FORKLIFT-TRANSPORT AID COMBINATION

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an industrial truck-transport aid combination, consisting of an industrial truck and a pallet transport aid on which such a transport aid is arranged.

[0002] Industrial trucks such as pallet trucks or forklifts are known from the state of the art. These vehicles feature a pair of forks as load-handling devices, allowing them to engage pallet openings, lift them, and transport the goods arranged on them. These vehicles are small and maneuverable, but can only accommodate one pallet in width.

[0003] For such vehicles, extensions such as fork shoes are known from DE 10 2010 047 630 A1. These are placed over the forks and connected to them, e.g., by bolting. They serve to extend the forks and allow multiple pallets to be grasped one behind the other. Furthermore, US 3,283,933 A describes a transport plate that can be attached to the vehicle.

[0004] There are also forklifts that have an attachment mounted on them that is adapted to the respective transport task. DE 10 2014 010 898 A1 discloses such an attachment whose six forks, each with a vertical and a horizontal section forming the fork tine, can be adjusted in their spacing. Such attachments must be mounted to the vehicle and thus the drive, and can only be removed with considerable assembly effort. Therefore, they usually remain mounted and different vehicles must be kept on hand for different transport tasks, which is costly and space-intensive.

[0005] US 4,239,446 A describes an adapter for adapting a forklift with one pair of tines to the width of two pairs of tines. The adapter has two receiving openings through which the horizontal sections, i.e., the tines of the forklift, are guided, as well as two rails in which the vertical sections of the forks connected to the tines are held. A fastening bolt for each vertical section closes the rail opening and thus secures the adapter to the vehicle.

[0006] US 2006 / 0285960 A1 also discloses a device for mounting on a forklift: Two U-shaped fork receptacles are flanked by two pivoting fork elements on a grid element. The forklift engages under the U-shaped profiles with its forks, and the two lateral fork elements, especially when pivoted out, provide a wider support surface for objects to be transported.

[0007] US 4,708,576 discloses a forklift extension kit; essentially a construction kit: A cross-section is mounted to the forks of a floor conveyor using bushings arranged thereon, which requires some assembly effort. Additional fork-like elements can then be threaded onto the profile and screwed to it to create a transport surface that is broadened overall by the fork-like elements.

[0008] Finally, US 2009 / 0067970 A1 discloses a frame having a first level providing two receptacles for the forks of a forklift truck and, below that, a further level with a number of two or more fork-like elements.

[0009] Document FR2160722A1 discloses a floor conveyor-transport aid combination according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0010] Based on this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a simple and cost-effective way of adjusting the transport capacity of an industrial truck without assembly.

[0011] This object is achieved by a floor conveyor-transport aid combination having the features of claim 1.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the transport aid are set out in the subclaims.

[0013] A first embodiment of the industrial truck-transport aid combination according to the invention is designed for arrangement on two or more forks of a predetermined industrial truck for transporting pallets. For this purpose, the transport aid has a vertical base plate with a receiving side and a transport side, wherein at least four forks are arranged parallel to one another at a common first height on a lower edge of the vertical base plate and extend horizontally away from the transport side. At least two middle forks are at least partially hollow forks with a cavity whose geometry corresponds to the geometry of a fork of the predetermined industrial truck, and are designed such that a predetermined fork of the industrial truck can be received therein. For this purpose, the hollow forks each have an opening at an inlet end through which a fork of the industrial truck can be threaded into the cavity.

[0014] The transport aid is mounted on a forklift truck without any assembly and can be connected to it in such a way that the additional forks expand its transport capacity and allow multiple pallets arranged side by side to be lifted. This is particularly useful when loading and unloading trucks, where a certain number of pallets need to be placed side by side. "Installation-free" means that no tools are required to attach or remove the transport aid. Nor does it require the intervention of a worker.

[0015] The term "industrial conveyor" (short for industrial truck) can refer to either manually or motorized vehicles equipped with any type of lifting device, such as pallet trucks, stackers, or forklifts. What these vehicles have in common is that they always have two horizontally arranged forks (a pair of forks) with a specific geometry for lifting and transporting a pallet of a predetermined size. Also included are vehicles that are only equipped with forks through attachment, as well as modern autonomous transport units (double-skid systems) in which all essential components are located in the forks.

[0016] When referring to transport pallets, or "pallets" for short, this also includes wire mesh boxes and other load carriers with access under them, on which goods are bundled or arranged loosely for storage and transport. These are designed so that the forks of a floor conveyor can be moved under the wire mesh box or load carrier, allowing them to be lifted and transported. Lifting, transporting, and setting down a one-way or reusable pallet includes the transport of palletized goods, i.e., goods placed on the respective pallet.

[0017] To attach the transport aid to the floor conveyor, the forks of the designated industrial truck can be inserted into the hollow forks by simply moving the floor conveyor toward the transport aid until the forks are inserted into the hollow space. The forks of the floor conveyor can then be raised and used with the forks of the transport aid as usual, only extended in width. The connection is created solely by the adhesive force when the inner surface(s) of the hollow forks come into contact with the forks of the floor conveyor, so no additional fastenings such as rails, screws, bolts, etc. are required. Removing the transport aid is done in the reverse order and also requires no assembly.

[0018] "Predetermined" in relation to the industrial truck means that the geometry of the forks of the industrial truck is known in advance in order to select the geometry of the hollow forks' cavity to accommodate the forks of the industrial truck. This can include standard dimensions that are typically used for transporting one or more standardized pallets arranged one behind the other, e.g., Europool pallets (i.e., fork length 1150 mm or twice or three times that, short forks 800 mm long, fork width 150 mm to 160 mm, fork height 50 mm), industrial pallets, chemical pallets, or deviating individual dimensions for transport tasks with special pallets.

[0019] For the attachment, the geometries (internal dimensions of the hollow space of the hollow tines and external dimensions of the fork tines of the industrial truck) do not completely match; rather, for low-friction insertion, it is useful if there is a small amount of play without impairing the holding force of the transport aid on the industrial truck.

[0020] Example internal dimensions of the hollow tines for the industrial truck with the aforementioned forks are approximately 200 mm wide and 86 mm high. The hollow tines can be essentially the same length as the forks of the industrial truck, or up to twice this length, although the extended section does not need to be hollow. The additional forks can also be solid or hollow.

[0021] For the walls of the hollow tines, a thickness of a few millimeters, approximately in the range of 2 mm to 6 mm, may be sufficient, although the specialist will choose a greater wall thickness if necessary.

[0022] Terms such as "below," "above," "side by side," "behind each other," etc., refer to the orientation of the transport aid on the floor or transport path, looking along the forks toward the pallets being transported. Slight deviations from the "horizontal" or "vertical" orientation are possible and are amplified by tilting movements of the forks caused by the industrial truck.

[0023] The forks are arranged on the lower edge of the vertical base plate, flush with it or offset up to 20 cm upwards, with the forks resting on the ground when detached from the industrial truck, so that the transport aid is approximately upright and the hollow tines are accessible at the inlet end.

[0024] Preferably, all forks of the transport aid have the same dimensions and are aligned in the same way for transporting structured, similar pallets.

[0025] Since the forks rest on the ground when released from the industrial truck and also serve the purpose of transporting pallets of the same type, it is self-evident that the transport surfaces of the forks are at the same level.

[0026] In the event that the forks are slightly offset upwards on the vertical base plate, i.e. up to 20 cm at the most, e.g. in order to push them completely through stabilising openings in the base plate and fasten them by welding, the device could also have suitably dimensioned anti-tip elements between the forks and the base plate, which do not hinder the loading of the pallets, or a counterweight on the base plate on the industrial truck side.

[0027] The hollow tines can be closed on all sides except the inlet end.

[0028] This means that industrial trucks such as pallet trucks, which have load rollers on their forks to support them on the ground, can drive into the hollow tines along with the load rollers.

[0029] The hollow tines of the transport aid are fully or partially open on one downward-facing side, e.g., across the full length of the hollow space but not across its entire width; this creates a wraparound for the forks of the industrial truck. This allows industrial trucks to be connected to the transport aid without losing the rollers' contact with the floor or the height adjustability. The hollow tines can also be open at their tips, so that when attached to an industrial truck, it is visually apparent whether the transport aid is sufficiently extended over its forks.

[0030] The forks, including the hollow ones, can be connected to the base plate on the transport side, or, in an easily manufactured design, extend through it and be connected, for example, by welding. The base plate then has appropriately dimensioned openings for access to the hollow tines or for the passage of the forks.

[0031] In yet another embodiment of the object according to the invention, one or more forks extend through the base plate and thus have two sections: a section on which the pallet rests, and a section (end section) facing the industrial truck. Preferably, the end section is supported against the base plate by a support element. This can be done using a bracket, a plate, or a rod. This stabilizes the forks and absorbs leverage forces that act on the forks when they are loaded. Furthermore, the base plate is stabilized by the support element against bending when the forks are loaded. The individually positioned transport aid can also be better supported on the ground and remain in an upright, connectable position.Advantageously, no manual intervention is required to attach the transport aid to a forklift truck; in addition to assembly, pre-positioning is also eliminated.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally, the forks can be beveled at least in the section extending through the vertical base plate, so that in the event of uneven loading across the width, tipping of the forks is prevented by wedging them into the base plate. The forks typically do not have to withstand greater tipping loads, as the pallets (with or without load) have approximately the same weight.

[0033] According to a further embodiment, securing elements are provided on the receiving side of the vertical base plate, which can be engaged with corresponding securing elements on the industrial truck to secure the transport aid against accidental slipping. In a simple variant, these securing elements can be chains or bars that can be hooked, suspended, or threaded through a corresponding hook or eyelet on the industrial truck. It can also be a locking mechanism with locking elements that mechanically secures it without manual intervention by engaging the locking elements with corresponding locking elements on the industrial truck. Securing is therefore not the same as attaching or fastening, as this is already achieved by threading the fork tines of the industrial truck into the hollow tines, whereby these lie flat against one another and adhesive forces are generated.

[0034] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the transport aid according to the invention, it has six forks, allowing a floor conveyor with one pair of forks to be expanded to three pairs of forks, thus allowing it to lift and transport three pallets arranged side by side. Other numbers are also possible, although only multiples of two are practical, and these should be arranged symmetrically to the center of the base plate to maintain the balance of the system.

[0035] The fork tines can be rounded at their tips pointing away from the transport side of the base plate, or they can taper towards their tips to prevent jamming when threading into the openings of the pallets being transported. The hollow tines can be flared towards their entry end on the receiving side of the base plate and, additionally or alternatively, have a chamfer. This facilitates threading the fork tines when arranging the transport aid on the industrial truck.

[0036] Another embodiment provides that the forks are telescopic in order to be able to transport pallets of different depths or several pallets arranged one behind the other.

[0037] The invention relates to the industrial truck-transport aid combination, wherein an industrial truck with two forks, on which the transport aid according to the invention is arranged without assembly, in that the forks of the industrial truck are received in the middle hollow forks of the transport aid.

[0038] The industrial truck is equipped with corresponding securing elements such as hooks, eyes, or corresponding locking devices to the securing elements of the transport aid. An actuating device can be provided to release the locking mechanism.

[0039] Using the method according to the invention, which comprises the following steps, the transport aid can be arranged effortlessly and without assembly on a predetermined industrial truck having at least two forks: Positioning the forks of the predetermined industrial truck at a height corresponding to the height of the hollow tines of the transport aid, inserting the forks of the predetermined industrial truck into the hollow tines of the transport aid, thereby connecting the transport aid (1) to the industrial truck.

[0040] By performing the steps in reverse order, the assembled industrial truck and transport aid combination can be removed just as easily. To do this, the transport aid must first be lowered until it rests on the floor again and no longer on the forks of the industrial truck.

[0041] As a further step, the method may comprise mechanically securing the transport aid to the industrial truck by engaging the securing elements present on the industrial truck with the corresponding securing elements present on the transport aid.

[0042] Further embodiments, as well as some of the advantages associated with these and other embodiments of the transport aid, will become clearer and more easily understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures. Objects or parts thereof that are substantially the same or similar may be provided with the same reference numerals. The figures are merely a schematic representation of one embodiment of the invention.

[0043] Showing: Fig. 1 a perspective front view of a transport aid according to the invention, Fig. 2 a perspective rear view of a transport aid according to the invention, Fig. 3 a perspective front view of another transport aid according to the invention, Fig. 4 a side view of an industrial truck and a transport aid a) before, b) during and b) after being arranged next to one another.

[0044] The invention relates to an industrial truck-transport aid combination in which the transport aid according to the invention is arranged on the industrial truck, and to the corresponding method for producing the combination.

[0045] A transport aid 1 is in Fig. 1 und Fig. 2 shown in a front and a rear view, with pallets being able to be picked up at the front and the rear being intended for arrangement on the industrial truck.

[0046] The transport aid 1 has a vertical base plate 2 with a transport side 21 facing the front of the transport aid 1 and a receiving side 22 facing the rear of the transport aid 1. Six fork tines 3, 30 extend through the vertical base plate 2, protruding from the vertical base plate 2 on the transport side 21 and tapering at their tip 32. The fork tines 3, 30 are firmly connected to the base plate 2.

[0047] Unlike what is shown in the figures, taking into account the minimum height of a predetermined industrial truck, the fork tines 3, 30 can also run slightly upwards through the vertical base plate 2.

[0048] The two middle fork tines 30 are designed as hollow tines 30 with a hollow space 35 and have 2 receiving openings 31 on the receiving side 22 of the base plate ( Fig. 2 ). However, the fork tines 3 and the hollow tines 30 do not differ in their external dimensions, as in Fig. 1 can be seen. They are therefore designed for the transport of identical pallets, with adjacent forks 3, 30 forming pairs that can transport a total of three pallets arranged side by side.

[0049] Fig. 3 shows a transport aid similar to the one in Fig. 1 ,in which the hollow tines 30 are open at their tip 32, ie the cavity 35 present inside the hollow tines 30 is not limited to the front by a wall.

[0050] In Fig. 4a bis Fig. 4c The arrangement of the transport aid 1 on a floor conveyor 10 is shown. For this purpose, the two forks 30' present on the floor conveyor 10, more precisely their horizontally extending section, which serves to lift pallets, are inserted via the receiving openings 31 into the hollow tines 30 (covered in the side view by other forks 3) by moving the floor conveyor 10 towards the transport aid 1 (arrow direction V), approximately until they touch their tips 32 or until the vertical base plate 2 contacts the front of the floor conveyor 10. In this way, the floor conveyor-transport aid combination 100 ( Fig. 4c ) is created. If the forks 30' of the industrial truck 10 are now raised even slightly, the transport aid 1 also rises and is now connected to the industrial truck 10 so that several pallets can be lifted, transported and set down at the destination next to each other in the usual way. To detach the transport aid 1 from the industrial truck 10 again, the procedure is reversed: The forks 30' of the industrial truck 10 are lowered using its lifting device until the base plate 2 (and possibly the forks 3, 30 of the transport aid 1, depending on the height at which they are arranged) contact the ground and rest their weight on it. The forks 30' of the industrial truck 10 can then be unthreaded from the hollow forks 30 by moving the industrial truck 10 backwards (opposite the direction of arrow V) away from the transport aid 1. The transport aid 1 remains at this point and is ready to be picked up again by a floor conveyor 10 if necessary.

[0051] The transport aid 1 further comprises, on the receiving side 22 of the vertical base plate 2, four receiving-side end sections 34 of the fork tines 3, each of which is connected to the receiving side 22 of the base plate 2 by a plate-shaped support element 4 that is vertically aligned. The support elements 4 prevent the base plate 2 from bending or even breaking under load on the fork tines 3 and stabilize the fork tines 3, in which no fork tine 30' of an industrial truck 10 is received. The transport aid 1 can rest on the receiving-side end sections 34 when it is parked individually, so that the base plate 2 always remains in an approximately vertical orientation and thus the receiving openings 31 of the hollow tines 30 are accessible to an industrial truck 10 at all times.Furthermore, the end sections 34 can form a counterweight to the fork tines 3, 30 and stabilize the transport aid 1 even when connected and during the transport of goods. Since the hollow tines 30 do not have such a section, there is a gap between the inner end sections 34 (with support elements 4), so that the industrial truck can be placed between them in its width, as in the industrial truck-transport aid combination 100 in . Fig. 4c shown.

[0052] Two chains are attached as securing elements 5 to the receiving side 22 of the vertical base plate 2. The chains 5 can each be hooked onto corresponding securing elements 5' on one side of a floor conveyor 10 and, when connected, secure the transport aid 1 against slipping due to unfavorable weight distribution. The connection between the transport aid 1 and the floor conveyor 10 can be established independently of such securing elements 5, 5', since the large contact surface inside the hollow tines 30 already provides sufficiently high adhesive forces to hold the transport aid 1 with and without a load.

[0053] There is a stepped edge 7 around the receiving openings 31, which can also be marked in color to visually highlight the receiving openings 31 and to facilitate threading when arranging them on the floor conveyor 10.

[0054] The transport aid 1 has an opening 6, by which the transport aid 1 can be grasped and moved independently of its connection to a floor conveyor 10. In alternative embodiments, additional openings, or viewing windows, may be provided in the base plate 2.

[0055] An industrial truck 10 with more than two forks can also be equipped with a transport aid 1 according to the invention, which then has a number of hollow forks 30 corresponding to the number of forks of the industrial truck.

[0056] The proportions shown in the figures, in particular wall thicknesses, distances and lengths of the forks, are shown only as examples. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0057] 1Transport aid 10Industrial conveyor 100Industrial conveyor-transport aid combination 2Vertical base plate 21Transport side 22Receiving side 3Fork tine 30Hollow tine 30'Fork of the industrial conveyor 31Inlet end 32Fork tip 33Underside of hollow tine 34Receiving side end section of fork tine 35Hollow tine cavity 4Support element 5Securing elements 5'Corresponding securing elements 6Opening 7Recessed edge VConnection direction

Claims

1. A floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) of a floor conveyor (10) and a transport aid, wherein the floor conveyor (10) has two fork tines (30') and is formed for the transport of pallets, wherein the transport aid (1) is arranged in an assembly-free manner on the floor conveyor (10), in that the fork tines (30') of the floor conveyor (10) are received in the hollow tines (30) of the transport aid (1), characterized in that the transport aid (1) has a vertical base plate (2) with a receiving side (22) and a transport side (21), wherein at least four fork tines (3) are arranged parallel to one another at a common first height on a lower edge of the vertical base plate (2) and extend horizontally away from the transport side (21), and wherein two central fork tines (3) are at least partly hollow tines (30) and have a hollow space (35), the geometry of which corresponds to the geometry of a fork tine (30') of the predetermined floor conveyor (10), wherein the hollow tines are completely closed on a side facing downwards or are partly open along a length of the hollow space forming a wrap-around, and are formed for receiving the fork tines (30') of the floor conveyor (10), wherein securing elements (5'), which engage with securing elements (5) present on the securing aid (1), are present on the floor conveyor (10).

2. The floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollow tines (30) - are open at their tip, or - have a lengthening, non-hollow section.

3. The floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one fork tine (3) extends through the vertical base plate (2) and away from the receiving side (22) of the vertical base plate (2) with a receiving-side end section (34), wherein the receiving-side end section (34) is preferably supported against the base plate (2) by means of a support element (4), preferably by means of a bracket, a plate or a rod, and / or the fork tine (3) is beveled at least at the section extending through the vertical base plate.

4. The floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the securing elements (5), preferably chains (5), bars or engagement elements, which can be engaged with the corresponding securing elements (5') that are present on the floor conveyor (10) for securing the transport aid (1), are present on the receiving side (22) of the vertical base plate (2).

5. The floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the transport aid (1) has six fork tines (3, 30) and / or the fork tines (3, 30) are rounded at their tips (32) or taper towards their tips (32) and / or have a bezel, and / or the hollow tines (30) are expanded towards an inlet end (31) lying on the receiving side (22) of the base plate (2) and / or have a bezel.

6. The floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fork tines (3, 30) are telescopic.

7. A method for arranging a transport aid (1) on a predetermined floor conveyor (10), which has two fork tines (30'), thereby producing the floor conveyor-transport aid combination (100) according to at least any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of - positioning the fork tines (30') of the floor conveyor (10) at a height, which corresponds to the height of the hollow tines (30) of the transport aid (1), - inserting the fork tines (30') of the floor conveyor (10) into the hollow tines (30) of the transport aid (1), thereby connecting the transport aid (1) to the floor conveyor (10), and - mechanically securing the transport aid (1) to the floor conveyor (10) by engaging the securing elements (5') that are present on the floor conveyor (10) with the corresponding securing elements (5) that are present on the transport aid (1).