An adjustable fork truck arm

Abstract

The application discloses an adjustable forklift arm, which comprises a support frame and a forklift arm, wherein the support frame is provided with a first driving mechanism for adjusting the distance between the forklift arms and a second driving mechanism for moving the forklift arms leftward and rightward; when the first driving mechanism works, the second driving mechanism is driven by the forklift arms, and when the second driving mechanism works, the first driving mechanism is driven by the forklift arms. The support frame is further provided with a sliding female element, and the forklift arm is slidably arranged on the support frame through a sliding male element. The first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism independently work on the support frame, the flexible adjustment of the distance between the forklift arms and the effective separation of the leftward and rightward horizontal moving functions are realized, and the control precision and the operation flexibility of the forklift arm are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of forklift arm technology, and in particular to an adjustable forklift arm. Background Technology

[0002] In modern warehousing and logistics systems, forklifts, as key handling equipment, are widely used for loading, unloading, transferring, and stacking goods. Traditional forklifts typically have fixed-width booms, which, while meeting the needs of some standardized pallets, have limited versatility and adaptability when dealing with goods of varying sizes or non-standard pallets, easily leading to decreased operational efficiency. Therefore, some improved forklifts employ adjustable-width structures, such as adjusting the distance between the booms hydraulically or via screw drives, to enhance their compatibility with diverse pallets.

[0003] However, most existing adjustable forklift booms can only adjust the boom span, and still suffer from insufficient boom end movement flexibility. This is especially true when the forklift boom needs to move horizontally left and right while maintaining a load; traditional designs struggle to meet this requirement, limiting their application in confined spaces or other complex working conditions. Therefore, a new structural solution is needed that combines the forklift boom's ability to move horizontally left and right with freely adjustable boom span to improve operational flexibility, safety, and adaptability. Utility Model Content

[0004] The main objective of this application is to provide an adjustable forklift arm, which aims to solve the problem in related technologies where the forklift arm extension action may cause the entire pallet to shift, resulting in unstable placement of goods.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An adjustable forklift arm includes: a support frame and a forklift arm, wherein the support frame is provided with a first drive mechanism for adjusting the spacing between the forklift arms and a second drive mechanism for moving the forklift arm left / right; when the first drive mechanism is working, the second drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm, and when the second drive mechanism is working, the first drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm.

[0007] The support frame is also provided with a sliding female component, and the forklift arm is slidably mounted on the support frame via the sliding male component.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first driving mechanism includes a first driving screw and a first driven screw. One end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the first driven screw via a first electromagnetic clutch, and the other end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to a first drive motor via a second electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the first driven screw is mounted on one side of the support frame, and the first drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the first driven screw. The thread directions of the first driving screw and the second driving screw are the same.

[0009] In one embodiment, the second drive mechanism includes a second driving screw and a second driven screw. One end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the second driven screw via a third electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to a second drive motor via a fourth electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driven screw is mounted on one side of the support frame, and the second drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the second driven screw. The thread directions of the third driving screw and the fourth driving screw are opposite.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first drive motor and the second drive motor do not operate simultaneously. When the first drive motor is in operation, both the first electromagnetic clutch and the second electromagnetic clutch are energized. When the second drive motor is in operation, both the third electromagnetic clutch and the fourth electromagnetic clutch are energized.

[0011] In one embodiment, a wedge is provided at the end of the forklift arm away from the support frame, and the end of the wedge connected to the forklift arm is higher than the other end of the wedge.

[0012] In one embodiment, the forklift arm is provided with an anti-slip rubber kit.

[0013] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0014] This application achieves flexible adjustment of the forklift arm spacing and effective separation of left and right horizontal movement functions by setting independently operable first and second drive mechanisms on the support frame, thereby improving the control precision and operational flexibility of the forklift arm. The use of an active / driven lead screw combined with an electromagnetic clutch and motor drive facilitates synchronous control of the forklift arm, reducing system complexity and improving response efficiency. Furthermore, the use of a wedge design and anti-slip rubber components enhances the stability and safety of goods during handling, effectively adapting to the handling needs of various non-standard pallets or irregularly shaped goods, and overall improving the forklift's versatility, adaptability, and operational reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the adjustable forklift arm embodiment structure of this application.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a front view of the structure of the adjustable forklift arm embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a side view of an embodiment of an adjustable forklift arm.

[0019] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Reference numerals: 100 Forklift frame, 200 Forklift arm, 101 First electromagnetic clutch, 102 Second electromagnetic clutch, 103 Third electromagnetic clutch, 104 Fourth electromagnetic clutch, 111 First driving screw, 112 First driven screw, 113 Second driving screw, 114 Second driven screw, 115 Sliding female part, 201 Sliding male part, 202 Wedge block. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] It should be noted that in this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an apparatus or system comprising a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an apparatus or system. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the apparatus or system including that element. In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connected" 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 communication of two elements or the interaction between two elements. In this application, if descriptions refer to "first," "second," etc., such descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may expressly or implicitly include at least one of those features. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis that those skilled in the art can implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0023] In modern warehousing and logistics systems, forklifts, as key handling equipment, are widely used for loading, unloading, transferring, and stacking goods. Traditional forklifts typically have fixed-width booms, which, while meeting the needs of some standardized pallets, have limited versatility and adaptability when dealing with goods of varying sizes or non-standard pallets, easily leading to decreased operational efficiency. Therefore, some improved forklifts employ adjustable-width structures, such as adjusting the distance between the booms hydraulically or via screw drives, to enhance their compatibility with diverse pallets.

[0024] However, most existing adjustable forklift arms can only adjust the arm span, and there are still problems such as insufficient flexibility of arm movement. For example, when operating in a narrow space, the forklift arm can move horizontally left and right while maintaining the load, which can avoid complex steering operations to a certain extent, improve operational flexibility, and reduce the ease of operation. The adjustable span forklift arm can also improve the versatility for different sized goods or non-standard pallets.

[0025] Based on the above problems and ideas, this application provides an adjustable forklift arm to achieve width adjustment and left-right translation control of the forklift arm. Specific embodiments and implementation methods are as follows:

[0026] This embodiment proposes an adjustable forklift arm, including: a support frame and a forklift arm. The support frame is provided with a first drive mechanism for adjusting the forklift arm spacing and a second drive mechanism for moving the forklift arm left / right. When the first drive mechanism is working, the second drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm, and when the second drive mechanism is working, the first drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm.

[0027] The support frame is also equipped with a sliding female component, through which the forklift arm can be slidably mounted on the support frame.

[0028] The first drive mechanism includes a first driving screw and a first driven screw. One end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the first driven screw via a first electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to a first drive motor via a second electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the first driven screw is mounted on one side of a support frame. The first drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the first driven screw. The thread directions of the first driving screw and the second driving screw are the same.

[0029] The second drive mechanism includes a second driving screw and a second driven screw. One end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the second driven screw via a third electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to a second drive motor via a fourth electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driven screw is mounted on one side of the support frame. The second drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the second driven screw. The thread directions of the third driving screw and the fourth driving screw are opposite.

[0030] The first drive motor and the second drive motor do not work simultaneously. When the first drive motor is in operation, both the first electromagnetic clutch and the second electromagnetic clutch are energized. When the second drive motor is in operation, both the third electromagnetic clutch and the fourth electromagnetic clutch are energized.

[0031] A wedge is provided at the end of the forklift arm away from the support frame, and the end of the wedge connected to the forklift arm is higher than the other end of the wedge.

[0032] The forklift arm is equipped with anti-slip rubber components.

[0033] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the adjustable forklift arm structure of this application. Figure 2This is a front view of the adjustable forklift arm structure of this application. Figure 3 This is a side view of the adjustable structure.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the support frame 100 is internally provided with a first driving screw 111, a first driven screw 112, a second driving screw 113, and a second driven screw 11.

[0035] In this configuration, one end of the first driving lead screw 111 and one end of the first driven lead screw 112 are selectively connected via a first electromagnetic clutch 101. The other end of the first driving lead screw 111 is connected to a first drive motor (not shown in the figure) via a second electromagnetic clutch 102. It can be understood that one end of the first driving lead screw 111 is connected to the drive shaft of the first electromagnetic clutch 101, and the other end is connected to the driven plate of the second electromagnetic clutch 102. The first drive motor is connected to the drive shaft of the second electromagnetic clutch 102. One end of the first driven lead screw 112 is connected to the driven plate of the first electromagnetic clutch 101, and the other end of the first driven lead screw 112 is rotatably mounted on the support frame 100.

[0036] One end of the second driving lead screw 113 and one end of the second driven lead screw 114 are selectively connected via a third electromagnetic clutch 103. The other end of the second driving lead screw 113 is connected to a second drive motor (not shown in the figure) via a fourth electromagnetic clutch 104. It can be understood that one end of the second driving lead screw 113 is connected to the drive shaft of the third electromagnetic clutch 103, and the other end is connected to the driven plate of the fourth electromagnetic clutch 104. The second drive motor is connected to the drive shaft of the fourth electromagnetic clutch 104. One end of the second driven lead screw 114 is connected to the driven plate of the third electromagnetic clutch 103, and the other end of the second driven lead screw 114 is rotatably mounted on the support frame 100.

[0037] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the support frame 100 is also provided with a sliding female part 115, and a corresponding sliding male part 201 is provided on the forklift arm 200. It can be understood that the sliding male part 201 can be a ground block fixedly set on the forklift arm 200 or a pulley rotatably set on the forklift arm 200. The sliding female part 115 is a corresponding sliding groove to achieve additional support for the forklift arm and increase the stability of the forklift arm during movement.

[0038] Furthermore, such as Figure 3As shown, one arm of the forklift arm 200 is slidably mounted on the first drive screw 111 and the second drive screw 113 via corresponding nut seats. The other arm of the forklift arm 200 is slidably mounted on the first driven screw 112 and the second driven screw 114 via corresponding nut seats. The thread direction of the first drive screw 111 is the same as that of the first driven screw 112, while the thread directions of the second drive screw 113 and the second driven screw 114 are opposite.

[0039] During operation, if horizontal left / right movement of the forklift arm is required, the first drive motor can be activated to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise. At this time, the first electromagnetic clutch 101 and the second electromagnetic clutch 102 are energized and locked. This allows the first drive motor to drive the first driving screw 111 to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise via the second electromagnetic clutch 102. Consequently, the first driving screw 111 drives the first driven screw 112 to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise synchronously. Since the thread direction of the first driving screw 111 and the first driven screw 112 is the same, both arms of the forklift arm 200 move synchronously left / right. Meanwhile, the third electromagnetic clutch 103 and the fourth electromagnetic clutch 104 are not energized and are disengaged. The movements of the second driving screw 113 and the second driven screw 114 do not interfere with each other. The second driving screw 113 and the second driven screw 114 are driven to rotate in the corresponding directions due to the movement of the forklift arm 200.

[0040] If the width of the forklift arm needs to be adjusted, the second drive motor can be started to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise. At this time, the third electromagnetic clutch 103 and the fourth electromagnetic clutch 104 are energized and locked, so that the second drive motor drives the second driving screw 113 to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise synchronously through the fourth electromagnetic clutch 104. In turn, the second driving screw 113 drives the second driven screw 114 to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise through the third electromagnetic clutch 103. Since the thread direction of the second driving screw 113 is opposite to that of the second driven screw 114, the two arms of the forklift arm 200 move away from each other / closer, realizing width adjustment. The first electromagnetic clutch 101 and the second electromagnetic clutch 102 are not energized and are both in a disengaged state. The movements of the first driving screw 111 and the first driven screw 112 do not interfere with each other. The first driving screw 111 and the first driven screw 112 are driven to rotate in the corresponding direction due to the movement of the forklift arm 200. Understandably, in order to ensure the reversibility of the lead screw rotation, a rolling lead screw can be used as a component that drives the forklift arm or is driven by the forklift arm.

[0041] Understandably, the first and second drive motors generally cannot work synchronously. When the forklift is in operation and neither the first nor the second drive motor is working, all electromagnetic clutches are energized to ensure that the lead screw is locked and to ensure the stability of the freight process. Understandably, the energization and de-energization control of the electromagnetic clutches can be achieved through a controller, the control program within the controller, and the corresponding controlled switches. The specific control logic of the control program can be flexibly set according to the desired effect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0042] Furthermore, considering the scenario where goods are placed close to the ground, this application provides a wedge block 202. Since the end of the wedge block 202 away from the forklift arm is very thin, it can enable the insertion and lifting operation of goods that are close to the ground.

[0043] Furthermore, considering the stability of left / right horizontal movement while maintaining load, anti-slip rubber components are correspondingly installed on the forklift arm 200 to increase the friction between the forklift arm and the goods and prevent the goods from falling off during movement.

[0044] In summary, the adjustable forklift arm structure provided in this embodiment achieves left-right movement and spacing adjustment of the forklift arm by setting up independent first and second drive mechanisms. An electromagnetic clutch is used to switch power between different drive modes, effectively avoiding mechanism interference. Simultaneously, the use of a sliding female and male component structure enhances the guiding stability of the forklift arm during movement, the inclined block design facilitates the insertion and removal of goods close to the ground, and the anti-slip rubber components improve the stability of goods during handling. The overall solution has advantages such as flexible adjustment, precise control, reliable operation, and strong adaptability, significantly improving forklift operation efficiency and safety.

[0045] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An adjustable forklift arm, characterized in that, include: A support frame and a forklift arm, wherein the support frame is provided with a first drive mechanism for adjusting the spacing between the forklift arms and a second drive mechanism for moving the forklift arms left / right; When the first drive mechanism is working, the second drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm; when the second drive mechanism is working, the first drive mechanism is driven by the forklift arm. The support frame is also provided with a sliding female component, and the forklift arm is slidably mounted on the support frame via the sliding male component; The first drive mechanism includes a first driving screw and a first driven screw. One end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the first driven screw via a first electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the first driving screw is selectively connected to a first drive motor via a second electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the first driven screw is mounted on one side of the support frame. The first drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the first driven screw. The first driving screw and the first driven screw have the same thread direction; The second drive mechanism includes a second driving screw and a second driven screw. One end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to one end of the second driven screw via a third electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driving screw is selectively connected to a second drive motor via a fourth electromagnetic clutch. The other end of the second driven screw is mounted on one side of the support frame, and the second drive motor is mounted on the other side of the support frame relative to the other end of the second driven screw. The threads of the second driving screw and the second driven screw are opposite.

2. The adjustable forklift arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first drive motor and the second drive motor do not operate simultaneously. When the first drive motor is in operation, both the first electromagnetic clutch and the second electromagnetic clutch are energized. When the second drive motor is in operation, both the third electromagnetic clutch and the fourth electromagnetic clutch are energized.

3. The adjustable forklift arm according to claim 2, characterized in that, The forklift arm is provided with a wedge at one end away from the support frame, and the end of the wedge connected to the forklift arm is higher than the other end of the wedge.

4. The adjustable forklift arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, The forklift arm is equipped with anti-slip rubber components.

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