Weight change system

Abstract

To relatively maintain a speed of a cargo handling operation while preventing cargo breakage in a fork lift cargo handling operation.SOLUTION: A weight change system S is provided on a fork lift 1, and comprises a weight change part, a cargo specification part, a weight determination part, and a change command part. The weight change part changes weights of a pedal and a lever of the fork lift 1 or a weight of any one thereof. The cargo specification part specifies whether a cargo concerning a cargo handling operation is a caution cargo CW that requires careful handling or not. The weight determination part determines so as to increase the weights of the pedal and the lever or the weight of any one thereof when the cargo concerning the load handling operation is the caution cargo CW. The change command part controls the weight change part according to determination of the weight determination part, and changes the weight of the pedal and the lever or the weight of any one thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

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] Conventionally, there have been inventions devised to prevent damage to loads when performing loading and unloading operations using a forklift. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vibration prevention system for a loading and unloading vehicle. This system includes a sensor, a vibration damping force generator, and a controller. The sensor detects the vertical acceleration of the loading and unloading device or the vehicle body to determine the vibration acting on the load. The controller then generates a feedback command to be given to the vibration damping force generator based on the detected value of the sensor, and the vibration damping force generator operates based on the given feedback command. In this way, this system suppresses vibration acting on the load. In this way, this type of system has the effect of suppressing vibration acting on the load so as to prevent damage to the load.

[0003] While it is important to prevent damage to loads by suppressing vibrations generated in the forklift's loading / unloading device and the forklift itself, it is also important to prevent vibrations from occurring in the first place. However, in order to quickly perform loading / unloading operations, the forklift's speed must be increased when traveling, stopping, and lifting / lowering loads, and the degree of vibration increases in proportion to the operating speed. In other words, there is a trade-off between increasing operating speed and suppressing vibration, and it is difficult to achieve both. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-278599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a system that can relatively maintain the speed of loading and unloading operations while preventing damage to the load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the weight change system according to the present invention comprises: A weight change 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 load identification unit that identifies whether or not a load involved in loading and unloading work is a load that requires careful handling; a weight determination unit that determines to increase the weight of the pedal and / or the lever when the load involved in the loading and unloading operation is a load requiring caution; and a change command unit that controls the weight change unit to change the weight of the pedal and / or lever according to the determination by the weight determination unit.

[0007] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further provided is a load camera that photographs the load and generates a load image, The package identification unit identifies packages requiring caution based on package images.

[0008] The weight change system preferably comprises: If a specific symbol is included in the image of the package, the package identification unit identifies the package as one requiring caution.

[0009] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further comprising a reader for reading tag information; The load has a tag that stores information about the load, The package identification unit refers to package information read by the reading device and identifies whether the package requires caution.

[0010] The weight change system preferably comprises: Further comprising a storage unit that stores a loading and unloading schedule, The loading schedule contains cargo information, The load identification unit refers to the load information and identifies whether the load is one requiring caution.

[0011] The weight change system preferably comprises: The load identifying unit identifies a load as requiring attention when both or either of the load depositing position and load pick-up position of the load is the load depositing position or load pick-up position related to a load requiring attention.

[0012] The weight change system preferably comprises: a storage unit that stores skill scores of a plurality of drivers; a skill score acquisition unit that identifies a driver and acquires a skill score of the identified driver, The weight determination unit determines to further increase the weight of the pedal and / or lever when the load involved in the loading and unloading work is a load requiring caution and the acquired skill score of the driver is less than a predetermined skill score.

[0013] 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.

[0014] In order to solve the above problems, the forklift according to the present invention comprises: The weight change system is any one of those described above.

[0015] 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 whether or not the load involved in the loading and unloading operation is a load requiring careful handling; determining the weight of the pedals and / or levers based on whether they are a sensitive load; Based on the determined weight, a weight changing unit is controlled to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The weight change system of the present invention increases the weight of the pedal and / or lever when the load involved in the loading and unloading operation is a load that requires caution, thereby preventing damage to the load while relatively maintaining the speed of the loading and unloading operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view showing a weight change system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the forklift shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a weight change system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the weight modification system. [Figure 5] A shows a particular shelf where sensitive loads are placed, and B shows a particular area where trucks carrying sensitive loads are parked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the weight change system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 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 be configured to change the weight of either the pedal or the lever.

[0019] FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a weight change system S according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a handle with care symbol M is displayed on the surface of a load CW that requires careful handling (hereinafter simply referred to as a "load requiring caution"). The weight change system S is configured to increase the weight of the pedal 14 and lever 15 when operating a forklift 1 for a load requiring caution CW on which this symbol M is displayed, thereby encouraging the driver H to operate the forklift 1 more carefully. Examples of loads requiring caution CW include loads containing precision equipment, glass products, artwork, liquids, chemicals, etc.

[0020] <Forklift configuration> Fig. 2 is a side view of a forklift 1 equipped with a weight change system S. The forklift 1 is a battery-powered counter-load forklift. 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, a lever 15, left and right masts 16, left and right forks 17, a speaker 19 (see Fig. 3), a weight change unit 21 (see Fig. 3), a face camera 22, a load camera 23, and a control unit 30 (see Fig. 3). The system equipped with the speaker 19, weight change unit 21, face camera 22, load camera 23, and control unit 30 is the weight change system S according to this embodiment.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] The speaker 19 emits a warning voice to notify the driver H of a weight change, which will be described later. For example, when the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 is increased, the warning voice may be something like, "Caution required. The weight of the pedal and the lever will be increased."

[0026] The weight change unit 21 changes the weight when operating the lever 15 and the pedal 14 based on commands from a change command unit 307 (see FIG. 3), 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.

[0027] 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 307. 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.

[0028] 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 307, and may substantially change the weight of the pedal 14 when the driver H depresses it.

[0029] 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 of the pedal 14, for example, based on a command from the change command unit 307. In this way, the pedal weight change unit effectively changes the weight of the pedal 14.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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 307, and may substantially change the weight of the lever 15 when the driver H operates it.

[0032] 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 307. In this way, the lever weight change unit effectively changes the weight of the lever 15.

[0033] The face camera 22 is disposed on the underside of the head guard 13, and takes an image of the driver H to generate a face image. The generated face image is transmitted to the control unit 30.

[0034] The load camera 23 is disposed in front of the pillar supporting the head guard 13. The load camera 23 photographs the load to be picked up and generates a load image. The generated load image is sent to the control unit 30.

[0035] The control unit 30 is configured by a computer located 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 skill score acquisition unit 302, a load identification unit 303, a weight determination unit 305, a change notice unit 306, and a change command unit 307, which will be described later.

[0036] <Functional configuration of the weight change system> Next, we will explain the functional configuration of the weight change system S. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 30 has a storage unit 301, a skill score acquisition unit 302, a load identification unit 303, a weight determination unit 305, a change notice unit 306, and a change command unit 307.

[0037] The storage unit 301 stores a facial image of the driver H and a skill score corresponding to the facial image, linked to the driver H. The skill score is a score related to the driver H's skills in loading and unloading work, and this skill may include, for example, all or any of skills related to driving the forklift 1, skills related to loading and unloading work, and skills related to loading and unloading work. The skill score may be a score calculated by a specific test, a score based on the driver H's own evaluation, or a score calculated based on the driver H's years of experience.

[0038] The skill score acquisition unit 302 refers to the facial image generated by the face camera 22, identifies the facial image of the driver H stored in the storage unit 301, and acquires the skill score corresponding to the facial image from the storage unit 301. The acquired skill score is transmitted to the weight determination unit 305.

[0039] Note that the method for acquiring the skill score by the skill score acquisition unit 302 is not limited to this. For example, the skill score acquisition unit 302 may acquire the skill score of the driver H by receiving the skill score input by the driver H. In this case, the weight change system S further includes an input device.

[0040] Also, for example, if the driver H has an ID card on which the skill score is stored, the weight change system S may further include an ID card reader, and the skill score acquisition unit 302 may identify the skill score of the driver H by referring to the information on the ID card. If the skill score acquisition unit 302 is configured not to acquire the skill score by referring to a facial image, the weight change system S may not include the face camera 22.

[0041] The load identification unit 303 determines whether the load image contains the handle with care symbol M. If the load image contains the handle with care symbol M, the load identification unit 303 identifies the load related to the load image as a load requiring caution CW.

[0042] The method by which the package identification unit 303 identifies a package CW requiring caution is not limited to this. For example, the package identification unit 303 may identify a package CW as requiring caution if the package image contains an image related to the package CW requiring caution. In this case, the image related to the package CW requiring caution includes at least one image of the color of the specific box of the package CW requiring caution, the color of the specific tape, the pattern of the specific box or tape, a specific picture, a specific photograph, specific text, a specific graphic, or a specific packaging material. The package identification unit 303 may also have a trained model that performs machine learning in advance using a large number of images related to the package CW requiring caution as training data, and outputs a determination of whether the package CW is a package requiring caution when a package image is input. This trained model may be trained by machine learning using a deep neural network.

[0043] When the load identification unit 303 identifies a load as a load requiring caution CW, the weight determination unit 305 determines that the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 should be made heavier than when handling a load that does not require caution. Furthermore, when the load is a load requiring caution CW and the acquired skill score of the driver H is less than a predetermined skill score, the weight determination unit 305 determines that the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 should be made even heavier. The predetermined skill score may be set to exceed the skill score of a driver H who is inexperienced in operating the forklift 1, for example. In this way, the weight determination unit 305 can determine that the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 should be made even heavier when the driver H is inexperienced in operating the forklift 1.

[0044] When the weight determination unit 305 determines that the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 should be increased, the change notification unit 306 notifies the driver H of the change in the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 by voice via the speaker 19. In this way, the change notification unit 306 makes the driver H aware of the change in the weights of the pedal 14 and the lever 15. In addition, in this way, the change notification unit 306 makes the driver H aware that the load is a load CW that requires caution.

[0045] The change command unit 307 controls the weight change unit 21 to change the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 in accordance with the determination by the weight determination unit 305. In this way, when the load CW requires caution, the weight change system S increases the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15, thereby forcing the driver H to operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 more carefully and preventing sudden braking, sudden acceleration, sudden ascent and descent, and major operational errors. As a result, the weight change system S can prevent damage and breakdown of the contents of the load CW requiring caution. Furthermore, when the load CW does not require caution, the weight change system S does not increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15, thereby allowing the driver H to operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 quickly.

[0046] <Weight change system flow> Next, the operation of the weight change system S according to this embodiment will be explained again with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0047] (1) First, the weight change system S photographs the driver H to generate a facial image, identifies the driver H from this facial image (see S1 in Figure 4), and obtains the skill score of the identified driver H (see S2 in Figure 4).

[0048] (2) Next, the weight change system S takes an image of the load using the load camera 23 to generate a load image (see S3 in FIG. 4).

[0049] (3) Next, the weight change system S refers to the load image to determine whether the load is a load CW requiring caution, and if the load is a load CW requiring caution (Yes in S4 of Figure 4), it decides to increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S5 of Figure 4).

[0050] (4) Next, when the skill score of the driver H is less than a predetermined skill score (Yes in S6 in FIG. 4), the weight change system S determines to further increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S7 in FIG. 4). On the other hand, when the skill score of the driver H is equal to or greater than the predetermined skill score (No in S6 in FIG. 4), the weight change system S does not further increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (proceed to S8 in FIG. 4).

[0051] (5) When the weight change system S determines to increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15, it notifies the driver H that the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 will be increased (see S8 in Figure 4), and increases the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 (see S9 in Figure 4).

[0052] In this way, the weight change system S does not uniformly increase the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 for loading / unloading operations for all loads, but increases the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 only for loading / unloading operations for loads CW requiring caution. As a result, the weight change system S causes the pedal 14 and the lever 15 to be operated carefully for loads CW requiring caution, and to be operated quickly for normal loads. As a result, the weight change system S can relatively maintain the speed of loading / unloading operations while preventing damage to the loads CW.

[0053] Moreover, the weight change system S makes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 heavier for the driver H with a low skill score, thereby enabling the driver H to operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 more carefully than a non-inexperienced driver H. In this way, the weight change system S makes the weight of the pedal 14 and the lever 15 heavier only for the inexperienced driver H, enabling the non-inexperienced driver H to operate the pedal 14 and the lever 15 more quickly than a non-inexperienced driver H.

[0054] Although one embodiment of the weight change system according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The weight change system according to the present invention may be implemented, for example, in each of the following modifications or in combination.

[0055] <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. The weight change system S according to the present invention changes the weight of at least one of the levers and pedals.

[0056] 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 the server computer.

[0057] The forklift 1 may be provided with a monitor instead of the speaker 19, and the change notification unit 306 may use this monitor to notify the driver that the weight of the lever 15 and / or the pedal 14 will be changed.

[0058] If the load has a tag that stores information about the load, the weight change system S may further include a reading device that reads this tag information. In this case, the load identification unit 303 refers to the load information read by the reading device and identifies whether the load CW is a load requiring caution. In this case, the tag may be, for example, an RFID tag, and the type of tag is not particularly limited. The tag may also be in the form of a sticker and be affixed to the load.

[0059] In the weight change system S, when the cargo handling work is performed based on a cargo handling schedule including cargo information, the memory unit 301 may be configured to store this cargo handling schedule. In this case, the cargo identification unit 303 refers to the cargo information and identifies whether the cargo CW requires caution.

[0060] If the pickup location and / or placement location of a load requiring attention CW is specified as a specific location, and the load handling schedule includes the pickup location and placement location of each load, the memory unit 301 may be configured to store this load handling schedule. In this case, the load identification unit 303 refers to the load handling schedule and identifies the load as a load requiring attention CW when both or either of the load placement location and pickup location of the load are in this specific location. Figure 5A shows a specific shelf SR on which the load requiring attention CW is placed, and Figure 5B shows a specific area SE in which a truck carrying the load requiring attention CW is parked. The load identification unit 303 identifies the load as a load requiring attention CW when the pickup location and / or placement location of the load is, for example, this specific shelf SR or this specific area SE. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] S Weight Change System H Driver CW Caution Load M symbol TR Normal shelf SR Specific Shelf TE Normal Area SE Specific Area 1 forklift 10 wheels 11 Body 12 Driver's seat 13 Head guard 14 pedals 15 Lever 16 Mast 17. Fork 19 Speaker 21 Weight change section 22 Face Camera 23 Cargo Camera 30 Control Unit 301 Storage section 302 Skill Score Acquisition Department 303 Cargo identification department 305 Weight determination unit 306 Change Notice Section 307 Change Order Department

Claims

1. A weight change 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 load identification unit that identifies whether or not a load involved in loading and unloading work is a load that requires careful handling; a weight determination unit that determines to increase the weight of the pedal and / or the lever when the load related to the loading and unloading operation is the load requiring caution; a change command unit that controls the weight change unit in accordance with the determination by the weight determination unit to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever.

2. A load camera is further provided to photograph the load and generate a load image, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the load identification unit identifies the load requiring attention based on the load image.

3. The weight change system according to claim 2 , wherein the load identification unit identifies the load as requiring caution when a specific symbol is included in the load image.

4. Further comprising a reader for reading tag information; The load has a tag that stores information about the load, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the load identification unit refers to the load information read by the reading device to identify whether the load is a load requiring caution.

5. Further comprising a storage unit that stores a loading and unloading schedule, The loading schedule includes information about the cargo, The weight change system according to claim 1 , wherein the load identification unit refers to information about the load to identify whether the load is a load requiring caution.

6. The weight change system of claim 1, wherein the cargo identification unit identifies the cargo as requiring attention when both or either of the cargo placement location and cargo pickup location of the cargo is the placement location or cargo pickup location associated with the cargo requiring attention.

7. a storage unit that stores the driver's skill score; a skill score acquisition unit that identifies the driver and acquires the skill score of the identified driver, The weight change system of claim 1, wherein the weight determination unit determines to further increase the weight of the pedal and / or the lever when the load related to the loading operation is a load requiring caution and the acquired skill score of the driver is less than a predetermined skill score.

8. 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.

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 whether or not the load involved in the loading and unloading operation is a load requiring careful handling; determining a weight of the pedal and / or the lever based on whether the load is a load requiring attention; and a weight change program that controls the weight change unit based on the determined weight to change the weight of the pedal and / or the lever.

Images