Industrial truck having a function for the selection of operational profiles

Abstract

An industrial truck (10, 11) provided with means for handling material (60) comprises control means (40) configured to estimate a type of activity to be carried out by the industrial truck, wherein the control means (40) are configured to select one of a plurality of operating profiles (18, 21-24) based on the estimated type of activity, wherein each of the operating profiles of the plurality of operating profiles comprises one or more operating parameters relating to a performance of the industrial truck.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial truck and, more in general, a system comprising an industrial truck and a remote processing station.Technical background

[0002] Producing industrial trucks equipped with means for handling material, such as, for example, a lift truck, usable for example on an industrial site, in a warehouse, in a port or the like, is known in the prior art.

[0003] Lift trucks are used in various applications, ranging from more intensive ones (e.g. lorry loading / unloading, on the premises of freight forwarders) to less intensive ones (e.g. in an industrial setting, etc.). In the former case, the user might wish to optimize the truck's performance by reducing the loading and unloading times. On the other hand, in the latter case (e.g. for less intensive activities), the user might wish to reduce energy consumption and settle for slightly longer loading and unloading times. In fact, the major manufacturers define a series of machine parameter settings (e.g. maximum acceleration, maximum speed, etc.) which allow the performance of the machine to be modified according to the type of activity and / or the target it is desired to reach.

[0004] These settings can be determined by the manufacturer or by a maintenance service. The driver of the lift truck can select the operating profile manually from the settings determined by the manufacturer or by the maintenance service. These settings are presently entered exclusively manually through the intervention of the maintenance service. Furthermore, determining a setting requires a very lengthy analysis of the type of activity that is carried out, or not all aspects of the work that is being carried out might be perceived, resulting in an inadequate setting that is not able to satisfy the performance targets of the lift truck.

[0005] Furthermore, the driver could also select a profile that is not suited to the type of activity to be carried out, resulting in undesirable energy consumption or work cycle durations.Summary of the invention

[0006] In the light of the problems pointed out above, one aim of the disclosure is to provide an industrial truck and a system that are capable of increasing, on average, the efficiency in the truck's operations.

[0007] This aim is achieved by means of an industrial truck provided with means for handling material, characterized in that it comprises control means configured to estimate a type of activity to be carried out by the industrial truck, wherein the control means are configured to select one of a plurality of operating profiles based on the estimated type of activity, wherein each of the operating profiles of the plurality of operating profiles comprises one or more operating parameters relating to a performance of the industrial truck.

[0008] Preferably, the industrial truck further comprises storage means configured to store said plurality of operating profiles.

[0009] Preferably, the industrial truck further comprises receiving means configured to receive a plurality of operating profiles from a remote processing station.

[0010] Preferably, the operating parameters of each of the plurality of operating profiles include one or more of the following parameters, or all the following parameters: a maximum value of the translation speed of the truck, a maximum value of the acceleration of the industrial truck, a maximum value of the lifting speed of a lifting device comprised in the means for handling material, a maximum value of the rotation speed of a pump of a hydraulic circuit designed to actuate the means for handling material, maximum torque curves as a function of the rotation speed of the motor.

[0011] Preferably, the control means are configured to estimate (or select) the most suitable profile to be used also based on a time, a current position of the industrial truck and the residual energy availability, wherein the residual energy availability preferably corresponds to a charge status of a battery of the industrial truck if supplied with battery power.

[0012] Preferably, the industrial truck is provided with an autonomous driving function, wherein the control means are configured to estimate the type of activity based on an order for performing a mission received by the industrial truck, to be carried out through the autonomous driving function.

[0013] Preferably, after the selection of the operating profile, the control means are configured to automatically apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck to carry out the order for performing a mission.

[0014] Preferably, the industrial truck is configured to be driven by a human operator, wherein the control means are configured to estimate the type of activity based on the manoeuvre inputs imparted by the operator during the current work cycle or based on previous work cycles.

[0015] Preferably, the type of activity is one of the following: loading / unloading of one or more objects onto / from a road vehicle; loading / unloading of one or more objects onto / from a railway vehicle; loading / unloading of one or more objects into / from a warehouse, for example with shelving; conveyance of one or more objects in an airport area; conveyance of one or more objects in a port area; conveyance of one or more objects on an industrial site; conveyance of an object of a category selected from a plurality of object categories; loading / unloading of an object of a category selected from a plurality of object categories; loading / unloading of an object in a warehouse of a category selected from a plurality of warehouse categories, conveyance of an object in an area of a category selected from a plurality of area categories.

[0016] Preferably, the selected profile is sent to a user interface of the industrial truck; wherein the user interface includes means for entering a command through which the user of the truck can enter an acceptance command for accepting the selected profile, wherein the control means are configured to apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck following the entry of the acceptance command.

[0017] Preferably, the industrial truck comprises a user interface configured to receive an input relating to an operating mode from the user of the industrial truck, wherein the control means are configured to select the operating profile also based on the input relating to the operating mode.Brief description of the drawings

[0018] The present invention will be illustrated with reference to example embodiments described with reference to the appended drawings.

[0019] In the drawings: figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of a system comprising industrial trucks and a remote processing station; figure 2 illustrates a schematic view of the remote processing station in a step of transmitting the operating profiles; figure 3 illustrates examples of operating profiles; figure 4 illustrates a logical diagram of the elements of the industrial truck; figure 5 illustrates a possible implementation of the control means of the industrial truck, figure 6 illustrates a procedure carried out by a truck according to the present disclosure. Detailed description

[0020] With reference to the figures, figure 1 shows two industrial trucks 10, 11 and a remote processing station 12. The industrial trucks 10, 11 can be for example lift trucks provided with means for handling material 60 in the form of a lift fork. Other types of industrial trucks 10, 11 could also be provided, comprising other types of means for handling material. The industrial trucks 10, 11 are used on industrial sites, and in warehouses, ports, airports, logistics centres or the like. The remote processing station 12 could be a data centre of a manufacturer, or a data centre of an industrial truck maintenance service. Reference will be made below to the industrial truck 10, but it is understood that the industrial truck 11 and a plurality of other industrial trucks of a fleet of industrial trucks could also have the same features and configurations.

[0021] As shown in the schematic view in figure 4, the industrial truck 10 can comprise control means 40, transceiver means 13, storage means 41 and a user interface 42. For example, the control means 40 can be made with one or more control devices connected to a bus of the industrial truck, for example a plurality of control boards; the control means 40 can have a centralized or distributed architecture; the control means can include one or more software and / or hardware modules configured to implement one or more of the functions described herein. The transceiver means 13 can include wireless transceiver means, for example of the cellular or WIFI type or the like. The user interface 42 can include a touchscreen, a numeric keypad, a screen, or any other type of interface; the user interface 42 is preferably capable both of receiving an input from the user of the truck and of emitting a signal to the user. The signal can be of any type, for example of an audible, visual or other type. The storage means 41 can comprise a non-volatile memory, for example an HD, flash memory or any other type of memory. The storage means 41 can be integrated into one of the control devices forming the control means 40 or distributed with respect to them; the representation in figure 4 is intended to be a logical representation of the components of the industrial truck.

[0022] The control means 40 are configured to estimate a type of activity to be carried out by the industrial truck 10, for example an activity to be carried out or which has just begun.

[0023] For example, if the industrial truck is driven by a user, the control means 40 can be configured to estimate the type of activity based on the manoeuvre inputs imparted by the operator during the current work cycle or based on previous work cycles. For example, the control means 40 can evaluate the type of operation based on a command to lift the fork of the lift truck to a certain height. Alternatively, the type of operation (or activity) can be estimated based on the driving commands imparted by the user for a certain path followed by the industrial truck between loading and unloading or vice versa. In one embodiment, the type of activity can be estimated when the industrial truck is started based on the last activity carried out by the industrial truck and estimated by the control means before the industrial truck was shut down. In one embodiment, after the industrial truck is started, a new estimate of the type of activity can be performed based on the driving commands imparted by the user in an initial period of activity following the start-up of the industrial truck.

[0024] For example, the type of activity (or the type of work cycle) can be defined as a set of the operations of loading material, moving the machine and unloading material. Therefore, the type of activity (or the type of work cycle) can be determined by the following set of parameters: a. Mean distance between the loading / unloading points during a cycle; b. Mean weight of the load moved during a cycle; c. Mean loading height; d. Mean unloading height.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, a type of activity is defined by a set of ranges, wherein each range refers to each of the abovementioned parameters a to d.

[0026] For example, the type of activity can be one of the following: loading / unloading of one or more objects onto / from a road vehicle; loading / unloading of one or more objects onto / from a railway vehicle; loading / unloading of one or more objects into / from a warehouse, for example with shelving; conveyance of one or more objects in an airport area; conveyance of one or more objects in a port area; conveyance of one or more objects on an industrial site; conveyance of an object of a category selected from a plurality of object categories; loading / unloading of an object of a category selected from a plurality of object categories; loading / unloading of an object into a category of warehouse selected from a plurality of warehouse categories, conveyance of an object in an area of a category selected from a plurality of area categories.

[0027] In one embodiment, the industrial truck is provided with an autonomous driving function; when the autonomous driving function is activated, the control means 40 can be configured to estimate the type of activity based on an order for performing a mission received by the industrial truck to be carried out through the autonomous driving function. For example, the performance order received by the industrial truck with an autonomous driving function can identify a loading point (or a loading area) in a warehouse and an unloading point (or unloading area) on a railway vehicle. Based on the information making up the performance order, the control means are capable of determining or estimating the type of activity to be carried out.

[0028] Furthermore, the control means 40 are configured to select one of a plurality of operating profiles 18, 21-24 based on the estimated type of activity. Advantageously, the operating profiles are each stored in the industrial truck in association with a type of activity; based on the estimation of the type of activity performed by the control means 40 and using the stored association between the type of activity and operating profile, the control means 40 are configured to select the operating profile associated with the estimated type of activity.

[0029] Each of the operating profiles 21-24 comprises one or more operating parameters relating to a performance of the industrial truck. The operating profiles place constraints on the operation of the industrial truck during the carrying out of a work cycle or activity. In one embodiment, the operating parameters include a maximum limit on one or more operating parameters involved in the activity of the industrial truck. Figure 3 schematically shows examples of operating profiles 21-24.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the operating parameters of each of the plurality of operating profiles 21-24 include one or more of the following parameters, or all the following parameters: a maximum value of the translation speed of the truck, a maximum value of the acceleration of the industrial truck, a maximum value of the lifting speed of a lifting device comprised in the means for handling material, a maximum value of the rotation speed of a pump of a hydraulic circuit designed to actuate the means for handling material, maximum torque curves as a function of the rotation speed of the motor.

[0031] The maximum torque curves as a function of the rotation speed of the motor influence the machine's behaviour at medium and high speeds, further differentiating its behaviour when loadless and loaded. The same applies for lifting; by varying these curves one can have different lifting speeds during loading.

[0032] Preferably, the storage means 41 of the industrial truck 10 are configured to store said plurality of operating profiles 18, 21-24. Preferably, the storage means 41 of the industrial truck 10 are configured to store said plurality of operating profiles 18, 21-24, each in association with one of a plurality of types of activity.

[0033] Preferably, the transceiver means 13 are configured to receive a plurality of operating profiles 21-24 from the remote processing station 12. Under the control of the control means 40, a plurality of operating profiles 21-24 are received via the transceiver means 13 and subsequently stored in the storage means 41 of the industrial truck. This makes it possible to easily update the operating profiles remotely, based on different circumstances, such as, for example, the aging of the industrial truck, or other environmental circumstances.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the control means 40 are configured to estimate the most suitable profile to be used based on a time, a current position of the industrial truck and the residual energy availability; preferably, the residual energy availability corresponds to a charge status of a battery of the industrial truck if supplied with battery power. Therefore, in addition to the estimated type of activity, the decision as to the operating profile may also be influenced by the abovementioned parameters.

[0035] After the selection of the operating profile, the control means 40 are configured to automatically apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck to carry out the order for performing a mission. Alternatively, the selected profile can be sent to the user interface 42 of the industrial truck for approval by the user; in such a case, the user interface 42 includes means for entering a command through which the user of the truck can enter an acceptance command for accepting the selected profile. The control means 40 are thus configured to apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck after the entry of the acceptance command.

[0036] In a further embodiment, the industrial truck 10 comprises a user interface 42 configured to receive an input relating to an operating mode from the user of the industrial truck, wherein the control means 40 are configured to select the operating profile also based on the input relating to the operating mode. For example, the input relating to the mode could indicate a low-consumption mode or a high-performance mode.

[0037] In one example schematically represented in figure 6, the industrial truck carries out the following steps under the control of the control means 40: 1) Receiving a plurality of operating profiles associated with a corresponding plurality of types of activity from a remote processing station (step S11); 2) Estimating a type of activity (step S12); 3) Selecting a profile from the plurality of operating profiles received based on the estimated type of activity (step S13).

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the operating profiles are prepared in such a way as to optimise energy consumption based on the type of activity to be carried out. The operating profiles can be preset from the remote processing station 12, for example a data centre of a maintenance service or the truck manufacturer.

[0039] With reference to figure 1, it shows a step of collecting operating data from one or more industrial trucks 10, 11. The operating data can be collected from the industrial trucks 10, 11 and sent to the remote processing station 12 in order to be used in the generation of operating profiles of industrial trucks.

[0040] The operating data can be collected by the control means 40 via sensors of the industrial truck and / or by monitoring control values generated by the control means 40, and / or by monitoring commands or inputs imparted by the user; in one example, the operating data could include an indication of a profile selected by the user via the user interface. When the control means 40 are made with a plurality of control devices, for example connected to a bus on board the industrial truck, the operating data can be collected by one or more of the control devices that form the control means. The operating data can relate to energy consumption during a work cycle. More in general, the operating data collected by the industrial trucks 10, 11 can include one or more of, or all the following: Type of work cycle or activity, for example estimated by the control means 40; Type of industrial truck, for example stored in a non-volatile memory of the truck; Energy consumed per work cycle; Duration of the work cycle; Profile used during the carrying out of the work cycle; Age of the machine; Time of day; Ambient temperature.

[0041] According to an optional embodiment, the collected operating data can also include the type of driver and the current position.

[0042] In one embodiment, the control means 40 are configured to generate, based on the operating data, a plurality of datasets 31-33, each specific to a work cycle of a plurality of successive work cycles; each dataset 31-33 specific to a work cycle includes at least data relating to an energy consumption during a certain work cycle in association with a type of activity that is carried out during said certain work cycle. In addition to these two data items, the datasets can include one or more of the operating data items listed above.

[0043] The control means 40 can be configured to estimate the type of activity in progress as previously described and can use the estimated type of activity to generate datasets with the type of activity associated with an energy consumption in the work cycle.

[0044] The datasets 31-33 are sent to the remote processing station 12 through the transceiver means 13, for example at the end of the work cycle; in one example, the datasets are sent when the industrial truck is shut down. The remote processing station 12 comprises storage means 15 (see fig. 1) configured to store a historical performance which includes operating data relating to successive work cycles over a period of time, transceiver means 14 for communicating with the industrial trucks 10, 11, analysis means 16 configured to analyse the historical performance, profile generation means 17 configured to generate, based on the analysis of the historical performance, a plurality 18 of operating profiles to be applied to an industrial truck 10, 11. Each of the operating profiles 21-24 of the plurality of operating profiles comprises one or more operating parameters relating to a performance of the industrial truck, in a similar manner to what was described above. Operating profiles are generated in association with a type of activity.

[0045] The operating profiles can be statistically determined following the collection of data carried out on the trucks present on the ground, i.e. based on the datasets 31-33 collected overtime. Furthermore, the operating profiles can be determined by means of deep learning algorithms, likewise following the collection of data carried out by the trucks present on the ground.

[0046] Depending on the type of activity (or work cycle) that the industrial truck carries out, the operating profile used to carry it out and other operating data that can be part of the datasets 31-33, the energy consumed per cycle and the cycle duration may vary. Furthermore, each parameter present in the operating profile could have a more or less significant impact on the latter. Thus, the objective of the analysis of historical performance obtained by collecting the datasets 31-33 is to obtain the set of parameters (also called operating profile) that minimises the energy consumed per cycle, without significantly influencing the cycle duration.

[0047] In one example, the operating profiles are obtained only once (per type of industrial truck, type of work cycle, etc.), when the operating data of a sufficiently large number of analysed trucks is available. Alternatively, the operating profiles can be determined according to the age of the truck, for example by taking into account the deterioration of the components due to aging. In this latter case, the updating of the profiles could be done periodically, for example after a pre-established number of years or after a pre-established number of actual hours of work.

[0048] The operating profile can be associated mainly with the following aspects: type of work cycle, type of industrial truck, age of the machine, time of day, current position, ambient temperature, and type of driver. Therefore, the number of profiles to be generated on the manufacturer's premises could be much larger than the number of identifiable types of work cycles. However, every industrial truck will be updated with a number of profiles equal to the number of types of work cycles which that truck can carry out.

[0049] The type of industrial truck can be defined by the category of industrial truck (counterbalance, machine for loading / unloading port cargo, machine for loading / unloading goods in large warehouses, etc.), model, lifting / movement capacity (e.g. 4 tonnes, 70 tonnes, etc.), type of power supply (LIB, Fuel Cell, etc.), and maximum storable amount of energy (e.g. 20 kWh, 50 kWh, etc.).

[0050] With reference to figure 5, it schematically shows a possible hardware configuration of the control means 40. In the example, the control means 40 are of the distributed type. In other words, the functions described above as being carried out by the control means 40 are performed by multiple devices. The control means can include the data acquisition device 72, an MCB (main control board) device 70, and a system 71 for recognizing the type of activity.

[0051] The data acquisition device 72 is made for example with an electronic circuit board having a function of wireless connection to the Internet and / or a local network and a bus for communication towards the internal control system of the truck, which collects the data (e.g. energy consumption associated with the type of work carried out and the setting used, etc.) relating to the truck on which it is mounted and sends it to the manufacturer. In this embodiment, the data acquisition device 72 can be integrated with the transceiver means 13 described above. It should be noted, however, that the data collection function could also be carried out in a centralized manner by the MCB 70, through a suitable interrogation of other control devices connected to the bus or by acquiring data from sensors or other sources.

[0052] The system 71 for recognizing the type of activity can be an onboard system that recognizes in advance (e.g. by using machine learning algorithms in the case of manual driving, or by direct reading of the work route to be followed in the case of a self-driving truck) the work cycle the truck is about to carry out and is able to autonomously apply the most appropriate settings. The system 71 for recognizing the type of activity could also be integrated into the control logic of the machine, for example the MCB board.

[0053] The system according to the present disclosure guides the operator in selecting the most appropriate setting on each occasion, and has the effect of increasing, on average, the efficiency of the truck. The present disclosure further makes it possible to avoid the burden on the service of having to manually change / adapt the parameters of each truck. In fact, the proposed system would enable the parameters to be updated remotely. Finally, the proposed system allows for optimizing the use of machines in terms of energy efficiency and average lifespan.

Claims

1. Industrial truck (10, 11) provided with means for handling material (60), characterized in that it comprises control means (40) configured to estimate a type of activity to be carried out by the industrial truck, wherein the control means (40) are configured to select one of a plurality of operating profiles (18, 21-24) based on the estimated type of activity, wherein each of the operating profiles of the plurality of operating profiles comprises one or more operating parameters relating to a performance of the industrial truck, wherein the industrial truck further comprises receiving means (13) configured to receive a plurality of operating profiles (21-24) from a remote processing station (12).

2. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to claim 1, comprising storage means (41) configured to store said plurality of operating profiles (18, 21-24).

3. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the operating parameters of each of the plurality of operating profiles (21-24) include one or more of the following parameters: - a maximum value of the translation speed of the truck, - a maximum value of the acceleration of the industrial truck, - a maximum value of the lifting speed of a lifting device comprised in the means for handling material, - a maximum value of the rotation speed of a pump of a hydraulic circuit designed to actuate the means for handling material, - maximum torque curves as a function of the rotation speed of the motor.

4. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the control means (40) are configured to estimate the most suitable profile to be used based on a time, a current position of the industrial truck and the residual energy availability, wherein preferably the residual energy availability corresponds to a charge status of a battery of the industrial truck if supplied with battery power.

5. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the industrial truck is provided with an autonomous driving function, wherein the control means (40) are configured to estimate the type of activity based on an order for performing a mission received by the industrial truck to be carried out through the autonomous driving function.

6. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to claim 5, wherein, after the selection of the operating profile, the control means (40) are configured to automatically apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck to carry out the order for performing a mission.

7. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the industrial truck is configured to be driven by a human operator, wherein the control means (40) are configured to estimate the type of activity based on the manoeuvre inputs imparted by the operator during the current work cycle or based on previous work cycles.

8. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein each type of activity is defined by: - a range of values for the mean distance between the material loading point and the material unloading point, - a range of values for the mean weight of the load moved during a cycle; - a range of values for the mean loading height; - a range of values for the mean unloading height.

9. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the selected profile is sent to a user interface (42) of the industrial truck; wherein the user interface includes means for entering a command through which the user of the truck can enter an acceptance command for accepting the selected profile, wherein the control means are configured to apply the operating profile selected during the operation of the industrial truck following the entry of the acceptance command.

10. Industrial truck (10, 11) according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising a user interface (42) configured to receive an input relating to an operating mode from the user of the industrial truck, wherein the control means (40) are configured to select the operating profile also based on the input relating to the operating mode.

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