm, lifting fork lifting mechanism and handling device

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of warehousing and logistics, and specifically discloses a fork arm, a lifting fork lifting mechanism and a handling device. The fork arm includes: an arm body extending in a horizontal direction; an external component capable of being supported by an external structure; a lifting drive mechanism disposed on the arm body and connected to the external component, the lifting drive mechanism being configured to be able to drive the external component and the arm body to lift relative to each other. The lifting fork lifting mechanism includes a mounting frame and the fork arm as described above, the arm body being slidably connected to the mounting frame, the lifting drive mechanism driving the arm body to lift relative to the mounting frame, and the external component being supported by the mounting frame and / or the ground. The handling device includes a vehicle body and the lifting fork lifting mechanism as described above, the mounting frame being disposed on the vehicle body. The fork arm, the lifting fork lifting mechanism and the handling device provided by the present invention can improve the structural compactness and modular arrangement of the handling device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of warehousing and logistics technology, and in particular to a fork arm, a lifting fork lifting mechanism and a handling device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of efficiency and automation in the warehousing and logistics industry, handling devices with self-service mobile functions are widely used in various links of the warehousing and logistics industry to achieve efficient and automated handling of materials.

[0003] A pallet is a carrier used to carry materials in warehousing and logistics. After the materials are placed on the pallet, the handling device moves to the location of the pallet, docks with the fork holes on the pallet, and then lifts the pallet to carry the materials on the pallet. According to the way the fork holes on the pallet are opened, the existing pallets are usually divided into Japanese-shaped pallets, Sichuan-shaped pallets, and Tian-shaped pallets.

[0004] The existing equipment for transporting pallets usually includes electric forklifts and automatic forklifts, which transport pallets by inserting the fork arms of the electric forklifts and automatic forklifts into the fork holes, and then lifting the fork arms to drive the pallets off the ground. In the existing electric forklifts and automatic forklifts, the fork arms are usually connected to the vehicle body through a mounting frame, and the lifting drive mechanism for driving the fork arms to lift and lower is connected between the mounting frame and the fork arms, which results in the increase in the size of the transport equipment and the increase in the difficulty of assembly, which is not conducive to the modular production of the transport equipment and the improvement of the assembly efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0005] One purpose of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a fork arm to improve the modular production of a handling device, simplify the structure and assembly of the handling device, and improve the structural compactness of the handling device.

[0006] Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a lifting fork lifting mechanism to improve the modular production of handling equipment, simplify the structure and assembly of the handling equipment, and improve the structural compactness of the handling equipment.

[0007] Another object of the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a transport device to improve modular production and assembly of the transport device, simplify the structure of the transport device, and improve the structural compactness of the transport device.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] A fork arm, comprising:

[0010] an arm body extending in a horizontal direction;

[0011] An external member capable of being supported by an external structure;

[0012] The lifting drive mechanism is arranged on the arm body and connected to the external component. The lifting drive mechanism is configured to drive the external component and the arm body to lift relative to each other.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the external connection member includes a hinge shaft, the hinge shaft is used to be hinged to the external structure, and the hinge shaft extends along the width direction of the arm body.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution of a fork arm, the lifting drive mechanism includes:

[0015] a first connecting rod, a first end of which is hinged to the hinge shaft and a second end of which supports the arm body;

[0016] The first driving assembly is configured to drive the first link to rotate around the hinge shaft to lift the arm body.

[0017] As a preferred technical solution of a fork arm, the first driving assembly includes:

[0018] a lead screw having a first threaded section;

[0019] A first nut seat is rotatably sleeved on the first threaded section, and the second end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the first nut seat;

[0020] The lifting drive motor is used to drive the lead screw to rotate, so as to drive the first nut seat to move.

[0021] As an optimal technical solution for a fork arm, the first nut seat includes a screw sleeve portion and a sliding seat portion slidably sleeved on the screw sleeve portion, the screw sleeve portion is sleeved on the first threaded section, and the screw sleeve portion is provided with two limit seat portions to limit the sliding stroke of the sliding seat portion, and the second end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the sliding seat portion.

[0022] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, one first connecting rod is arranged on opposite sides of the lead screw, the lower end of each first connecting rod is hinged to the hinge shaft, and the upper end of each first connecting rod is hinged to the first nut seat respectively.

[0023] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the external member includes a support member, and the lifting drive mechanism can drive the support member to extend downward relative to the arm body to support the fork arm.

[0024] As a preferred technical solution of a fork arm, the lifting drive mechanism includes:

[0025] Two second connecting rods, the lower ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively hinged to the supporting member;

[0026] The second driving assembly, the upper ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively connected to the second driving assembly, and the second driving assembly is configured to drive the upper ends of the two second connecting rods to move closer to or away from each other to lift the support member.

[0027] As a preferred technical solution of a fork arm, the second driving assembly includes:

[0028] A lead screw, the lead screw comprising a second thread segment and a third thread segment with opposite rotation directions;

[0029] Two second nut seats are respectively sleeved on the second thread segment and the third thread segment, and the upper ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively hinged to the two second nut seats;

[0030] The lifting drive motor is connected to the arm body and is used to drive the lead screw to rotate so as to drive the two second nut seats to slide toward or away from each other along the lead screw.

[0031] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the lead screw includes a first optical axis segment located between the second thread segment and the third thread segment, a lead screw seat is rotatably sleeved on the first optical axis segment, and the lead screw seat is connected to the arm body.

[0032] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the lead screw seat is provided at each end of the first optical axis segment, and the support member can be at least partially located between the two lead screw seats.

[0033] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the support member includes a support roller, and the axle of the support roller is arranged along the width direction of the arm body.

[0034] As a preferred technical solution for a fork arm, the arm body is in a long box-like structure with an opening facing downward, the lifting drive mechanism is at least partially located inside the arm body, and the external connection member can be exposed from the arm body.

[0035] A lifting fork lifting mechanism comprises a mounting frame and the fork arm as described above, wherein the arm body is slidably connected to the mounting frame, the lifting drive mechanism drives the arm body to lift relative to the mounting frame, and the external component is supported by the mounting frame and / or the ground.

[0036] As a preferred technical solution of a lifting fork lifting mechanism, the mounting frame includes two bracket parts which are arranged at an interval, and each of the bracket parts is slidably connected to a fork arm.

[0037] A transport device comprises a vehicle body and the lifting forklift mechanism as described above, wherein the mounting frame is arranged on the vehicle body.

[0038] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are:

[0039] The fork arm provided in the embodiment of the present invention, by arranging the lifting drive mechanism on the arm body, can enable the fork arm to be independently processed and assembled, and then assembled with the external structure on which the fork arm is installed, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering of the fork arm relative to the external structure, improving the assembly efficiency of the fork arm and the external structure, and being conducive to the modular assembly and replacement of the fork arm, thereby improving the structural compactness of the handling equipment using the fork arm.

[0040] The lifting fork lifting mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present invention realizes the lifting and lowering of the arm body relative to the mounting frame by adopting the fork arm mentioned above, has a compact structure, is easy to assemble, and is conducive to modular setting.

[0041] The transport device provided in the embodiment of the present invention adopts the above-mentioned lifting fork lifting mechanism to transport materials, which can simplify the structure of the transport device, improve the compactness of the structure of the transport device, and facilitate modular setting of the transport device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a fork arm provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a lifting drive mechanism provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the fork arm and the mounting frame when the fork arm provided in the first embodiment of the present invention is in an initial state;

[0045] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the mechanism after removing the arm body from the middle structure;

[0046] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the fork arm and the mounting frame when the fork arm provided in the first embodiment of the present invention is in a lifted state;

[0047] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the structure after removing the arm body;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a transport device in an initial state provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the handling device provided in the second embodiment of the present invention in a state where the fork arm is extended.

[0050] Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a tray provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0051] Fig.10is a schematic diagram of the front structure of a vehicle body provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0052] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the back structure of a vehicle body provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0053] Fig.12 is a structural schematic diagram of a translation drive mechanism provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0054] The following are marked in the figure:

[0055] 10. handling device; 20. pallet; 201. fork hole;

[0056] 1. Car body; 11. Shell; 111. Bearing surface; 112. Accommodating groove; 1121. Limiting groove wall; 113. X-guide groove; 114. First guide roller; 12. Driving wheel; 13. Universal wheel;

[0057] 2. fork arm; 21. arm body; 22. lifting drive mechanism; 221. lead screw; 2211. first thread segment; 2212. second thread segment; 2213. third thread segment; 2214. first optical axis segment; 2215. second optical axis segment; 222. first connecting rod; 223. first nut seat; 2231. screw sleeve; 2232. limit seat; 2233. slide seat; 224. second nut seat; 225. second connecting rod; 225. second connecting rod; 226. lead screw seat; 227. lifting drive motor; 228. reducer; 229. limit sleeve; 23. support wheel; 24. third guide roller; 25. articulated shaft;

[0058] 3. Translational drive mechanism; 31. Mounting frame; 311. Bracket portion; 3111. Side plate; 3112. Connecting portion; 3113. Z-guide groove; 3114. Hinge hole; 312. Connecting frame portion; 3121. Mounting groove; 313. Top plate; 32. Electric roller; 321. Roller; 322. Mounting shaft; 33. Elastic member; 34. Second guide roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0061] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0062] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc., directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0063] Embodiment 1

[0064] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a fork arm 2, which can be applied to handling equipment that needs to lift the fork arm 2 to fork materials, such as being applied to an autonomously movable handling device, where the fork arm of the handling device carries a pallet, and can also be applied to non-mobile lifting equipment to achieve lifting of materials.

[0065] Specifically, the fork arm 2 includes: an arm body 21, which extends in the horizontal direction; an external component that can be supported on an external structure; a lifting drive mechanism 22, which is arranged on the arm body 21 and connected to the external component, and the lifting drive mechanism 22 is configured to be able to drive the external component and the arm body 21 to rise and fall relative to each other.

[0066] The fork arm 2 provided in the present embodiment, by arranging the lifting drive mechanism 22 on the arm body 21, can enable the fork arm 2 to be independently processed and assembled, and then assembled with the external structure on which the fork arm 2 is installed, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering of the fork arm 2 relative to the external structure, improving the assembly efficiency of the fork arm 2 and the external structure, and facilitating the modular assembly and replacement of the fork arm 2, thereby improving the structural compactness of the handling equipment using the fork arm 2.

[0067] Combination Figure 3-6 In this embodiment, the specific structure of the fork arm 2 is described by taking the vertical lifting of the fork arm 2 relative to the mounting frame 31 on which the fork arm 2 is installed as an example. In this embodiment, the first end of the fork arm 2 is slidably connected to the mounting frame 31, and the second end of the fork arm 2 is in a free state.

[0068] The external part includes a hinge shaft 25, which is hinged to the mounting frame 31, and the hinge shaft 25 extends along the width direction of the arm body 21. By setting the hinge shaft 25 to hinge the fork arm 2 and the mounting frame 31, the connection stability between the mounting frame 31 and the fork arm 2 can be improved. Furthermore, the mounting frame 31 is provided with a hinge hole 3114, and the hinge shaft 25 is inserted into the hinge hole 3114.

[0069] The lifting drive mechanism 22 includes a first connecting rod 222 and a first driving assembly. The first end of the first connecting rod 222 is hinged to the hinge shaft 25, and the other end supports the arm body 21. The first driving assembly is configured to drive the first connecting rod 222 to rotate around the hinge shaft 25 to lift the arm body 21. By setting the first connecting rod 222 to rotate relative to the hinge shaft 25 to drive the arm body 21 to rise and fall, the rotation stability can be improved, and the space occupied by the lifting drive mechanism 22 in the vertical direction can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first drive assembly includes a lead screw 221, a lifting drive motor 227 and a first nut seat 223. The lead screw 221 extends along the length direction of the arm body 21 and includes a first threaded section 2211; the first nut seat 223 is rotatably sleeved on the first threaded section 2211, and the second end of the first connecting rod 222 is hinged to the first nut seat 223. This structural arrangement of the first drive assembly can further improve the compactness of the structure and improve the lifting stability.

[0071] The first end of the first connecting rod 222 is hinged to the bottom end of the bracket portion 311, and the first connecting rod 222 is located on the side of the first nut seat 223 facing the mounting frame 31, and when the fork arm 2 is in the initial state, the lead screw 221 is higher than the first end of the first connecting rod 222, and the first connecting rod 222 extends upward in an inclined direction from the first end to the second end. In this arrangement, when the arm body 21 needs to be raised, the first nut seat 223 moves in a direction toward the mounting frame 31, and the second end of the first connecting rod 222 flips upward around the hinge shaft 25, thereby driving the lead screw 221 to rise.

[0072] In this embodiment, two first connecting rods 222 are provided, and the two first connecting rods 222 are respectively located on opposite sides of the lead screw 221, and the upper end of each first connecting rod 222 is hinged to the first nut seat 223. This arrangement can effectively realize the synchronous lifting and lowering of the two ends of the first connecting rod 222, and improve the stability of the lifting and lowering movement of the arm body 21.

[0073] When the fork arm 2 is arranged on a movable transport device and the fork arm 2 can be extended relative to the body of the transport device, in order to prevent the free end of the fork arm 2 from sagging or deformation due to lack of effective support, the external component also includes a support member 23. The lifting and lowering drive mechanism 22 can drive the support member 23 to extend downward relative to the arm body 21 to support the fork arm 2, thereby improving the lifting stability of the fork arm 2 on the material and improving the reliability and service life of the fork arm 2.

[0074] Furthermore, the lifting drive mechanism 22 includes two second connecting rods 225 and a second driving assembly, one end of the two second connecting rods 225 are hinged to the support member 23, and the other ends of the two second connecting rods 225 are respectively connected to the second driving assembly, and the second driving assembly is configured to drive the other ends of the two second connecting rods 225 to move closer to or away from each other to lift the support member.

[0075] Further, the second driving assembly includes the above-mentioned lead screw 221 and the lifting drive motor 227, and also includes two second nut seats 224 and the lifting drive motor 227. The lead screw 221 includes a second thread segment 2212 and a third thread segment 2213 with opposite rotation directions, and the second thread segment 2212 has an opposite rotation direction to the first thread segment 2211. The two second nut seats 224 are respectively sleeved on the second thread segment 2212 and the third thread segment 2213, and the other ends of the two second connecting rods 225 are respectively hinged to the two second nut seats 224. The lifting drive motor 227 is used to drive the lead screw 221 to rotate, so as to drive the two second nut seats 224 to move toward or away from each other along the lead screw 221.

[0076] In this arrangement, when the lead screw 221 rotates, the two second nut seats 224 move synchronously toward or away from each other, thereby driving the second ends of the two second connecting rods 225 to move in a direction close to or away from each other, thereby driving the support member 23 to move vertically. In addition, the arrangement of the lifting drive mechanism 22 can ensure that the support member 23 can only move in the vertical direction, limit the movement of the support member 23 in the X direction, ensure the accuracy of the position of the support member 23, and shorten the travel of the second nut seat 224 relative to the lead screw 221. In other embodiments, one of the second nut seats 224 can also be replaced by a fixed seat fixed relative to the arm body 21, and the two second connecting rods 225 are driven to open and close relative to each other by the sliding of the other second nut seat 224 along the lead screw 221. However, in this arrangement, the support member 23 has not only a displacement in the Z direction, but also a displacement in the X direction.

[0077] Moreover, the arrangement of the second drive assembly and the first drive assembly can make the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly share the lead screw 221 and the lifting drive motor 227, simplify the structure of the lifting drive mechanism 22, and reduce the cost. In other embodiments, the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly can be independently arranged, and both the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly can use a motor with a sprocket chain drive, a lead screw nut mechanism, a crank slider mechanism, or a connecting rod mechanism and other drive structures to drive the corresponding external parts to rise and fall, or use a linear drive structure such as a linear motor and a hydraulic cylinder, and the above-mentioned various linear drive structures are relatively common and will not be repeated here.

[0078] A set of second connecting rods 225 are respectively provided on opposite sides of the lead screw 221, and the two sets of second connecting rods 225 are respectively hinged to the two ends of the wheel axle of the support member 23 to improve the connection and support stability of the support member 23. In other embodiments, only one set of second connecting rods 225 can also be provided, such as only provided directly below the lead screw 221.

[0079] In order to realize the connection between the second nut seat 224 and the second connecting rod 225, the second nut seat 224 includes a sleeve portion and a connecting plate portion protruding from the outer surface of the sleeve portion, and the inner wall of the sleeve portion is provided with a thread adapted to the corresponding thread segment. The connecting plate portion extends along the Y direction and its two ends are respectively hinged to the two second connecting rods 225. Furthermore, the upper side surface of the connecting plate portion is in contact with the arm body 21 to prevent the second nut seat 224 from rotating relative to the arm body 21.

[0080] A screw seat 226 is rotatably sleeved on the screw 221, and a light hole is opened on the screw seat 226 for the screw 221 to pass through, and the screw seat 226 is connected to the arm body 21. Further, the screw 221 includes a first optical axis section 2214 located between the second thread section 2212 and the third thread section 2213, and the screw seat 226 is sleeved on the first optical axis section 2214, which can prevent the two second nut seats 224 from colliding with each other and avoid wear on the threads on the screw 221.

[0081] More preferably, a lead screw seat 226 is provided at each end of the first optical axis section 2214, and when the fork arm is in the initial state, the support member 23 is at least partially located between the two lead screw seats 226. This arrangement can avoid the second nut seat 224 and the support member 23 from colliding, and limit the travel of the first nut seat 226 moving toward each other; at the same time, it can also raise the initial installation position of the support member 23, so that when the fork arm 2 is in the initial state, the support member 23 is sandwiched between the two lead screw seats 226, shortening the gap between the lead screw 221 and the support member 23 in the initial state, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the fork arm 2 in the vertical direction in the initial state, and improving the compactness of the structure.

[0082] Furthermore, a limiting sleeve 229 is sleeved on one end of the second threaded segment 2212 away from the screw seat 226, and one end of the third threaded segment 2213 away from the screw seat 226 abuts against the arm body 21 to achieve stroke limiting when the corresponding second nut seat 224 moves forward and backward.

[0083] Furthermore, the support member 23 is a support roller, and the axle of the support roller extends along the width direction of the arm body 21 to ensure that the fork arm 2 can move along the length direction of the arm body 21 while being supported by the support member 23, thereby improving the translation smoothness of the fork arm 2 and facilitating the adjustment of the fork arm 3.

[0084] In order to improve the support stability of the support member 23 on the arm body 21, the support member 23 includes a wheel axle and at least two wheel bodies spaced apart on the wheel axle. The at least two wheel bodies are respectively located on opposite sides of the lead screw 221, and when the fork arm 2 is in the initial state, the upper end of the wheel body is higher than the lower side of the lead screw 221, so as to further shorten the distance between the wheel axle and the lead screw 221 and improve the compactness of the structure.

[0085] The lead screw 221 also includes a second optical axis section 2215 located between the second thread section 2212 and the first thread section 2211, and the lifting drive motor 227 is connected to the second optical axis section 2215 through a reducer 228. The setting of the reducer 228 can reduce the rotation speed of the lead screw 221 and increase the torque of the lead screw 221, thereby improving the running stability of the lifting drive mechanism 22.

[0086] To ensure that the support member 23 can be lowered to contact the ground when the fork arm 2 is located at the lowest part and the top part of the mounting frame 1, preferably, the first nut seat 223 includes a screw sleeve portion 2231 and a sliding seat portion 2233 slidably sleeved on the screw sleeve portion 2231, the screw sleeve portion 2231 is in transmission cooperation with the first threaded segment 2211, and two limit seat portions 2232 for limiting the sliding stroke of the sliding seat portion 2233 are provided on the screw sleeve portion 2231, and the first connecting rod 222 is hinged to the sliding seat portion 2233.

[0087] by Figure 4 Taking the direction shown as an example, when the handling device 10 is in the initial state, the sliding seat 2233 and the right limiting seat 2232 have a certain gap, so that in the initial stage when the first nut seat 223 moves along the lead screw 221, the sliding seat 2233 slides relative to the screw sleeve 2231, the sliding seat 2233 does not move, and the second connecting rod 225 does not move, that is, the lead screw 221 does not rise or fall, and only the support member 23 rises or falls; when the sliding seat 2233 slides to abut against the right limiting seat 2232, the screw sleeve 2231 continues to move along the lead screw 221, driving the sliding seat 2233 to move along the lead screw 221, and then driving the second connecting rod 225 to move, so that the lead screw 221 rises. When the fork arm 2 is in the initial state, the gap between the sliding seat 2233 and the right limiting seat 2232 can be specifically set according to the height of the support member 23 from the ground.

[0088] The arm body 21 is a long box-shaped structure with an opening at the lower end, which forms a cavity with an opening at the lower end. The screw 221, the lifting drive motor and the reducer 228 are accommodated in the cavity to protect the lifting drive mechanism 22 and improve the compactness of the structure and the aesthetic appearance of the fork arm 2.

[0089] Furthermore, in order to improve the sliding stability of the fork arm 2 and the mounting frame 31, and to improve the sliding stability of the arm body 21 relative to the mounting frame 31, the mounting frame 31 is provided with Z guide grooves 3113 on opposite sides of the fork arm 2, and the Z guide grooves 3113 extend in the vertical direction. Guide members are provided on opposite sides of the arm body 21, and the guide members extend into the corresponding Z guide grooves 3113 and slide or roll with the groove walls of the Z guide grooves 3113. In this embodiment, the guide member is a third guide roller 24, and preferably, at least two third guide rollers 24 are provided in the vertical direction.

[0090] The present embodiment supports the fork arm 2 by both the hinge shaft 25 and the support member 23. However, it is understandable that when there is only the support member 23, the arm body 21 can be lifted relative to the mounting frame 31 by the support member 23 pushing the arm body 21 with the lower end of the support member 23 against an external structure, such as the ground. In this case, the hinge shaft 25 may not be provided, and only the arm body 21 and the mounting frame 31 may be slidably connected.

[0091] This embodiment provides a lifting fork lifting mechanism, including the above-mentioned mounting seat 31 and the above-mentioned fork arm 2.

[0092] Embodiment 2

[0093] like Figure 7 and 8 As shown, this embodiment provides a transport device 10, which can be used in a warehousing and logistics system to carry out fork-lifting transport of a pallet 20 for carrying materials, so as to improve the efficiency and convenience of material handling. The transport device 10 provided in this embodiment can be an AGV-type transport device, an AMR-type transport device, or other forms of transport devices that can realize material or pallet handling.

[0094] Specifically, the transport device 10 includes a vehicle body 1, a mounting frame 31 and a fork arm 2. The vehicle body 1 can move autonomously; the mounting frame 1 can slide horizontally relative to the vehicle body 1, and the fork arm 2 is slidably arranged on the mounting frame 1 and can be vertically lifted and lowered relative to the mounting frame 1, so that the fork arm 2 can move horizontally and vertically relative to the vehicle body 1, so that it can move horizontally to extend under the pallet 20 and move vertically to lift the pallet 20, and move horizontally to move the pallet 20 to directly above the vehicle body 1.

[0095] The handling device 10 provided in this embodiment is provided with a fork arm 2 that can move horizontally and rise and fall vertically relative to the vehicle body 1. When the pallet 20 needs to be handled, the fork arm 2 can first be moved horizontally relative to the vehicle body 1 to partially extend outside the vehicle body 1, so that the fork arm 2 is inserted into the fork hole 201 of the pallet 20; then, the pallet 20 is lifted by raising the fork arm 2 relative to the vehicle body 1, so that the pallet 20 is lifted and off the ground; when the pallet 20 is raised to a certain height, the fork arm 2 is retracted relative to the vehicle body 1, so that at least part of the vehicle body 1 can enter the bottom of the pallet 20; thereafter, the fork arm 2 is lowered, so that the pallet 20 is supported as a whole on the vehicle body 1 and / or the fork arm 2.

[0096] That is, for the handling device 10 provided in this embodiment, by providing a fork arm 2 that can horizontally move and vertically lift relative to the vehicle body 1, when the handling device 10 performs initial docking for handling the pallet 20, only the fork arm 2 needs to extend into the fork hole 201, and the vehicle body 1 is located outside the pallet 20. Moreover, when the pallet 20 is lifted to a preset height, the vehicle body 1 can partially enter the bottom of the pallet 20. Thus, while ensuring that the handling device 10 can fork-lift the pallet 20, during the process of the handling device 10 handling the pallet 20, the pallet is located above the vehicle body 1, thereby being able to reduce the size of the handling device 10 in the extending direction of the fork arm 2 during the handling of the pallet 20, reduce the turning radius and floor space of the handling device 10 when handling the pallet 20, and improve the flexibility of use of the handling device 10. At the same time, since the fork arm 2 can vertically lift relative to the vehicle body 1, the height of the fork arm 2 can be adjusted according to the height position of the fork hole 201, and no matter what type of pallet is handled, the vehicle body 1 can be moved to the bottom of the pallet 20, enabling the handling device 10 to be applicable to the handling of various different types of pallets, with high flexibility of use and a wide range of applications.

[0097] The above-mentioned pallet 20 can be Fig. 9 the cross-shaped pallet shown in the figure, or it can be a daily-shaped pallet, a Sichuan-shaped pallet, or a pallet with other structures, as long as the pallet 20 has a fork hole 201 into which the fork arm 2 can be inserted. This embodiment does not limit the specific structure of the pallet 20 that the handling device 10 can handle. Moreover, this embodiment takes a cross-shaped pallet with a national standard of 1200x1000x153m as an example to introduce the specific structure of the handling device 10. The handling of other types of pallets 20 by the handling device 10 can refer to its handling of the cross-shaped pallet 20, and this embodiment will not elaborate one by one.

[0098] The fork arm 2 and the mounting bracket 31 can adopt the structure and cooperative setting in the first embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0099] For convenience of description, a coordinate system is established in the Figure 7 direction shown in the figure, where the X direction is the extending direction of the fork arm 2, the Z direction is the height direction, and the Y direction is determined according to the right-hand rule.

[0100] For the convenience of description, the state when the handling device 10 is not docked with the pallet 20 is the initial state, the state when the fork arm 2 is extended relative to the vehicle body 1 in the X direction and not raised is the fork arm extended state, the state when the fork arm 2 is extended relative to the vehicle body 1 and raised to a certain height relative to the vehicle body 1 is called the fork arm extended and raised state, the state when the fork arm 2 is retracted to the horizontal initial position and raised to a certain height relative to the vehicle body 1 is called the fork arm retracted and raised state, and the state of the fork arm 2 when the handling device 10 completes docking with the pallet 2 is called the docking in place state. That is, from the beginning of docking of the handling device 10 with the pallet 20 to the docking in place with the pallet 20, the handling device 10 sequentially passes through the initial state, the extended state, the extended and raised state, the retracted and raised state, and then reaches the docking in place state.

[0101] In order to improve the handling stability of the pallet 20, the fork arms 2 are arranged at intervals along the Y direction. Usually, there are two fork holes 201 on the pallet 20, that is, the fork arms 2 are preferably arranged in two. However, it can be understood that when the size of the material is large, resulting in three or more fork holes 201 on the pallet 20, three or more fork arms 2 can also be arranged accordingly.

[0102] In order to further improve the compactness of the structure of the transport device 10 and reduce the volume of the transport device 10, a bearing surface 111 for bearing the tray 20 is formed on the upper surface of the vehicle body 1. A receiving groove 112 is provided at the position of the bearing surface 111 corresponding to the fork arm 2. The receiving groove 112 extends along the X direction and one end passes through the corresponding side wall of the vehicle body 1, and the other end forms a limiting groove wall 1121. The limiting groove wall 1121 limits the fork arm 2 from extending out of the vehicle body 1 in the opposite direction. When the fork arm 2 is in the initial state, the fork arm 2 is at least partially accommodated in the receiving groove 112. The provision of the receiving groove 112 can reduce the overall thickness of the transport device 10 along the Z direction, improve the compactness of the structure, and facilitate the guidance of the sliding of the fork arm 2 along the X direction.

[0103] Preferably, the depth of the accommodating groove 112 is greater than the thickness of the fork arm 2 along the Z direction, and when the transport device is in the initial state, the upper surface of the fork arm 2 is lower than the upper surface of the vehicle body 1. This arrangement enables the pallet 20 to be fully supported on the vehicle body 1 after the transport device 10 and the pallet 20 are docked, thereby avoiding fatigue damage caused by the fork arm 2 supporting the pallet 20 for a long time, improving the service life of the fork arm 2, and improving the support stability of the pallet 20. In other embodiments, the upper surface of the fork arm 2 may be higher than the upper surface of the vehicle body 1 or the upper surface of the fork arm 2 may be flush with the upper surface of the vehicle body 1. More preferably, the length of the accommodating groove 112 along the X direction is greater than the length of the fork arm 2, and when the transport device is in the initial state, the fork arm 2 is fully accommodated in the accommodating groove 112.

[0104] In this embodiment, in order to improve the stability of the fork arm 2 extending in the X direction, first guide rollers 114 are provided on the two opposite groove walls of the accommodating groove 112 extending in the X direction. The first guide rollers 114 are provided at a position close to the opening of the accommodating groove 112. When the fork arm 2 is slidably arranged in the accommodating groove 112, the fork arm 2 is supported on the first guide rollers 114. The provision of the first guide rollers 114 can support and guide the sliding of the fork arm 2 in the accommodating groove 112, and can also avoid interfering with the lifting and lowering movement of the fork arm 2 relative to the vehicle body 1.

[0105] like Fig.10 and 11 As shown, in order to realize the autonomous movement function of the vehicle body 1, the vehicle body 1 includes a shell 11 and a driving wheel mechanism, and the surface of the shell 11 is provided with the above-mentioned accommodating groove 112. The driving wheel mechanism includes a driving wheel 12 and a driving motor for driving the driving wheel 12 to rotate. The driving wheel 12 is arranged at the bottom of the shell 11, and the driving motor is arranged inside the shell 11. In this embodiment, two driving wheels 12 are symmetrically arranged relative to the central longitudinal axis to improve the driving stability. Further, the vehicle body 1 also includes a universal wheel 13, and the universal wheels 13 are arranged in four, and the four universal wheels 13 are distributed in a rectangular shape, and each driving wheel 12 is arranged between two universal wheels 13.

[0106] In other embodiments, the number and position of the driving wheels 12 and the universal wheels 13 can be set according to needs, and the driving form of the driving wheel mechanism can be differential drive or other existing driving forms. As long as the forward, backward, turning, and in-situ rotation of the transport device 10 can be achieved, the present invention does not limit the specific structure of the driving wheel mechanism.

[0107] Preferably, the vehicle body 1 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the central longitudinal axis, and the two fork arms 2 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central longitudinal axis, so as to improve the running stability and structural compactness of the handling device 10 .

[0108] like Figure 6 , 8 As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the handling device 10 further includes a translation drive mechanism 3, which is connected to the two fork arms 2 respectively to drive the two fork arms 2 to move synchronously along the X direction. This arrangement can reduce the driving cost, improve the handling efficiency of the handling device 10, and ensure the synchronization of the translation of the two fork arms 2. In other embodiments, each fork arm 2 may also be provided with a translation drive mechanism 3.

[0109] The translation drive mechanism 3 includes the above-mentioned mounting frame 31 and a horizontal drive unit arranged on the mounting frame 31, the mounting frame 31 is slidably connected to the vehicle body 1, one end of the fork arm 2 close to the limiting groove wall 1121 is connected to the mounting frame 31, and the horizontal drive unit drives the mounting frame 31 to move relative to the vehicle body 1 along the X direction. In this arrangement, the movement of the mounting frame 31 drives the two fork arms 2 to move synchronously, the structure is compact, and the arrangement is convenient. In other embodiments, the fixed end of the horizontal drive unit can also be fixed relative to the vehicle body 1, and the driving end of the horizontal drive unit can be connected to the fork arm 2 to drive the fork arm 2 to move.

[0110] In order to improve the stability of the sliding connection between the mounting frame 31 and the vehicle body 1, the mounting frame 31 has two bracket parts 311 spaced apart in the Y direction, the lower ends of the two bracket parts 311 extend into the two receiving grooves 112 respectively and are slidably connected to the groove walls of the receiving grooves 112, and the horizontal driving unit is connected between the two bracket parts 311. This arrangement enables the receiving grooves 112 to be used as guide grooves for the mounting frame 31 at the same time, thereby ensuring the directional accuracy and stability of the horizontal movement of the fork arm 2.

[0111] Furthermore, an X-guide groove 113 is provided on at least one groove wall of the receiving groove 112 extending along the X direction, the X-guide groove 113 extends along the X direction and passes through the side of the vehicle body 1 away from the limiting groove wall 1121, and the bracket part 311 is provided with a guide portion corresponding to the X-guide groove 113, the guide portion extends into the corresponding X-guide groove 113 and is connected to the groove wall of the X-guide groove 113 by rolling or sliding. The provision of the X-guide groove 113 and the guide portion can enable the mounting frame 31 to be inserted into the receiving groove 112 from the open end of the receiving groove 112 while preventing the mounting frame 31 from being separated from the receiving groove 112 along the Z direction, with a simple structure and low cost.

[0112] In other embodiments, other X-direction guide structures may be provided to achieve sliding connection between the mounting frame 31 and the vehicle body 1, such as providing a guide rail on the groove wall of the accommodating groove 112, and connecting a slider on the mounting frame 31 to the guide rail. Preferably, in this embodiment, the guide portion is a second guide roller 34, and the second guide roller 34 rolls with the X-direction guide groove 113 to reduce friction. In other embodiments, the guide portion may also be a slider.

[0113] like Figure 4 As shown, since the support member 23 is arranged at a position close to the second end of the fork arm 2 and can move downward to contact the ground, in order to avoid the support member 23, the end of the accommodating groove 112 away from the limiting groove wall 1121 passes through the lower surface of the vehicle body 1, so that when the transport device is in a retracted and lifted state, the support member 23 can contact the ground and provide support for the fork arm 2.

[0114] Furthermore, the bracket portion 311 includes two side plates 3111 arranged at a relative interval along the Y direction, and the outer sides of the two side plates 3111 are respectively provided with second guide rollers 34. Correspondingly, the two groove walls of the accommodating groove 112 arranged opposite to each other along the Y direction are each provided with an X-guide groove 113 to improve the stability of the movement of the mounting frame 31 along the X direction. Preferably, two or more second guide rollers 34 are provided on each side plate 3111 along the X direction.

[0115] To avoid the ends of the two side panels 3111 from being in relative position, the bracket portion 311 also includes a connecting portion 3112 connected between the lower ends of the side panels 3111 to enhance the structural strength and rigidity of the bracket portion 311. The connecting portion 3112 can be but is not limited to a plate-like structure.

[0116] The mounting frame 31 also includes a top plate 313 connected to the top ends of the two bracket portions 311 . The top plate 313 extends along the Y direction. The upper ends of the side plates 3111 are vertically connected to the top plate 313 , thereby forming a space for connecting the fork arm 2 between the bracket portions 311 and the top plate 313 .

[0117] In this embodiment, the horizontal drive unit adopts the form of rolling drive to realize the sliding of the mounting frame 31 relative to the vehicle body 1, and includes a roller 321, a mounting shaft 322 for mounting the roller 321, and a horizontal drive motor for driving the roller 321 to rotate. The roller 321 is located above the vehicle body 1 and is in rolling contact with the upper surface of the vehicle body 1. The mounting shaft 322 extends along the Y direction and is connected to the mounting frame 31 at both ends. The horizontal drive motor is used to drive the roller 321 to rotate around the mounting shaft 322, thereby realizing the movement of the mounting frame 31 relative to the vehicle body 1 along the X direction. The translation drive mechanism 3 adopts the rolling drive mode to realize the movement relative to the vehicle frame along the X direction, so that each structure of the horizontal drive unit is arranged on the mounting frame 31, so that the X drive unit has the advantages of compact structure, small footprint, high transmission efficiency, stable operation, etc. In other embodiments, other drive structure forms that can realize the movement of the mounting frame 31 along the X direction can also be adopted, such as a rotating motor with a gear rack structure, a rotating motor with a lead screw 221 nut mechanism, etc.

[0118] To simplify the structure, the roller 321 is a roller, and the horizontal driving unit adopts the structure of an electric roller. The mounting shaft 322 of the electric roller extends along the Y direction and is respectively connected to the mounting frame 31 at both ends. The electric roller is located above the vehicle body 1 and presses against the upper surface of the vehicle body 1. By setting the horizontal driving unit as an electric roller, the horizontal driving motor can be hidden inside the roller 321, making the structure of the horizontal driving unit more compact and occupying less space, which is conducive to the miniaturization design of the transport device 10.

[0119] To facilitate the installation of the electric roller, a connecting frame portion 312 is further provided between the two bracket portions 311. Two connecting frame portions 312 are arranged at intervals along the Y direction, and the upper end of the connecting frame portion 312 is connected to the frame top plate 313. The lower end of the connecting frame portion 312 is higher than the upper surface of the vehicle body 1, and the electric roller is clamped between the two connecting frame portions 312.

[0120] To facilitate the installation of the electric roller, each connecting frame portion 312 is provided with a mounting groove 3121 on one side facing the electric roller, and the mounting shaft 322 of the electric roller is inserted into the mounting groove 3121. To prevent the electric roller from slipping due to being pressed below the surface of the relative vehicle body 1, an elastic member 33 is further provided on the mounting frame 31, and the elastic member 33 is used to elastically press the electric roller against the upper surface.

[0121] In this embodiment, the elastic member 33 is a spring vertically arranged in the installation groove 3121, the upper end of the spring is connected to the upper groove wall of the installation groove 3121, the lower end of the spring is pressed against the installation shaft 322, and the spring is always in a compressed state. In other embodiments, the elastic member 33 can also be other elements that can provide elastic compression force, such as an elastic gasket.

[0122] This embodiment also provides a warehousing and logistics system, including a pallet 20 and the above-mentioned transport device 10. By adopting the above-mentioned transport device to transport the pallet, the convenience and flexibility of pallet transportation can be improved, the operating efficiency of the warehousing and logistics system can be improved, and the operating cost of the warehousing and logistics system can be reduced.

[0123] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fork arm, applied to a handling device having a vehicle body, and for picking up and placing a pallet by telescoping the fork arm relative to the vehicle body, characterized in that: include: An arm body (21) extending in a horizontal direction; An external member capable of being supported by an external structure; A lifting drive mechanism (22) is arranged on the arm body (21) and connected to the external component, the lifting drive mechanism (22) being configured to be able to drive the external component and the arm body (21) to lift relative to each other; The external connection member comprises a hinge shaft (25), the hinge shaft (25) is located at one end of the arm body (21) and is used for hinge connection with the external structure, and the hinge shaft (25) extends along the width direction of the arm body (21); The external member comprises a support member, the support member and the hinge shaft are spaced apart along the extension direction of the arm body, the lifting drive mechanism (22) can drive the support member to extend downward relative to the arm body (21), and the support member can be supported on the ground to support the fork arm, and the support member has a distance from the ground when the fork arm is in an initial state; The lifting drive mechanism (22) comprises: A first connecting rod (222), a first end of which is hinged to the hinge shaft (25), and a second end of which supports the arm body (21); A first driving assembly is configured to be able to drive the first connecting rod (222) to rotate around the hinge shaft (25) to lift the arm body (21).

2. The fork arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving assembly comprises: A lead screw (221) having a first threaded section (2211); A first nut seat (223) is rotatably sleeved on the first threaded section (2211), and the second end of the first connecting rod (222) is hinged to the first nut seat (223); The lifting drive motor (227) is used to drive the lead screw (221) to rotate, thereby driving the first nut seat (223) to move.

3. The fork arm according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first nut seat (223) comprises a screw sleeve portion (2231) and a sliding seat portion (2233) slidably sleeved on the screw sleeve portion (2231); the screw sleeve portion (2231) is sleeved on the first threaded section (2211); the screw sleeve portion (2231) is provided with two limit seat portions (2232) for limiting the sliding travel of the sliding seat portion (2233); and the second end of the first connecting rod (222) is hinged to the sliding seat portion (2233).

4. The fork arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting drive mechanism (22) comprises: Two second connecting rods (225), the lower ends of the two second connecting rods (225) being hinged to the supporting member respectively; The second driving assembly, the upper ends of the two second connecting rods (225) are respectively connected to the second driving assembly, and the second driving assembly is configured to drive the upper ends of the two second connecting rods (225) to move closer to or farther from each other to lift the support member.

5. The fork arm according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second driving assembly comprises: A lead screw (221), the lead screw (221) comprising a second thread segment (2212) and a third thread segment (2213) having opposite rotation directions; Two second nut seats (224) are respectively sleeved on the second threaded section (2212) and the third threaded section (2213); the upper ends of the two second connecting rods (225) are respectively hinged to the two second nut seats (224); The lifting drive motor (227) is connected to the arm body (21) and is used to drive the lead screw (221) to rotate, thereby driving the two second nut seats (224) to slide toward or away from each other along the lead screw (221).

6. The fork arm according to claim 5, characterized in that The lead screw (221) comprises a first optical axis segment (2214) located between the second thread segment (2212) and the third thread segment (2213); a lead screw seat (226) is rotatably sleeved on the first optical axis segment (2214); and the lead screw seat (226) is connected to the arm body (21).

7. The fork arm according to claim 6, characterized in that One of the lead screw seats (226) is respectively provided at both ends of the first optical axis segment (2214), and the support member can be at least partially located between the two lead screw seats (226).

8. The fork arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support member comprises a supporting roller, and the axle of the supporting roller is arranged along the width direction of the arm body (21).

9. The fork arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arm body (21) is in the form of a long box-shaped structure with an opening facing downward; the lifting drive mechanism (22) is at least partially located inside the arm body (21); and the external connection component can be exposed outside the arm body (21).

10. A lifting fork lifting mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises a mounting frame (31) and a fork arm as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, the arm body (21) being slidably connected to the mounting frame (31), the lifting drive mechanism (22) driving the arm body (21) to rise and fall relative to the mounting frame (31), and the external component is supported by the mounting frame (31) and / or the ground.

11. The lifting fork lifting mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The mounting frame (31) comprises two bracket parts (311) arranged at an interval, and each bracket part (311) is slidably connected to a fork arm.

12. A transport device, characterized in that: It comprises a vehicle body (1) and a lifting forklift mechanism according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the mounting frame (31) is arranged on the vehicle body (1).

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