Intelligent pallet stop for pedestrian-guided industrial trucks

Abstract

Claim 1 (main claim): Mobile pallet stop, comprising: • a sensor with an integrated camera, whereby the sensor automatically detects whether a pallet to be picked up is positioned lengthwise or crosswise using AI technology, • an automatic switching device which activates or deactivates the pallet stop depending on the detected pallet orientation, characterized in that in transverse mode the stops are activated in order to prevent the forks from projecting, while in longitudinal mode the stop remains inactive.

Description

The application to utility model relates to an intelligent pallet stop which has a free end and a base end, wherein the intelligent pallet stop is provided with a foldable stop lever which is arranged at a distance from the base end on the pallet receptacle of the carrier-guided industrial truck and, in the erected state, protrudes beyond the upper side of the pallet receptacle in order to form a prestop.With the intelligent pallet stop, it has the following effect: the goods, which are moved most frequently with a passenger-guided industrial truck, are located on so-called Europallets (also simply called Europallets or only pallets in the following) which have a standardized, specific length and width dimension.The length (according to DIN EN 13698 Part 1) is 1200 mm and the width 800 mm. For the present Trade Mark application, it is important that the length is greater than the width of the pallet.The distance between the base end, at which a fixed pallet stop is located, and the free end is the length of the load receiver. This is matched to the length of a Europallet, so that the free end of the pallet receptacle ends just with the end of the Europallet when the pallet has traveled from the pallet receptacle to the base end of the pallet stop. However, such pallets are frequently also accommodated transversely, i.e. the short side (width) runs parallel to the pallet receptacle. If, in this case, the pallet is completely underrun, the free ends project beyond the pallet. However, this should be avoided since the manoeuvring of the passenger-guided industrial truck is made more difficult as a result. For example, the protruding free ends may protrude into a pallet standing behind the picked pallet, thereby hindering the lifting of the picked pallet and damaging the pallet standing behind. Furthermore, since the goods stacked on the pallet obscure the operator's view of the free ends of the pallet receptacle, it is necessary to make a highly careful and careful operation so that the protruding free ends do not cause damage.It is therefore proposed to arrange a second pallet stop (prestop):For this purpose, a hinged stop is accommodated in each of the intelligent pallet stops, wherein the distance between the hinged stop lever and the free end of the pallet receptacle corresponds to the width of the Europallet. When driving under a transversely standing pallet, the pallet receptacle can only retract as far as the raised prestop.The raising of the prestops thus prevents the free ends of the pallet receptacle from protruding beyond the pallet even when a pallet is transversely accommodated.The actuation of the stops is preferably electronic.It is also conceivable to automate the actuation of the stops: for example, an imaging method can be used to determine the dimensions of the front of the pallet located in front of the industrial truck by means of an evaluation unit and thus to determine whether it is approached transversely or longitudinally, wherein, depending on the determination of the evaluation unit, the stop lever is unfolded, retracted or folded back again.In order to facilitate the assembly of such a stop lever and in particular also to enable subsequent attachment, the stop lever is arranged pivotably in a separate housing in that the electronic actuation of the stop lever is also installed.The housing can be pre-assembled with the above-mentioned built-in parts and then attached to the pallet receptacle.The function will be explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment. Shown for this are: FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration (from the front side) of the smart pallet stop. FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration (from the rear side) of the smart pallet stop.Reference is first made to FIG. 1. This shows the smart pallet stop from the front in the deployed state.In the view of FIG. 2, the smart pallets stop are seen from the rear side in the deployed state.

Claims

A stop according to claim 1 (main claim): Mobile pallet, comprising: • a sensor with an integrated camera, wherein the sensor automatically detects by means of AI technology whether a pallet to be picked up is positioned longitudinally or transversely, • an automatic switching device which activates or deactivates the pallet stop depending on the detected pallet orientation, characterized in that in the transverse mode the stops are activated in order to prevent the fork prongs from protruding, while in the longitudinal mode the stop remains inactive.Claim 2: Mobile pallet stop according to claim 1, characterised in that in the transverse mode the automatic activation of the stops controls the forks such that they are retracted up to the optimum depth engagement in order to avoid damage to the pallet and to goods located behind it.Claim 3: Mobile pallet stop according to claim 1, wherein the AI-supported sensor system enables a precise determination of the pallet orientation and thereby defective pallets, in particular as a result of uncontrolled fork movements and protruding fork prongs, are avoided.Claim 4: Mobile pallet stop according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the automatic switching device reacts directly to the ascertained pallet orientation and ensures seamless integration into carrier-guided industrial trucks.Claim 5 : Mobile pallet stop according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the combination of AI-based sensor technology and automatic switching device leads to a significant reduction of pallet damage and to an increase in safety and efficiency in pallet handling.

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