Aerial work platform

Abstract

This aerial work platform (1) comprises a self-propelled chassis (10), a platform (30), and an elevating structure (20) which includes a rotating turret (21) resting on the chassis, and a deployable arm (22) connecting the turret to the platform, extending cantilevered from one rear side (21B) of the turret. An obstacle detector (50), mounted on the front side (21A) of the turret and capable of detecting an obstacle located in a region (R) on the ground, adjacent to the front side of the turret and hidden from the operator on board the platform by the elevating structure, provides an electronic signal (s50) directly indicating the presence or absence of an obstacle.An electronic unit (60) processes this electronic signal and accordingly controls a warning light (70), carried by the lifting structure and capable of emitting a light signal (s70) directed towards the operator looking near this region. Figure for the abbreviation: 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Lifting platform

[0001] The present invention relates to a lifting platform.

[0002] The invention relates more specifically to aerial work platforms that have a self-propelled chassis and whose platform, on which an operator can stand, is raised to a height by a deployable arm, such as an articulated and / or telescopic arm. Since this arm extends cantilevered from one side of a rotating turret of the platform's lifting structure, this turret often includes, on its side opposite the arm, a counterweight that stabilizes the platform by balancing the arm's cantilever. An example of such an aerial work platform is disclosed in FR 2 836 468.

[0003] The turret and, more generally, the lifting structure have a considerable footprint, which means that large areas of the ground adjacent to the side of the turret opposite the deployable arm are hidden from view by the lifting structure for the operator on board the platform. In other words, the lifting structure creates what are commonly called "blind spots" or "dead zones" for the operator on board the platform, extending around the turret and the chassis. To improve safety and prevent the lifting platform from colliding with an obstacle on the ground, particularly a person standing near the platform, it is common practice to equip the lifting platform with obstacle detection sensors, as proposed in FR 2 836 468.These sensors are coupled with audible alarms, such as buzzers, and / or visual alarms, such as flashing lights, which are triggered as soon as an obstacle is detected by one of the sensors. The corresponding alarm signal is intended to warn both the operator on board the platform and people on the ground around the aerial work platform. In practice, this alarm signal is often drowned out by ambient noise and / or light emissions related to the normal operation of the aerial work platform and / or which can be numerous and have multiple sources on a worksite where the aerial work platform is in use. In other words, the aforementioned alarm signal, which is important because it relates to a potentially fatal collision risk, is likely to be ignored because it is not sufficiently prominent, especially for the operator on board the platform.To circumvent this difficulty, one could imagine increasing the intensity, both audible and / or visual, of the alarm signals considered important, but this inevitably leads to saturating the sound and / or light environment in which the aerial work platform operates, considerably increasing noise and / or light pollution when the aerial work platform may have to be used in an environment and / or at a time of day for which such noise and / or light pollution is prohibited.

[0004] The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved lifting platform, whose obstacle detection and recovery are more efficient and effective.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a lifting platform, comprising: - a chassis which is self-propelled and equipped with ground-mounted traction devices, - a platform which is adapted for an operator to stand on, - a lifting structure which supports the platform and is arranged on the chassis so as to move the platform relative to the chassis, which lifting structure comprises: • a turret that rests on the chassis and rotates relative to the chassis around an axis of rotation, and • an arm, which is deployable and connects the turret to the platform, extending cantilevered from one rear side of the turret, - an obstacle detector, which: • is mounted on the turret, being arranged on the front side of the turret, opposite the rear side of the turret, • is adapted to detect an obstacle located in a ground region adjacent to the front side of the turret, while being at least partially hidden from the operator on board the platform by the lifting structure, and • provides an electronic output signal that directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in the said region, - a warning light, which is mounted on the lifting structure and is adapted to emit a light signal directed towards the operator on board the platform looking towards the vicinity of said area, and - an electronic unit, which is adapted to process the electronic signal and control the warning light accordingly.

[0006] One of the ideas underlying the invention is to prioritize obstacle detection in the ground region which, regardless of the turret's angular positioning relative to the chassis, is adjacent to the side of the turret opposite the deployable arm and is hidden from the operator on board the platform by the lifting structure. Furthermore, the invention provides that obstacle detection in this ground region is performed by a detector whose output is an electronic signal that directly indicates the presence or absence of an obstacle; in other words, a "simple" electronic signal whose information is selectively that an obstacle is detected in the aforementioned ground region or that an obstacle in this ground region is not detected. The invention further provides that this electronic signal is processed by a dedicated electronic unit that controls a dedicated warning light, this warning light thus being Typically activated when the obstacle detector detects an obstacle and deactivated when the obstacle detector does not detect an obstacle: in order for the obstacle detection feedback to be effective for the operator on board the platform, the invention provides that the light signal emitted by the activated warning light is directed towards the operator looking at the vicinity of the aforementioned ground area, regardless of the angular position of the turret relative to the chassis, due to the arrangement of the warning light on the lifting structure, particularly the turret. Thus, the light information emitted by the warning light when activated is directly within the operator's natural field of vision, who, on board the platform, has their "head up," for example, to control the moving aerial work platform.Furthermore, this visual information prompts the operator to look directly towards the detected obstacle hazard, thus facilitating a faster and / or more relevant understanding of the detected danger. The operator's control of the aerial work platform according to the invention is therefore assisted in a particularly effective and efficient manner, greatly limiting the risk of the aerial work platform colliding with an obstacle in the aforementioned ground area.

[0007] Furthermore, it should be noted that the invention thus goes against increasingly widespread approaches in the field, which aim to concentrate all the operating information for the aerial work platform on a control panel on board the platform. In particular, the invention avoids the need for a detection signal that would be exclusively a "complex" signal, such as a video signal, made available to the operator on board the platform via a display screen integrated into the aforementioned control panel.

[0008] According to additional advantageous features of the lifting platform according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0009] - The obstacle detector is adapted to differentiate several zones of said region, which are distinguished from each other by their respective distance from the front side of the turret, and the electronic signal that the obstacle detector provides directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in each of said zones.

[0010] - The obstacle detector is suitable for, when the obstacle detector detects a obstacle in said region, determine a distance between the obstacle and the front side of the turret, and the electronic signal that the obstacle detector provides includes information relating to said distance.

[0011] - The electronic unit is adapted to control the warning light of modulated manner according to said zones or according to said distance.

[0012] - The electronic unit is adapted to control the warning light of modulated also depending on the operating state of the lifting platform.

[0013] - The obstacle detector is adapted to differentiate, as a detected obstacle, a person and an obstacle other than a person, and in which the electronic signal that the obstacle detector provides directly indicates the presence / absence of a person in said area and the presence / absence of an obstacle other than a person in said area.

[0014] - The electronic unit is adapted to control the warning light of different ways depending on whether the obstacle detector detects a person or not.

[0015] - The lifting platform also includes a warning device, which is carried by the turret, being arranged on the front side of the turret, and which is adapted to emit a warning signal, light and / or sound, directed towards said region, and in which the electronic unit is adapted to control the warning device.

[0016] - The obstacle detector includes a camera, which observes said region, and a image processing unit, which computer-processes views of said region, taken by the camera, to deduce the presence / absence of obstacles in said region.

[0017] - The warning light comprises at least one LED, preferably placed at top of the turret.

[0018] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the drawings in which: - [Fig.1] [Fig.1] is an elevation view of a lifting platform according to the invention; - [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a view similar to [Fig.1], illustrating the nacelle of [Fig.1] in a different operating state than that illustrated in [Fig.1]; - [Fig. 3] [Fig. 3] is an elevation view along arrow III of [Fig. 1]; and - [Fig.4] [Fig.4] is a view similar to [Fig.3], illustrating the nacelle of figures 1 and 3 in a different operating state than that illustrated in figures 1 and 3.

[0019] Figures 1 to 4 show a lifting platform 1 enabling an operator to reach an area located at a height in order to carry out work there.

[0020] The lifting platform 1 comprises a chassis 10 resting on the ground. The chassis 10 is equipped with wheels for ground movement. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the wheels of the chassis 10 consist of two pairs of wheels, namely a pair of front wheels 11 and a pair of rear wheels 12. In an alternative not shown, all or part of the front wheels 11 and the rear wheels 12 may be replaced by tracks for the purpose of translating the chassis 10 on the ground. More generally, the front wheels 11 and the rear wheels 12 are only examples of ground-translating components that equip the chassis 10.

[0021] Regardless of the specific characteristics of the ground-borne components, such as the front wheels 11 and rear wheels 12, as well as the other elements of the chassis 10, the latter is designed to be self-propelled so as to be able to move on its own along the ground, using drive components integrated into the lifting platform 1, following a trajectory controlled by the operator using the platform. These drive components, which are not shown in the figures, are known in the field of self-propelled platforms, being, for example, mechanical and / or hydraulic in nature and powered by a thermal and / or electric motor.

[0022] The lifting platform 1 also includes a lifting structure 20 supporting a platform 30 provided for the operator using the lifting platform to stand on.

[0023] The lifting structure 20 is arranged on the chassis 10 so as to move the platform 30 relative to the chassis 10. For this purpose, the lifting structure 20 comprises a turret 21, which rests on the chassis 10, and an arm 22, which connects the turret 21 to the platform 30 and which is deployable so as to move the platform 30 further or further away from the turret 21.

[0024] The turret 21 is rotatable relative to the chassis 10 around an axis of rotation Z21 which extends perpendicularly from a ground support plane of the lifting platform 1, in other words which extends vertically when the aforementioned support plane, on which the chassis 10 rests, is horizontal.

[0025] Whatever its specific features, the turret 21 defines a geometric axis X21, which, as can be clearly seen in Figures 1 and 2, extends parallel to the ground and connects two opposite lateral sides of the turret 21, namely a first lateral side 21A, which can be described as the front side of the turret 21, and a second lateral side 21B, which can be described as the rear side of the turret 21. It is understood that the turret 21 is able to pass, by means of its rotational displacement around the axis of rotation Z21, between an aligned configuration, in which the geometric axis X21 is parallel to an anteroposterior axis of the chassis, as in Figures 1 to 3, and a non-aligned configuration, in which the geometric axis X21 is inclined with respect to the aforementioned anteroposterior axis of the chassis 10, as in [Fig. 4].

[0026] The embodiment of the arm 22 for the purpose of its deployment capability is not limiting of the invention. It is therefore understood that the term "arm" used here is to be understood in a broad sense and thus corresponds to an elongated mechanical structure, including several arm elements movable relative to each other for the purpose of deploying this mechanical structure. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the arm 22 is an articulated arm which, as can be clearly seen in [Fig. 2] where the arm 22 is deployed, includes a lower arm element 22.1, forming a pantograph whose lower end is articulated on the turret 21, an intermediate arm element 22.2, forming a boom which is articulated on the upper end of the aforementioned pantograph, and an upper arm element 22.3, forming a pendulum whose one end is articulated on the aforementioned boom while the opposite end supports the platform 30. The relative movements permitted by the arm elements 22.1, 22.2, and 22.3 are known in themselves and will not be described further here; the reader may, for example, refer to FR 3 067 341.

[0027] In an alternative not shown, the arm 22 is at least partially telescopic, including arm elements that fit into each other.

[0028] More generally, it is understood that the arm 22 is able to move, by means of its reversible deployment, between a folded configuration, as in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and a deployed configuration, as in [Fig.2], the height of the platform 30 relative to the ground being greater in the deployed configuration than in the folded configuration of the arm 22. Of course, the reversible deployment of the arm 22 is combinable with the rotary movement of the turret 21 around the axis of rotation Z21.

[0029] Regardless of the specific features of the arm 22, this arm extends cantilevered from the rear side 21B of the turret 21, as clearly shown in Figures 1 to 4. In order to stabilize the lifting structure 20, the turret 21 advantageously includes a counterweight 23 arranged on the front side 21A of the turret. This counterweight 23 balances the cantilever of the arm 22, counterbalancing the forces applied to the turret 21 by the arm 22. In practice, the embodiment of the counterweight 23 is not limiting, as various examples of counterweights are known in the field of aerial work platforms.

[0030] Regardless of the embodiment of the lifting structure 20, its drive relative to the chassis 10 is ensured by drive units integrated into the lifting platform 1. These drive units, which are not shown in the figures, are known in the field of lifting platforms, being, for example, mechanical and / or hydraulic in nature and powered by a thermal and / or electrical motor. In practice, these drive units, as well as the drive units mentioned above for ensuring the movement of the chassis 10 on the ground, are actuated by a control unit 40 of the lifting platform 1. The embodiment and arrangement of this control unit 40 are not limiting to the invention.

[0031] The platform 30 is designed to accommodate the operator, as well as, where applicable, one or more other persons and / or equipment for the purpose of carrying out work at height. To this end, the platform 30 comprises a floor 31, on which the operator normally stands, and a guardrail 32 which rises from the floor. 31 surrounding the platform 30. In addition, the platform 30 is equipped with a control panel 33 allowing the operator on board the platform to control the movement of the chassis 10 on the ground and to control the operation of the lifting structure 20. In practice, the control unit 40 is connected and controlled to the control panel 33 by arrangements of the lifting platform 1, which are known in themselves and will not be detailed further here.

[0032] As can be clearly seen in figures 1 to 4, the lifting platform 1 is equipped with an obstacle detector 50 which is carried by the turret 21, being arranged on the front side 21A of the latter. This obstacle detector 50 allows the detection of an obstacle located in a region R on the ground, which, regardless of the angular positioning of the turret 21 around the axis of rotation Z21 relative to the chassis 10, is located adjacent to the front side 21A of the turret 21, being at least partially hidden from the operator on board the platform 30 by the lifting structure 20. In other words, the region R corresponds to a volume of space, which rises from the ground and which is located in the immediate vicinity of the front side 21A of the turret 21, the lifting structure 20 being interposed between this volume of space and the operator on board the platform 30.Since the obstacle detector 50 is mounted on the turret 21, it is understood that the region R changes depending on the positioning of the turret 21 relative to the ground, this positioning resulting from the ability of the chassis 10 to move on the ground and the ability of the turret 21 to rotate relative to the chassis 10. In all cases, at least part of this region R is not directly visible to the operator on board the platform 30, i.e. it is not in the field of vision of this operator, due to the presence of the lifting structure 20. Thus, the region R is at least partially located in what is commonly called a "dead zone" or "blind spot" for the operator standing in the platform 30.

[0033] In practice, the R region borders the front side 21A of the turret 21, extending, at ground level, over an area typically between 0.5 and 10 meters approximately from the projection of the turret 21 onto the ground.

[0034] In all cases, the obstacle detector 50 is designed to provide an electronic signal s50, which constitutes the output signal of the obstacle detector 50 and directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in region R. Thus, the electronic signal S50 can be described as a "simple" signal, in the sense that it directly carries information relating to the selective presence or absence of an obstacle in region R, and in a simple, even binary, form. That is to say, when an obstacle is present in region R, the obstacle detector 50 alone determines the presence of this obstacle and provides at its output the electronic signal S50 in a first state, representing the fact that the obstacle has been detected by the detector. obstacle detector 50 operates in region R, while when no obstacle detectable by obstacle detector 50 is present, the obstacle detector 50 alone determines the absence of an obstacle and outputs the electronic signal s50 in a second state, representing the fact that the obstacle detector 50 has not detected any obstacle. Of course, to determine the presence / absence of an obstacle in region R, the obstacle detector 50 performs ad hoc processing of physical quantities related to region R, these physical quantities being acquired by the obstacle detector 50 at its input. In practice, the specifics of the processing performed by the obstacle detector 50 are linked to its implementation. Furthermore, this processing performed by the obstacle detector 50 is obviously repeated at a sufficiently high frequency to guarantee real-time obstacle detection, the electronic signal s50 being refreshed, for example, every 100 milliseconds.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the obstacle detector 50, which is implemented in the figures, the obstacle detector 50 comprises a camera 51, which observes the region R, and an image processing unit 52, which computationally processes views of the region R, taken by the camera 51, to deduce the presence / absence of an obstacle in the region R. The image processing unit 52 thus provides, within the obstacle detector 50, computational processing of the video signal supplied by the camera 51. The computational processing, implemented by the image processing unit 52, is advantageously carried out, at least in part, by an artificial intelligence.

[0036] In practice, the image processing unit 52, which is schematically represented adjacent to the camera 51 in the figures, is arranged, in part or in whole, in an integrated manner in a device including the camera 51 and / or in a remote manner from the camera 51.

[0037] Regardless of the embodiment of the obstacle detector 50, the lifting platform 1 also includes an electronic unit 60 which, as schematically illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, is connected to the obstacle detector 50 so as to receive the electronic signal s50. The electronic unit 60 is designed to process the electronic signal s50 and accordingly control a warning light 70 with which the lifting platform 1 is equipped, as detailed below.

[0038] As clearly visible in Figures 1 to 4, the warning light 70 is carried by the lifting structure 20, in particular here by the turret 21, and allows the emission, in the activated state, of a light signal s70 which is directed exclusively away from the front side 21A of the turret 21. Thus, the light signal s70 is directed towards the platform 30, regardless of the angular orientation of the turret 21 around the axis of rotation Z21, since the warning light 70 is carried by the lifting structure 20, in particular the turret 21. Furthermore, the light signal 70 is provided, by a The warning light 70 is adapted to be directed towards the operator on board the platform 30, who is looking towards region R, whether the arm 22 is in its folded or deployed configuration. In other words, as soon as the operator on board the platform 30 looks directly forward, i.e., looks in a "head-up" position towards the chassis 10 and the lifting structure 20, the warning light s70 is positioned within the operator's natural field of vision and directed towards the operator, regardless of the angular positioning of the turret 21 relative to the chassis 10 and regardless of the deployed state of the arm 22 relative to the turret 21.

[0039] By way of preferred example, the warning light 70 comprises one or more light-emitting diodes, commonly called LEDs, which are advantageously placed at the top of the turret 21, in particular on the rear side 21B of the latter.

[0040] According to a first operating mode, the warning light 70 is normally inactive, that is to say that, normally, it does not emit the light signal s70. The activation of the warning light 70 to emit the light signal s70 is specifically controlled by the electronic unit 60: the electronic unit 60 thus controls the activation of the warning light 70 when the obstacle detector 50 detects the presence of an obstacle in the region R, in other words when the information carried by the electronic signal s50 corresponds to the presence of an obstacle detected by the obstacle detector 50, while the electronic unit 60 controls the deactivation or non-activation of the warning light 70 when the obstacle detector 50 detects the absence of an obstacle in the region R, in other words when the information carried by the electronic signal s50 corresponds to the absence of an obstacle detected by the obstacle detector 50.

[0041] Of course, alternative operating modes are conceivable. For example, the warning light 70 can be controlled by the electronic unit 60 to emit its light signal s70 with a first frequency and / or a first color, for example continuously and in green, when the obstacle detector 50 does not detect the presence of an obstacle in the region R, and to emit its light signal s70 with a second frequency and / or a second color, respectively different from the first frequency and the first color, for example flashing and in red, when the obstacle detector 50 detects the presence of an obstacle in the region R.It is understood that multiple operating modes are conceivable as long as, by control of the warning light 70 by the electronic unit 60, the light signal s70 changes according to the information relating to the presence / absence of obstacle, carried by the electronic signal s50 provided by the obstacle detector 50.

[0042] In practice, the embodiment of the electronic unit 60 is not limiting and may be related in particular to the operating method implemented by this electronic unit 60. For example, the electronic unit 60 includes a microprocessor which processes the electronic signal s50 and generates, according to the result of this processing, a control signal, sent to the warning light 70. Similarly, the connection between the electronic unit 60 and, on the one hand, the obstacle detector 50 and, on the other hand, the warning light 70, may be either wired or wireless.

[0043] In all cases, it is understood that the operator on board the platform 30 is visually alerted by the light signal s70 as soon as an obstacle is detected in the region R by the obstacle detector 50, and this in a particularly effective manner since the light signal s70 reaches him directly in his natural field of vision when, while holding his head up, he looks at the vicinity of the region R.

[0044] While being very effective, the alert system, comprising the obstacle detector 50, the electronic unit 60 and the warning light 70, is easy for the operator on board the platform 30 to understand, in particular by avoiding the need for the entire information feedback to be complex, for example in the form of a video display, and / or integrated into the control panel 33. That being said, as an option, the video signal provided by the camera 51 can be transmitted to a video display equipping the platform 30, for example integrated into the control panel 33: in this case, the real-time retransmission, on the aforementioned video display, of the video signal provided by the camera 51 is only carried out in addition to the warning light s70 when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detector 50.Thus, the collision risk alert between the lifting platform 1 and an obstacle in region R is given to the operator on board the platform 30 primarily by the light signal s70, due to the effectiveness and relevance of this alert, as explained above, while a video return on board the platform by the aforementioned video display is only provided to allow the operator to observe, through the camera 51, region R only after the operator has been alerted by the light signal s70, in particular after the operator has ordered the slowing down, or even the stopping, of the movements of the lifting platform 1.

[0045] According to a first advantageous optional aspect, which is implemented in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the obstacle detector 50 is adapted to differentiate several zones of the region R, here three zones Z1, Z2, and Z3, which are distinguished from one another by their respective distances from the front side 21A of the turret 21. Thus, as clearly visible in Figures 1 to 4, zone Z1 is closer to the side 21A of the turret 21 than zone Z2, which is itself closer to the front side 21A of the turret 21 than zone Z3. Regardless of the number of these zones Z1, Z2, and Z3, the obstacle detector 50 ensures that the electronic signal The s50 signal it provides directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in each of these zones. For example, if an obstacle is present in zone Z2 while no obstacle detectable by obstacle detector 50 is present in zones Z1 and Z3, the electronic signal s50 indicates the absence of an obstacle in zone Z1, the presence of an obstacle in zone Z2, and the absence of an obstacle in zone Z3. The information carried by this electronic signal s50 is then advantageously exploited by the electronic unit 60 which is then adapted to control the warning light 70 in a modulated manner according to the zones Z1, Z2 and Z3: the idea here is to modulate the light signal s70 taking into account the distance of an obstacle detected in the region R with respect to the front side 21A of the turret 21 when such an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detector 50.As a non-limiting example, the light signal s70 is controlled by the electronic unit 60 to flash at a higher frequency when an obstacle is detected in zone Z1 than when an obstacle is detected in zone Z2. Of course, many variations of corresponding operating modes are conceivable.

[0046] According to a variant of the first optional aspect detailed above, the obstacle detector 50 is adapted to determine, when the obstacle detector detects an obstacle in said region R, a distance between the obstacle and the front side 21A of the turret 21. In practice, this distance is determined by calculation from the physical quantities relating to region R, which the obstacle detector 50 acquires at its input. Regardless of how the aforementioned distance is determined by the obstacle detector 50, the latter ensures that the electronic signal s50 it provides includes information relating to this distance.This information carried by the electronic signal s50 is then advantageously used by the electronic unit 60 which is then adapted to control the warning light 70 in a modulated manner according to the value of the aforementioned distance: the idea here is to modulate the light signal s70 taking into account the distance thus measured between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detector 50 in the region R and the front side 21A of the turret 21. .

[0047] In the context of the first optional aspect considered in the two paragraphs above, the electronic unit 60 is advantageously adapted to control the warning light 70 in a modulated manner, also depending on the operating state of the elevating platform 1, in particular the ground speed of the chassis 10 and / or the rotation of the turret 21 around the rotation axis Z21 and / or the deployment of the arm 22. Here again, the idea is to modulate the control of the warning light 70 in relation to the risk of collision with an obstacle located in region R by the elevating platform during operation. For example, as soon as the elevating platform 1 is moving along the ground at high speed, the warning light 70 is activated to signal a risk of collision with an obstacle located in region R, regardless of the The zone, among zones Z1, Z2, and Z3, in which this obstacle is detected, or regardless of the value of the aforementioned measured distance. As another example, when the aerial work platform 1 is stationary or nearly stationary on the ground but its turret 21 is rotating around the rotation axis Z21, the warning light 70 is activated to signal a risk of collision with an obstacle located in region R only when the obstacle is detected in zone Z1 or only when the value of the aforementioned measured distance is less than a predetermined threshold value. More generally, it is understood that multiple corresponding operating modes are possible.

[0048] According to a second advantageous optional aspect, which is cumulative with all the foregoing, the obstacle detector 50 is adapted to differentiate, as a detected obstacle, between a person and an obstacle other than a person. In other words, the obstacle detector 50 is capable of detecting two types of obstacle, namely people, i.e., pedestrians, and obstacles other than people. In practice, such differentiated detection between a person and an obstacle other than a person is achieved by ad hoc embodiments of the obstacle detector 50, in particular the camera 51 and the artificial intelligence image processing unit 52, described above.

[0049] In all cases, the electronic signal s50 provided by the obstacle detector 50 then directly indicates both the presence / absence of a person in the region R, advantageously in each of the zones Z1, Z2 and Z3 or by quantifying the distance between a person thus detected and the front side 21A of the turret 21, and the presence / absence of an obstacle other than a person in the region R, advantageously in each of the zones Z1, Z2 and Z3 or by quantifying the distance between a "non-human" obstacle thus detected and the front side 21A of the turret 21.

[0050] In view of the potential severity of any collision between the lifting platform 1 and a pedestrian in the vicinity of the latter, it is understandable that the electronic signal s50 carries information directly qualifying the presence / absence of a person in the region R.

[0051] Advantageously, the electronic unit 60 is then adapted to control the warning light 70 differently depending on whether the obstacle detector 50 detects a person or not. By way of non-limiting example, the light signal s70 flashes at a very high frequency and / or is red when the obstacle detector 50 detects a person, whereas this light signal s70 flashes at a lower frequency and / or is orange when the obstacle detector 50 detects an obstacle other than a person.

[0052] In all cases, according to an advantageous additional arrangement of the elevating platform 1, the latter further comprises a warning device 80 which, as can be clearly seen schematically in Figures 1 and 2, is mounted on the turret 21, being arranged on its front side 21A. The warning device 80 is adapted to emit a warning signal, visual and / or audible, directed towards region R. The electronic unit 60 is adapted to control this warning device 80 from the electronic signal processing unit s50. It is understood that the warning device 80 is intended to warn in region R of the risk of collision between the elevating platform 1 and an obstacle located in region R. This arrangement is of real interest for warning a person located in region R of such a risk of collision.As an example, warning device 80 includes one or more headlights, aimed towards region R, and / or an audible warning device, emitting towards region R.

[0053] In all cases, the control of the warning device 80 by the electronic unit 60 is advantageously: - modulated according to the aforementioned zones Z1, Z2 and Z3 when the obstacle detector 50 is able to differentiate these zones, or according to the aforementioned measured distance when the obstacle detector 50 is able to determine this distance, as explained above, and / or - differentiated according to whether the obstacle detector 50 detects a person or not when the obstacle detector is able to differentiate, as a detected obstacle, a person and an obstacle other than a person, as explained above.

[0054] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the embodiment envisaged in the figures, the warning system, comprising the obstacle detector 50, the electronic unit 60 and the warning light 70, is advantageously designed not to interact with the control unit 40 and, more generally, with the control system of the aerial work platform 1. Being thus physically separated from the control unit 40, this warning system is particularly simple to integrate into the aerial work platform 1. That being said, in an alternative variant, the electronic unit 60 is connected to the control unit 40 so as to transmit to the latter an automatic instruction, typically an instruction to slow down, or even stop, the movements of the aerial work platform 1, depending on the result of the processing of the electronic signal s50 by the electronic unit 60.For example, the processing unit 60 commands, in addition to the activation of the warning light 70, an automatic stop of the movements of the lifting platform 1, via the control unit 40, as soon as the obstacle detector 50 detects an obstacle, in particular a person, in the region R, in particular. in the zone(s) closest to the turret among zones Z1, Z2 and Z3, or with the aforementioned measured distance being less than a predetermined threshold.

[0055] Finally, various modifications and variations to the lifting platform 1 described so far are conceivable. By way of example: - as an alternative or complement to the embodiment described above, combining the camera 51 and the image processing unit 52, the obstacle detector 50 includes a lidar or a radar, in particular a millimeter wave radar, which is directed towards the region R, and a signal processing unit, which processes an electrical signal, emitted by the aforementioned lidar or radar, to deduce the presence / absence of an obstacle in the region R, in particular in the zones Z1, Z2 and Z3 or with determination of the aforementioned measured distance; - rather than being arranged on the turret 21, the warning light 70 can be arranged on the arm 22, in particular in a lower part of the latter, ensuring its connection with the turret 21; - in addition to the warning light 70, the elevating platform 1 includes an audible warning device, which is arranged near the warning light 70 and which is controlled by the electronic unit 60, based on the electronic signal s50, to emit an audible warning directed towards the operator on board the platform 30; and / or - As an optional additional feature, the control panel 33 incorporates warning means, visual and / or audible, which are controlled by the electronic unit 60 from the electronic signal s50 in a similar manner to the visual warning light 70; these warning means provide additional feedback intended to prompt the operator on board the platform 30 to react if the operator focuses all their attention on the control terminal 33 to the detriment of direct observation of the environment of the lifting platform 1, in particular the surroundings of region R.

Claims

1. Demands Lifting platform (1), comprising: • a chassis (10) which is self-propelled and equipped with ground-traveling devices (11, 12), • a platform (30) which is suitable for an operator to stand on, and • a lifting structure (20), which supports the platform (30) and which is arranged on the chassis (10) so as to move the platform relative to the chassis, which lifting structure comprises: • a turret (21) which rests on the chassis and is rotatable relative to the chassis around an axis of rotation (Z21), and • an arm (22), which is deployable and which connects the turret to the platform, extending cantilevered from one rear side (21B) of the turret, in which the lifting platform (1) further comprises: • an obstacle detector (50), which: • is carried by the turret (21), being arranged on a front side (21A) of the turret, opposite the rear side of the turret, • is adapted to detect an obstacle located in a region (R) on the ground, which is situated adjacent to the front side of the turret, being at least partially hidden from the operator on board the platform (30) by the lifting structure (20), and • provides an electronic output signal (s50) that directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in said region, • a warning light (70), which is carried by the lifting structure (20) and which is adapted to emit a light signal (s70) directed towards the operator on board the platform (30) looking at the vicinity of said region (R), and • an electronic unit (60), which is adapted to process the electronic signal (s50) and accordingly control the warning light (70), and in which the obstacle detector (50) is adapted to differentiate, as an obstacle detected, a person and an obstacle other than a person, and in which the electronic signal (s50) which the obstacle detector provides directly indicates the presence / absence of a person in said region (R) and the presence / absence of an obstacle other than a person in said region (R).

2. Lifting platform according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle detector (50) is adapted to differentiate several zones (Z1, Z2, Z3) of said region (R), which are distinguished from each other by their respective distance from the front side (21A) of the turret (21), and wherein the electronic signal (s50) that the obstacle detector provides directly indicates the presence / absence of an obstacle in each of said zones.

3. Lifting platform according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the obstacle detector (50) is adapted to, when the obstacle detector detects an obstacle in said region (R), determine a distance between the obstacle and the front side (21A) of the turret (21), and wherein the electronic signal (s50) that the obstacle detector provides includes information relating to said distance.

4. Lifting platform according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the electronic unit (60) is adapted to control the warning light (70) in a modulated manner according to said zones (Z1, Z2, Z3) or according to said distance.

5. Lifting platform according to claim 4, wherein the electronic unit (60) is adapted to control the warning light (70) in a modulated manner also according to the operating state of the lifting platform (1).

6. Lifting platform according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electronic unit (60) is adapted to control the warning light (70) differently depending on whether the obstacle detector (50) detects a person or not.

7. A lifting platform according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting platform (1) further comprises a warning device (80), which is carried by the turret (21), being arranged on the front side (21A) of the turret, and which is adapted to emit a warning signal, light and / or sound, directed towards said region (R), and in which the electronic unit (60) is adapted to control the warning device (80).

8. Lifting platform according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the obstacle detector (50) comprises a camera (51), which observes said region (R), and an image processing unit (52), which computer-processes views of said region (R), taken by the camera, to deduce the presence / absence of an obstacle in said region.

9. Lifting platform according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the warning light (70) comprises at least one LED, preferably located at the top of the turret (21).

Images