Electric handling equipment powered by a battery

Abstract

A handling device (1) comprising a chassis, an arm (5) coupled by a pivot joint (6) to the rear of the chassis for movement between a low and a high position, a front axle (7) of steering wheels (8), a rear axle (9) of steering wheels (10), and an electric drive assembly for the steering wheels (8; 10) powered by a battery (11). The battery (11) is located at least partially under the arm (5). A first portion of the battery (11) extends over the device (1) in front of the pivot axis of the pivot joint (6) from the arm (5) to the chassis. A second portion of the battery (11) extends over the device (1) behind the pivot axis of the pivot joint (6) from the arm (5) to the chassis. The battery (11) is located inside the circle of rotation. (See Fig. 1 for abbreviations.)

Description

Title of the invention: Battery-powered electric handling equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of load handling.

[0002] In particular, the invention relates to a load handling device with a pivoting arm.

[0003] In order to reduce the environmental impact of a handling machine with a pivoting arm, it is known to use an electric motor.

[0004] The use of an electric motor generally involves the installation of a battery on the machine with sufficient capacity to provide energy over a given cycle of use of the machine, for example a whole day.

[0005] However, the battery must not impair the performance of the machine or its safety during operation. In particular, when a thermally powered machine is modified to install an electric motor, the behavior and operating conditions of the modified machine must be similar to those of the machine before the modifications.

[0006] One object of the invention is to have an electric handling machine with an arm whose behavior and conditions of use are similar to those of a thermal machine with an arm.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a handling device comprising a chassis with a front part and a rear part, an arm extending longitudinally in a front-rear direction of the chassis coupled by a pivot joint at the rear of the chassis for pivoting movement between a low position and a high position, a front axle of steering wheels, a rear axle of steering wheels, an electric motorization assembly for the steering wheels of the front and rear axles, the motorization assembly being powered by a battery, each wheel of the front and rear axles being mounted to rotate freely between a maximum steering position to the right and a maximum steering position to the left,the positioning of the front wheels in one of the maximum steering positions and the positioning of the rear wheels in the other of the maximum steering positions allowing the vehicle to move along a minimum circular trajectory, the circle passing through the front wheel and the rear wheel being outside the trajectory when the vehicle moves along the minimum circular trajectory defining a circle of rotation; characterized in that the battery is arranged at least partially under the arm, in that a first part of the battery extends over the device at the front of the axis of the pivot of the pivot link of the arm to the chassis, in that a second part of the battery extends on the machine to the rear of the axis of the pivot of the pivot link of the arm to the chassis, and in that the battery is arranged inside the circle of gyration.

[0008] The specific positioning of the battery under the arm, with a first part of the battery extending over the machine in front of the pivot axis of the link between the arm and the chassis, and a second part of the battery extending over the machine behind the pivot axis of the link between the arm and the chassis, ensures good balance of masses on the machine and provides good visibility for safe load handling.

[0009] Furthermore, having the battery positioned inside the circle of rotation makes it possible not to hinder the rotating movements of the vehicle.

[0010] The device preferably has a height and width of less than 2.50 m, in particular less than 2.10 m.

[0011] The battery can have a capacity between 30 kWh and 50 kWh.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the battery is accessible from the rear of the vehicle. This position allows for simple and quick maintenance of the battery.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, part of the battery extends cantilevered from the rear of the chassis.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cantilevered part of the battery comprises a bottom face, a rear face and an inclined connecting panel between the bottom face and the rear face with a downward slope from the rear part of the chassis to the front part of the chassis.

[0015] Such an inclined surface ensures good crossing capacity of the vehicle, without risking damage to the battery.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the inclined panel extends in a plane forming an angle between 20° and 40° with a ground support plane of the machine in the point state of movement on a flat surface.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wheels of the rear train are connected to each other by an axle, the battery being at least partially disposed on the vehicle at the rear of the axle.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, the battery is mounted removablely on the device.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the battery is arranged on either side of a median longitudinal plane of the vehicle, preferably in a substantially symmetrical manner on either side of said median longitudinal plane. This improves the balance of masses on the vehicle.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, the battery comprising a first portion extending from one side of the median longitudinal plane of the machine and a second portion extending from the opposite side, referred to as the second side of the median longitudinal plane of the machine, the ratio between the mass Ml of the first portion extending from the first side of the median longitudinal plane of the machine and the mass of the second portion extending from the second opposite side of a median longitudinal plane of the machine is between 1 and 0.8. Brief description of the drawings

[0021] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0022] [Fig. 1] schematically represents, in perspective, a handling device according to the invention,

[0023] [Fig-2] is a top view of the device in [Fig.1],

[0024] [Fig.3] is a view from below of the device of [Fig.1],

[0025] [Fig.4] is a view similar to that of [Fig.3] in which the wheels are tours, and

[0026] [Fig.5] is a partial side view of the rear part of the craft of [Fig.1], a wheel and a left side of the chassis being omitted.

[0027] In the following description, identical elements or elements with identical functions bear the same reference numeral. For the sake of brevity, they are not described opposite each figure; only the differences between the embodiments are described.

[0028] In the figures, the actual proportions have not always been respected, for the sake of clarity.

[0029] Figures 1 to 5 illustrate an example of a load-handling device 1 according to the invention. In this example, a device 1 is described as small, with a height and width of less than 2.50 m, in particular less than 2.10 m. However, the invention applies to larger devices. In particular, this device may have a length of approximately 4.70 m, a width of approximately 2 m, and a height of approximately 2 m.

[0030] The machine 1 comprises a chassis 2 with a front part 3 and a rear part 4. The machine 1 can move forward, in a direction from the rear part 4 to the front part 3, and backward, in a direction from the front part 3 to the rear part 4.

[0031] In this example, the vehicle 1 includes a cabin 20 in which an operator can position themselves to pilot the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 could be without a cabin, for example by being remotely piloted.

[0032] The device 1 includes an arm 5 extending longitudinally in a front-back direction XX' of the chassis 2. The arm 5 is coupled by a pivot joint 6 to the rear of the chassis 2, i.e. on the rear part 4, for pivoting movement between a low position and a high position.

[0033] The vehicle 1 comprises a front axle 7, equipped with steering wheels 8, and a rear axle 9, also equipped with steering wheels 10. The steering wheels 8, 10 of the front axle 7 and the rear axle 9 are driven by an electric drive unit powered by a battery 11. The electric drive unit also comprises one or more electric motors 21, for example, arranged between the front axle 7 and the rear axle 9, in particular positioned wholly or partly under the arm 5 or opposite the cab 20 with respect to the longitudinal median plane P of the vehicle 1. The motor or motors 21 may extend longitudinally or transversely. Each wheel 8, 10 of the front axle 7 and the rear axle 9 is rotatable between a maximum steering position to the right and a maximum steering position to the left. By way of illustration, in [Fig.4], the front wheels 8 of the front axle 7 are in the maximum steering position to the left and the rear wheels 10 of the rear axle 9 are in the maximum steering position to the right.

[0034] Positioning the front wheels 8 of the front axle 7 in one of the maximum steering positions and positioning the rear wheels 10 of the rear axle 9 in the other of the maximum steering positions, as in [Fig.4], allows the vehicle 1 to move along a minimum circular trajectory Te, that is to say the smallest circle that the vehicle 1 can follow.

[0035] A circle of gyration G of the vehicle 1 is defined by the circle passing through the front wheel 7 and the rear wheel 9 outside the trajectory when the vehicle 1 moves along this minimal circular trajectory Te. In particular, the center of the circle of gyration G coincides with the center of the minimal circular trajectory Te.

[0036] Battery 11 is arranged under arm 5, thus ensuring good visibility for maneuvers of vehicle 1. A first part 12 of battery 11 extends on vehicle 1 in front of the axis of the pivot of the pivot link 6 of arm 5 to chassis 2, while a second part 13 of battery 11 extends on vehicle 1 behind the axis of the pivot of the pivot link 6 of arm 5 to chassis 2.

[0037] Generally, the battery 11 is arranged on either side of a median longitudinal plane P of the vehicle 1, preferably symmetrically on either side of said median longitudinal plane P. In particular, the battery 11 comprising a first portion 31 extending from one side of the median longitudinal plane P of the vehicle 1 and a second portion 32 extending from a second opposite side of the median longitudinal plane P of the vehicle 1, the ratio between the mass M1 of the first portion 31 extending from the first side of the median longitudinal plane P of the craft 1 and the mass M2 of the second portion 32 extending from the second opposite side of the median longitudinal plane P of the craft 1 is between 1 and 0.8.

[0038] This arrangement ensures a good distribution of the mass of the battery 11 on the machine 1. In addition, this position makes it possible to counterbalance the load carried by a tool 22 at the front of the arm 5.

[0039] The wheels 10 of the rear axle 9 are connected to each other by an axle 18, the battery 11 being at least partially disposed on the vehicle 1 at the rear of the axle 18.

[0040] The battery 11 is also arranged inside the circle of gyration G. This makes it possible not to hinder the movements of the device 1 regardless of the direction of movement of the device 1, in particular when the device 1 moves along the minimum circular trajectory Te, facilitating the use of the device 1.

[0041] The battery 11 is accessible from the rear of the vehicle 1 can be mounted removable, which facilitates its maintenance.

[0042] In this example, a part 14 of the battery 11 extends cantilevered from the rear of the chassis 2. In order not to limit the crossing capabilities of the vehicle 1, this cantilevered part 14 of the battery 11 comprises a bottom face 15, a rear face 16 and an inclined panel 17 connecting the bottom face 15 and the rear face 16 with a downward slope from the rear part 4 of the chassis 2 to the front part 3 of the chassis 2. The inclined panel 17 extends in a plane Pi forming an angle B between 20° and 40° with a support plane S on the ground of the vehicle 1 in the point state of movement on a flat surface.

Claims

Demands

1. Handling machine (1) comprising a chassis (2) with a front part (3) and a rear part (4), an arm (5) extending longitudinally in a front-to-rear direction (XX') of the chassis (2) coupled by a pivot joint (6) to the rear of the chassis (2) for pivoting movement between a low position and a high position, a front axle (7) of steering wheels (8), a rear axle (9) of steering wheels (10), an electric drive assembly for the steering wheels (8; 10) of the front axle (7) and the rear axle (9), the drive assembly being powered by a battery (H), each wheel (8;9) of the front axle (7) and the rear axle (9) being mounted movably in rotation between a maximum steering position to the right and a maximum steering position to the left, the positioning of the wheels (8) of the front axle (7) in one of the maximum steering positions and the positioning of the wheels (10) of the rear axle (9) in the other of the maximum steering positions allowing the movement of the machine (1) along a minimum circular trajectory (Te), the circle passing through the wheel of the front axle (7) and the wheel of the rear axle (9) outside the trajectory when the machine (1) moves along the minimum circular trajectory (Te) defining a circle of gyration (G);characterized in that the battery (11) is disposed at least partially under the arm (5), in that a first part (12) of the battery (11) extends on the vehicle (1) in front of the axis of the pivot of the pivot joint (6) of the arm (5) to the chassis (2), in that a second part (13) of the battery (11) extends on the vehicle (1) behind the axis of the pivot of the pivot joint (6) of the arm (5) to the chassis (2), and in that the battery (11) is disposed inside the circle of gyration (G).;

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the battery (11) is accessible from the rear of the device (1).

3. Device (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that a part (14) of the battery (11) extends cantilevered from the rear of the chassis (2).

4. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cantilevered part (14) of the battery (11) comprises a face below (15), a rear face (16) and an inclined section (17) connecting the bottom face (15) and the rear face (16) with a downward slope from the rear part (4) of the chassis (2) towards the front part (3) of the chassis (2).

5. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the inclined panel (17) extends in a plane (Pi) forming an angle (B) between 20° and 40° with a support plane (S) on the ground of the device (1) at point of displacement on a flat surface.

6. A machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wheels (10) of the rear axle (9) are connected to each other by an axle (18), the battery (11) being at least partially disposed on the machine (1) at the rear of the axle (18).

7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery (11) is mounted removablely on the device (1).

8. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery (11) is arranged on either side of a median longitudinal plane (P) of the device (1), preferably substantially symmetrically on either side of said median longitudinal plane (P).

9. Device (1) according to any one of claim 8, characterized in that the battery (11) comprising a first portion extending from one side of the median longitudinal plane (P) of the device (1) and a second portion extending from the opposite side, referred to as the second side of the median longitudinal plane (P) of the device (1), the ratio between the mass M1 of the first portion extending from the first side of the median longitudinal plane (P) of the device (1) and the mass (M2) of the second portion extending from the second opposite side of a median longitudinal plane (P) of the device (1) is between 1 and 0.8.

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