System consisting of a forklift truck and a rack

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (100) comprising a forklift truck (110), in particular a forklift, and a rack (120) with at least one storage location (122) in which the forklift truck can place goods (20) at a predetermined position. The forklift truck has a picking device (112) for picking up, holding and placing the goods (20) and a holding device (130) for at least one central laser device (114) for emitting a central laser light beam (14) into the space in front of the forklift truck (110).To significantly simplify the precise placement of the goods at the predetermined position in the storage location, particularly for the operator of the forklift truck, the invention proposes for the system that the predetermined position for the goods (20) in the storage location (122) is represented by a marking (113), wherein the marking – viewed from the forklift truck – is in a defined geometric relationship to the predetermined position (M); . that the central laser device (114) is arranged and aligned on the industrial truck (110) in such a way that, viewed from the industrial truck with a view to the rack, it is in a mirror-image and similar geometric relationship to the receiving device (112); and that the central laser beam (14) can be aligned to the marking by appropriately aligning the industrial truck with the rack.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a system comprising a material handling vehicle, in particular a forklift, and a rack with at least one storage location in which the material handling vehicle can place goods at a predetermined position. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating such a system. Background information and state of the art:

[0002] Due to global online retail, the number of warehouses with shelving, especially high-bay racking, has increased significantly in recent years. Consumer electronics, often containing lithium-ion batteries, make up a large portion of the goods stored there. Because of the high value of these electronic devices, which are generally insured against damage by logistics companies, major incidents such as fires result in enormous losses. The increasing number of devices powered by lithium-ion batteries, in particular, dramatically increases the fire risk.

[0003] Fig. Figure 4 shows a familiar rack 120 for storing goods 20 at predetermined storage locations 122. If a pallet containing goods 20 catches fire in the rack 120, both the height of the rack 120 and the limited space within the rack can make firefighting difficult or even impossible. Therefore, an increasing number of insurance companies now require compliance with the requirements of the so-called "FM Global Standard" if a logistics company wishes to claim insurance coverage. Fig. Figure 4 illustrates this standard. One pillar of this standard is the design of fire extinguishing devices, such as sprinklers 128, on or in the rack 120 itself. To avoid having to equip every rack level with pipes 126 and sprinklers 128, it is permissible to install them in a predetermined grid. However, during the operation of the rack 120, it must always be ensured that, in the event of a fire, water from a sprinkler 128 located above the fire can reach the fire without obstruction. For this purpose, the pallets with the goods 20 must be stored very precisely, i.e., in predetermined positions, in the rack 120 to create a clear "channel" upwards from storage location 122 to storage location 122.

[0004] In addition to such racks, industrial trucks, in particular forklifts, with attached laser devices are known in the prior art. The laser devices generate a laser beam and emit it into the space in front of the industrial truck. For example, forks with such a laser device arranged at their tips are known. Such forks are known in the prior art, e.g., under the applicant's term "Smart-Fork". The emitted light beam facilitates the insertion of the forks into the designated openings of a Euro pallet.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of further developing such a known system, consisting of a rack and a forklift truck, as well as a known method for operating such a system, in such a way that the placement of goods at a predetermined position in a storage location in a rack, in particular for an operator of a forklift truck, is significantly simplified.

[0006] This problem is solved with respect to the system by the subject matter of claim 1. Accordingly, the system is characterized in that the predetermined position for the goods in the storage location is represented by a marking, wherein the marking – viewed from the marking with respect to the industrial truck – is in a defined geometric relationship to the predetermined position; that the central laser device is arranged and aligned on the industrial truck such that – viewed from the industrial truck with respect to the rack – it is in a mirror-image, similar geometric relationship to the receiving device; and that the central laser beam can be aligned with the marking by appropriately aligning the industrial truck with the rack.

[0007] The term "predetermined position" here refers specifically to a concrete area on the (shelf) floor of a storage location within the shelf. The predetermined position can be represented – when viewed from the front – by at least one prominent point, e.g., its left or right boundary or its center.

[0008] The term "geometric relationship" generally refers to an arbitrarily defined two- or three-dimensional, for example, vectorial, mapping in space between a predetermined position—more precisely, at least one of its distinctive points—and the marker as a reference position, depending on how the marker is positioned in space relative to the predetermined position. In the simplest case, the geometric relationship is the horizontal distance between the center of the predetermined position and the marker. However, the geometric relationship can also be a combination of horizontal and vertical distances and / or an angular relationship as components of a vectorial mapping / relationship.

[0009] This claimed geometric relationship ensures that when the operator aligns the forklift so that the central laser beam is aligned with the marking – at least within a specified tolerance range – the operator can be certain that the goods are correctly oriented horizontally for placement in the predetermined position within the storage location. In particular, this ensures that the designated channel for the extinguishing water in the rack remains clear and is not obstructed by the goods. The claimed system significantly simplifies the precise placement of the goods in the predetermined position for the operator.

[0010] The term "goods" also includes a pallet, especially a Euro pallet, containing the goods.

[0011] The marking must be affixed to the rack or storage location in such a way that it is visible to the operators of the forklift, especially the operator. For example, the marking can therefore be placed on an end face of the rack frame facing the space in front of the rack, such as the front end face of a particular storage shelf.

[0012] The necessity for the claimed mirror-image geometric arrangement or relationship arises from the fact that the shelf with the marking and the forklift truck are opposite each other when the shelf is being filled, or that the operator, e.g. the driver, of the forklift truck views the shelf with the marking from the front.

[0013] For the operator of the forklift, it is often difficult and / or time-consuming to precisely align the central laser beam with the marking for the predetermined position. Therefore, it is very helpful for the operator if, according to a first embodiment of the invention, a tolerance range is displayed within which the alignment of the forklift to the rack, and thus the placement of the goods at the predetermined position, would still be acceptable or accurate enough, e.g., to meet fire safety requirements.To illustrate such a tolerance range for the operator of the industrial truck, a first embodiment of the invention provides a left and / or right laser unit adjacent to the central laser unit, respectively, to generate a left and / or right laser beam with a specific horizontal distance to the central laser beam. The size of these horizontal distances defines a predetermined horizontal tolerance range for aligning the industrial truck with respect to the racking and, in particular, with respect to the predetermined position for placing the goods. The horizontal distances or tolerance ranges to the right and left of the central laser beam can be the same or individually defined.The left laser beam forms the outer boundary of the left tolerance range and the right laser beam forms the outer boundary of the right tolerance range, each viewed from the marking.

[0014] According to a second embodiment, the mounting device with which the at least one laser unit is attached to the industrial truck is designed to allow adjustment and alignment of the laser unit in at least one, preferably multiple, degrees of freedom. This simplifies the mounting of the laser unit on the industrial truck and its alignment with the rack. In particular, the ability to horizontally displace at least one of the laser units on the mounting device allows the distance between the laser units, and thus the respective tolerance range for positioning the goods at the predetermined position, to be variably adjusted. The horizontal distance between the central laser unit and the receiving device can also be variably adjusted in this way.

[0015] The generation and emission of the laser light beam, preferably fanned out vertically and projecting a vertical line beam onto a projection surface, facilitates the operator's alignment of the forklift with the marking on the rack. The line beam allows for the temporal decoupling of the alignment movements in the horizontal and vertical directions. Horizontal and vertical alignment do not need to be performed simultaneously. When using multiple vertical line beams, the operator can first focus on horizontal alignment by positioning the forklift so that the marking is within one of the gaps / tolerance areas defined by the vertical line beams. Vertical alignment of the goods can then be performed either before or after this.

[0016] The aforementioned problem of the invention is further solved by a method for operating a system according to claim 7. The advantages of this solution correspond to the advantages previously mentioned with reference to the claimed system. Further advantageous embodiments of the system and the method are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0017] The description includes four figures, whereby Fig. 1 the system according to the invention; Fig. 2 the predetermined position within a storage location; Fig. 3 a front view of the holding device with the at least one laser device; and Fig. 4 a shelf with pipes and sprinklers and goods arranged therein in accordance with the state of the art, shows.

[0018] The invention and its technical context are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the invention is not intended to be limited by the illustrated embodiments. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is also possible to extract aspects of the situations described in the figures and combine them with other elements and findings from the present description and / or figures. The same reference numerals denote the same objects, so that explanations of objects in individual figures may apply equally to other figures.

[0019] Fig. Figure 1 shows the system 100 according to the invention as a combination of a forklift truck 110 and a rack 120, for example, a high-bay rack. The forklift truck 110 preferably has a driver's cab and a picking device 112 with two (load) forks 111 or two gripping arms. The picking device serves to pick up, hold, and place goods 20, for example, a loaded Euro pallet.

[0020] For example, a stopping direction 130 for a central, left and / or right laser device 114, 116, 118 is mounted on the right side of the industrial truck 110.

[0021] The rack 120 typically has a multitude of storage locations 122, each with a predetermined position for placing a product 20. The predetermined position for the product 20 in the storage locations 122 is each marked with a marker 113, the marker being in a defined geometric relationship to the predetermined position when viewed from the perspective of the forklift 110. This geometric relationship on the rack is, in particular, a horizontal distance d, for example, between the marker 113 and a prominent point of the predetermined position, for example, its center M; see [reference]. Fig. 2.

[0022] The central laser device 114 generates a central laser light beam 14, which can be directed towards the marking 113 by suitable positioning and alignment of the industrial truck 110.

[0023] Fig. Figure 3 shows the holding device 130 in a front view. Visible are the central, left and / or right laser units 114, 116, 118, each of which can be adjusted horizontally in elongated holes 132 and fixed there by means of adjusting screws. Optionally, the holding device 130, together with the laser units, can be adjusted vertically on the industrial truck 110.

[0024] The holding device 130 is designed such that it enables variable adjustment and alignment of the central, left and / or right laser device 114, 116, 118 in at least one degree of freedom, preferably in a plurality of the following degrees of freedom with respect to the industrial truck 110: a displacement in the horizontal direction, a displacement in the vertical direction, a combination of horizontal and vertical displacement, a rotation and / or a change in inclination with respect to the horizontal, wherein the at least one displacement also corresponds to a change in the, e.g., horizontal distance of the laser devices 114, 116, 118 and the laser light beams 14, 16, 18 to each other.

[0025] As in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 2, the left laser device 116 is used to emit a left laser light beam 16 into the space in front of the forklift 110 onto the shelf 120, wherein the left laser light beam 16 – viewed from the forklift – is aligned parallel to and at a horizontal distance to the left of the central laser light beam 14. The right laser device 118 is used to emit a right laser light beam 18 into the space in front of the forklift 110 onto the shelf 120, wherein the right laser light beam 18 – viewed from the forklift – is aligned parallel to and at a horizontal distance to the right of the central laser light beam 14.Viewed from the perspective of the industrial truck, the horizontal distance to the left of the central laser light beam 14 represents a left horizontal tolerance range 31 and the horizontal distance to the right of the central laser light beam 14 represents a right horizontal tolerance range 32, respectively, for the alignment of the industrial truck 110 with respect to the marking 113.

[0026] It is important to distinguish between the alignment of the laser devices on the holding device 130 and the alignment of the central laser beam 14 with the marking 113. The alignment of the laser devices on the holding device is typically achieved by a fixed factory preset, but not during operation of the industrial truck. In contrast, the alignment of, in particular, the central laser beam with the marking – while maintaining the fixed preset – is achieved by suitable alignment and positioning of the industrial truck with respect to the rack, especially with respect to the marking 113, as will be described in more detail below in the context of the method according to the invention.

[0027] The defined geometric relationship claimed according to the invention between the marking 113 and the predetermined position in the shelf 120 on the one hand, and the mirror-image geometric relationship between the central laser device 114 and the receiving device 112 on the industrial truck 110 on the other hand, means, for example, the following, cf. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3:

[0028] If, for example, the center M of the predetermined position – as seen from the marking 113 with respect to the forklift – is located at a horizontal distance d of 50 cm to the right of the marking 113, then the invention provides that the center M1 of the picking device 112 with the fork tines 111 – as seen from the forklift with respect to the rack – must be located at the same horizontal distance of 50 cm to the left of the central laser device 114, more precisely from the point where the central laser beam 14 emerges. Alternatively, the horizontal distances between the marking and another prominent point of the predetermined position in the rack and between the laser device 114 and another prominent point on the picking device 112 on the forklift 110 can, of course, be related to each other to determine equal distances.Distinctive points of the predetermined position can be, besides its center, for example, its right or left boundary. Distinctive points of the receiving device 112 can be, besides its center, for example, the position of its fork tines 111 or gripping arms. The right or left boundary of a Euro pallet could also be used as a distinctive point if the Euro pallet is picked up by the receiving device 112.

[0029] The following describes a procedure for operating the previously described system 100. It specifically concerns the following steps for placing the goods 20 into a storage location 122 in the shelf 120: - Picking up the goods to be stored 20 by the picking device 112 on the industrial truck 110; - Positioning the forklift 110 with the goods 20 picked up and to be stored opposite the shelf 120 so that at least the central laser light beam 14 hits the shelf 120 with the storage location 122; - Moving the goods 20 with the aid of the industrial truck 110 in vertical and horizontal directions so that the goods 20 can be driven into the storage location 122; - Import of goods 20 into storage location 122; and - Lowering and placing goods 20 in storage location 122.

[0030] As a special feature according to the invention, it is provided that after picking up the goods, but before placing the goods 20 in the storage location 122, the industrial truck 110 is aligned horizontally to the shelf 120 and the storage location 122 in such a way that the emitted central laser light beam 14 is brought into alignment with the marking 113 at the storage location 122 at least up to a predetermined tolerance range 31, 32.

[0031] The forklift truck 110 is aligned horizontally with the rack 120 and the storage location 122 such that the marking 113 at the storage location 122 - as seen from the forklift truck - is located in the left tolerance area 31 between the left and the central laser light beam 16, 14, overlapping with the central laser light beam 14 or in the right tolerance area 32 between the central and the right laser light beam 14, 18).

[0032] In the case of overlap, the item 20 is perfectly aligned horizontally, i.e., centered with respect to the predetermined position. It then only requires vertical alignment or lowering / setting the item into the predetermined position within storage location 122. If, on the other hand, the mark is located within one of the tolerance ranges 31 or 32, then the item is not perfectly centered horizontally with respect to the predetermined position, but the deviation from the center M is still acceptable, e.g., for compliance with a specified norm or standard. Reference symbol list 14 Central laser light beam 16 Left laser light beam 18 Right laser light beam 20 items 31 Horizontal tolerance range 32 Horizontal tolerance range 100 System 110 industrial truck 111 fork tines 112 Reception facility 113 Mark 114 Central laser unit 116 Left laser device 118 Right laser device 120 shelf 122 storage spaces 126 Pipeline 128 sprinklers 130 Holding device 132 horizontal slots 134 adjusting screws M center of the predetermined position M1 Center of the reception facility

Claims

[1] system (100) exhibiting, a forklift truck (110), in particular a forklift, with a picking device (112) for picking up, holding and setting down goods (20), and with a holding device (130) for at least one central laser device (114) for emitting a central laser light beam (14) into the space in front of the forklift truck (110); and a shelf (120) with at least one storage location (122) with a predetermined position (M) for storing the goods (20), characterized by , that the predetermined position (M) for the goods (20) in the storage location (122) is represented by a marking (113), wherein the marking – viewed from the marking with regard to the industrial truck – is in a defined geometric relationship to the predetermined position; that the central laser device (114) is arranged and aligned on the industrial truck (110) such that – viewed from the industrial truck with regard to the rack – it is in a mirror image and in a similar geometric relationship to the receiving device (112); and that the central laser light beam (14) can be aligned to the marking (113) by appropriately aligning the industrial truck (110) with the rack (120). [2] System according to claim 1, characterized by , that the geometric relationship on the shelf (120) is a horizontal distance (d), for example between the mark (113) and a prominent point of the predetermined position, for example its center (M); and that the mirror-image geometric relationship on the industrial truck (110) is the same horizontal distance (d) between the point of exit of the central laser light beam (14) from the central laser device (114) and a distinctive point of the receiving device as part of the industrial truck, for example the center (M1) of the receiving device (112). [3] System (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a left laser device (116) for emitting a left laser light beam (16) into the space in front of the industrial truck (110), wherein the left laser light beam (16) – as seen from the industrial truck – is aligned parallel to and at a horizontal distance to the left of the central laser light beam (14); and / or a right laser device (118) for emitting a right laser light beam (18) into the space in front of the industrial truck (110), wherein the right laser light beam (18) - as seen from the industrial truck - is aligned parallel to and at a horizontal distance to the right of the central laser light beam (14), where - as seen from the industrial truck - the horizontal distance to the left of the central laser light beam represents a left horizontal tolerance range (31) and the horizontal distance to the right of the central laser light beam represents a right horizontal tolerance range (32) respectively for the alignment of the industrial truck (110) with respect to the marking (113). [4] System (100) according to claim 3, characterized by , that in addition to the central laser device (114), the left and / or the right laser device (116, 118) is also mounted on the industrial truck (110) using the holding direction (130), wherein the holding device (130) is designed such that it enables variable adjustment and alignment of the central, left and / or right laser device (114, 116, 118) in at least one degree of freedom, preferably in a plurality of degrees of freedom with respect to the industrial truck (110). [5] System (100) according to claim 4, characterized by , that the degrees of freedom for preferably each of the laser devices (114, 116, 118) are: a displacement in the horizontal direction, a displacement in the vertical direction, a combination of horizontal and vertical displacement, a rotation and / or a change in inclination with respect to the horizontal, where at least one displacement can also allow a change in the, e.g. horizontal distance of the laser devices (114, 116, 118) and the laser light beams (14, 16, 18) relative to each other. [6] System (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the central, left and / or right laser device (114, 116, 118) is configured to generate and emit the central, left and / or right laser light beam (14, 16, 18) in the form of a fanned-out light beam, so that it appears on a projection surface as, for example, a vertical line light beam. [7] Method for operating a system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps for placing a product (20) into a storage location (122) in the shelf (120): - Picking up the goods to be stored (20) by the picking device (112) on the industrial truck (110); - Positioning the forklift (110) with the goods (20) picked up and to be stored opposite the shelf (120) so that at least the central laser light beam (14) hits the shelf (120) with the storage location (122); - Moving the goods (20) with the aid of the industrial truck (110) in vertical and horizontal directions so that the goods (20) can be driven into the storage place (122); - Moving the goods (20) into the storage area (122); and - Lowering and placing the goods (20) in the storage space (122); characterized by , that after picking up the goods, but before placing the goods (20) in the storage location (122) the industrial truck (110) is aligned horizontally to the rack (120) and the storage location (122) so that the emitted central laser light beam (14) is aligned with the marking (113) at the storage location (122) at least up to a specified tolerance range (31, 32). [8] Method according to claim 7, characterized by, that the alignment of the industrial truck (110) to the rack (120) and the storage location (122) is such that the marking (113) at the storage location (122) - as seen from the industrial truck - is in the left tolerance area (31) between the left and the central laser light beam (16, 14), in overlap with the central laser light beam (14) or in the right tolerance area (32) between the central and the right laser light beam (14, 18).

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