Industrial truck, especially warehouse forklift truck

Abstract

Industrial truck (F), in particular a warehouse forklift, with a load handling device (8), in particular a load fork (9), arranged on a lifting frame (5) so as to be raised and / or lowered, and a camera device (20) for detecting the position of the load handling device (8) relative to a means of transport, wherein the camera device (20) is connected to a monitor device (21) arranged in the area of ​​a driver's workstation (4), wherein the monitor device (21) is configured to display images from the camera device (20), wherein the camera device (20) has a first camera (22) which is arranged in the area of ​​the load handling device (8), characterized in that the camera device (20) has a second camera (23) which is arranged on the industrial truck (F) and is directed towards the lifting frame (5) with the load handling device (8) which can be raised and / or lowered.wherein the first camera (22) provides an image displayed on the monitor (21) for fine adjustment of the load handling device (8) with respect to the means of transport or the shelf location and the second camera (23) provides an image displayed on the monitor (21) for coarse adjustment of the load handling device (8) with respect to a shelf level to be approached.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an industrial truck, in particular a warehouse forklift truck, with a load-handling device, in particular a load fork, which is arranged on a lifting frame so as to be raiseable and / or lowerable, and with a camera device for detecting the position of the load-handling device with respect to a means of transport, wherein the camera device is connected to a monitor device arranged in the region of a driver's workstation, wherein the monitor device is designed to display images of the camera device, wherein the camera device has a first camera which is arranged in the region of the load-handling device.

[0002] Generic industrial trucks designed as warehouse forklifts are used for storing and retrieving standardized transport equipment from shelves in a shelving system. Pallets, wire mesh boxes or other standardized containers are used as the transport equipment. Such warehouse forklifts are designed, for example, as reach trucks, reach forklifts or shelf stackers. The forks of the load handling device designed as a load fork can be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle for picking up or setting down the transport equipment, as with reach trucks or reach forklifts. In shelf stackers, the forks of the load handling device designed as a load fork are usually arranged in the transverse direction of the vehicle for picking up or setting down the transport equipment, and the load handling device is designed as a so-called pivoting fork or telescopic fork.

[0003] Such warehouse technology forklifts have increasingly greater lifting heights with a lifting height of more than 10 meters, particularly in the range of 14-18 meters, in order to be able to serve correspondingly high racks with a large number of shelf levels. However, as the lifting height increases, it becomes difficult for the operator in the driver's seat to see the exact position of the load handling device in order to safely and quickly pick up or set down the transport vehicle at the corresponding rack location. To do this, the operator must direct their gaze sharply and steeply upwards, particularly at high lifting heights above 10 meters, and tilt their head and upper body accordingly far back. However, tilting the head and upper body sharply backward places strain and stress on the operator's neck and back, leading to poor ergonomics.

[0004] To facilitate and make loading and unloading the transport vehicle more convenient, especially at higher lifting heights, it is already known to equip the industrial truck with a camera system comprising a camera located near the load-handling device, which is connected to a monitor located in the driver's workplace. The camera is raised or lowered together with the load-handling device. Such industrial trucks with a camera that can be raised and lowered together with the load-handling device are known, for example, from EP 0 959 038 B1 or DE 10 2008 027 695 A1.

[0005] In such industrial trucks with a camera that can be raised and lowered together with the load handling device, the operator is provided with an image of the load forks on the monitor at every lifting height. In shelving systems, however, the stacked shelf levels and shelf locations are identical or very similar, so that with such a camera, approaching the relevant shelf level when raising the load handling device and thus setting the appropriate lifting height for the shelf level to be approached requires a high level of concentration from the operator. For this reason, operators of industrial trucks of this type only use such a camera on the load handling device for fine-tuning the load handling device in relation to the means of transport or the shelf location in order to safely pick up or lower the means of transport at the desired shelf level.to be set down after the load handling device has been roughly raised to the appropriate rack level and thus close to the rack level to be approached. To roughly adjust the lifting height and to approach the desired rack level, the operator must tilt their head or upper body back and look upwards to see the position of the load handling device in relation to the rack and the rack level to be approached. This continues to result in high loads and strains on the operator's neck and back, resulting in poor ergonomics.

[0006] From US 5 938 710 A an industrial truck is known which can be operated either manually by a driver or alternatively autonomously and thus without a driver. For autonomous, i.e. driverless, operation of the industrial truck, the industrial truck is equipped with a camera which is moved in the same movement as a load fork and which provides information regarding the presence, position and orientation of the load for the autonomous operation of the industrial truck. For autonomous, i.e. driverless, operation of the industrial truck, the industrial truck is equipped with a further camera which is arranged on the industrial truck opposite the load fork and is used for navigation purposes of the industrial truck during autonomous operation of the industrial truck, in that the camera detects geometric landmarks in the vicinity of the industrial truck to determine the position of the industrial truck.

[0007] From DE 103 23 643 A1 a sensor system for an autonomous industrial truck is known, which comprises at least two image sensors, which can be designed as cameras.

[0008] US 2003 / 0 044 047 A1 discloses an autonomous industrial truck comprising at least two cameras that detect and locate objects in the vicinity of the industrial truck.

[0009] DE 103 23 641 A1 discloses an autonomous industrial truck with a movable load sensor, which can be designed as a camera and with which the position and orientation of the load can be checked.

[0010] The present invention is based on the object of providing an industrial truck of the type mentioned above, in which improved ergonomics for the operator can be achieved when storing and retrieving transport means at high lifting heights.

[0011] This object is achieved according to the invention in that the camera device has a second camera which is arranged on the industrial truck and is directed at the mast with the load-handling device which can be raised and / or lowered, wherein the first camera provides an image displayed on the monitor device for fine adjustment of the load-handling device with respect to the means of transport or the shelf location and the second camera provides an image displayed on the monitor device for coarse adjustment of the load-handling device with respect to a shelf level to be approached. The idea according to the invention thus consists in providing, in addition to a first camera which can be raised and lowered together with the load-handling device, a second camera on the warehouse truck which is directed at the mast and the load-handling device which can be raised and / or lowered on the mast.The first camera, which can be raised and lowered together with the load handling device and is aligned with the load handling device, is thus used for fine adjustment of the load handling device in relation to the means of transport or a shelf location in order to be able to pick up or set down the means of transport safely and quickly at the desired shelf level. The second camera is arranged on the industrial truck according to the invention, upwards into the lifting range of the load handling device and thus aligned with the load handling device and provides the operator with an image of the mast with the load handling device on the monitor device. The second camera thus provides the operator with an image with an overview or overall view of the mast and the load handling device so that the operator can estimate the position and thus the lifting height of the load handling device in relation to the warehouse truck based on the image from the second camera.The second camera thus serves to roughly adjust the lifting height of the load-handling device and to roughly approach the corresponding shelf level. The camera device according to the invention, in which the first camera provides an image for fine adjustment of the load-handling device with respect to the means of transport or the shelf location, and the second camera provides an image for roughly adjusting the load-handling device with respect to the shelf level to be approached, thus enables the operator, with the aid of the second camera, to roughly adjust the lifting height and roughly approach the corresponding shelf level with the load-handling device. Then, with the aid of the first camera, to precisely align the load-handling device with respect to the means of transport or the shelf location in order to pick up the means of transport from the shelf level or set down on the shelf level.With the industrial truck according to the invention, the operator can use the image from the second camera to raise the load-handling device to the desired rack level without having to tilt their head or upper body backward or look upward. This ergonomically improves and facilitates the picking up and setting down of transport equipment at high lifting heights, particularly in the range of 10 meters and more, on the upper rack levels of a rack.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second camera has a field of view that corresponds to the field of view of an operator located at the driver's workstation, who is looking upwards toward the load-handling device. The field of view of the second camera thus corresponds to the field of view of the operator when they tilt their head backwards and look upwards toward the raised load-handling device, so that the second camera provides a familiar image for the operator, based on which the operator can view and estimate the position of the load-handling device relative to the rack in the usual way in order to roughly raise the load-handling device to the desired lifting height and the rack level to be approached.

[0013] For this purpose, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second camera is mounted on a driver's overhead guard, a vehicle frame, or a stationary mast of the lifting frame. With such an arrangement of the second camera, the desired field of view of the second camera can be easily achieved.

[0014] The second camera preferably captures an image of the load handling device with the mast over the entire lifting range. This ensures that the load handling device and corresponding sections of the mast are in the field of view of the second camera over the entire lifting range. The second camera preferably captures the area of ​​the mast above the driver's overhead guard and the load handling device arranged on the mast as an overall image or a detailed image over the entire lifting range. This allows the operator to estimate the position of the load handling device in relation to the rack and the rack level to be approached over the entire lifting range of the load handling device using the image from the second camera in order to roughly raise the load handling device to the desired rack level.

[0015] In order to provide a corresponding image of the load-handling device with the mast for each position of the load-handling device and thus across the entire lifting range, the second camera can be equipped with a wide-angle lens according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention. With a wide-angle lens, for example a fisheye lens, the second camera can provide the operator with a corresponding overall image of the mast with the load-handling device across the entire lifting range and thus with the mast fully extended and the load-handling device fully raised. The second camera can be permanently mounted and attached to the industrial truck, thereby reducing the construction effort for the second camera.

[0016] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second camera is movable, in particular pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis, and is automatically adjustable when the load-handling device is raised and / or lowered in order to follow the position of the load-handling device. With such a pivotable ortiltable arrangement of the second camera, it is possible for the second camera to follow the load handling device when the load handling device is raised and when the mast is extended, so that the second camera provides the operator with a corresponding detailed image of the mast with the load handling device over the entire lifting range and thus for each position of the load handling device and also when the mast is fully extended and the load handling device is fully raised, on the basis of which the operator can estimate the position of the load handling device in relation to the mast and thus the rack in order to roughly raise the load handling device to the desired rack level.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second camera is adjustable by means of an electronic control device depending on the lifting height of the load-handling device. This makes it easy for the second camera to follow the load-handling device when it is raised and when the mast is extended.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the monitor device for the first camera and the second camera can each comprise a monitor, which are arranged at a suitable location in the driver's workplace, preferably arranged directly adjacent to one another.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the monitoring device comprises a common monitor on which the images supplied by the first camera and the second camera can be displayed simultaneously. The operator can therefore view the images from both cameras at a glance and, based on the image from the second camera, estimate the lifting height of the load-handling device relative to the lifting frame and thus the position of the load-handling device relative to the shelf level to be approached in order to roughly raise the load-handling device to the corresponding lifting height. Based on the image from the first camera, the position of the load fork relative to the means of transport to be picked up, for example a pallet standing on the shelf space, or the shelf space, can be recorded in order to ensure exact positioning of the load fork relative to the means of transport when picking up the means of transport orto carry out an exact positioning of the load fork in relation to the shelf space when setting down the means of transport in the shelf space.

[0020] The monitor is preferably designed as a split-screen monitor. By dividing the monitor vertically or horizontally, it is easily possible to display the images from both cameras on a single monitor.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the invention, the first camera can be designed as a fork camera arranged on a fork tine of a load-handling device formed by two forks. Such a fork camera can easily detect the tip of a fork tine to provide the operator with a visual representation of the position of the fork tine relative to an entry opening of the transport means, for example, a pallet or a pallet cage, in order to simplify the fine adjustment of the load-handling device relative to the transport means.

[0022] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first camera can be arranged in the area of ​​a fork carriage. With a first camera, preferably arranged centrally on a fork carriage to which the two fork tines of a load-handling device designed as a load fork are attached, the position of the fork tips of both fork tines relative to the corresponding entry openings of the transport means, for example, a pallet or a pallet cage, can be clearly visualized for the operator, thus simplifying the fine adjustment of the load-handling device relative to the transport means.

[0023] With such an arrangement of the first camera on the fork carriage, the first camera on the fork carriage is preferably arranged so as to be vertically adjustable relative to the fork carriage. During normal operation, the camera is arranged at a level below the load fork consisting of the two fork tines, so that the camera also facilitates the setting down of a means of transport on a corresponding shelf space in an upper shelf level. By raising the downwardly projecting first camera, the load fork can be set down completely on the ground without damaging the camera in order to pick up a means of transport from the ground or set down on the ground.

[0024] Further advantages and details of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the schematic figures. Fig. 1 an industrial truck according to the invention in a side view, Fig. 2 a representation of the monitor with the images supplied by the cameras and Fig. 3 a schematic diagram of the second camera with an adjustment device.

[0025] In the Fig. 1 shows an industrial truck F according to the invention, for example a warehouse truck designed as a reach truck. The industrial truck F has a vehicle frame 1 with a driver's overhead guard 2, which is supported by at least one vertical driver's overhead guard strut 3 and defines a driver's workstation 4 for an operator. A load-handling device 8 is arranged so as to be raiseable and lowerable on a lifting frame 5 of the industrial truck F, which comprises a stationary mast 6 and one or more extending masts 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the load-handling device 8 is designed as a load fork 9 formed by two laterally spaced fork tines. The load-handling device 8 comprises a fork carrier 10 guided in the extending mast 7, on which the load fork 9 formed by the two fork tines is arranged and fastened.

[0026] In the Fig. 1 further shows a shelf R of a shelving system, which has several shelf levels R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 arranged one above the other, each of which defines a shelf location P in which a Fig. 1 means of transport not shown in detail, for example a pallet or a wire mesh box, can be stored and retrieved.

[0027] According to the invention, the industrial truck 1 is provided with a camera device 20 that is connected to a monitor device 21 arranged in the driver's workplace 4. The monitor device 21 is arranged in the normal field of vision of an operator located in the driver's workplace 4, so that the operator can view the monitor device 21 without tilting their head or upper body back. The camera device 20 comprises a first camera 22 that is arranged in the area of ​​the load-handling device 8 and is coupled to the load-handling device 8 in a manner that synchronizes movement, so that the first camera 22 is raised or lowered together with the load-handling device 8 when the load-handling device 8 is raised or lowered. The camera device 20 further comprises a second camera 23 that is arranged on the industrial truck 1 and is directed upwards into the lifting range toward the liftable and / or lowerable load-handling device 8.

[0028] The first camera 22 is arranged with a substantially horizontal orientation on the load-handling device 8 and has a field of view 25 directed forward in the direction of the fork tips of the load fork 9, which is represented by the dashed lines. The first camera 22 can be designed as a fork camera arranged on a fork tine of the load fork 9. Alternatively, the first camera 22 can - as in the Fig. 1 - be arranged on the fork carriage 10, preferably centrally with respect to the two forks of the load fork 9, and provide an image of the two forks of the load fork 9. The first camera 22 can be fixedly arranged on the fork carriage 10. Alternatively, the first camera 22 can be arranged to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the fork carriage 10 and can be adjusted between a lowered position (shown) below the load forks 9 and an upper position in order to achieve a complete lowering of the load forks 9 to the ground.

[0029] The second camera 23 of the camera device 20 is arranged on the industrial truck F with a field of view 26 directed upwards into the lifting area of ​​the load-handling device 8, which is illustrated by the dashed lines. The field of view 26 and the viewing direction of the second camera 23 arranged on the industrial truck F preferably correspond to the field of view and viewing direction of an operator located in the driver's workstation 4 with a view directed upwards toward the load-handling device 8.

[0030] For this purpose, the second camera 23 can be arranged at an inclined point of the industrial truck F, for example on the mast 6, the vehicle frame 2, a vertical driver protection roof strut 3 or - as in the Fig. 1 - on the driver's protective roof 3, in order to provide the position of the load-carrying device 8 on the lifting frame 5 as an overall image or a detailed image over the entire lifting range.

[0031] In the Fig. 2, the monitor device 21 is shown in more detail with the images captured by the two cameras 22, 23. A common monitor is provided for the two cameras 22, 23, which is designed as a split-screen monitor and, in the illustrated embodiment, has a display divided in the vertical direction. Fig. 2 left section 30 of the display shows the image of the lifting frame 5 with the raised load-carrying device 8 formed by the load fork 9, captured by the second camera 23. In the Fig. 2 right section 31 of the display of the monitor 21, the image captured by the first camera 22 is shown on the two fork tips of the load fork 2.

[0032] As from the Fig. 2, the images of the two cameras 22, 23 are shown to the operator simultaneously on the monitor device 21, so that the operator can use the image from the second camera 23 in the left section 30 to roughly estimate the position of the load-handling device 8 designed as a load fork 9 with respect to the shelf level R5 to be approached and thus the lifting height of the load-handling device 8 in order to roughly raise the load-handling device 8 to the desired lifting height and the shelf level R5 to be approached, and can use the image from the first camera 22 in the right section 31 to fine-tune the load forks 9 with respect to the entry openings E of the means of transport T to be picked up, for example the pallet shown, in order to pick up the means of transport T arranged on the shelf location P at the shelf level R5 to be approached, ora fine adjustment of the load fork 9 with the transport means T on it can be carried out with respect to the shelf location P in order to place a transport means T on the desired shelf location P.

[0033] The second camera 23 is provided with a field of view 26 and is arranged at a suitable location on the industrial truck F such that the second camera 23 covers the entire lifting range of the load-handling device 8 and is aligned with the load-handling device 8 for each lifting height. The second camera 23 can provide the operator with an overall view of the fully extended mast 5 above the overhead guard 2, as shown in the Fig. 2 illustrates this.

[0034] The second camera 23 can be fixedly arranged on the industrial truck and, for example, be provided with a wide-angle lens in order to ensure that the load-handling device 8 is in the field of view 26 of the second camera 23 at any lifting height and thus over the entire lifting range. It is also possible to arrange the second camera 23 on the industrial truck so that it can be tilted about a substantially horizontal pivot axis in order to ensure that the load-handling device 8 is in the field of view 26 of the second camera 23 at any lifting height and thus over the entire lifting range. The second camera 23 is preferably dependent on the lifting height of the load-handling device 8 by means of a Fig. 3 shown adjusting device 35.

[0035] For this purpose, the second camera 32 is attached to a pivot shaft 36, which is pivotably mounted about the horizontal pivot axis S on the corresponding component of the industrial truck F, for example the overhead guard 3, a vertical overhead guard strut 2, or the vehicle frame 1, by means of bearings not shown in detail. The adjusting device 35 comprises an actuator 37, designed, for example, as an electric motor, which is drivingly connected to the camera 32 or the pivot shaft 36 via a gear device 38. According to the illustrated embodiment, the gear device 38 is formed by a pinion 39 connected to the actuator 37 and a gear or pinion 40 on the pivot shaft 36 or the second camera 23.The control and actuation of the actuator 37 takes place by means of an electronic control device 41 depending on the lifting height of the load-handling device 8, so that when the load-handling device 8 is raised and the mast 5 is extended, the second camera 23 follows the position of the load-handling device 8 and provides the operator with an image with an overview of the load-handling device 8 on the mast 5, on the basis of which the operator can estimate the lifting height of the load-handling device 8 and thus estimate the location and position of the load-handling device 8 with respect to the mast 5 and thus with respect to the rack R.

[0036] Instead of the vertical division of the monitor device 30 into a left section and a right section according to the Fig.2, a horizontal division of the monitor device into an upper section and a lower section is also possible. Other display devices that allow simultaneous display of the two images from the two cameras 22, 23, such as a head-up display, can also be used as the monitor device 30.

Claims

[1] Industrial truck (F), in particular a warehouse forklift truck, with a load-handling device (8) arranged on a lifting frame (5) so as to be liftable and / or lowerable, in particular a load fork (9), and a camera device (20) for detecting the position of the load-handling device (8) with respect to a means of transport, wherein the camera device (20) is connected to a monitor device (21) arranged in the region of a driver's workstation (4), wherein the monitor device (21) is designed to display images of the camera device (20), wherein the camera device (20) has a first camera (22) arranged in the region of the load-handling device (8), characterized byin that the camera device (20) has a second camera (23) which is arranged on the industrial truck (F) and is directed towards the lifting frame (5) with the load-handling device (8) which can be raised and / or lowered, the first camera (22) providing an image displayed on the monitor device (21) for the fine adjustment of the load-handling device (8) with respect to the means of transport or the shelf space and the second camera (23) providing an image displayed on the monitor device (21) for the rough adjustment of the load-handling device (8) with respect to a shelf level to be approached. [2] Industrial truck according to claim 1, characterized by that the second camera (23) has a field of view (26) which corresponds to the field of view of an operator located at the driver's workplace (4) who is looking upwards. [3] Industrial truck according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the second camera (23) is arranged on a driver's protective roof (2) or a vehicle frame (1) or a mast (6) of the lifting frame (5). [4] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the second camera (23) provides an image of the load-handling device (8) with the lifting frame (5) over the entire lifting range of the load-handling device (8). [5] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the second camera (23) is provided with a wide-angle lens. [6] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the second camera (23) is arranged to be movable, in particular pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis (S), and is automatically adjustable when the load-carrying device (8) is raised and / or lowered in order to follow the position of the load-carrying device (8). [7] Industrial truck according to claim 6, characterized bythat the second camera (23) is adjustable by means of an electronic control device (41) depending on the lifting height of the load-carrying device (8). [8] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the monitor device (21) for the first camera (22) and the second camera (23) each comprises a monitor. [9] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the monitor device (21) comprises a monitor on which the images supplied by the first camera (22) and the second camera (23) can be displayed simultaneously. [10] Industrial truck according to claim 9, characterized by that the monitor is designed as a split screen monitor. [11] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by that the first camera (22) is designed as a fork camera. [12] Industrial truck according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized bythat the first camera (22) is arranged in the region of a fork carriage (10). [13] Industrial truck according to claim 12, characterized by that the first camera (22) is arranged on the fork carriage (10) so as to be adjustable in the vertical direction.

Images