AUTONOMOUSLY GUIDED INDUSTRIAL TRUCK WITH THREE STRUCTURAL LEVELS

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomously guided industrial truck, comprising a vehicle frame which, in a plan view of the industrial truck, partially defines a vehicle outline and at least one drive wheel which is assigned to the vehicle frame in order to stand on a driving surface underneath it.

[0002] It is known that autonomously guided industrial trucks of this type require scanner units, which can be used both as personnel protection scanners and as navigation scanners. Such scanner units must cover the widest possible angular range around the industrial truck to ensure both the safety of nearby personnel and the navigation capability of the industrial truck.

[0003] For this purpose, in previously known autonomously guided industrial trucks of this type, the scanner units are usually located outside the frame geometry or the vehicle outline in the area of ​​the vehicle frame. This is because components installed on the vehicle frame of the respective industrial truck, such as support rollers and the like, which must be positioned as far outwards as possible in the width direction of the vehicle, could otherwise limit the field of view of the corresponding scanner units and impair the necessary all-round visibility. Furthermore, in previously known autonomously guided industrial trucks, the scanner units are often arranged relatively high, since their functional components, such as the aforementioned support wheels, are located in lower areas of the respective vehicles, which could also impair the function of the scanner units for the reasons mentioned.

[0004] From the configuration of previously known autonomous industrial trucks described above, it becomes clear that these trucks lack flexibility in terms of both their vehicle width due to the scanner units arranged outside the frame geometry and the vertical positioning of their scanner units, and are therefore not suitable for all conceivable applications. In particular, for the reasons stated above, it appears extremely difficult to make this previously known configuration of autonomous industrial trucks suitable for use in logistics facilities with block storage, in which standard pallets are stored side by side on the platform.This type of pallet storage requires, on the one hand, industrial trucks that are narrower than the pallets themselves in order to be able to move freely between them, for example, narrower than around 800 mm in the case of Euro pallets, and, on the other hand, a particularly low positioning of their horizontally aligned scanning plane in order to be able to scan even empty pallets standing on the floor, which would be made impossible by arranging the scanner units higher up and could therefore pose a safety risk.

[0005] For similar reasons, industrial trucks with three or four driven wheels, which are also known from the state of the art, are only inadequately suited for this application, since such driven wheels also generally have an increased overall height and thus prevent the use of scanner units at the desired positions described above within the vehicle outline in the area of ​​the vehicle frame and at a vertically low height.

[0006] By way of example, reference is made in this context to WO 2021 / 069674 A1, which discloses the features according to the preamble of claim 1, and for the sake of completeness, reference should also be made to CN 103 482 535 A, EP 3 815 852 A1 and CN 209 668 702 U.

[0007] Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to further develop an autonomously guided industrial truck of the generic type described above in such a way that the aforementioned disadvantages of industrial trucks known from the prior art are eliminated and the possibility is created of achieving comparable performance with regard to the spatial angular coverage of the scanner units as well as the other mechanical and operational performance parameters of the industrial truck, with a reduced vehicle width and an essentially arbitrarily selectable vertical height of a scanning plane above the driving surface.

[0008] According to the invention, an autonomously guided industrial truck of the type described above is accordingly proposed, in which the vehicle frame comprises three structural levels arranged one above the other in the vertical direction and having different outlines, namely a lower structural level in which a basic structure is arranged, an upper structural level with a cladding and a middle structural level which comprises a frame structure for connecting the lower structural level and the upper structural level.

[0009] It is understood that the outlines of the three structural planes mentioned refer to horizontal cross-sections thereof. The width direction and the longitudinal direction of the industrial truck are used herein in the commonly used nomenclature such that the longitudinal direction corresponds to a straight-ahead travel direction of the industrial truck, with any forks of a load section extending counter to the longitudinal direction and the width direction being horizontally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the industrial truck according to the invention comprises at least one such scanner unit, preferably a pair of scanner units opposite one another in the width direction, which is / are arranged completely within the outline of the vehicle frame in such a way that its scanning plane lies at least partially vertically in the region of the central structural plane.In this case, the scanning plane spanned by the at least one scanner unit can be aligned substantially horizontally or slightly diagonally downwards in order to be able to achieve optimal detection of obstacles and landmarks in the vicinity of the industrial truck.

[0010] In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the lower structural level and the upper structural level can have essentially the same outline, at least in sections. This offers, among other things, the advantage that in the corresponding regions, the middle structural level is surrounded both from above and below by vehicle frame parts that protrude in the same way in the width direction and / or length direction. This in turn makes it more difficult for objects from the surroundings of the industrial truck to penetrate into the area of ​​the middle structural level and thus protects the components located there, for example the aforementioned scanner units, from damage. Furthermore, this structural measure creates a uniform silhouette of the industrial truck in a side and front view, which, in addition to the aforementioned function of protection against damage, is also perceived as aesthetically pleasing.

[0011] Although in certain embodiments the industrial truck according to the invention could, for example, also be designed as a tricycle which comprises only a single steered drive wheel in the central region of the vehicle frame and two load wheels arranged at a distance therefrom, for example in the region of load arms, in other embodiments the industrial truck according to the invention can also be designed with four or five wheels and further comprise a pair of support or drive rollers which are opposite one another in the width direction and which are assigned to the vehicle frame and are accommodated completely within the lower structural plane with respect to the vertical direction.In this way, by providing such support or drive rollers which are particularly flat and therefore do not extend beyond the lower structural level from below, it can be ensured that the middle structural level at the position of these support or drive rollers is free of components which could negatively influence the field of view or the function of the scanner units already mentioned.

[0012] While in four-wheeled embodiments of an industrial truck according to the invention only a pair of rollers opposite one another in the width direction is used in the region of the vehicle frame, in a five-wheeled embodiment the support or drive rollers can be designed purely as support rollers and a single steered drive wheel can also be provided which is centrally assigned to the vehicle frame with respect to the width direction of the industrial truck in order to stand on the driving surface below it, wherein the basic structure has an opening for receiving the single central drive wheel.

[0013] In particular, the support rollers could be designed as part of support roller assemblies with a housing, which housing partially defines the outline of the lower structural level. In such a case, corresponding recesses would have to be provided in the base plate in the region of its outline, in which the support roller assemblies are mounted in order to themselves define part of the outline of the base plate assembly thus formed. In this way, a maximum distance between the two support roller assemblies with respect to the width direction of the industrial truck according to the invention can be achieved, which leads to increased stability of the vehicle with respect to forces acting in the width direction when carrying larger loads and cornering quickly.

[0014] While the basic structure in the lower structural level could, for example, be formed by an assembly consisting of several welded frame parts or screwed components, embodiments can also be conceived in which the basic structure comprises or is formed by a base plate which can be formed in one piece and / or which, in five-wheeled designs of the vehicle, can optionally have an opening for receiving the individual central drive wheel.

[0015] If in certain embodiments of the vehicle according to the invention, for example in high-lift industrial trucks, even greater forces acting in the width direction are to be expected, the corresponding support rollers or

[0016] Support roller arrangements may also extend beyond other parts of the vehicle outline in this area, which in turn may lead to an increased width of the vehicle and may make it unsuitable for certain applications, such as the logistics facilities with block storage mentioned above.

[0017] As already mentioned, the industrial truck according to the invention can also further comprise two wheel arms, each of which is assigned at least one load wheel and which are firmly connected to the vehicle frame in the region of the lower structural level and extend rearward from the frame in a longitudinal direction of the industrial truck. Since the wheel arms are also completely assigned to the lower structural level in this way, they also do not pose an obstacle to the aforementioned scanner units and thus also do not create any angular ranges that cannot be covered by the scanner units.

[0018] Furthermore, the at least one scanner unit can have a design-related scanning angle of approximately 270° and / or a scanning field width in the vertical direction of approximately 50 mm. Such scanner units are readily available on the market and generally use laser technology for personnel protection and the navigation of the industrial trucks equipped with them. It should be understood that the concept of a plane is not to be interpreted in a strictly geometric sense; rather, the scanning plane in question has a finite extension in the vertical direction.

[0019] The design of the outline of the middle structural plane described above allows the pair of scanner units to be arranged according to the invention such that the scanning plane can be completely covered by the two scanner units within a range of 360° around the vehicle. However, in this case, for example, a narrow triangular dead zone not monitored by the scanner units may occur in front of the vehicle, the extent of which is determined by the precise design of the tapered shape of the frame structure at the front end of the industrial truck. Apart from this extremely small dead zone, which may occur under certain circumstances, the entire surroundings of the industrial truck according to the invention can be completely monitored by the two scanner units, whereby redundant sections or angular ranges in front of and behind the vehicle are also conceivable, which are covered by both scanner units.

[0020] The exact position of the at least one scanner unit with respect to the longitudinal or width direction of the industrial truck according to the invention can initially be freely selected within certain limits. However, it can be advantageous if it is arranged behind the support or drive rollers in the longitudinal direction of the industrial truck. This ensures, in particular, that optimal coverage is achieved by the corresponding scanner unit in the rear area around the industrial truck, although embodiments are also conceivable in which the at least one scanner unit is arranged in front of or above the support rollers in the longitudinal direction of the industrial truck.

[0021] Furthermore, the industrial truck according to the invention can comprise a load section guided vertically displaceably on the vehicle frame for receiving a load, as well as preferably lifting profiles for guiding the load section, which extend vertically only in the region of the upper structural level. Since the lifting profiles also do not protrude into the region of the middle structural level, they cannot form obstacles for the scanner unit and therefore cannot cause dead zones in the scanning plane or other adverse effects. As an alternative to a load section, the industrial truck according to the invention could also be designed as a tractor vehicle and then, for example, comprise a coupling or an interface for load-handling devices.

[0022] Similarly, the load section of the industrial truck according to the invention can have two forks and a load stop connecting the forks, or a monofork with a load stop, wherein the load stop can have two recesses opposite one another in the width direction, which are aligned with the central structural plane when the load section is in its maximum lowered state. Monoforks are typically used to describe load handling devices in which two sections extending horizontally from the load stop are connected by a connecting section, so that they no longer allow entry into a conventional pallet, but allow mesh trolleys, roll containers, and similar objects to be transported safely.

[0023] The measure just described creates viewing windows in the area of ​​the middle structural level, which also help to open up the largest possible angular range for monitoring by the scanner units and, for example, ensure that the forks can be partially scanned in their maximum lowered state, i.e. the effective scanning plane extends beyond the forks.

[0024] The structural measure of providing recesses in the load stop of the load section may require that the fork tines or the extension sections of the monofork be attached to the load stop only at central positions, since the provision of the recesses means that corresponding attachment points can no longer be available in the outer regions. The necessary rigidity of the load section can be achieved in such embodiments, for example, by reinforcing a strut of the fork tines located further inward in the width direction, thus absorbing a large portion of the forces exerted by the load to be carried.

[0025] With regard to the frame structure of the middle structural level, it is conceivable to design it such that it lies completely within and spaced from the outline of the vehicle frame with respect to the width direction and / or surrounds the opening in the base plate and / or has a tapered shape in a front section with respect to the longitudinal direction and / or delimits a scanning area of ​​at least one of the scanner units at least in sections.

[0026] By taking these measures in the design of the middle structural level, either individually or in any combination thereof, and with an appropriate arrangement of the pair of scanner units, a panoramic view of it can be achieved in an angular range around the entire vehicle free of dead zones that cannot be detected by the scanner units.

[0027] Furthermore, the frame structure can comprise at least two connecting struts extending substantially longitudinally for connecting the lower structural level and the upper structural level, which extend between a front and a rear section of the vehicle frame and in sections in both the middle and upper structural levels, but only in the upper structural level in the longitudinal region of the tapered shape of the frame structure. These connecting struts ensure that sufficient reinforcement of the connection between the lower and upper structural levels and the components contained therein, in particular the base plate and the cladding, can be ensured, since they ensure that a suitable frictional connection can take place between the lower and upper structural levels.

[0028] Two of these connecting struts can limit the frame structure in sections in the width direction and thus form side walls of this frame structure.

[0029] As already mentioned above in the specific application case for logistics facilities with block storage, the industrial truck according to the invention can have an extension of approximately 800 mm or less in the width direction in order to fall below the external dimensions of Euro pallets.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, for optimal vertical positioning of the scanning plane relative to such pallets, the lower structural plane can extend vertically to a height of approximately 75 mm above the vehicle's underbody, the middle structural plane can extend from a height of approximately 75 mm to a height of approximately 125 mm, and the upper structural plane can extend upwards from a height of approximately 125 mm. Thus, the scanning plane can be at an average height of approximately 100 mm relative to a driving surface, and its width of + / - 25 mm in the vertical direction can be completely covered by the middle structural plane.

[0031] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, when considered together with the accompanying figures, which show in detail, in schematic representation: Fig. 1A and 1Ban autonomously guided industrial truck according to the invention in views from above and below; Fig. 2 the industrial truck according to the invention in a front view; Fig. 3 the industrial truck according to the invention in a side view; and Fig. 4A and 4B the industrial truck according to the invention in isometric views from the front and rear.

[0032] In the Fig. 1A to 4B An embodiment of an autonomously guided industrial truck according to the invention is shown schematically in different views, wherein some of the components of the industrial truck have been omitted in some of the figures for reasons of clarity.

[0033] The industrial truck shown in the figures is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a vehicle frame 12 and a load part 14 which is guided vertically displaceably on the vehicle frame 12 and has two forks 14a and 14b and a load stop 14c connecting the forks 14a, 14b for receiving a load, which is guided by means of lifting profiles 16, which will be discussed in more detail below.

[0034] In the Fig. 1A and 1B It can also be seen that the industrial truck 10 comprises two wheel arms 18a and 18b, which have only schematically illustrated load wheels 20a, 20b in the region of their ends facing away from the vehicle body 12. Furthermore, in the Fig. 1A and 1B a longitudinal and a width axis L and B respectively are drawn, which in the usual way represent the corresponding directions in the industrial truck 10 and span a horizontal plane.

[0035] Especially in the view from Fig. 1B From below, it can also be seen that the vehicle body 12 has a base plate 22 on its underside, the outline of which corresponds at least in sections to the outline of the vehicle frame 12 and which has a central opening 24 for receiving a Fig. 3 drive wheel 26 which can be seen. Furthermore, Fig. 1B It can be seen that the base plate 22 further has two recesses 28a and 28b in its front lateral corner areas, in which the Fig. 4A clearly visible support roller arrangements 30a and 30b can be mounted, which consequently also form part of the outline of the base plate arrangement and are spaced apart from one another as far as the width direction B is concerned, in order to ensure that the industrial truck 10 stands securely even when cornering quickly and with a high payload.

[0036] In addition, the Fig. 1A and 1Bfurther recesses 32a and 32b in the base plate 22 can be seen, which are intended to accommodate lower sections of, for example, the Fig. 2 and 3 easily recognizable scanner units 34a and 34b, which extend from the further recesses 32a and 32b upwards over the base plate 22.

[0037] In contrast, the top view shows Fig. 1A a panel 36 and a frame structure 38 can be seen, both of which extend above the base plate 22 and are described below with reference to the Fig. 2 and 3 should be described in more detail.

[0038] These figures show the vehicle 10 in a front view and a side view, respectively, and it can be clearly seen that the vehicle frame or vehicle body 12 has three structural levels arranged vertically one above the other, namely a lower structural level E1, which includes, among other things, the base plate 22 and the support roller arrangements 30a and 30b and in this vertical height range corresponds to the outline of the vehicle frame in the plan view Fig. 1A corresponds to a middle structural level E2, in which the frame structure 38 and, in sections, the scanner units 34a and 34b are arranged, wherein the frame structure 38 in the width direction B is completely within and spaced from the outline of the vehicle frame in the plan view from Fig. 1Band an upper structural level E3 in which the cladding 36 is arranged and which accommodates further components of the industrial truck 10 (not shown), for example a battery arrangement, a control unit, a communication unit, electrical and / or hydraulic drive units and similar functional elements which are responsible for the operation of the industrial truck 10.

[0039] Furthermore, it can be seen that the steered drive wheel 26 extends vertically across all three structural planes E1 to E3 and is partially surrounded by the frame structure 38 in the width direction. The frame structure 38 further extends into a front section with respect to the longitudinal direction L, with two side walls 40a and 40b extending at an angle to one another.

[0040] Also in the Fig. 3It can be seen how the scan plane S spanned by the scanner units 34a and 34b and essentially vertically aligned is located with regard to its height position, namely centered on the middle structural plane E2, whereby the vertical extent of the middle structural plane E2 should exactly correspond to the corresponding width of the scan plane S.

[0041] Especially in the partially broken isometric oblique front view from Fig. 4AIt can also be seen that the frame structure 38, in addition to the two tapered walls 40a and 40b, also comprises two connecting struts 42a and 42b which run essentially in the longitudinal direction L and which, on the one hand, represent a lateral boundary, i.e. lateral walls, of the frame structure 38 and, for this purpose, extend in sections both in the middle E2 and in the upper structural level E3, while, however, in the longitudinal region of the tapered walls 40a and 40b they are only present in the upper structural level E3.

[0042] In this way, on the one hand, the structural strength of both the connection between the lower structural level E1 and the upper structural level E3 can be ensured, as well as the flow of forces from the base plate 22 into the cladding 36 or other components arranged in the upper structural level E3, for example a sheet metal construction not shown in the figure, which can carry other elements in the area of ​​the upper structural level E3.

[0043] In addition, the fact that the connecting struts 42a and 42b are provided in the region of the tapered walls 40a and 40b only above the middle structural plane E2 ensures that they do not form any obstacles to the spanning of the scanning plane S by the two scanner units 34a and 34b.

[0044] Since these scanner units 34a and 34b are each provided with a design-related scanning angle of 270°, the angular coverage of the individual scanning areas S1 and S2 indicated in the figures can be achieved by the two scanner units 34a and 34b.It can be seen here that by providing the frame structure 38 provided centrally in the width direction B and additionally the two tapered walls 40a and 40b in the surrounding area lying in front of the vehicle 10 with respect to the longitudinal direction L, only a very small triangular dead zone T is present, while in the rear area of ​​the industrial truck 10, due to the flat design of the wheel arms 38a and 38b and the forks 14a and 14b of the load section 14, which in the maximum lowered state are also completely located in the area of ​​the lower structural level E1, it is possible to cover these forks 14a and 14b in such a way that the scan plane S runs above them and thus the load forks 14a and 14b are scanned over.

[0045] A further measure which contributes to the complete angular coverage of the scanning plane E is the provision of recesses 14d in the load stop 14c of the load part 14, which are opposite one another in the width direction B, as well as the arrangement of the lifting profiles 16 only in the area of ​​the upper structural plane E3. In this way, in the area of ​​the middle structural plane E2, the recesses 14d create a respective window which enables a further enlargement of the angular coverage of the respective scanning areas S1 and S2, as for example in the Fig. 4A and 4B can be seen, so that they already cross in the area of ​​the forks 14a and 14b and thus there is an overlap of the scanning areas S1 and S2 behind the industrial truck 10, which overall enables and effects complete coverage of 360° of the scanning plane S.

Claims

1. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) comprising: - a vehicle frame (12), which, in a plan view of the industrial truck (10), defines a vehicle contour in sections; and - at least one drive wheel (26) which is assigned to the vehicle frame (12) in order to stand below it on a driving surface; wherein the vehicle frame (12) comprises three structural levels (E1, E2, E3), arranged one above the other in the vertical direction, with different contours: - a lower structural level (E1) in which a base structure is arranged; - an upper structural level (E3) with a covering (36); and - a middle structural level (E2) comprising a frame structure (38) for connecting the lower structural level (E1) and the upper structural level (E3), further comprising at least one scanner unit (34a, 34b) in the form of a pair of scanner units (34a, 34b) opposite one another in the width direction, which is arranged completely within the contour of the vehicle frame (12) such that its scanning plane (S) lies at least in sections vertically in the region of the middle structural level (E2), characterized in that the pair of scanner units (34a, 34b) is arranged such that the scanning plane (S) is completely covered in the range of 360° by the two scanner units (34a, 34b).

2. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower structural level (E1) and the upper structural level (E3) have substantially the same contour at least in sections.

3. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pair of support rollers or drive rollers opposite each other in the width direction, which are assigned to the vehicle frame (12) and are fully accommodated within the lower structural level (E1) in relation to the vertical direction.

4. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the support rollers or drive rollers are designed as support rollers and in that a single, controlled drive wheel (26) is furthermore provided which is assigned centrally to the vehicle frame (12) in relation to the width direction (B) of the industrial truck (10) in order to stand below it on a driving surface, wherein the base structure has an opening for receiving the individual central drive wheel (26), wherein preferably the support rollers are designed as part of support roller arrangements (30a, 30b) with a housing, which housing defines in sections the contour of the lower structural level (E1).

5. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base structure comprises or is formed by a base plate (22), which if necessary has an opening (24) for receiving the individual central drive wheel (26).

6. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises two wheel arms (18a, 18b), each of which is associated with at least one load wheel (20a, 20b) and which, in the region of the lower structural level (E1), are firmly connected to the vehicle frame (12), in order to extend backwards from this along a longitudinal direction (L) of the industrial truck (10).

7. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one scanner unit (34a, 34b) has a scanning angle of approximately 270° and / or a scanning field width in the vertical direction of approximately 50 mm.

8. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one scanner unit (34a, 34b) is arranged behind the support or drive rollers in the longitudinal direction (L) of the industrial truck (10).

9. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a load unit (14), guided in a vertically-displaceable manner on the vehicle frame (12), for bearing a load, and preferably lifting profiles (16) for guiding the load unit (14), which extend in the vertical direction only in the region of the upper structural level (E3).

10. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the load unit (14) has two fork prongs (14a, 14b) and a load stop (14c), connecting the fork prongs, or a monofork with a load stop, wherein the load stop (14c) has two recesses (14d) which are opposite one another in the width direction and which, in a maximally-lowered state of the load unit (14), are aligned with the middle structural level (E2).

11. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the frame structure (38) of the middle structural level (E2): - lies completely within and at a distance from the contour of the vehicle frame (12) with respect to the width direction (B); and / or - surrounds the opening (24) of the base plate (22); and / or - has a tapered shape in a front section with respect to the longitudinal direction (L); and / or - delimits, at least in sections, a scanning region (S1, S2) of at least one of the scanner units (34a, 34b).

12. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the frame structure (38) comprises at least two connecting struts (42a, 42b) extending substantially in the longitudinal direction, which extend between a front and a rear section of the vehicle frame (12) and, in sections, in both the middle (E2) and the upper (E3) structural levels, but, in the longitudinal region of the tapered shape of the frame structure, only in the upper structural level (E3), wherein preferably two of the connecting struts (42a, 42b) delimit the frame structure (38) in sections to the outside in the width direction (B).

13. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has an extension of approximately 800 mm or less in the width direction (B).

14. Autonomously-guided industrial truck (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the vertical direction: - the lower structural level (E1) extends up to a height of approximately 75 mm above the driving surface; - the middle structural level (E2) extends from a height of approximately 75 mm up to a height of approximately 125 mm; and - the upper structural level (E3) extends from a height of approximately 125 mm.