HANDLING CART WITH OBSTACLE DETECTION
The handling trolley employs a rear-facing image acquisition and processing system to differentiate between people and objects, adjusting deceleration for enhanced safety in confined spaces, addressing the challenge of obstacle detection in material handling trucks.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING MFG ITAL SPA
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing material handling trucks face challenges in efficiently detecting and differentiating between obstacles, particularly in confined spaces with poor visibility, leading to accidents involving people and objects.
A handling trolley equipped with a rear-facing image acquisition device, image processing unit, and control mechanism that distinguishes between people and objects as obstacles during reverse movement, adjusting deceleration accordingly to enhance safety.
Enhances safety by differentiating between people and objects, ensuring greater safety distances and reducing the risk of collisions, particularly with people, through differential deceleration based on obstacle type.
Smart Images
Figure 00000011_0000 
Figure 00000011_0001 
Figure 00000011_0002
Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: HANDLING CART WITH OBSTACLE DETECTION TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a handling trolley with obstacle detection. The present invention relates, for example, to forklift trucks, telescopic handlers or other transporters designed for the horizontal transport of goods, equipped with a locomotion motor and capable of detecting obstacles and intervening automatically.
[0002] CONTEXT OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Material handling equipment is widely used in the form of forklifts, telescopic handlers, or other material handling equipment designed for the horizontal transport of goods. This equipment is generally equipped with an electric, hybrid, or combustion engine propulsion system. The transmission control allows forward and / or reverse movement, regulating the speed and the corresponding direction of travel. The vehicle is controlled by the operator using steering devices, pedals, or manually operated control elements, known per se.
[0004] However, the control system also includes automatic elements that can intervene in the movement and thus perform braking or avoidance maneuvers. These interventions can be direct or indirect. Indirect interventions mean that vehicle drivers are first warned or informed of the presence of an obstacle, but that actual control remains the responsibility of the vehicle drivers. In a direct intervention, the control system actually performs a braking maneuver, an avoidance maneuver, or another control intervention without any further intervention. These automatic control elements generally use sensors which, in the form of distance sensors, optical sensors, radar sensors, cameras, etc., can detect obstacles in an area surrounding the forklift and thus form the basis for a possible intervention by the control system.
[0005] A common characteristic of handling trucks is that they are often used in confined spaces with poor visibility. At the same time, in the relevant application scenarios, numerous obstacles are to be expected, including objects and goods that must be transported by the handling truck, but also people moving in the same space. These Inherently unfavorable operating conditions have led to a large number of accidents in the past. Modern handling trucks are therefore already equipped with obstacle detection and direct and / or indirect control intervention systems, particularly to prevent damage caused by collisions with people and other obstacles.
[0006] In particular, the present invention is based on the objective of providing a material handling trolley with improved obstacle detection. Specifically, the task of the present invention is to provide a reliable, adequate, and efficient obstacle detection system that also takes into account other circumstances of the operating conditions. Summary of the invention
[0007] The problems mentioned above are resolved or at least mitigated by the subject matter of the claims. Other advantageous implementations of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a handling trolley is provided, comprising a locomotion motor and a locomotion drive, configured to move the handling trolley, during use, in a forward or backward direction, and further comprising a rearward-facing image acquisition device in the reverse direction configured to provide image information relating to an area located behind the handling trolley; an image processing device that processes the image information provided by the image acquisition device to identify a possible obstacle during reverse movement and to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle; the control mechanism comprising a control unit configured to differentially slow down the movement in the reverse direction depending on whether a person or an object is identified as a possible obstacle Brief description of the drawings
[0009] Embodiments of the present invention, which serve only to facilitate understanding of the invention and are not to be considered limiting, are described in more detail below with reference to the figures, where:
[0010] [Fig.1] represents a schematic view of a handling trolley according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] [Fig. 2A] and [Fig. 2B] represent schematic views of areas behind a handling trolley, according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Fig. 1 represents a schematic view of a handling trolley according to a First embodiment of the present invention. As a corresponding example of a material handling truck 11, a forklift truck with a lifting device 111 for raising, lowering, and holding a load L and a seat 112 for the driver of the vehicle F are shown. The material handling truck 11 includes a locomotion motor (or drive) 113, in the form of a known per se, electric or hybrid drive, or a drive based on an internal combustion engine. The locomotion motor 113 is used to move the material handling truck 11 in a forward direction V or a reverse direction R. The forward direction V can be considered as the direction in which the material handling truck is normally or primarily moves, in which the load L is in front, and / or in which the driver of the vehicle, seated in the seat 112, is facing straight ahead.The reverse direction R is essentially opposite to the forward direction V. It should be noted that there are also material handling trucks in which the driver does not face straight ahead, but to the side. In these cases, the forward direction can be defined by a predominant direction of travel and / or by the location of the load. The locomotion drive 113 can also be used to drive other components of the material handling truck 11, such as the lifting device 111.
[0013] In general, therefore, the handling trolley can be in the form of a forklift or a telescopic handler, each equipped with a lifting device for a load at one front end in the forward direction. The handling trolley 11 also includes a controller 114 that allows the handling trolley to be moved in the forward direction V or in the reverse direction R, by means of the locomotion drive 113. This can be done by regulating the speed and the corresponding driving direction. To this end, the controller 114 can include or be coupled with steering devices, pedals, or manually actuated control elements 115, which allow the vehicle operator to move the handling trolley 11 in a controlled manner.
[0014] The material handling truck 11 further includes an image acquisition device 121 oriented towards the reverse direction R, capable of providing image information of an area H behind the material handling truck 11. This area H can be further divided into sub-areas to obtain other advantageous effects, described in more detail in other parts of this document. The image acquisition device 121 may include a camera or a stereo camera that provides image information of area H in the form of digital pixel data. The image acquisition device 121 can be mounted in an upper and rear portion of the body or cab of the material handling truck 11 and can be steerable. The image pixels can have color, brightness, or other information. of intensity and can generally be available or processed in one of the formats known per se. In the case of images of a space taken with a stereo camera, the image information can be in the form of separate information for each image channel or in other suitable formats. In all cases, the image information provided in any of these forms allows for further processing by devices based on digital processors.
[0015] In particular, the handling trolley 11 includes an image processing device 122 that processes the information provided by the image acquisition device 121 to identify a possible obstacle during reverse movement and to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle. In this respect, the image processing device 122 may include one or more processors and may be implemented independently, near, or with the image acquisition device 121, i.e., integrated within it. However, the functionality of the image processing device may also be arranged in another location 112' of the handling trolley 11, or it may be implemented independently in a data network in the sense of a remote cloud solution.In the latter case, the image information provided by the image acquisition device 121 is transmitted via a mobile data network to a data center, whose processing resources are used to perform the corresponding image processing. In this case, the processing of the onboard image processing device 122 consists solely of communicating the data for appropriate further processing.
[0016] In all cases, the image information provided by the image acquisition device 121 is processed to identify a possible obstacle during reverse movement and to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle. To this end, in certain embodiments, the image information can first be processed to distinguish possible obstacles from a walkable surface. In particular, information obtained from a stereo camera can be used to distinguish horizontal surfaces from vertical obstacles. It is also possible to use color information for this distinction. For example, a color range representative of a floor covering or a set of corresponding color ranges can be considered.
[0017] To identify a potential obstacle and / or to distinguish a person from an object as a potential obstacle, color information outside the visible light spectrum can also be used. Therefore, a camera can also include thermal imaging functionality and provide corresponding image information in an infrared (IR) range. This can be used, for example, to distinguish a walkable surface from other elements based on a corresponding temperature distribution. It can also be used to distinguish the People can be distinguished from objects because they may appear to have a higher overall temperature or a greater variance than inanimate objects. People can also be distinguished from objects by observing object movement in image information. Even people at rest may exhibit more pronounced movements than inanimate objects. Thus, generally speaking, a material handling cart can be equipped with an image acquisition device in the form of a color camera, a thermal camera, an infrared camera, and / or a stereo camera.
[0018] In other embodiments, artificial intelligence (AI) is used to identify a possible obstacle when reversing and / or to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle. To this end, a neural network can be trained with training data representing a set of representative situations in the form of image information. The basic parameters of the general form obstacle yes / obstacle no, obstacle = person yes / no, obstacle = object yes / no, etc., can then be assigned to these known situations, and the neural network can then be trained in a known manner. It is understood that, for image processing, based on the embodiments of the present invention, combinations of the aforementioned or additional mechanisms can also be used.In general, the handling trolley may therefore include an image processing device capable of using a trained neural network to identify a possible obstacle in the image information provided and / or to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle.
[0019] The handling trolley 11 further comprises a control system with a control unit 123, configured to slow the reverse movement R differently depending on whether a person or an object is identified as a potential obstacle. In general, the deceleration can be faster or more pronounced if a person is identified as an obstacle, compared to the deceleration when an object is identified as an obstacle. This offers a particular advantage for work efficiency, since the embodiment according to the invention provides for a greater delay in work operations when using handling trolleys only when there is a risk of danger or harm to persons.
[0020] According to one embodiment, the control unit is configured to slow the movement in the reverse direction more if a person is identified as a possible obstacle than if an object is identified as a possible obstacle. The braking (or slowing down) can be gradual, i.e., with increasing deceleration and, in particular, even more rapidly until the handling truck comes to a stop, if a person is identified as a A possible obstacle to an object. This means that a greater safety distance can be maintained with people than with objects.
[0021] The respective deceleration (or slowing down) may also depend on the distance from the potential obstacle, so that the deceleration increases as the forklift approaches the potential obstacle. The respective deceleration may also depend on the speed, so that the deceleration is generally greater when reversing faster. The respective deceleration may also depend on the direction of steering, so that a first steering direction in the direction of the potential obstacle results in a greater deceleration than a second steering direction, which moves the forklift further from the obstacle than in the first steering direction. In general, the forklift may behave in such a way as to brake more strongly for people, while braking less strongly for objects.According to another embodiment, the control unit may be capable of slowing the movement in the reverse direction to a stop when a person is identified as a possible obstacle, and of slowing the movement in the reverse direction to a predefined maximum speed when an object is identified as a possible obstacle.
[0022] Figures 2A and 2B show schematic views of areas behind a handling trolley according to another embodiment of the present invention. In [Fig. 2A], according to one embodiment, an area H is further divided into sub-areas, and the image processing device is arranged to distinguish at least one near area HN and one far area HF. The sub-areas HN and HF can be delimited from each other by a radius rH and thus essentially by an effective distance from the rear of the handling trolley 11. The image processing device can then be further parameterized to associate any obstacle with one of these areas.In this way, the consideration of different zones can be applied to different states of the forklift, so that for a stationary forklift, the near zone HN is considered, and for a moving forklift, the far zone HF is considered. By "consideration," we mean that any obstacles in the respective zone are identified and taken into account for possible control intervention. The far zone HF may include or encompass the nearby zone HN.
[0023] In [Fig. 2B], according to another embodiment, zone H is further divided into sub-zones and the image processing device is arranged so that it distinguishes at least one near zone HN and one far zone HF. These sub-zones are in turn divided into lanes, the neighboring zone HN being able to be divided, for example, into three lanes. The respective widths of the lanes KN-1, KN-2, KN-3 can be substantially the same and can also be related to the width of the Handling trolley 11. In this way, the widths KN-1, KN-2, KN-3 can be substantially equal. Therefore, the widths KN-1, KN-2, KN-3 can be derived from the width of the handling trolley 11 with a multiplication factor. In a preferred embodiment, one or more widths KN-1, KN-2, KN-3 can be equal to 1.5 times the width of the handling trolley. The far HF zone can be divided, for example, into five aisles. The respective widths of aisles KF-1 to KF-5 can be substantially the same and related to the width of the handling trolley 11. One or more aisles can also have adaptable or adjustable dimensions, for example, the widths of aisles KF-2 and KF-4. An advantageous basic setting in this respect could be, for example, 2.5 m. The width of the central aisle KF-3 can also be linked to the width of the handling trolley and thus correspond, for example, to 1.5 times the width.The other corridor widths can then preferably result from a common relationship, such as "KF-1" = "KF-5" = 5.0 m - "KF-2" - ("KF-3" / 2). The other mechanisms explained for the embodiment of [Fig. 2A] are in all cases applicable and combinable also for the embodiment of [Fig. 2B].
[0024] In one embodiment, the control unit can be designed to prevent reverse movement if an identified obstacle is present in a nearby area, such as obstacle 91. Movement can be prevented by braking the reverse direction until the vehicle comes to a stop or, in the case of a stationary forklift, by preventing reverse movement altogether. In some versions, the forklift 11 can be equipped with an actuator 124 (see [Fig. 1]), which, when activated by the vehicle driver, instructs the control unit not to impede reverse movement, even if an obstacle is detected. In this way, the forklift can be moved in all circumstances, thus preventing any blockage. However, in this case, the reverse speed can also be limited to a predefined maximum speed.The actuating element 124 can be positioned behind the driver of vehicle F or also in the upper rear part, as seen by the driver of the vehicle in the direction of forward travel. Advantageously, the drive element 124 is arranged so that it can only be actuated accidentally, deliberately, or ergonomically if the area behind the handling trolley is nevertheless visible to the driver of the vehicle.
[0025] According to another embodiment, the handling trolley may include a warning device 125-1 and / or 125-2. Such a device may emit an alarm signal. Such a warning device may emit an audible and / or visual indication when the image processing device 122 and / or the control unit 123 identifies a possible obstacle. The warning device may emit a signal louder sound and / or a more visible visual indication when the image processing device 122 and / or the control unit 123 identify a person as a possible obstacle 92.
[0026] These and other implementations have been described on the basis of examples which should not be considered exhaustive. This description notably allows for a better understanding of the scope of the claims.
Claims
Demands
1. A handling trolley comprising a locomotion motor and a locomotion control configured to move the handling trolley, in use, in a forward or backward direction, characterized in that it further comprises: a rearward-facing image acquisition device in the reverse direction configured to provide image information relating to an area behind the handling trolley; an image processing device that processes the image information provided by the image acquisition device to identify a possible obstacle during reverse movement and to distinguish a person from an object as a possible obstacle; the control mechanism comprising a control unit configured to differentially slow down the movement in the reverse direction depending on whether a person or an object is identified as a possible obstacle.
2. Handling trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit is configured to slow the reverse movement more when a person is identified as a possible obstacle than when an object is identified as a possible obstacle.
3. Handling trolley according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit is configured to slow the movement in the reverse direction to a stop when a person is identified as a possible obstacle and to slow the movement in the reverse direction to a predefined maximum speed when an object is identified as a possible obstacle.
4. Handling trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the image processing device is configured to distinguish at least one near field and one far field and to associate any obstacle with one of these fields.
5. Handling trolley according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit is configured to prevent reverse movement when a possible identified obstacle is associated with a near field.
6. Handling trolley according to claim 5, characterized in that it further comprises an actuator element, the actuation of which by the The vehicle driver instructs the control unit not to impede reverse movement even if a potential obstacle has been identified.
7. Handling trolley according to claim 6, characterized in that the actuator element is arranged behind the driver of the vehicle.
8. Handling trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises a warning device which emits an audible and / or visual indication when the image processing device identifies a possible obstacle.
9. Handling trolley according to claim 8, characterized in that the warning device emits a louder audible and / or more obvious visual indication when the image processing device identifies a person as a possible obstacle.
10. Handling trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the image acquisition device comprises a color camera, a thermal camera, an infrared camera or a stereo camera.
11. Handling trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the image processing device uses a trained neural network to identify a possible obstacle in the image information provided and / or to distinguish a person from an object such as a possible obstacle.
12. Handling trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 11, in the form of a forklift or a telescopic trolley, each comprising a load-lifting device at the front end of the vehicle.