Transport vehicle, method for judging whether a load is loaded in place, method for judging whether a load is initially loaded, method for recognizing load information, and transport vehicle control device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a transport vehicle, a method for determining whether a load is loaded in place, a method for determining the initial loading of a load, a method for identifying load information, and a transport vehicle control device. The transport vehicle's load detection device is disposed on the longitudinal rear side of the fork assembly. The load detection device includes a longitudinal telescopic mechanism, a transverse movement mechanism, and a measuring mechanism. The longitudinal telescopic mechanism is associated with the transverse movement mechanism so as to be capable of driving the transverse movement mechanism to move toward one side and the other side of the transverse direction to determine a relationship when the longitudinal telescopic mechanism performs the extension and contraction movement. Through the present disclosure, it is possible to avoid occupying too much longitudinal space in the transport vehicle and also meet the detection scenarios where small-sized cargo, cargo loaded at the far end, and other cargoes are far from the fork support plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot navigation control, and in particular to a transport vehicle, a method for determining when a load is loaded, a method for determining when a load is initially loaded, a method for identifying load information, and a transport vehicle control device. Background Art

[0002] When a truck is transporting goods, an optical sensor is used to determine whether the goods are loaded into place on the truck. The optical detection method is greatly affected by the environment and has limited usage scenarios. To overcome this problem, the existing technology uses a longitudinal displacement sensor detection method to determine whether the goods are loaded into place by directly collecting the displacement in the longitudinal direction. However, on the one hand, this method requires more longitudinal space on the truck, and on the other hand, due to the limited range of detectable longitudinal displacement, it is not suitable for detecting whether small-sized goods are loaded into place, or whether the goods are loaded correctly in the initial loading state just after being loaded to the front end of the fork. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application provides a transport vehicle, a method for determining when a load is in place, a method for determining when an load is initially loaded, a method for identifying load information, and a transport vehicle control device.

[0004] Specifically, this application is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a transport vehicle, comprising:

[0006] body;

[0007] a fork assembly, disposed on the longitudinal front side of the vehicle body;

[0008] A load detection device is provided on the longitudinal rear side of the fork assembly, and the load detection device includes:

[0009] a longitudinal telescopic mechanism extending forward along the longitudinal direction to a load placement area of ​​the fork assembly and capable of extending and shortening along the longitudinal direction;

[0010] a transverse movement mechanism, capable of moving in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;

[0011] a measuring mechanism, for measuring the moving distance of the lateral moving mechanism;

[0012] The longitudinal telescopic mechanism is associated with the transverse moving mechanism so that when the longitudinal telescopic mechanism performs the extension and contraction movement, the transverse moving mechanism can be driven to move toward one side and the other side of the transverse direction in a determined relationship.

[0013] In some embodiments, the fork assembly includes: a fork arm extending in the longitudinal direction; a fork back plate arranged on the rear side of the fork arm, and the fork back plate is provided with a window; wherein the load detection device is arranged on the rear side of the fork back plate, and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism extends to the load placement area through the window.

[0014] In some embodiments, the longitudinal telescopic mechanism is a scissors fork, which can perform the extension and shortening movement along the longitudinal direction. One end of a pair of scissors arms of the scissors fork is hinged to the lateral movement mechanism to achieve the association, so that when one end of the pair of scissors arms approaches and moves away from each other along the lateral direction, the other end of the pair of scissors arms approaches and moves away from the load placement area along the longitudinal direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the lateral movement mechanism includes: a guide column extending along the lateral direction and connected to the fork support plate through a pair of fixed seats at both ends of the guide column; a pair of sliders slidably arranged on the guide column, and the pair of sliders are respectively hinged to the one end of the pair of scissors arms; a pair of elastic members, sleeved on the guide column, and the pair of elastic members are respectively located between the fixed seats and the sliders at both ends of the guide column, so as to provide elastic force for the pair of sliders to approach each other along the lateral direction on the guide column.

[0016] In some embodiments, the measuring mechanism is a drawstring sensor, which is provided on the fork support plate, and one end of the drawstring of the drawstring sensor is connected to any one of the sliders.

[0017] In some embodiments, any of the sliders is provided with a hanging plate, and one end of the pull rope of the pull rope sensor is connected to the hanging plate.

[0018] In some embodiments, limit blocks are provided on opposite sides of the pair of sliders.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining whether a target load is loaded in place, for determining whether a target load is loaded in place on a transport vehicle when target load information is known, wherein the transport vehicle is the transport vehicle of the first aspect, and the determination method includes:

[0020] Acquiring target load information, wherein the load information includes load size information;

[0021] Establishing an in-place detection database based on target load information, wherein the in-place detection database records an in-place longitudinal dimension, which represents the distance between the target load and the fork rest when the target load is in place, and is calculated based on the load size information and the forklift;

[0022] Obtaining the longitudinal position of the load in the actual loading state through the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism;

[0023] According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship;

[0024] According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism;

[0025] Calculating an actual longitudinal dimension based on the lateral movement, the actual longitudinal dimension representing the distance between the target load and the fork support plate in an actual loading state;

[0026] According to the actual longitudinal dimension and the in-position longitudinal dimension, a comparison and calculation are performed to determine whether the target load object is in position on the transport vehicle.

[0027] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining whether an object is initially loaded on a transport vehicle, wherein the transport vehicle is the transport vehicle of the first aspect, and the determination method includes:

[0028] Acquire load position information and transport vehicle position information, wherein the load position information represents the position of the load on the map, and the transport vehicle position information represents the position of the transport vehicle on the map;

[0029] Controlling the transport vehicle to load the load according to the load position information and the transport vehicle position information;

[0030] Obtaining the longitudinal position of the load in the initial loading state by the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism;

[0031] According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship;

[0032] According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism;

[0033] According to the lateral movement amount, it is determined whether the load is initially loaded on the transport vehicle, wherein if the lateral movement amount is greater than 0, it is determined that the load is in the initial loading state on the transport vehicle

[0034] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a load information identification method for identifying load information on a transport vehicle when target load information is unknown, wherein the transport vehicle is the transport vehicle of the first aspect, and the determination method includes:

[0035] Acquiring all load information, each of which includes load size information;

[0036] An information detection database is established based on all load information, wherein the information detection database records the longitudinal dimension of the load, which represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate when the load is in the loaded state. The longitudinal dimension in place is calculated based on the load dimension information and the transport vehicle;

[0037] Controlling the transport vehicle to load the target load;

[0038] Obtaining the longitudinal position of the target load on the transport vehicle through the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism;

[0039] According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship;

[0040] According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism;

[0041] Calculating an actual longitudinal dimension based on the lateral movement, wherein the actual longitudinal dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate when the load is actually loaded;

[0042] The target loading object information is identified by comparing and calculating the actual longitudinal size and the loading longitudinal size.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a transport vehicle control device, comprising:

[0044] memory for storing computer programs;

[0045] A controller is used to implement the methods described in the second, third and fourth aspects.

[0046] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the loading detection device includes a longitudinal telescopic mechanism, a transverse moving mechanism and a measuring mechanism. Since the longitudinal telescopic mechanism is associated with the transverse moving mechanism, when the loaded goods in the cargo placement area push the longitudinal telescopic mechanism to shorten, it can drive the transverse moving mechanism to move laterally. The moving distance of the transverse moving mechanism is directly collected by the measuring mechanism, and the shortening amount of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism is calculated. The actual measured value of the shortening amount is compared with the theoretical value of the shortening amount when the loaded goods are in place, so as to avoid occupying too much longitudinal space of the transport vehicle. Accordingly, the longitudinal dimension detection range of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism can be set to be larger to meet the detection scenarios of small-sized goods, remote loading of goods, and other goods that are far away from the fork support plate.

[0047] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the front of a transport vehicle in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the back of a transport vehicle in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a load detection device in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the detection principle of a load detection device in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 5 This is a top view of a transport vehicle in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] Figure 6 1 is a flow chart of a method for determining whether a load has been loaded into position in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart of a method for determining the initial loading of a load in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 8 is a flow chart of a method for identifying load information in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a scene in which a transport truck loads goods in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] Reference numerals:

[0059] 10: Fork assembly; 11: Fork arm; 12: Fork support plate; 13: Window;

[0060] 21: longitudinal telescopic mechanism; 211: arm; 212: connecting rod; 22: transverse movement mechanism; 221: guide column; 222: fixing seat; 223: slider; 2231: hanging plate; 224: elastic member; 23: measuring mechanism; 231: pull rope; 232: sensor body; 225: limit block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, rather than implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] As used herein, the term "including" and its variations are to be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to." The term "based on" is to be interpreted as "based, at least in part, on." The terms "embodiment" and "one embodiment" are to be interpreted as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" is to be interpreted as "at least one other embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0063] In the following description, some specific numerical values ​​or numerical ranges may be involved. It should be understood that these numerical values ​​and numerical ranges are merely exemplary, which may be helpful in putting the ideas of the present disclosure into practice. However, the description of these examples is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Depending on specific application scenarios and needs, these numerical values ​​or numerical ranges can be set separately.

[0064] As mentioned above, the prior art uses a contact sensor to determine whether the load is loaded in place, for example, a proximity switch or a swing switch is used in combination with a hinge that can swing at a certain angle. When the transport truck is loading the load, when the transport truck slowly approaches the load, the hinge briefly contacts the load for a short distance, and then the proximity switch or the swing switch senses and issues a command to brake the vehicle. At this time, the load is loaded in place. However, due to the limitations of the detection mode of the prior art, the load specifications and the load center distance cannot be changed. When the load specifications and types are diverse, the load center distance of the load is the same each time the load is picked up (the distance between the load center and the fork support plate), but the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 is different. The distance is different, so a more flexible load detection device is needed; although the existing technology uses a distance measuring sensor to realize flexible load arrival detection, this method is sensitive to environmental influences and the detection accuracy is unstable. It cannot be applied in some handling scenarios. For example, when there is an electromagnetic field at the handling site, the electromagnetic field interferes with the distance measuring sensor. For example, when the load has a bright surface, the reflection of the bright surface interferes with the distance measuring sensor. For example, when the visibility in the handling environment is low, it interferes with the optical distance measuring sensor. When the handling environment is polluted and corrosive, for example, when performing handling operations in an atomization workshop or a dust workshop, the handling environment has an impact on the accuracy and life of the optical distance measuring sensor.

[0065] The transport vehicle proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure at least partially solves the above problems and provides a flexible mechanical load detection method. Figures 1 to 9The structure and working principle of the transport vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are described. Figure 1-3 , which shows an exemplary structure of a transport vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1-3 As shown, in general, the transport truck described herein includes a vehicle body, a fork assembly 10 and a load detection device. The direction of the fork toward the load is defined as "front", the direction away from the load is defined as "rear", the direction of the line connecting the front and the back is defined as "longitudinal", and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal is defined as "lateral". The vehicle body is used to carry other actuators and is driven to move and turn by a traveling mechanism provided on the vehicle body; the fork assembly 10 is provided on the longitudinal front side of the vehicle body for loading the load; the load detection device is provided on the rear side of the fork assembly 10 for detecting the longitudinal loading status of the load. It should be noted that the "load" appearing in the embodiments of the present disclosure should be understood in a broad sense, including not only the goods themselves but also the pallets carrying the goods.

[0066] In one embodiment, the load detection device includes a longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21, a transverse movement mechanism 22 and a measuring mechanism 23, wherein the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 is reflected in the change of the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 in the load placement area on the fork assembly 10 by extending and shortening in the longitudinal direction, the transverse movement mechanism 22 is used to convert the extension and shortening of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 into transverse movement, and the measuring mechanism 23 is used to measure the amount of transverse movement, thereby calculating the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 based on the amount of transverse movement.

[0067] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21, which can reflect the distance between the load and the backrest at any point of its longitudinal extension and shortening. By providing a transverse movement mechanism 22 and a measuring mechanism 23 associated with the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21, the measurement of the longitudinal position is converted into the transverse position measurement, avoiding excessive longitudinal space occupation of the transport vehicle and making the layout of the load detection device reasonable.

[0068] In one embodiment, the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 comprises a scissor mechanism, which is formed by a pair of scissor arms hinged at multiple points. Each scissor arm in the pair is formed by a plurality of arms 211 hinged end to end. Exemplarily, each scissor arm comprises two sets of hinged arms 211, or alternatively, three or more sets of hinged arms 211. In another exemplary embodiment, each set of arms 211 comprises a pair of parallel arms 211 connected by a connecting rod 212, thereby increasing the rigidity of the arms 211. By configuring the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 as a scissor mechanism and hinge-connecting one end of the pair of scissor arms to the transverse movement mechanism 22, the scissor arms are linked to the transverse movement mechanism 22. While utilizing the scissor mechanism to extend and shorten the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21, the longitudinal extension and shortening can be converted into transverse movement. This conversion allows for a quantitative relationship between the longitudinal extension and shortening amounts and the transverse movement amounts, enabling the longitudinal extension and shortening amounts to be calculated from the transverse movement amounts.

[0069] In one embodiment, a rolling component, such as a roller, a ball or a bearing, may be provided at the end of the scissor arm to reduce the contact friction between the end of the scissor arm and the load; a protective component, such as a protective pad, may also be provided at the end of the scissor arm to reduce the wear on the end of the scissor arm caused by long-term use, and the detection accuracy may be maintained by replacing the protective pad after a period of use; the end of the scissor arm may also not be provided with any components.

[0070] In one embodiment, the lateral movement mechanism 22 includes a guide column 221, a pair of sliders 223 and a pair of elastic members 224, wherein the guide column 221 extends laterally to provide guidance for the lateral movement of the pair of sliders 223, and the guide column 221 is connected to the fork support plate 12 through a pair of fixed seats 222 at both ends, so as to move up and down synchronously with the fork support plate 12; a pair of sliders 223 are slidably set on the guide column 221, and move precisely in the lateral direction under the guidance of the guide column 221; an elastic member 224 is respectively arranged between each slider 223 and the adjacent fixed seat 222, and when the slider 223 moves close to the fixed seat 222, the elastic member 224 is compressed and provides elastic force, and the direction of the elastic force is consistent with the direction of the slider 223 away from the fixed seat 222.

[0071] In one embodiment, there can be two guide pillars 221, which are arranged side by side. Each slider 223 is provided with two through holes corresponding to the positions of the guide pillars 221, so that the slider 223 can be simultaneously mounted on the two guide pillars 221, thereby improving the accuracy of the lateral movement direction and ensuring the accuracy of the final measurement value.

[0072] In another embodiment, the elastic member 224 may be a coil spring that is sleeved on the guide post 221 to provide elastic force. When the number of guide posts 221 is two as before, the number of coil springs at each end is also two. In another embodiment, the elastic member 224 may also be a disc spring or a folded elastic body.

[0073] In one embodiment, a pair of sliders 223 are respectively hinged to the ends of a pair of fork arms. For example, in an embodiment in which each scissor arm is formed by two arm rods 211 connected to each other, the ends of the two arm rods 211 can be hinged to the sliders 223 from the upper and lower directions, respectively, so as to improve the connection strength of the hinge point.

[0074] In one embodiment, the measuring mechanism 23 is a drawstring sensor. The drawstring sensor body 232 is disposed on the fork support plate 12 and rises and falls synchronously with the fork support plate 12. The drawstring of the drawstring sensor is pulled out from the sensor body 232 and its end is connected to one of the pair of sliders 223. For example, in order to ensure that the measurement value of the drawstring sensor is the movement of the slider 223, the drawstring sensor body 232 is fixed at a corresponding height to ensure that the pulled-out portion of the drawstring extends laterally. For example, in order to ensure a stable connection between the drawstring and the slider 223, a hanging plate 2231 is provided on the slider 223 to which the drawstring is connected. The drawstring is connected to the hanging plate 2231. As the slider 223 moves laterally, the drawstring is pulled out or put back.

[0075] In one embodiment, limit blocks 225 are provided on opposite sides of the pair of sliders 223 to limit the maximum distance that the pair of sliders 223 can approach each other. This prevents the pair of scissor arms from being too close to the hinged ends of the sliders 223 when the pair of sliders 223 approach each other too closely, thereby causing the pair of scissor arms to be locked, affecting the extension and contraction of the scissor assembly. For example, the limit blocks 225 can be provided on any one of the sliders 223, on both sliders 223, or directly on the guide column 221.

[0076] In one embodiment, the fork support plate 12 is provided with a window 13, and the transverse moving mechanism 22 and the measuring mechanism 23 are both arranged on the rear side of the fork support plate 12. After the scissor arm is hinged to the transverse moving mechanism 22, the scissor arm extends from the rear side of the fork support plate 12 through the window 13 to the load placement area on the front side of the fork support plate 12, so as to prevent the load from damaging the transverse moving mechanism 22 and the measuring mechanism 23.

[0077] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the detection principle of a load detection device in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, when the load detection device of the embodiment of the present disclosure is used for detection, the longitudinal dimensions of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 are expressed as follows:

[0078] Formula (1)

[0079] Among them, S n is the distance between the front end of the scissors assembly and the front side of the fork support plate 12, a is the distance between the hinge point of the scissors assembly and the slider 223 to the center line of the scissors assembly, b is the distance between the hinge points of the scissors arms, c is the length of the fork arm at the front end of the scissors assembly, N is the number of hinged fixed-length sections of the scissors assembly, and M is the distance between the longitudinal center axis of the guide column 221 and the front side of the fork support plate 12.

[0080] The moving distance of the lateral movement mechanism 22 detected by the pull-wire sensor is expressed as follows:

[0081] Ln=A1-A0 Formula (2)

[0082] Among them, Ln is the moving distance of the lateral moving mechanism 22, A0 is the distance between the hinge point of the scissors fork assembly and the slider 223 before the detection starts and the center line of the scissors fork assembly, and A1 is the distance between the hinge point of the scissors fork assembly and the slider 223 when the load is close to the front end of the scissors fork assembly and the center line of the scissors fork assembly, that is, A0 and A1 are the values ​​of a in different states, where A0 is a constant.

[0083] For example, before testing, the scissor assembly is adjusted to the maximum extension state. At this time, the pair of sliders 223 are close to the extreme position of the limit block 225, and the measurement value of the rope sensor at this time is recorded as the zero point value; when the load is close to the front end of the scissor assembly, the scissor assembly is longitudinally compressed for a certain distance, and the movement amount of the lateral moving mechanism 22 detected by the rope sensor is Ln. Through the above formulas (1) and (2), the distance Sn between the front end of the scissor assembly and the front side of the fork support plate 12 can be calculated, and then compared with the theoretical compression amount to determine the loading state.

[0084] In one embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, a pair of load detection devices can be provided on the transport vehicle, corresponding to the positions of the two fork arms 11 of the fork assembly 10 respectively. Through this paired arrangement, it is possible to detect whether the loading position of the load on the fork assembly 10 is correct. If the load position is skewed, the measurement values ​​of the rope sensors of the pair of load detection devices will be different.

[0085] According to the transport vehicle in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it can meet the needs of various loading scenarios. Figures 6 to 8 The control method of the transport vehicle using the embodiment of the present disclosure is demonstrated. Figure 6As shown, the method for determining whether a target load is in place according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used to determine whether a target load is in place on a transport truck, given known target load information. During a transport operation, when a transport truck, as instructed, reaches a specific location to pick up a specific type of pallet, the dimensions of that type of pallet are known. Therefore, when that type of pallet is in place, the distance between the pallet and the fork rest is also known. Using the control method of this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether a pallet is in place on the forks.

[0086] In step S11 , target load information is acquired, where the load information includes load size information.

[0087] In one embodiment, the load size information may be the length or width. For example, when the load is a pallet, the length and width of the pallet may be obtained, and the placement direction of the pallet may be sent to the controller in advance before loading. The longitudinal dimension of the pallet in its placement state (which may be length or width) may be used as the size information, or the longitudinal dimension of the pallet in its placement direction may be directly obtained.

[0088] In step S12, based on the target load information, an in-place detection database is established. The in-place detection database records the in-place longitudinal dimension. The in-place longitudinal dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate when the target load is in-place. The in-place longitudinal dimension is calculated based on the load size information and the transport vehicle.

[0089] It should be noted that the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 herein refers to the distance between the rear side of the load and the fork support plate 12, which is achieved by the rear side compression longitudinal extension mechanism 21. For example, taking a pallet as an example, when the center of the pallet coincides with the center of the fork assembly 10, the pallet is in the loaded position. The longitudinal dimension of the position can be calculated based on the distance between the center of the fork assembly 10 of the truck and the fork support plate 12.

[0090] In step S13, the longitudinal position of the load in the actual loading state is obtained by extending and shortening the longitudinal telescopic mechanism.

[0091] Taking the embodiment in which the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 includes a scissor fork as an example, one end of a pair of scissor fork arms is respectively hinged to the slider 223, and the other end extends to the loading area of ​​the load. When the fork is inserted under the load, the load and the fork support plate 12 gradually approach each other until the load contacts the free end of the scissor fork arm close to the side of the fork support plate 12. As the load and the fork support plate 12 continue to approach each other, the load continuously compresses the scissor fork arms to shorten them, and at the same time, the hinged ends of the scissor fork arms and the slider 223 move away from each other in the horizontal direction.

[0092] In step S14, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism 22 is acquired by determining a relationship based on the longitudinal position.

[0093] Taking the embodiment in which the lateral movement mechanism 22 includes a guide column 221, a slider 223 and an elastic member 224 as an example, since a pair of scissor arms are hinged to a pair of sliders 223, when the scissors are shortened so that the hinged ends of the pair of scissor arms move away from each other, the pair of sliders 223 are driven to move away from each other laterally on the guide column 221, thereby converting the longitudinal dimension into a lateral dimension.

[0094] In step S15 , according to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism 22 corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism 23 .

[0095] Taking the pull rope sensor embodiment as an example, one end of the pull rope is connected to the hanging plate 2231 of a slider 223. When a pair of sliders 223 move away from each other in the horizontal direction, the hanging plate 2231 releases the pull rope and retracts the sensor body 232. The retracted size of the pull rope is the lateral movement amount of the slider 223.

[0096] In step S16 , the actual longitudinal dimension is calculated based on the lateral movement amount. The actual longitudinal dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 in the actual loading state.

[0097] by Figure 4 Taking the scissor arm assembly in the embodiment shown as an example, the scissor arm has three fixed length sections and a non-fixed length section close to the load. The detection distance S is calculated using formulas (1) and (2): n , where N=3.

[0098] In step S17, a comparison is performed based on the actual longitudinal dimension and the in-position longitudinal dimension to determine whether the target load is in position on the transport vehicle.

[0099] Among them, mechanical structures such as the scissor assembly, slider 223, guide column 221, and rope sensor all have errors, and the load may be tilted when placed on the forks, which will cause measurement errors in the actual longitudinal dimension. Therefore, a threshold range can be set for the in-place longitudinal dimension. If the actual longitudinal dimension is within the in-place longitudinal dimension threshold, it is determined that the load is placed in place on the transporter.

[0100] According to the method for determining whether a load is loaded in place according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the longitudinal telescopic mechanism can have a larger longitudinal telescopic range without occupying too much longitudinal space of the transport vehicle, and is particularly suitable for detecting whether a small-sized pallet is loaded in place.

[0101] Taking the following table as an example, the database pre-stores the dimensional information BA, BB, and BC of various pallet models, such as A, B, and C. Based on the pallet dimensional information and the longitudinal dimensional rules of the truck fork assembly 10, the theoretical compression amounts SA, SB, and SC between the pallet and the fork support plate 12 are calculated when each pallet is loaded into position on the truck fork assembly 10. By comparing the actual compression amount Sn with the corresponding theoretical compression amount, it is determined whether the corresponding model of pallet is loaded into position.

[0102] Parameter Type Pallet Pallet dimensions (if known) <![CDATA[Theoretical compression amount S n (Calculated based on dimensional information)]]> <![CDATA[Compression amount S n (Calculated according to L n calculation)]]> A <![CDATA[B A ]]> <![CDATA[S A ]]> <![CDATA[S n ]]> B <![CDATA[B B ]]> <![CDATA[S B ]]> <![CDATA[S n ]]> C <![CDATA[B C ]]> <![CDATA[S C ]]> <![CDATA[S n ]]> … … … …

[0103] like Figure 7 As shown, the method for determining the initial loading of a load according to an embodiment of the present disclosure obtains load position information and transport vehicle position information in step S21. The load position information represents the position of the load on the map, and the transport vehicle position information represents the position of the transport vehicle on the map.

[0104] In step S22, the transport vehicle is controlled to load the load according to the load position information and the transport vehicle position information.

[0105] Due to reasons such as sensor accuracy or changes in position information, when the truck loads the goods at the designated location, the fork assembly 10 may not be aligned with the goods, resulting in the truck being unable to accurately lift the fork or continue loading. Therefore, it is hoped that in the initial loading state where the pallet has just been loaded in front of the fork, it can be recognized that the goods have been aligned for loading, and the truck can continue to move forward until the goods are loaded into place.

[0106] In step S23, the longitudinal position of the loaded object in the initial loading state is obtained by extending and contracting the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21.

[0107] Since the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 21 in the embodiment of the present disclosure can have a large telescopic range, it is possible to detect whether the load is aligned with the load in the initial loading state.

[0108] In step S24, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism 22 is acquired by determining a relationship based on the longitudinal position.

[0109] In step S25 , based on the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism 22 corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism 23 .

[0110] In step S26, it is determined whether the load is initially loaded on the transport vehicle based on the lateral movement amount. If the lateral movement amount is greater than 0, it is determined that the load is in the initial loading state on the transport vehicle.

[0111] Among them, if the lateral movement amount is greater than 0, it means that the lateral movement mechanism 22 has moved. In other words, as long as the fork assembly 10 is compressed, it can be determined that the load is in the initial loading state on the transport vehicle. The initial loading state refers to the state when the fork has just been inserted a short distance from the bottom of the pallet, indicating that the fork is accurately inserted into the pallet. The fork can be controlled to move forward subsequently to avoid a safety accident caused by the fork continuing to move forward due to the fork not initially being aligned with the pallet.

[0112] like Figure 8 As shown, the loading information identification method of the embodiment of the present disclosure is used to identify the loading information on the transport vehicle when the target loading information is unknown. During the transport operation, when the transport vehicle forks a pallet at a specific location according to instructions, pallets of various types and sizes are placed at the same time at the specific location, and the placement positions of pallets of various types and sizes relative to each other are random or unknown. Through the control method of this embodiment, when the transport vehicle successfully loads a pallet, it can be determined what type and size of pallet the loaded pallet is.

[0113] In step S31 , all load information is acquired, where each load information includes load size information.

[0114] In step S32, based on all the load information, an information detection database is established, and the information detection database records the longitudinal dimension of the load, which represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate when the load is in the loaded state. The in-place longitudinal dimension is obtained by calculation based on the load size information and the transport vehicle.

[0115] In step S33, the transport vehicle is controlled to load the target load.

[0116] like Figure 9 As shown, different types of pallets may be loaded on different shelves A, B, and C. The transport vehicle of the embodiment of the present disclosure can automatically identify whether the pallet loaded according to the control command is the target loading pallet.

[0117] In step S34, the longitudinal position of the target load on the transport vehicle is obtained by extending and shortening the longitudinal telescopic mechanism.

[0118] In step S35, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism 22 is acquired by determining the relationship based on the longitudinal position.

[0119] In step S36 , based on the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism 22 corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism 23 .

[0120] In step S37 , the actual longitudinal dimension is calculated based on the lateral movement amount. The actual longitudinal dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate 12 in the actual loading state.

[0121] In step S38, the target loading object information is identified by comparing and calculating the actual longitudinal size and the loading longitudinal size.

[0122] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport vehicle control device includes a memory for storing computer programs; and a controller for implementing the aforementioned method for determining whether the load is loaded in place, the method for determining the initial loading of the load, and / or the method for identifying the load information.

[0123] The description of the embodiments herein and any references to directions and orientations are for ease of description only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. The following description of the preferred embodiments may involve combinations of features, which may exist independently or in combination. The present invention is not specifically limited to the preferred embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.

[0124] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transport vehicle, characterized in that: include: body; A fork assembly (10) is arranged on the longitudinal front side of the vehicle body; A load detection device (20) is provided on the longitudinal rear side of the fork assembly (10), and the load detection device (20) comprises: A longitudinal telescopic mechanism (21) extends forward along the longitudinal direction to a loading area of ​​the fork assembly (10) and can be extended and shortened along the longitudinal direction; A lateral movement mechanism (22) capable of moving in a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; a measuring mechanism (23) for measuring the moving distance of the lateral moving mechanism (22); The longitudinal telescopic mechanism (21) is associated with the transverse moving mechanism (22), so that when the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (21) performs the extension and contraction movement, the transverse moving mechanism (22) can be driven to move toward one side and the other side of the transverse direction in a determined relationship; The fork assembly (10) comprises: A fork arm (11) extending in the longitudinal direction; A fork support plate (12) is arranged on the rear side of the fork arm (11); Wherein, the load detection device (20) is arranged on the rear side of the fork support plate (12); The longitudinal telescopic mechanism (21) is a scissor fork that can perform the extension and contraction movement along the longitudinal direction. One end of a pair of scissor arms of the scissor fork is hinged to the lateral movement mechanism (22) to achieve the association so that when one end of the pair of scissor arms approaches and moves away from each other along the lateral direction, the other end of the pair of scissor arms approaches and moves away from the load placement area along the longitudinal direction; The lateral movement mechanism (22) comprises: A guide post (221) extends in the transverse direction and is connected to the fork support plate (12) via a pair of fixing seats (222) at both ends of the guide post (221); a pair of sliders (223) slidably disposed on the guide column (221), the pair of sliders (223) being hinged to one end of the pair of scissor arms respectively; A pair of elastic members (224) are sleeved on the guide post (221). The pair of elastic members (224) are respectively located between the fixing seats (222) and the sliders (223) at both ends of the guide post (221), so as to provide elastic force for the pair of sliders (223) to approach each other along the lateral direction on the guide post (221).

2. The transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The fork support plate (12) is provided with a window (13), and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (21) extends to the load placement area through the window (13).

3. The transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The measuring mechanism (23) is a drawstring sensor, which is arranged on the fork support plate (12), and one end of the drawstring (231) of the drawstring sensor is connected to any one of the sliders (223).

4. The transport vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: Any of the sliders (223) is provided with a hanging plate (2231), and one end of the pull rope (231) of the pull rope sensor is connected to the hanging plate (2231).

5. The transport vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: Limiting blocks (225) are provided on opposite sides of the pair of sliding blocks (223).

6. A method for determining whether a target object is loaded in place, for determining whether a target object is loaded in place on a transport vehicle when information about the target object is known, wherein the transport vehicle is any one of claims 1 to 5, the method comprising: Acquiring target load information, wherein the load information includes load size information; Establishing an in-place detection database based on target load information, wherein the in-place detection database records an in-place longitudinal dimension, which represents the distance between the target load and the fork rest when the target load is in place, and is calculated based on the load size information and the forklift; Obtaining the longitudinal position of the load in the actual loading state through the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism; According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship; According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism; Calculating an actual longitudinal dimension based on the lateral movement, the actual longitudinal dimension representing the distance between the target load and the fork support plate in an actual loading state; According to the actual longitudinal dimension and the in-position longitudinal dimension, a comparison and calculation are performed to determine whether the target load object is in position on the transport vehicle.

7. A method for determining whether an object is initially loaded, for determining whether an object is initially loaded on a transport vehicle, wherein the transport vehicle is any one of claims 1 to 5, the method comprising: Acquire load position information and transport vehicle position information, wherein the load position information represents the position of the load on the map, and the transport vehicle position information represents the position of the transport vehicle on the map; Controlling the transport vehicle to load the load according to the load position information and the transport vehicle position information; Obtaining the longitudinal position of the load in the initial loading state by the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism; According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship; According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism; According to the lateral movement amount, it is determined whether the load is initially loaded on the transport vehicle. If the lateral movement amount is greater than 0, it is determined that the load is in an initial loading state on the transport vehicle.

8. A method for identifying load information on a transport vehicle when target load information is unknown, wherein the transport vehicle is the transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the method comprising: Acquiring all load information, each of which includes load size information; An information detection database is established based on all load information, wherein the information detection database records a longitudinal load dimension, wherein the longitudinal load dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork rest when the load is in a loaded state, and the longitudinal load dimension is calculated based on the load dimension information and the transport vehicle; Controlling the transport vehicle to load the target load; Obtaining the longitudinal position of the target load on the transport vehicle through the extension and contraction movement of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism; According to the longitudinal position, the lateral position of the lateral movement mechanism is obtained by the determined relationship; According to the lateral position, the lateral movement amount of the lateral movement mechanism corresponding to the lateral position is collected by the measuring mechanism; Calculating an actual longitudinal dimension based on the lateral movement, wherein the actual longitudinal dimension represents the distance between the load and the fork support plate when the load is actually loaded; The target loading object information is identified by comparing and calculating the actual longitudinal size and the loading longitudinal size.

9. A transport vehicle control device, characterized in that: include: memory for storing computer programs; A controller, configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

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