Base plate for an autonomously controlled industrial conveyor

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a base plate for an autonomously guided industrial truck having a longitudinal and a width direction, which base plate is provided to form a base plate arrangement and to partially delimit a vehicle body of the industrial truck downwards, and which comprises a plate body which is provided to define at least partially an outline of the base plate arrangement.

[0002] It is known from the prior art to use a sheet metal structure as the vehicle frame in industrial trucks, particularly low-lift industrial trucks, on which various vehicle components are mounted, such as drive and support rollers. The various vehicle components are attached at different locations and to different parts of this sheet metal frame structure.

[0003] However, particularly with autonomously guided industrial trucks (also referred to as AGVs - automated guided vehicles), a number of new challenges now arise, which the present invention aims to address. Firstly, a steerable drive roller and lateral support rollers must usually be attached or integrated to the underside of the vehicle body of such vehicles. These rollers contribute to the secure standing and stable travel of the industrial truck, even when loaded. In this context, it is also desirable to keep the center of gravity of the industrial truck as low as possible, for example to increase stability when cornering when the truck is loaded. This stability has recently suffered to a certain extent due to the fact that the increasingly used lithium-ion batteries have a lower mass than earlier battery generations, thus reducing the dead weight of the industrial truck.Although this is initially to be viewed positively with regard to the efficiency and handling of the industrial truck, it also presents the problem that sufficient weight must now be provided in a different way to ensure the wheel pressure required to generate the desired traction on a drive axle, both in a loaded and unloaded state of the vehicle, to which a base plate that is as solid and deeply installed as possible can contribute.

[0004] An example of a base plate of an autonomous industrial truck according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from CN 206 606 990 U.

[0005] Another important aspect in the design of such autonomously guided industrial trucks is the arrangement of scanner units, which are required and used in particular for personnel protection and the navigation of the industrial truck. On the one hand, it must be ensured that the largest possible area around the industrial truck can be covered with the smallest possible number of such scanner units, while on the other hand, it is also desirable to arrange the corresponding scanner units relatively low above the driving surface in order to ensure that no obstacles below the scanning level monitored by the scanner units can be overlooked. Especially when handling pallets, for example in logistics facilities with block storage, lowering the scanner level to just a few centimeters above the driving surface is therefore desirable.For the reasons mentioned above, the base plates previously used as underbody for industrial trucks no longer appear to be an optimal solution for a new generation of autonomously guided industrial trucks and there is potential for improvement or optimization under the aspects just mentioned.

[0006] In order to achieve the object just mentioned or to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art discussed above, it is proposed according to the invention that a generic base plate for an autonomously guided industrial truck of the type mentioned at the outset should have a central opening with respect to the width direction, which is intended to receive a drive wheel of the industrial truck, and at least one recess offset in the width direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis, which is intended to receive a support wheel arrangement of the industrial truck.

[0007] By providing in this way a central opening in the base plate which can accommodate a drive wheel of the industrial truck in such a way that it projects through the central opening and is in particular pivotable within the opening for steering the industrial truck, while at least one support wheel arrangement can also be accommodated in the at least one recess outside the longitudinal central axis, a base plate can be created which, on the one hand, allows functional components of the industrial truck to be arranged at a low height above the driving surface, in particular the scanner unit already mentioned, while, on the other hand, a solid closure of the vehicle body at the bottom is created which, on the one hand, protects all components of the industrial truck arranged there from impacts and damage, while, on the other hand, helps to keep the center of gravity of the industrial truck as low as possible.Although the base plate according to the invention can indeed be formed in one piece as a solid monolithic metal part, it should not be excluded at this point that such a one-piece base plate is also composed of several sub-units in an inseparable manner, for example welded.

[0008] Such a base plate, which has a central opening for a drive wheel and at least one offset recess for a support wheel, the latter preferably also being attached to the base plate, thus enables the center of gravity of the industrial truck to be positively influenced, while also optimizing the design of the industrial truck with regard to sensors arranged on the truck. Known support wheel designs are either attached above the support wheel to a sheet metal frame or by means of a rocker arm, which is usually arranged on the side of the frame.

[0009] Such arrangements, as disclosed for example in EP 0 670 256 A1 or DE 100 224 00 A1, protrude into the scanning plane of the laser scanners generally used for environmental monitoring, which must be located at a certain distance from the ground surface, so that the laser scanners in the prior art had to be arranged outside the vehicle geometry and thus widened the industrial truck in an undesirable manner.

[0010] For reasons of optimal load distribution of the resulting industrial truck, it may also be advantageous if the base plate according to the invention comprises two recesses for each receiving a support wheel arrangement, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center axis.

[0011] Furthermore, the at least one recess can be provided on the base plate according to the invention in such a way that it defines part of the outline of the plate body. This means that the respective support wheel assembly, when mounted on the plate body, partially forms part of the outline of this assembly and thus represents a closure at one edge thereof. In this way, the largest possible track width of the support wheel assembly can be achieved, whereby, particularly in embodiments with a symmetrically arranged pair of support wheel assemblies, stable driving behavior can be achieved even at high cornering speeds of the industrial truck.

[0012] In this case, it can be considered in particular that the at least one recess in a front corner region of the plate body, relative to the longitudinal direction, and the outer corner region relative to the width direction, defines the outline thereof, so that the respective support wheel arrangement in its mounted state forms the corresponding corner of the base plate arrangement.

[0013] Furthermore, the base plate according to the invention can further comprise at least one further recess, which is intended to partially accommodate a scanner unit. While such scanner units must be arranged in an operating state of the operational industrial truck such that their scanning plane extends above the base plate, some types of scanner units available on the market have an increased overall height, which may make it desirable to partially embed them in the base plate in order to minimize the effective overall height above the base plate for the scanner unit.

[0014] In this case, it may be desirable for the at least one further recess for a scanner unit to be located completely within the outline of the base plate, so that, particularly in the width direction, there is always material of the plate body outside of it, which can protect the sensitive scanner unit from lateral impacts or other potential hazards.

[0015] With regard to the additional recesses provided for the scanner units, it may also be desirable for these to be arranged symmetrically in pairs relative to the longitudinal center axis of the base plate according to the invention. This allows for symmetrical monitoring of both sides of the industrial truck, which, compared to an asymmetrical arrangement of scanner units, can enable simplified handling of the relevant data and facilitate all-round monitoring.

[0016] Furthermore, the base plate according to the invention can have a support surface in its rear region in the longitudinal direction and central region in the width direction, which is intended to support a lifting cylinder of the industrial truck. The base plate according to the invention also offers an optimal interface point for the attachment of this lifting cylinder, since its design enables it to easily absorb and support the corresponding forces.

[0017] Particularly in the event that the industrial truck to be equipped with the base plate according to the invention is to be used in block storage facilities in which individual pallets to be picked rest on the ground before being picked and transported by the industrial truck, it can be advantageous if the base plate has a maximum width of approximately 800 mm or less. These dimensions correspond precisely to the width of a Euro pallet, thus enabling problem-free maneuverability of the corresponding industrial truck between Euro pallets placed next to each other on the travel surface. Of course, variants of the base plate according to the invention with larger dimensions for corresponding other applications are also conceivable.

[0018] Since both the steerability of the drive wheel of the industrial truck and the commonly used support wheel assemblies and some types of scanner units each require circular symmetry for their assembly, it can be advantageous in the base plate according to the invention if the central opening and / or at least one of the recesses and / or at least one of the further recesses is substantially circular. Of course, in embodiments in which the at least one recess defines part of the outline of the plate body, this feature is to be understood such that the section of the corresponding recess that borders the outline of the plate body forms a section of a circle, while the support wheel assembly itself can define the circular shape over the remaining section.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a baseplate assembly for an autonomously guided industrial truck, comprising a baseplate according to the invention of the type just described and at least one support wheel assembly received in the recess or one of the recesses. There are initially no restrictions regarding the manner of fastening the at least one support wheel assembly; for example, it could be integrally screwed to the baseplate assembly at corresponding interfaces or otherwise detachably attached.

[0020] Naturally, the design and external dimensions of the corresponding support wheel assembly must be adapted to the respective recess. Furthermore, the at least one support wheel assembly and the base plate can be configured substantially flush with one another on their upper sides, or the base plate can extend upwards beyond the at least one support wheel assembly. Such interaction of the configurations of the base plate and support wheel assembly ensures that the scanning plane of a scanner unit arranged above the base plate also lies completely above the at least one support wheel assembly and is unaffected by it or by the base plate itself.

[0021] Accordingly, the base plate assembly according to the invention can further comprise at least one scanner unit, which is arranged such that its scanning plane lies above the base plate, wherein the at least one scanner unit is optionally partially accommodated in the or one of the further recesses. Here, too, it is of course important to ensure that the dimensions of the at least one further recess or the type of the at least one scanner unit are compatible with each other.

[0022] As already mentioned above, by providing the at least one further recess, on the one hand, an optimal alignment of the corresponding scanner unit with regard to its height position can be achieved, while on the other hand, the base plate protects the at least one scanner unit from objects below the scanning plane.

[0023] Furthermore, in the front area of ​​the base plate assembly according to the invention, two load arms for supporting load wheels can be permanently attached, in particular welded, to it. The load arms can optionally extend on both sides of the contact surface and, for example, be arranged flush with it. Accordingly, a force-conducting interface for the load arms can also be created at this point, so that the transmission of forces and moments in the industrial truck is possible in a reliable manner.

[0024] According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle body of an autonomously guided industrial truck, which comprises a base plate assembly of the type just described and a vehicle frame arranged above the base plate, wherein an interface for connecting the base plate assembly and the vehicle frame is positioned such that it is arranged outside the central opening, but spaced apart from the outline of the base plate in the width direction. Thus, sufficient space is created in the area between this interface and the outer outline of the base plate in the width direction to arrange the at least one scanner unit in this area and thus enable it to have an enlarged field of view of more than 180°.

[0025] Accordingly, the at least one recess and optionally the at least one further recess can be arranged outside the interface in the width direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis.

[0026] Finally, the present invention relates to an autonomously guided industrial truck comprising such a vehicle body. Accordingly, any additional functional units of the industrial truck can be arranged within the vehicle frame of this vehicle body, for example, control and communication units, additional sensor units, and energy storage devices required for the operation of the industrial truck.

[0027] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof, when considered together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail: Fig. 1A und 1B two variants of base plates according to the invention for autonomously guided industrial trucks, each in an isometric view; Fig. 2A und 2B a top view or side view of an industrial truck equipped with such a base plate in a schematic representation; and Fig. 3 a variant of the industrial truck from the Fig. 2A und 2B in an isometric rear view.

[0028] The Fig. 1A und 1B Now show two variants of base plates according to the invention for autonomously guided industrial trucks, which are designated by the reference numerals 10 and 10' respectively. It should be noted that identical or equivalent elements of the variant from Fig. 1B each with the same reference numerals as the corresponding elements of Fig. 1A , additionally marked with an apostrophe.

[0029] The base plates 10 and 10' each have a longitudinal direction or longitudinal center axis L and a width direction B perpendicular thereto, which are oriented in the same way as the corresponding directions are usually designated in industrial trucks equipped with such base plates.

[0030] The base plates 10 and 10' are each intended to form a base plate arrangement of an industrial truck and to limit a vehicle body of this industrial truck in sections at the bottom. For this purpose, they each comprise a plate body 12 or 12', which can in particular be made solid from a single metal part. The base plates 12 and 12' each have a central opening 14 or 14' with respect to the width direction B, which is intended to Fig. 1A und 1B to accommodate the steered drive wheel of the industrial truck (not yet shown) in such a way that the wheel extends both above and below the plane of the base plates 10 and 10', respectively.

[0031] Furthermore, the two base plates 10 and 10' have recesses 16a, 16b and 16a', 16b', respectively, which are offset in the width direction B with respect to the longitudinal center axis L and are arranged in the front outer corner region of the respective base plate 10 and 10', respectively, and define part of the outline of the plate body 12 and 12', respectively.

[0032] It can be seen that both the central opening 14, 14' and the recesses 16a, 16b, 16a', and 16b' are essentially circular, with only the part forming the outline of the recesses 16a, 16b, 16a', and 16b' being designed as a circular segment. Finally, it should be noted that the two base plates 10 and 10' each comprise a pair of further recesses 18a, 18b and 18a', 18b', respectively, which are also positioned symmetrically offset in the width direction B relative to the longitudinal central axis L. In contrast to the recesses 16a, 16b, 16a', 16b', the further recesses 18a, 18b, 18a', 18b' are provided completely within the outline of the plate body 12 or 12', so that in the width direction B outside the further recesses 18a, 18b, 18a', 18b' there is still material of the plate body 12 or 12', which acts as shock protection for the scanner units described below.

[0033] Regarding the differences between the variants from the Fig. 1A und 1B Firstly, it should be noted that in the variant from Fig. 1B a contact surface 20 is provided in the central area in the width direction B behind the central opening 14', which, in the assembled state of the industrial truck, can serve as a contact surface for a lifting cylinder for actuating a load carriage. Such a contact surface is in the variant from Fig. 1A not intended, so that it can be used, for example, in low-lift industrial trucks.

[0034] On the other hand, in the variant from Fig. 1B It can be seen that it is widened in the width direction B in the area of ​​the recesses 16a', 16b', so that the track width of the support wheel arrangements to be attached at this point, which are described below with reference to the Fig. 2A, 2B and 3will be explained in more detail. This allows the support wheel arrangements to be located at least partially outside the remaining vehicle geometry, which can be advantageous for high-lift vehicles, for example, to increase their tipping stability, while the particularly narrow external dimensions of the variant from Fig. 1A can no longer be complied with.

[0035] The Fig. 2A und 2B now show schematically in a top view and a side view an autonomously guided industrial truck 100, in which a base plate similar to that of Fig. 1A and is accordingly also designated by the reference numeral 10. However, it should be noted that this base plate 10, in contrast to the one from Fig. 1A is provided with a contact surface 20. This contact surface 20 lies centrally and flush between two load arms 22a and 22b of the industrial truck 100, which each carry a load wheel 24a or 24b in the region of their ends remote from the base plate 10. Furthermore, it can be seen that in the region of the central opening 14 of the base plate 10, a steered drive wheel 26 of the industrial truck 100 is received, the hub of which extends above the base plate 10, so that the steered drive wheel 26 lies partly below and partly above the plane of the base plate 10. Due to the essentially circular design of the central opening 14, a pivoting of the drive wheel 26 about its vertical axis is also possible, which enables its steerability.

[0036] In addition, two support wheel assemblies 28a and 28b can be seen accommodated in the recesses 16a and 16b, which are also essentially circular and are mounted in the recesses 16a and 16b in such a way that they themselves, with their respective housings, form part of the outline of the base plate assembly 102 thus formed in its front outer corner areas. The support wheel assemblies 28a and 28b are characterized in that their respective support wheels 30a and 30b are also pivotable about a vertical axis to enable cornering, but the assemblies 28a and 28b have an extremely low overall height, which essentially corresponds to the thickness of the plate body 12, as can be seen in particular in Fig. 2B can be clearly seen.

[0037] Thus, the support wheel arrangements 28a and 28b are aligned at their upper sides with the corresponding upper side of the plate body 12 and enable the installation of two scanner units 32a and 32b, which are also symmetrically opposite one another with respect to the longitudinal center axis, in the further recesses 18a and 18b. These scanner units 32a and 32b have, as shown in Fig. 2B As can be seen, a scanning plane E with respective scanning areas S1 and S2, which runs horizontally above the base plate 10 and the load arms 22a and 22b. The scanner units 32a and 32b are protected at their sides by the walls of the plate body 12 against impacts occurring at this point, but are arranged in a suitable position to be able to cover the largest possible angular ranges of the scanning plane E, as can be seen from the Fig. 2A indicated areas S1 and S2. However, in variants of the embodiment shown here, scanner units with a different geometry could also be used, which could possibly make the provision of the additional recesses 18a and 18b superfluous.

[0038] Finally, it should be noted that an interface 34 is provided around the central opening 14 for connecting the base plate 10 to the vehicle frame 36 to form the vehicle body 104, in which further components of the industrial truck 100 can be accommodated. The specific shape of this interface 34, which is positioned such that it is arranged outside the central opening 14, but spaced apart in the width direction B from the outline of the base plate 10 and further designed to taper towards the front, allows the advantageous positioning of the scanner units 32a and 32b already discussed above, as well as the enlarged angular coverage of the scanning areas S1 and S2 also mentioned.

[0039] While in the Fig. 2A und 2B shown variant, the aim was to design the industrial truck 100 to be particularly narrow in the width direction B, for example with a maximum width of 800mm, while at the same time the scanner units 32a and 32b as well as the support wheel arrangements 28a and 28b are arranged as far outwards as possible in the width direction, in the further variant of an industrial truck 100' shown in Fig. 3A in an isometric rear view, the base plate 10' is made of Fig. 1B with its widening in the area of ​​the recesses 16a' and 16b', so that a slightly modified base plate arrangement 102' and accordingly a modified vehicle body 104' results.

[0040] In this embodiment, the support wheel arrangements 28a and 28b are arranged partially outside the remaining vehicle geometry and their distance in the width direction B has been maximized. This measure can be taken, for example, in high-lift trucks to increase the tipping stability of these vehicles in applications in which the widening of the corresponding industrial truck 100' is unproblematic at this point. Otherwise, the industrial truck 100' can be identical to the industrial truck 100 from the Fig. 2A und 2B be formed and a more detailed description will be omitted here with reference to this figure.

Claims

1. Base plate (10; 10')for an autonomously guided industrial truck (100; 100') with a longitudinal direction (L) and a width direction (B), which is intended to form a base plate arrangement (102; 102') and to limit a vehicle body (104; 104') of the industrial truck (100; 100') in sections downwards, comprising: - a plate body (12; 12') which is intended to define at least in sections an outline of the base plate arrangement (102; 102'), wherein the base plate (10; 10') has at least one recess (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') offset in the width direction (B) with respect to a longitudinal center axis (L), which is intended to receive a support wheel arrangement (28a, 28b) of the industrial truck (100; 100'), characterized in that the base plate has a central opening (14; 14') with respect to the width direction (B), which is intended to receive a drive wheel (26) of the industrial truck (100; 100').

2. Base plate (10; 10') according to claim 1, characterized in that two recesses (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') are provided, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal central axis (L).

3. Base plate (10; 10') according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the at least one recess (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') defines a part of the outline of the plate body (12; 12'), wherein preferably the at least one recess (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') defines the outline of the plate body (12; 12') in a front corner region of the plate body (12; 12') with respect to the longitudinal direction (L) and an outer corner region of the plate body (12; 12') with respect to the width direction (B).

4. Base plate (10; 10') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises at least one further recess (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b') which is intended to accommodate a scanner unit (32a; 32b) in sections.

5. Base plate (10; 10') according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one further recess (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b') lies completely within the outline of the base plate (10), and / or that at least two further recesses (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b') are provided, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center axis (L).

6. Base plate (10; 10') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a support surface (20) in its rear region with respect to the longitudinal direction (L) and central region with respect to the width direction (B), which is intended to support a lifting cylinder of the industrial truck (100; 100').

7. Base plate (10; 10') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a maximum extension in the width direction (B) of approximately 800 mm or less.

8. Base plate (10; 10') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central opening (14; 14') and / or at least one of the recesses (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') and / or at least one of the further recesses (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b') is formed substantially circular.

9. Base plate arrangement (102; 102') for an autonomously guided industrial truck, comprising: - a base plate (10; 10') according to one of the preceding claims; - at least one support wheel arrangement (28a, 28b) received in the recess or one of the recesses (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b').

10. Base plate arrangement (102; 102') according to claim 9, characterized in that the at least one support wheel arrangement (28a, 28b) and the base plate (10; 10') are substantially flush with one another on their upper sides or the base plate (10; 10') extends upwards beyond the at least one support wheel arrangement (28a, 28b).

11. Base plate arrangement (102; 102') according to one of claims 9 and 10, characterized in that it further comprises at least one scanner unit (32a; 32b), which is arranged such that its scanning plane (E) lies above the base plate (10; 10'), wherein the at least one scanner unit (32a, 32b) is optionally accommodated in sections in the or in one of the further recesses (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b').

12. Base plate arrangement (102; 102') according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that in its front region two load arms (22a, 22b) for carrying load wheels (24a, 24b) are firmly attached to it, in particular welded on, wherein the load arms (22a, 22b) optionally extend on both sides of the contact surface (20) and are arranged for example flush therewith.

13. Vehicle body (104; 104') of an autonomously guided industrial truck (100; 100'), - comprising a base plate arrangement (102; 102') according to one of claims 9 to 12, and - a vehicle frame (36) arranged above the base plate (10; 10'), characterized by an interface (34) for connecting the base plate arrangement (102; 102') and the vehicle frame (36), which is placed such that it is arranged outside the central opening (14; 14'), but spaced apart in the width direction (B) from the outline of the base plate (10; 10').

14. Vehicle body (104; 104') according to claim 13, characterized in that, with respect to the longitudinal center axis (L), the at least one recess (16a, 16b; 16a', 16b') and optionally the at least one further recess (18a, 18b; 18a', 18b') are arranged outside the interface (34) in the width direction (B).

15. Autonomously guided industrial truck (100; 100') comprising a vehicle body (104; 104') according to one of claims 13 and 14.