Weight change system

Abstract

To provide a weight change system capable of suppressing the sudden braking or sudden acceleration of a forklift driver depending on wet road or icy road conditions.SOLUTION: A weight change system S used for a forklift comprises a weight change unit 21, a road- surface condition specification unit 305, and a change command unit 310. The weight change unit 21 changes the weight of a pedal 14 and / or a lever 15 of the forklift. The road-surface condition specification unit 305 specifies the road-surface condition. The change command unit 310 controls the weight change unit 21 based on the specified road-surface condition to change the weight of the pedal 14 and / or the lever 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a weight changing system for changing the weight of a pedal and / or lever of a forklift. [Background technology]

[0002] There are various types of forklifts, such as reach forklifts and counter-load forklifts. Forklifts are equipped with pedals and levers, and the number and functions of these pedals vary depending on the type of forklift.

[0003] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a reach forklift is equipped with a brake pedal and a presence pedal. The presence pedal is configured to be able to stop travel and loading, and the driver cannot travel or load unless he or she presses the presence pedal. As disclosed in Patent Document 2, a counter-type forklift is equipped with an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, and an engine-powered counter-type forklift also has a clutch pedal. Among battery-powered forklifts, automatic forklifts also have an inching pedal instead of a clutch pedal. By pressing the inching pedal, the driver can put the forklift into a half-clutch state and cut off the traveling power.

[0004] As disclosed in Patent Document 3, a reach forklift includes a lift lever for raising and lowering the forks, a tilt lever for changing the vertical angle of the forks, a reach lever for moving the lifting device forward and backward, and an accelerator lever for driving the forklift. As disclosed in Patent Document 4, a counter-load forklift includes a tilt lever and an accelerator lever. As disclosed in Patent Document 5, levers are generally configured to swing forward or backward from a neutral position and automatically return to the neutral position by a spring when not in operation. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 5 uses an actuator to assist lever operation when the amount of operation of the operating lever exceeds a predetermined value to reduce operator fatigue. Other documents that disclose technologies for assisting vehicle lever operation include Patent Document 6, for example.

[0005] However, when the road surface is wet after rain or frozen due to the cold winter weather, the tires of a forklift are more likely to slip, which can lead to dropped loads and accidents. Also, uneven or cracked road surfaces can also lead to dropped loads and accidents. It is advisable to avoid sudden braking and sudden acceleration on roads prone to dropped loads and accidents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-047759 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-166663 [Patent Document 3] JP 2016-47745 A [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-88390 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370898 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-301942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system that can suppress sudden braking or sudden acceleration by a forklift driver depending on road surface conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the weight change system according to the present invention comprises: 1. A system for use in a forklift, comprising: a weight changing unit that changes the weight of a pedal and / or lever of the forklift; a road surface condition identification unit that identifies road surface conditions; and a change command unit that controls the weight change unit to change the weight of the pedal and / or lever in accordance with the identified road surface conditions.

[0009] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further provided is a road surface sensor that detects road surface conditions by irradiating infrared rays onto the road surface, The road surface condition identification unit identifies the road surface condition based on the detected road surface condition.

[0010] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further provided is a road surface camera that captures an image of a road surface and generates a road surface image, The road surface condition identification unit identifies the road surface condition based on the generated road surface image.

[0011] The weight change system preferably comprises: an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information including any one or all of temperature, humidity, and rainfall; The system further includes a trained model that performs machine learning in advance on the correlation between environmental information and the road surface slip friction coefficient, and outputs the road surface slip friction coefficient when the environmental information is input, The road surface condition identification unit inputs environmental information into the trained model to output the road surface slip friction coefficient, and identifies the road surface condition based on the output road surface slip friction coefficient.

[0012] The weight change system preferably comprises: The system further includes a trained model that performs machine learning in advance on the correlation between the type of road surface, environmental information, and the road surface's slip friction coefficient, and outputs the road surface's slip friction coefficient when the road surface type and environmental information are input; The road surface condition identification unit inputs the type of road surface and environmental information into the trained model to output the road surface slip friction coefficient, and identifies the road surface condition based on the acquired environmental information.

[0013] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further provided is a memory unit in which road surface conditions for each work area are stored, The road surface condition identification unit identifies the road surface condition based on the road surface condition of the work area where the forklift works.

[0014] The weight change system preferably comprises: The vehicle further includes a change notice unit that notifies the driver that the weight of the pedal and / or lever will be changed.

[0015] The weight change system preferably comprises: A response receiving unit is further provided to receive a response from the driver in response to the notification by the change notification unit, The change command unit changes the weight of the pedal and / or the lever after the response receiving unit receives a response from the driver.

[0016] In order to solve the above problem, a forklift according to the present invention includes any one of the weight change systems described above.

[0017] In order to solve the above problem, a weight change program according to the present invention includes: A program used in a weight change system including a weight change unit that changes the weight of a pedal and / or lever of a forklift, and a computer, On the computer, Identifying road surface conditions; The weight changing unit is controlled in accordance with the identified road surface conditions to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The weight change system according to the present invention can prevent the forklift driver from suddenly braking or starting the vehicle depending on the road surface conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a forklift equipped with a weight change system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a weight change system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the weight change system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a weight change system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the weight change system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a weight change system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the weight change system according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of a weight change system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The weight change system S according to this embodiment is configured to change the weight of both the pedal and the lever, but this is merely an example, and the weight change system according to the present invention may also be configured to change the weight of either the pedal or the lever.

[0021] <Forklift configuration> FIG. 1 is a front view of a forklift 1 equipped with a weight change system S. First, the configuration of the forklift 1 will be described. The forklift 1 is a battery-powered counter-balanced forklift. As shown in FIG. 1, the forklift 1 is equipped with a plurality of wheels 10, a vehicle body 11, a driver's seat 12, a head guard 13, pedals 14 (see FIG. 2), a lever 15, left and right masts 16, left and right forks 17, a camera 18, a speaker 19 (see FIG. 2), a microphone 20 (see FIG. 2), a weight change unit 21 (see FIG. 2), and a control unit 30 (see FIG. 2). The system equipped with the camera 18, the speaker 19, the microphone 20, the weight change unit 21, and the control unit 30 is the weight change system S of this embodiment.

[0022] A plurality of wheels 10 are provided on all four sides of a vehicle body 11. A driver's seat 12 is provided on the vehicle body 11, and a head guard 13 is provided above the driver's seat 12.

[0023] The pedals 14 include an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and an inching pedal, and are provided below the driver's seat 12. In the present invention, the "pedals" may include at least one of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the inching pedal, but may not include all of these pedals.

[0024] The lever 15 has a lift lever and a tilt lever, and is provided in front of the driver's seat 12. The lever 15 may have a slide lever for sliding the fork 17 left and right. The "lever" in the present invention may have at least one lever such as a lift lever and a tilt lever, and does not necessarily have to have all of these levers.

[0025] The left and right forks 17 are configured to be able to be raised and lowered via the left and right masts 16, and the operator H operates a lift lever to raise and lower the forks 17 to perform cargo handling work.

[0026] The camera 18 is fixed to the head guard 13 and configured to capture an image of the face of the driver H getting into the forklift 1 and generate a facial image. The facial image generated by the camera 18 is transmitted to the control unit 30.

[0027] The microphone 20 collects the speech of the driver H, converts the collected speech into an audio signal, and transmits the audio signal to the control unit 30.

[0028] The speaker 19 emits a warning voice to notify the driver H of a weight change, which will be described later. For example, if the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is to be increased, the warning voice may be something like "The weight of the pedal and the lever will be increased. Is this OK?", or if the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is to be decreased, the warning voice may be something like "The weight of the pedal and the lever will be decreased. Is this OK?".

[0029] The weight change unit 21 changes the weight of the lever 15 and the pedal 14 when operated based on commands from a change command unit 310 (see FIG. 2) which will be described later. The weight change unit 21 has a pedal weight change unit that changes the weight of the pedal 14, and a lever weight change unit that changes the weight of the lever 15. Note that if the weight change unit 21 is configured to change the weight of either the pedal 14 or the lever 15, it will have either a pedal weight change unit or a lever weight change unit.

[0030] The pedal weight change unit changes the weight of the pedal 14 when the driver H presses it down, based on a command from the change command unit 310. The pedal weight change unit is configured by, for example, a device that can adjust the weight by hydraulic pressure or a device that can adjust the weight by a spring.

[0031] Furthermore, for example, the pedal weight change unit may be an assist device that assists the depression force of the pedal 14. In this case, the pedal weight change unit may adjust the assist force based on a command from the change command unit 310, and may substantially change the weight of the pedal 14 when the driver H depresses it.

[0032] Alternatively, the pedal weight change unit may be configured to change the magnitude of the power or braking force of each device responsive to the amount of depression force on the pedal 14, for example, based on a command from the change command unit 310. In this way, the pedal weight change unit effectively changes the weight of the pedal 14.

[0033] The lever weight changing section is configured by, for example, a device that can adjust the weight of the lever 15 by hydraulic pressure, or a device that can adjust the weight of the lever 15 by a spring.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, the lever weight change unit may be an assist device that assists in the operation according to the weight of the lever 15. In this case, the lever weight change unit may adjust the assist force based on a command from the change command unit 310, and may substantially change the weight of the lever 15 when the driver H operates it.

[0035] Alternatively, the lever weight change unit may be configured to change the magnitude of the power of each device responsive to the amount of operation of the lever 15, for example, based on a command from the change command unit 310. In this way, the lever weight change unit effectively changes the weight of the lever 15.

[0036] The control unit 30 is configured by a computer arranged inside the vehicle body 11, and has an arithmetic unit, a storage device, and a memory. The storage device stores a weight change program that causes the computer to function as a road surface condition identification unit 305, a weight determination unit 307, a change notice unit 308, a response receiving unit 309, and a change command unit 310, which will be described later.

[0037] <Functional configuration of the first embodiment> Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the weight change system S. As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 30 has a storage unit 301, a driver identification unit 302, an area identification unit 303, an environmental information acquisition unit 304, a road surface condition identification unit 305, a weight determination unit 307, a change notice unit 308, a response receiving unit 309, and a change command unit 310.

[0038] The memory unit 301 stores a facial image for each driver H, a work schedule for each driver H, and road surface conditions for each work area. The work schedule includes information about which work area the loading and unloading work performed by the driver H will be in. The "road surface conditions" of the work area also include whether the road surface is uneven, whether the road surface is cracked, and the type of road surface. The types of road surface include concrete floors, asphalt pavement, outdoor unpaved roads, and refrigerator or freezer floors. Furthermore, the memory unit 301 stores the correspondence between road surface conditions and the corresponding weights of the pedals 14 and levers 15.

[0039] The driver identification unit 302 refers to the face image generated by the camera 18 and the face image stored in the memory unit 301, and identifies the driver H who will get in the car from among the multiple drivers H stored in the memory unit 301.

[0040] The area specifying unit 303 reads the schedule corresponding to the specified driver H and specifies the work area where the loading and unloading work will be performed.

[0041] The environmental information acquisition unit 304 acquires environmental information including any one or all of the temperature, humidity, and rainfall amount related to the work area. In this embodiment, the environmental information includes all of the temperature, humidity, and rainfall amount. The environmental information acquisition unit 304 may acquire the temperature, humidity, and rainfall information from a known weather information service. Alternatively, the forklift 1 may further include a thermometer and a hygrometer, and the environmental information acquisition unit 304 may acquire the temperature and humidity from these measuring instruments. Furthermore, the environmental information acquisition unit 304 may acquire the temperature, humidity, and rainfall amount from forecast information of the temperature, humidity, and rainfall amount from a known weather information service.

[0042] The road surface condition identification unit 305 acquires the road surface condition of the work area based on the work area identified by the area identification unit 303, and if the road surface of the work area contains unevenness or cracks, it identifies the road surface of the work area as having road surface conditions that include a bad road.

[0043] The road surface condition identification unit 305 has a trained model. The trained model learns in advance by machine learning the correlation between environmental information and the coefficient of slip friction of the road surface, and outputs the coefficient of slip friction of the road surface when the environmental information is input. The trained model according to this embodiment is further configured to learn in advance by machine learning the correlation between the type of road surface of the work area, the environmental information, and the coefficient of slip friction of the road surface, and to output the coefficient of slip friction of the road surface when the type of road surface and the environmental information are input. The trained model is a machine learning model that uses a deep neural network, but the learning method of the trained model is not limited to this.

[0044] The road surface condition identification unit 305 inputs the type of road surface in the work area and environmental information into the trained model, and outputs the road surface's slip friction coefficient. The road surface condition identification unit 305 then identifies whether the road surface in the work area has a friction coefficient less than a predetermined value.

[0045] From these, the road surface condition identification unit 305 identifies the road surface conditions of the work area.

[0046] The weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 based on the road surface conditions identified by the road surface condition identification unit 305. In this embodiment, the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is configured to be changeable in three stages, and when the road surface of the work area is identified as having a friction coefficient less than a predetermined value, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be a second weight that is heavier than the first weight, which is a normal weight. Furthermore, when the road surface of the work area is identified as being rough, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight to be a third weight that is heavier than the first weight.

[0047] If the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 determined by the weight determination unit 307 differ from the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 at that time, the change notification unit 308 determines that a change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is necessary. When the change notification unit 308 determines that a change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is necessary, the change notification unit 308 notifies the driver H of the change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 by voice via the speaker 19. However, it is not desirable to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 frequently. Therefore, the change notification unit 308 is configured to wait an arbitrary interval between notifications until the next notification. This interval may be set, for example, between 5 and 30 minutes.

[0048] The response receiving unit 309 receives the predetermined response from the driver H notified by the change notification unit 308 via the microphone 20. For example, the predetermined response may be words such as "Yes," "I understand," or "Got it." When the response receiving unit 309 receives the predetermined response from the driver H, it transmits a response signal to the change command unit 310.

[0049] Upon receiving the response signal, the change command unit 310 controls the weight change unit 21 to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to the weight determined by the weight determination unit 307. The weight change system S makes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 heavier than normal based on the road surface conditions, thereby suppressing sudden braking and sudden acceleration by the driver H.

[0050] Furthermore, when the road surface condition is good, the weight change system S reduces the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15, thereby enabling quick operation of the pedal 14 and the lever 15. Furthermore, when the road surface condition is bad, the weight change system S increases the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15, thereby preventing major operational errors.

[0051] <Flow of the weight change system according to the first embodiment> Next, the operation of the weight change system S according to the first embodiment will be explained again with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0052] (1) First, the weight change system S takes a picture of the driver H and identifies the driver H (see S31 in FIG. 3).

[0053] (2) Next, the weight change system S reads the schedule corresponding to the identified driver H, and based on the read schedule, identifies the work area (see S32 in Figure 3), and obtains road surface conditions and environmental information (see S33 in Figure 3).

[0054] (3) Next, the weight change system S identifies the road surface conditions based on the road surface condition, the environmental information, and the type of road surface in the work area (see S34 in FIG. 3).

[0055] (4) Next, if the road surface of the work area is rough (Yes in S35 of FIG. 3), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the third weight (see S36 of FIG. 3). Also, if the road surface of the work area is not rough (No in S35 of FIG. 3) and the road surface of the work area has a friction coefficient less than a predetermined value (Yes in S37 of FIG. 3), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the second weight (see S38 of FIG. 3). Furthermore, if the road surface of the work area is not rough (No in S35 of FIG. 3) and the road surface of the work area has a friction coefficient equal to or greater than a predetermined value (No in S37 of FIG. 3), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the first weight (see S39 of FIG. 3).

[0056] (5) Next, if the determined weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 differs from the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 at that time, the weight change system S determines that a change is necessary and notifies the driver H of the change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S40 in Figure 3).

[0057] (6) Next, when the weight change system S receives permission for the change from the driver H (Yes in S41 in FIG. 3), it changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 via the change command unit 310 (see S42 in FIG. 3). Furthermore, the weight change system S suspends the change of the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 until it receives permission for the change from the driver H (No in S41 in FIG. 3), and then notifies the driver H again of the change in the weight of the lever 15 after a predetermined time. This allows the weight change system S to avoid frequent changes to the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 and to prevent the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 from being suddenly changed while the driver H is performing a loading and unloading operation.

[0058] In this way, the weight change system S changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 based on the road surface conditions, and as a result, when the road surface conditions are good, the pedal 14 and the lever 15 can be operated quickly, and when the road surface conditions are bad, the driver H can be prevented from suddenly braking or starting suddenly.

[0059] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the weight change system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 4, and 5. Like the first embodiment, the weight change system S according to this embodiment is configured to change the weight of both the pedal 14 and the lever 15. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0060] 1 and 4, the forklift 1 according to this embodiment is a countertop forklift similar to that of the first embodiment, and includes a plurality of wheels 10, a vehicle body 11, a driver's seat 12, a head guard 13, pedals 14, a lever 15, left and right masts 16, left and right forks 17, a speaker 19, a microphone 20, a weight change unit 21, a road surface sensor 22, and a control unit 30. The system including the speaker 19, the microphone 20, the weight change unit 21, the road surface sensor 22, and the control unit 30 is the weight change system S of this embodiment.

[0061] The road surface sensor 22 is provided on the vehicle body 11 and detects the road surface condition by irradiating the road surface with infrared rays. The road surface sensor 22 may be a known sensor such as those disclosed on the following web page, and is not particularly limited. The location where the road surface sensor 22 is provided is also not particularly limited. The road surface sensor 22 acquires the road surface condition, such as whether the road surface is frozen, dry, or wet. ·https: / / www.weather.jp / products / road / rcm511 / ·https: / / www.takuwa.co.jp / products / product30.html

[0062] The weight change unit 21 changes the weight of the lever 15 and the pedal 14 when operated, based on commands from the change command unit 310, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the weight change unit 21 has a pedal weight change unit that changes the weight of the pedal 14, and a lever weight change unit that manipulates the weight of the lever 15.

[0063] <Functional configuration of the second embodiment> Next, a functional configuration of the weight change system S according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 30 has a storage unit 301, a road surface condition identification unit 305, a weight determination unit 307, a change notice unit 308, a response receiving unit 309, and a change command unit 310.

[0064] The storage unit 301 stores the correspondence between road surface conditions and the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 corresponding to the road surface conditions.

[0065] The road surface condition identification unit 305 identifies the road surface condition, such as whether the road surface is frozen, whether the road surface is in a bad condition but not frozen, or whether the road surface is in a good condition, based on the road surface condition acquired by the road surface sensor 22. Bad road surface conditions include a wet road surface, snow on the road surface, and a damp road surface.

[0066] The weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 based on the road surface conditions identified by the road surface condition identification unit 305. Specifically, when the road surface conditions are poor, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be a second weight that is heavier than the first weight, which is a normal weight. Furthermore, when the road surface is icy, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the third weight, which is the heaviest.

[0067] As in the first embodiment, when the change notice unit 308 determines that a change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is necessary, it notifies the driver H of the change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 by voice from the speaker 19.

[0068] The response receiving unit 309 receives the predetermined response of the driver H notified by the change notifying unit 308 via the microphone 20, and transmits a response signal to the change command unit 310, as in the first embodiment.

[0069] When the change command unit 310 receives the response signal, similarly to the first embodiment, it controls the weight change unit 21 to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to the weight determined by the weight determination unit 307. This allows the weight change system S to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 based on the poorness of the road surface condition that is based on the actually acquired road surface condition.

[0070] <Flow of the weight change system according to the second embodiment> Next, the operation of the weight change system S according to the second embodiment will be described again with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0071] (1) First, the weight change system S detects the road surface condition using the road surface sensor 22 (see S51 in FIG. 5).

[0072] (2) Next, the weight change system S identifies the road surface conditions based on the detected road surface conditions (see S52 in FIG. 5).

[0073] (3) Next, if the road surface is icy (Yes in S53 of FIG. 5), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the third weight (see S54 of FIG. 5). Also, if the road surface is not icy (No in S53 of FIG. 5) but the road surface conditions are bad (Yes in S55 of FIG. 5), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the second weight (see S56 of FIG. 5). Furthermore, if the road surface conditions in the work area are not bad (No in S55 of FIG. 5), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the first weight (see S57 of FIG. 5).

[0074] (4) Next, if the determined weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 differs from the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 at that time, the weight change system S determines that a change is necessary and notifies the driver H of the change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S58 in Figure 5).

[0075] (5) Next, when the weight change system S receives permission for the change from the driver H (Yes in S59 in FIG. 5), it changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 via the change command unit 310 (see S60 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, the weight change system S suspends the change of the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 until it receives permission for the change from the driver H (No in S59 in FIG. 5), and then notifies the driver H again of the change in the weight of the lever 15 after a predetermined time.

[0076] In this way, the weight change system S according to this embodiment identifies the road surface conditions based on the road surface conditions detected by the road surface sensor 22, and changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 based on the identified road surface conditions. As a result, the weight change system S allows the driver H to quickly operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 when the road surface conditions are good, and can suppress sudden braking or sudden acceleration by the driver H when the road surface conditions are bad.

[0077] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the weight change system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 6, and 7. Similar to the above-described embodiments, the weight change system S according to this embodiment is configured to change the weight of both the pedal 14 and the lever 15. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the above-described embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0078] 1 and 6, the forklift 1 according to this embodiment is a countertop forklift similar to the above-described embodiment, and includes a plurality of wheels 10, a vehicle body 11, a driver's seat 12, a head guard 13, pedals 14, a lever 15, left and right masts 16, left and right forks 17, a speaker 19, a microphone 20, a weight change unit 21, a road surface camera 23, and a control unit 30. The system including the speaker 19, the microphone 20, the weight change unit 21, the road surface camera 23, and the control unit 30 is the weight change system S according to this embodiment.

[0079] The road surface camera 23 is configured to capture an image of the road surface and generate a road surface image.

[0080] The weight change unit 21 changes the weight of the lever 15 and the pedal 14 when operated based on a command from the change command unit 310 (see FIG. 6) in the same manner as in the above embodiment. As in the above embodiment, the weight change unit 21 has a pedal weight change unit that changes the weight of the pedal 14 and a lever weight change unit that manipulates the weight of the lever 15.

[0081] <Functional configuration of the third embodiment> Next, the functional configuration of the weight change system S according to the third embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 30 has a storage unit 301, a road surface condition identification unit 305, a weight determination unit 307, a change notice unit 308, a response receiving unit 309, and a change command unit 310.

[0082] The storage unit 301 stores the correspondence between road surface conditions and the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 corresponding to the road surface conditions, as in the above embodiment.

[0083] The road surface condition identification unit 305 has a trained model. The trained model is trained in advance by machine learning based on a large number of road surface images generated in advance so that it can recognize characteristic patterns and colors of snow, ice, water, sand, etc. from road surface images. When a road surface image is input, the trained model is configured to output road surface conditions such as whether the road surface is frozen, covered with snow, or wet. The trained model is a machine learning model using a deep neural network, but the training method for the trained model is not limited to this. Furthermore, the road surface image may include, for example, an oily road surface, and the road surface image and the road surface condition output based on the road surface image are not particularly limited.

[0084] The road surface condition identification unit 305 inputs a road surface image into the trained model and outputs the road surface condition. Then, similar to the second embodiment, the road surface condition identification unit 305 identifies the road surface condition, such as whether the road surface is frozen, whether the road surface is not frozen but is in a bad condition, or whether the road surface is in a good condition, based on the output road surface condition. Bad road surface conditions include a wet road surface, snow on the road surface, a moist road surface, gravel on the road surface, and an oily road surface.

[0085] As in the second embodiment, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15. Specifically, when the road surface condition is poor, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be a second weight that is heavier than the first weight, which is a normal weight. Furthermore, when the road surface is icy, the weight determination unit 307 determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be a third weight, which is the heaviest.

[0086] The change notification unit 308 notifies the driver H of changes in the weight of the pedal 14 and lever 15 by voice through the speaker 19, in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and the response receiving unit 309 receives a predetermined response from the driver H via the microphone 20, and transmits a response signal to the change command unit 310, in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

[0087] When the change command unit 310 receives the response signal, it controls the weight change unit 21 to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to the weight determined by the weight determination unit 307, as in the above embodiment. This allows the weight change system S to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to accommodate poor road surfaces that cannot be detected in the above embodiment.

[0088] <Flow of the weight change system according to the third embodiment> Next, the operation of the weight change system S according to the third embodiment will be described again with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0089] (1) First, the weight change system S captures an image of the road surface and generates a road surface image (see S71 in FIG. 7).

[0090] (2) Next, the weight change system S outputs the road surface condition based on the generated road surface image, and identifies the road surface situation based on this road surface condition (see S72 in FIG. 7).

[0091] (3) Next, if the road surface is icy (Yes in S73 of FIG. 7), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the third weight (see S74 of FIG. 7). Also, if the road surface is not icy (No in S73 of FIG. 7) but the road surface conditions are bad (Yes in S75 of FIG. 7), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the second weight (see S76 of FIG. 7). Furthermore, if the road surface conditions in the work area are not bad (No in S75 of FIG. 3), the weight change system S determines the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be the first weight (see S76 of FIG. 7).

[0092] (4) Next, if the determined weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 differs from the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 at that time, the weight change system S determines that a change is necessary and notifies the driver H of the change in the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S78 in Figure 7).

[0093] (5) Next, when the weight change system S receives permission for the change from the driver H (Yes in S79 in FIG. 7), it changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 via the change command unit 310 (see S80 in FIG. 7). Furthermore, the weight change system S suspends the change of the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 until it receives permission for the change from the driver H (No in S79 in FIG. 7), and then notifies the driver H again of the change in the weight of the lever 15 after a predetermined time.

[0094] In this way, the weight change system S according to this embodiment identifies road surface conditions based on a road surface image, and based on the identified road surface conditions, changes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15. As a result, the weight change system S allows the driver H to quickly operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 when the road surface conditions are good, and can suppress sudden braking or sudden acceleration by the driver H when the road surface conditions are bad.

[0095] Although the weight change system S according to the present invention has been described above in relation to various embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The weight change system S according to the present invention may be implemented, for example, by combining the above-described embodiments, or may be implemented by each of the following modifications or by combining the modifications.

[0096] <Modification> The forklift 1 may be a reach forklift. In this case, the pedal 14 may include a presence pedal. The forklift 1 may also be an engine-powered forklift. In this case, the pedal 14 may include a clutch pedal. Furthermore, if the forklift 1 is a reach forklift, the lever 15 may include an accelerator lever. As described above, the "pedal" in the present invention includes at least one of the pedals, and the "lever" includes at least one of the levers, and the weight change system S according to the present invention changes the weight of at least one of the levers and pedals.

[0097] Any of the components of the control unit 30 may be configured, for example, by a server computer provided on the cloud. In this case, the weight change system S changes the weight of the pedal 14 and / or the lever 15 by communicating with this server computer.

[0098] There is no particular limitation on the method by which the driver identification unit 302 identifies the driver H. For example, the driver identification unit 302 may identify each driver H by reading a card or the like that each driver H has.

[0099] The forklift 1 may be provided with a monitor instead of the speaker 19, and the change notification unit 308 may use this monitor to notify the driver that the weight of the lever 15 and / or the pedal 14 will be changed.

[0100] The forklift 1 may be provided with a button instead of the microphone 20, and the response receiving unit 309 may receive a response from the driver H via the button. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] S Weight Change System H Driver 1 forklift 10 wheels 11 Body 12 Driver's seat 13 Head guard 14 pedals 15 Lever 16 Mast 17. Fork 18 Camera 19 Speaker 20. Mike 21 Weight change section 22 Road surface sensor 23 Road surface camera 30 Control Unit 301 Storage section 302 Driver Identification Department 303 Area Specific Department 304 Environmental Information Acquisition Department 305 Road Condition Identification Unit 307 Weight determination unit 308 Change Notice Section 309 Answer Receiving Department 310 Change Order Department

Claims

1. 1. A system for use in a forklift, comprising: a weight changing unit that changes the weight of the pedal and / or lever of the forklift; a road surface condition identification unit that identifies road surface conditions; a weight change command unit that controls the weight change unit to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever in accordance with the identified road surface conditions.

2. Further provided is a road surface sensor that detects road surface conditions by irradiating infrared rays onto the road surface, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the road surface condition identification unit identifies the road surface condition based on a detected road surface condition.

3. Further provided is a road surface camera that captures an image of a road surface and generates a road surface image, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the road surface condition identification unit identifies the road surface condition based on the generated road surface image.

4. an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information including any one or all of temperature, humidity, and rainfall; a trained model that performs machine learning in advance on a correlation between the environmental information and a road surface slip friction coefficient, and outputs the road surface slip friction coefficient when the environmental information is input; The weight change system of claim 1, wherein the road surface condition identification unit inputs the environmental information into the trained model to output a sliding friction coefficient of the road surface, and identifies the road surface condition based on the output sliding friction coefficient of the road surface.

5. The system further includes a trained model that performs machine learning in advance on the correlation between the type of road surface, environmental information, and the road surface slip friction coefficient, and outputs the road surface slip friction coefficient when the type of road surface and the environmental information are input; The weight change system of claim 1, wherein the road surface condition identification unit inputs the type of road surface and the environmental information into the trained model to output a sliding friction coefficient of the road surface, and identifies the road surface condition based on the output sliding friction coefficient of the road surface.

6. Further provided is a memory unit in which road surface conditions for each work area are stored, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the road surface condition specifying unit specifies the road surface condition based on the road surface condition of the work area where the forklift operates.

7. The weight change system according to claim 1 , further comprising a change notice unit that notifies the driver that the weight of the pedal and / or the lever will be changed.

8. a response receiving unit that receives a response from the driver in response to the notification by the change notification unit; The weight change system according to claim 7 , wherein the change command unit changes the weight of the pedal and / or the lever after the response receiving unit receives the response from the driver.

9. A forklift equipped with the weight changing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A program used in a weight change system including a weight change unit that changes the weight of a pedal and / or lever of a forklift, and a computer, The computer, Identifying road surface conditions; a weight change program that controls the weight change unit to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever in accordance with the identified road surface conditions.

Images