Method for improving safety performance when automatic forklift moves forwards towards fork teeth

Abstract

The invention provides a method for improving safety performance when an automatic forklift moves forwards in the fork tooth direction, and relates to the technical field of industrial automation and logistics transportation equipment, an automatic forklift body, automatic forklift fork teeth, a pallet limiting mechanism, a front-end radar sensor and a radar sensor telescopic mechanism are included, and the working method comprises the steps of S1, carrying judgment; s2, entering a pallet; s3, triggering a signal: when the automatic forklift moves forwards towards the fork teeth, triggering a radar sensor telescopic mechanism, jacking a front-end radar sensor out of the front end of the fork teeth of the automatic forklift, starting an obstacle monitoring function, preventing the front-end radar sensor from being exposed outside for a long time to cause collision damage, and ensuring that a safety monitoring effect can be achieved when the automatic forklift needs to be used; s4, normal operation; through the innovative design that the pallet limiting mechanism, the front-end radar sensor and the telescopic mechanism of the front-end radar sensor are additionally arranged, the safety performance of the automatic forklift moving forwards in the fork tooth direction during loading or unloading is remarkably improved, and meanwhile the operation efficiency of the forklift is optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of industrial automation and logistics transportation equipment, and in particular to a method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when it moves forward in a fork tooth direction. Background Art

[0002] As a common equipment in modern logistics warehousing systems, the working efficiency and safety of automatic forklifts directly affect the efficiency and cost of the operation of the logistics system.

[0003] When loading or unloading, the automatic forklift needs to move forward in the direction of the automatic fork tine. However, most designs follow a pre-designed route, and there is basically no safety sensor on the fork tine side, resulting in poor safety performance. In particular, when the height of the cargo exceeds the body of the vehicle, the sensors or cameras of the body are blocked, which can easily cause collisions and scratches, which not only damage the cargo, but also may cause damage to the forklift itself, and even endanger the safety of the operator and surrounding personnel.

[0004] Therefore, the patent of the present invention provides a method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when it moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth, so as to achieve the effect of improving the safety performance of the automatic forklift when it moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings existing in the prior art. When loading or unloading, the mobile forklift needs to move forward in the direction of the automatic fork tine. However, most designs here act according to a pre-designed route. There is basically no safety sensing device on the fork tine side, and the safety performance is poor. In particular, when the height of the load exceeds the body of the vehicle, the sensors or cameras of the vehicle body are blocked, and collisions and scratches are very likely to occur, which not only damages the goods, but may also cause damage to the forklift itself, and even endanger the safety of the operator and surrounding personnel.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A method for improving safety performance when an automatic forklift moves forward in a fork tine direction, comprising an automatic forklift body, automatic forklift forks, a pallet limiting mechanism, a front radar sensor and a radar sensor telescopic mechanism, and also comprising the following working method when the automatic forklift moves forward in the fork tine direction:

[0008] S1. Load determination: First, a pallet limit mechanism is added to the automatic forklift body or the end of the fork tine of the automatic forklift near the body side to determine whether the automatic forklift is loaded. If not, it mainly runs in the conventional direction;

[0009] S2, entering the pallet: When the forks of the automatic forklift enter the pallet, the pallet limit mechanism senses the load signal, and the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the forks;

[0010] S3, trigger signal: When the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth, the radar sensor telescopic mechanism is triggered to lift the front radar sensor out of the front end of the automatic forklift fork teeth, and the obstacle monitoring function is turned on to prevent the front radar sensor from being exposed to the outside for a long time and causing collision damage, so as to ensure that it can play a role in safety monitoring when needed;

[0011] S4. Normal operation: Rely on the front-end radar sensor to avoid obstacles. When approaching a wall, entering an elevator or the edge of a fixed obstacle, the program automatically adjusts the sensing distance in combination with the map settings to avoid the impact of no judgment on normal use.

[0012] Furthermore, in the S1 loading judgment, when not loaded, there is only one situation where it is necessary to move forward in the direction of the fork teeth, that is, when it reaches the designated position and is about to pick up the goods. At this time, the driving distance is generally very short, and the safety requirements are met by controlling the vehicle speed and sound and light alarms through the program of the automatic forklift.

[0013] Furthermore, the automatic forklift program is designed so that during normal operation, the speed of the automatic forklift can be increased when it is carrying objects and moving forward in the direction of the fork tines.

[0014] Furthermore, the main body of the pallet limiting mechanism is a limiting bracket, and it cooperates with mechanical contact pressure, photoelectric induction or pressure sensor to realize load determination.

[0015] Furthermore, the pallet limiting mechanism is used to determine the state of the load, and can further detect the stability of the load. By monitoring the relative displacement or pressure change between the pallet and the fork teeth, it can be determined whether the load is firmly fixed on the fork teeth. If it is detected that the load is unstable, the automatic forklift should stop moving immediately, and send a control signal to the automatic forklift body, and send an alarm through the automatic forklift body to remind the operator to check and adjust.

[0016] Furthermore, the radar sensor telescopic mechanism is an electric cylinder, which is built into the open slot at the front end of the fork tine of the automatic forklift.

[0017] Furthermore, the automatic forklift has two fork tines, which are installed on the fork frame of the automatic forklift body.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The present invention significantly improves the safety performance of automatic forklifts moving in the direction of the fork teeth when loading or unloading by adding innovative designs such as a pallet limiting mechanism, a front-end radar sensor and its telescopic mechanism, reduces the occurrence of safety accidents such as collisions and scratches, and reduces the risk of damage to goods and equipment and personal injury. At the same time, it optimizes the operating efficiency of the forklift, enhances the load stability monitoring function, and has the advantages of strong adaptability and easy maintenance, providing a strong guarantee for the safe and efficient operation of modern logistics warehousing systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for improving safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automatic forklift according to a method for improving the safety performance of the automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth provided by the present invention.

[0022] Legend: 1. Automatic forklift body;

[0023] 2. Automatic forklift forks;

[0024] 3. Plate limiting mechanism;

[0025] 4. Front-end radar sensor;

[0026] 5. Radar sensor telescopic mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively below with reference to related references, and several embodiments of the present invention are given. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may also be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a technical solution: a method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when it moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth, comprising an automatic forklift body 1, an automatic forklift fork teeth 2, a pallet limiting mechanism 3, a front-end radar sensor 4 and a radar sensor telescopic mechanism 5, wherein the automatic forklift body 1 is used as the main structure of the entire forklift, carrying key components such as a power system, a control system and various sensors, the automatic forklift fork teeth 2 are used to carry and transport the pallet and the goods thereon, and the front-end radar sensor 4 is used to monitor obstacles ahead when the forklift moves forward to ensure safety;

[0033] It should be added that the main body of the pallet limit mechanism 3 is a limit bracket, and at the same time cooperates with mechanical contact pressure, photoelectric induction or pressure sensor to realize the load determination;

[0034] The radar sensor telescopic mechanism 5 is an electric cylinder, which is built into the opening slot at the front end of the fork tine 2 of the automatic forklift. It is responsible for lifting the front radar sensor 4 to the front end of the fork tine 2 when necessary to activate the obstacle monitoring function. At the same time, it can also store the front radar sensor 4 to prevent it from being damaged.

[0035] The automatic forklift has two fork teeth 2 which are mounted on a fork frame of the automatic forklift body 1 .

[0036] When the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth, the following working methods are also included:

[0037] S1. Load determination: First, a pallet limit mechanism 3 is added to the automatic forklift body 1 or the end of the automatic forklift fork 2 near the body side to determine whether the automatic forklift is loaded. If not, it mainly runs in the normal direction;

[0038] It should be noted that, in the unloaded state, only in the case of this embodiment does it need to move forward in the direction of the fork teeth, that is, when it reaches the designated position and is about to fork the goods, the driving distance is generally very short at this time, and the safety requirements are met by controlling the speed of the automatic forklift through the program and sound and light alarms.

[0039] S2, entering the pallet: When the fork tine 2 of the automatic forklift enters the pallet, the pallet limit mechanism 3 senses the load signal, and the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork tine;

[0040] S3, trigger signal: when the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth again, the radar sensor telescopic mechanism 5 is triggered to lift the front radar sensor 4 out of the front end of the automatic forklift fork teeth 2, and the obstacle monitoring function is turned on to prevent the front radar sensor 4 from being exposed to the outside for a long time and causing collision damage, so as to ensure that it can play a role in safety monitoring when needed;

[0041] S4, normal operation: Rely on the front-end radar sensor 4 to avoid obstacles. When approaching a wall, entering an elevator or an edge storage location with fixed obstacles, the program automatically adjusts the sensing distance in combination with the map settings to avoid the impact of no judgment on normal use.

[0042] Through the above working method and the design of the automatic forklift program, during normal operation, the speed of the automatic forklift can be increased when it is carrying objects and moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth.

[0043] At the same time, the pallet limit mechanism 3 is used to determine the state of the load, and can further detect the stability of the load. By monitoring the relative displacement or pressure change between the pallet and the fork teeth, it can be determined whether the load is firmly fixed on the fork teeth. If it is detected that the load is unstable, the automatic forklift should stop moving immediately and send a control signal to the automatic forklift body 1. An alarm will be issued through the automatic forklift body 1 to remind the operator to check and adjust, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods during the handling process.

[0044] In summary, the method for improving the safety performance of the automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth can solve the safety problem of the automatic forklift moving forward with the fork teeth loaded backward, realize the safe operation of the automatic forklift in both the front and rear directions, greatly improve the safety performance, and also improve the operating efficiency of the equipment.

[0045] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth, characterized in that: The invention comprises an automatic forklift body (1), automatic forklift fork teeth (2), a pallet limiting mechanism (3), a front radar sensor (4) and a radar sensor telescopic mechanism (5), and also comprises the following working method when the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth: S1. Load determination: firstly, a pallet limit mechanism (3) is added to the automatic forklift body (1) or the end of the automatic forklift fork teeth (2) near the body side to determine whether the automatic forklift is loaded. If not, it mainly runs in the normal direction; S2, entering the pallet: when the fork tine (2) of the automatic forklift enters the pallet, the pallet limit mechanism (3) senses the load signal, and the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork tine; S3, trigger signal: when the automatic forklift moves forward in the direction of the fork teeth, the radar sensor telescopic mechanism (5) is triggered to lift the front radar sensor (4) out of the front end of the automatic forklift fork teeth (2), and the obstacle monitoring function is turned on to prevent the front radar sensor (4) from being exposed to the outside for a long time and causing collision damage, so as to ensure that it can play a role in safety monitoring when it is needed; S4. Normal operation: Relying on the front radar sensor (4) to avoid obstacles, when approaching a wall, entering an elevator or an edge storage location with fixed obstacles, the program automatically adjusts the sensing distance in combination with the map settings to avoid the impact of no judgment on normal use.

2. A method for improving safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of fork teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the S1 loading judgment, when there is no loading, there is only one situation where the vehicle needs to move forward in the direction of the fork teeth, that is, when the vehicle reaches the designated position and is about to pick up the goods. At this time, the driving distance is generally very short, and the safety requirements are met by controlling the vehicle speed and sound and light alarms through the automatic forklift program.

3. The method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic forklift program is designed so that during normal operation, the speed of the automatic forklift can be increased when it is carrying objects and moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth.

4. The method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body of the pallet limiting mechanism (3) is a limiting bracket, and is combined with a mechanical touch pressure, photoelectric induction or pressure sensor to realize load determination.

5. A method for improving safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of fork teeth according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pallet limiting mechanism (3) is used to determine the state of the load, and can further detect the stability of the load. By monitoring the relative displacement or pressure change between the pallet and the fork teeth, it is determined whether the load is firmly fixed on the fork teeth. If it is detected that the load is unstable, the automatic forklift should immediately stop moving forward and send a control signal to the automatic forklift body (1), and send an alarm through the automatic forklift body (1) to remind the operator to check and adjust.

6. The method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar sensor telescopic mechanism (5) is an electric cylinder, which is built into the open slot at the front end of the fork tine (2) of the automatic forklift.

7. The method for improving the safety performance of an automatic forklift when moving forward in the direction of the fork teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic forklift has two fork teeth (2) which are mounted on the fork frame of the automatic forklift body (1).

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