Attachment for industrial materials handling equipment

Abstract

Attachment for industrial material handling equipment. An attachment assembly for an industrial material handling equipment is shown and disclosed. In some embodiments, the attachment assembly includes a carriage assembly having a carriage and a linear actuator stably attached to the carriage. The carriage can be mounted on an industrial material handling equipment. The attachment assembly further includes a frame assembly slidably connected to the carriage. The attachment assembly further includes a face plate assembly stably attached to the frame assembly. The face plate assembly is configured to receive one or more support members for supporting a load. The face plate assembly includes one or more load cells configured to measure horizontal and vertical forces applied to the one or more support members. The linear actuator slides the frame assembly laterally relative to the carriage assembly.

Description

Background Art

[0001]

[0001] The subject matter of the present application relates to an attachment for industrial material handling equipment for lifting, moving, and / or weighing loads. Examples of industrial material handling equipment include lift trucks, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and other conveying and moving devices for various loads.

[0002]

[0002] When used on a lift truck, the attachment is typically added to a standard carriage carrying lifting forks to provide additional range of motion and / or other functions. However, the attachment offsets the position of the lift forks by an additional distance from the front axle of the lift truck, which reduces the lift capacity of the lift truck. Thus, what is desired is an attachment assembly that allows nesting of components to provide the desired additional range of motion and other functions while reducing the distance from the front axle of the industrial material handling equipment and increasing the capacity of the industrial material handling equipment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003]

[0003] To better understand the present invention and to show how the present invention may be implemented, reference is made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings.

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[0004] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0005]

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an exemplary embodiment of an attachment assembly 20 for an industrial material handling device is shown. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-2, the attachment assembly is attached to a lift truck. However, other embodiments of the attachment assembly 20 may be configured to be attached to an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and other carriers and / or movers. The attachment assembly may be integrated with the industrial material handling device and / or may be removably attached to the device.

[0006]

[0030] In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the attachment assembly 20 is received within the mast channel 22 of the lift truck and the support lift forks 24. The attachment assembly 20 includes a face plate assembly 26, a frame assembly 28, and a carriage assembly 30. As shown in FIG. 2, at least substantial portions of each of the face plate, frame, and carriage assemblies are respectively in separate face plate FP, frame FR, and carriage CR planes that are spaced apart and parallel to one another.

[0007]

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the face plate assembly 26 includes an upper transverse face plate member 32 and a lower transverse face plate member 34 that are parallel, in the same plane, and spaced apart from each other. End vertical face plate members 36, 38 are disposed between the transverse face plate members and connect the transverse face plate members to define a face plate central cavity 40 therebetween. The end vertical face plate members are spaced apart and parallel to each other and are in the same plane as the upper transverse face plate member and the lower transverse face plate member. If metering capability is desired, one or more load cell assemblies 42 are received within one or more face plate holes 44. The load cell assembly includes one or more load cells 43 that measure the weight of a load supported by the lift fork 24 or, when attached to other industrial material handling equipment, by a support member other than the lift fork. The measurement can be performed in any suitable manner, such as measuring the deflection of the face plate assembly and / or the frame assembly and converting that deflection into a weight measurement value. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-4, the face plate assembly includes four load cell assemblies 42. However, the face plate assembly may include more or fewer load cell assemblies. The face plate assembly is designed to the dimensional standards of the carriage of a lift truck or other industrial material handling equipment. When the face plate assembly includes one or more load cell assemblies, the face plate assembly may also be referred to as an "external metering face plate".

[0008]

[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-4, the face plate assembly 26 includes a fork positioner 46 disposed within the face plate central cavity 40. The fork positioner includes a pair of elongated bi-directional hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 48, 50, each assembly having respective cylinders 52, 54 with respective base portions 56, 58 at one end and respective rod ends 60, 62 at the other end with respective piston rods 64, 66 being extendable. The cylinder connector 68 is configured to rigidly interconnect the rod end 60 of one cylinder to the rod end 62 of the other cylinder such that the longitudinal axes of the piston rods are parallel to each other.

[0009]

[0033] A pair of fork positioning guide members 70, 72 are each connected to respective piston rods 64, 66 via respective rod connectors 74, 76 and are slidably and guidably engaged by respective slide bushes 78, 80 to respective cylinders 52, 54 of the opposing piston and cylinder assemblies. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-4, the piston 48 and cylinder assembly 50 are attached to the end face plate members 36, 38 via fasteners 82. The cylinder connector 68 includes one or more hydraulic fluid line connectors 84, 86 that communicate with the interior of each cylinder 52, 54. The fork positioning guide members 70, 72 receive the forks and are moved by the piston rods 64, 66 to move these forks closer to or farther from each other as shown in FIGS. 5-6. The fork positioning guide members are shown to receive the forks, but these guide members can receive and move other attachments.

[0010]

[0034] An embodiment of the fork positioner 46 is further described in U.S. Patent No. 7,909,563, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. The nesting of the fork positioner within the faceplate central cavity reduces the thickness (i.e., measured in the front-to-back direction) of the lift truck attachment assembly 20, as best seen in FIG. 2. The faceplate assembly 26 is shown as including the fork positioner 46, although other embodiments of the faceplate assembly may exclude the fork positioner. In these embodiments, the fork or other support member may be attached to the faceplate assembly by other means such as a notch in the upper transverse faceplate member. In some embodiments, the faceplate assembly 26 may not include a device or structure within the faceplate central cavity.

[0011]

[0035] Referring to FIG. 7, the frame assembly 28 includes upper transverse frame members 92 and lower transverse frame members 94 that are parallel, coplanar, and spaced from one another. End vertical frame members 96, 98 are disposed between the transverse frame members and connect the transverse frame members to define a frame central void 100 therebetween. The end vertical frame members are spaced parallel to one another and are coplanar with the upper and lower transverse frame members. Additionally, the end vertical frame members have a greater thickness than the thicknesses of the upper and lower transverse frame members (as best seen in FIG. 2), provide a mounting location for the load cell assembly (if included), and reduce the deflection of the faceplate assembly.

[0012]

[0036] The upper transverse frame member 92 extends substantially or over the entire length of the frame member and includes a lower hook portion 102 that extends toward the carriage assembly when slidably received by the carriage assembly. The lower hook portion includes a groove 104 for receiving a sliding support of the upper transverse carriage member of the carriage assembly, as will be further described below. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the upper sliding bearing 106 is disposed within the groove 104. Also, a lower sliding bearing 108 is attached to the rear surface of the lower transverse frame member (the surface facing the lower transverse carriage member of the carriage assembly). The upper and lower sliding bearings reduce friction and facilitate the sliding movement of the frame assembly and the face plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the upper transverse frame member includes a grease fitting 109 that allows a user to inject grease adjacent to and along the upper sliding bearing.

[0013]

[0037] The end vertical frame members 96, 98 and the lower transverse frame member 94 include one or more frame holes 110 corresponding to the face plate holes 44 of the face plate assembly. When the attachment assembly 20 includes one or more load cell assemblies 42, the protruding portions 112 on the housings 113 of those load cell assemblies are received in the face plate holes and the frame holes and are fixed or stably attached to the frame assembly and the face plate assembly via fasteners 114, which also secures the face plate assembly to the frame assembly. The protruding portion of the load cell assembly includes a threaded portion 116 for receiving a fastener 114 in the form of a nut, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 8. In some embodiments, the face plate assembly is fixed to the frame assembly only via the load cell assemblies and the fasteners. In other words, the remaining portion of the face plate assembly may be supported by the load cell assemblies. Thus, the frame assembly allows for transverse movement relative to the carriage assembly and functions as a mounting location for the weight load sensing components.

[0014]

[0038] Referring to FIG. 9, the carriage assembly 30 includes a carriage 118 and a transverse or linear actuator 120 attached to the carriage. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the carriage includes upper transverse carriage members 122 and lower transverse carriage members 124 that are spaced apart and arranged in parallel with each other. End vertical carriage members 126, 128 are attached to the rear surfaces of the transverse carriage members to connect the transverse carriage members and define a carriage central cavity 130 therebetween. The end vertical carriage members are spaced apart and parallel to each other. In addition, the end vertical carriage members include posts 132 that are received within the mast channels of the lift trucks (as shown in FIG. 1). The upper transverse carriage member 122 includes a base portion 134 that is in the same plane as the lower transverse carriage member, a raised portion or upper transverse sliding support 135 that is received within the groove 104 of the frame assembly, and an extended portion or ledge 136 that extends vertically from the base portion toward the frame assembly. The upper transverse carriage member supports both the front / rear load and the vertical load, and thus enables the central cavities in the various assemblies of the attachment assembly 20 to support the above loads without any central support structure. The lower transverse carriage member 124 may also be referred to as a "lower transverse sliding support." Other embodiments of the carriage 118 may include other combinations of transverse carriage members and end vertical carriage members. In one alternative, the carriage 118 may include only the upper transverse carriage member.

[0015]

[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the linear actuator 120 is attached to the underside of the ledge 136. The linear actuator is configured to move the frame assembly and the faceplate assembly in a transverse direction relative to the carriage assembly. The linear actuator includes a body or cylinder 138 and piston rods 140, 142 slidably received within the cylinder. The piston rods move longitudinally opposite or along a common longitudinal axis. The carriage assembly 130 further includes a bracket 144 attached to the lower transverse carriage member 124. The bracket includes a slot 146 for receiving a lip 148 of the frame assembly. The carriage assembly 130 may also be referred to as a "fixed frame".

[0016]

[0040] Referring to FIG. 10, the upper transverse carriage member and / or the ledge of the linear actuator are sized such that the linear actuator is received within the frame central cavity 100 of the frame assembly. By nesting the linear actuator within the plane of the frame assembly, the thickness of the attachment assembly 20 is substantially reduced. The ends of the piston rods of the linear actuator are received within reaction blocks or rod connectors 150 stably attached to the end vertical faceplate members 96, 98 of the frame assembly. In other words, the piston rods of the linear actuator contact the end vertical faceplate members. The extension and contraction of the piston rods move the frame assembly and the faceplate assembly in a transverse or lateral direction (or parallel to the common longitudinal axis of the piston rods) relative to the carriage assembly, as shown in FIGS. 11-12. The movement of the frame assembly and the faceplate assembly by the linear actuator is within the plane of the frame assembly and the faceplate assembly (i.e., within the faceplate FP plane and the frame FR plane shown in FIG. 2).

[0017]

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 13 to 16, an embodiment of the load cell 43 is shown. The load cell includes a base 152, a body 154, and a coupler 156. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 16, the base 152 is disk-shaped or cylindrical and includes a plurality of holes 158 for receiving connectors for attaching the load cell to the face plate assembly. The body 154 is elongated and includes opposing side portions 160 and opposing side portions 162. The side portion 162 is substantially wider than the side portion 160, as shown in FIGS. 13-16. The strain gauges 164 are mounted on the outer surfaces of one or both of the narrow side portions 160. In addition, the strain gauges 166 are mounted on the outer surfaces of one or both of the wide side portions 162. Thus, the strain gauges 164, 166 can be mounted or positioned perpendicular (90 degrees) or substantially perpendicular to each other such that these gauges can measure forces in both the vertical and horizontal directions during operation. Specifically, the strain gauge 164 measures the horizontal force, and the strain gauge 166 measures the vertical force. The coupler 156 includes a threaded portion 168 for receiving a nut for attaching the face plate assembly to the frame assembly, as described above.

[0018]

[0042] Each of the four load cell assemblies 42 spaced apart from each other has a load cell with strain gauges positioned to measure forces in the horizontal and vertical directions, and provides various information to the operator of the attachment. For example, the weight measured from the load cell assembly can be used by a controller (such as a controller of industrial material handling equipment) to calculate the lateral offset of the center of gravity by comparing the weight measurements of the left and right load cells. If the lateral offset exceeds a predetermined amount or is outside a predetermined window, the controller can shut off the operation of the attachment or the industrial material handling equipment. Further, the measurement of the horizontal force can warn the operator of an unexpected horizontal force, such as contacting the wall of the trailer or another load when engaging the pallet. The controller may shut off the operation of the attachment or the industrial material handling equipment if a horizontal force outside a predetermined window or exceeding a predetermined amount is measured.

[0019]

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 17-18, another embodiment of the faceplate assembly 26 is shown and is generally designated 226. Unless explicitly excluded, the faceplate assembly 226 may include one or more of the structures and components of the faceplate assembly 26. Unlike the faceplate assembly 26, the faceplate assembly 226 includes a central tie element or central tie bar 227. The central tie bar includes a first end portion 229 and a second end portion 231 and a central portion 233 disposed therebetween. The first end portion 229 and the second end portion 231 are each attached to an upper transverse faceplate member 232 and a lower transverse faceplate member 234 and span a faceplate central cavity 240 between these faceplate members. The central portion 223 is arched away from the upper and lower transverse faceplate members to accommodate components of the fork positioner 46. The central tie bar is important because it reinforces the faceplate assembly and reduces measurement errors from the load cells of the load cell assembly attached to the faceplate assembly. The attachment assembly 20 is also referred to as an "integral assembly".

[0020]

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 19 - 25, another embodiment of the attachment assembly 20 is shown and is generally designated 300. Unless explicitly excluded, the attachment assembly 320 may include one or more structures and components of the attachment assembly 20 (and / or the faceplate assembly 226). Similar to the attachment assembly 20, the attachment assembly 320 includes a faceplate assembly 326, a frame assembly 328, and a carriage assembly 330. The faceplate assembly 326 may be substantially similar or identical to the faceplate assembly 26 and / or 226 (or have substantially similar or identical components). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 - 25, the faceplate assembly 326 does not include a fork positioner. However, in other embodiments, the faceplate assembly 326 can include a fork positioner such as the fork positioner 46 described above. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 - 25, the faceplate assembly 326 is stably attached to the frame assembly 328 such that, for example, the faceplate assembly 326 moves or slides relative to the carriage assembly 330 with the frame assembly 328. Further, the faceplate assembly 326 receives and / or supports one or more support members (e.g., lift forks) for supporting a load. Additionally, the faceplate assembly 326 includes a load cell assembly 342 (substantially similar or identical to the load cell assembly 42) for measuring horizontal and / or vertical forces applied to the one or more support members.

[0021]

[0045] The frame assembly 328 can be substantially the same as or identical to (or have substantially the same or identical components as) the frame assembly 28. For example, the frame assembly 328 includes an upper cross-frame member 392 that has a lower hook portion 402 substantially similar to the lower hook portion 102 of the upper cross-frame member 92. The lower hook portion 402 includes a groove 404 that receives a sliding support of a carriage member of the carriage assembly, as further described below. Further, an upper sliding bearing 406 is disposed within the groove 104. Further, the frame assembly 328 is movably or slidably connected to the carriage assembly. Unlike the lower hook portion 102, the lower hook portion 406 is offset from or closer to the carriage assembly and includes a hanging tab member 417 having a hole 419. Further, unlike the frame assembly 28, the frame assembly 328 includes a spaced-apart bracket assembly 421 that can engage and / or receive the bottom of an industrial material handling device (e.g., the carriage of a forklift).

[0022]

[0046] The carriage assembly 330 includes a carriage 418 and a lateral or linear actuator 420 attached to or stably mounted to the carriage. The carriage includes a transverse member 422, and the linear actuator is attached to or stably mounted to the transverse member. Although the carriage is shown as including only the transverse member 422, other embodiments of the carriage 418 can include other transverse members and / or end members. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, the transverse member 422 is, for example, J-shaped (or upside-down J-shaped) with an upwardly projecting portion 423 that is received within the groove 404 of the frame assembly 328 to allow the frame assembly to slide laterally relative to the carriage assembly. Additionally, the transverse member 422 includes a cavity 425 for receiving a portion of the industrial material handling equipment. For example, as best shown in FIGS. 23 and 25, the industrial material handling equipment may include a projecting portion or ledge that is received within the cavity 425 such that the attachment assembly 300 is supported on the industrial material handling equipment. When supported by the industrial material handling equipment, the upwardly projecting portion 423 is disposed between the lower hook portion 402 and the projecting portion of the industrial material handling equipment.

[0023]

[0047] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, the carriage 418 further includes at least one protrusion or tab member 427 sized to be received within at least one recess or notch of an industrial material handling device (e.g., the carriage of a lift truck). The tab member is attached or stably mounted to the transverse member 422 via an opening 429 in the transverse member 422, thereby allowing for the selective attachment of tab members of various sizes for various industrial material handling devices. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, a single tab member is included, although other embodiments of the carriage 418 can include two or more tab members 427 having the same or different sizes. Alternatively, the tab member 427 may be formed integrally with the transverse member 422. The linear actuator 420 moves or slides the frame assembly 328 laterally or transversely relative to the carriage assembly 330. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, the linear actuator includes a body or cylinder 438 and piston rods 440, 442 slidably received within the cylinder. The piston rods move longitudinally opposite or along a common longitudinal axis. Since the attachment assembly 300 can be supported and / or mounted, for example, on a standard carriage of a lift truck, the attachment assembly may sometimes be referred to as a "hang-on assembly".

[0024]

[0048] In other words, the carriage assembly 330 includes only the carriage 418 and the linear actuator 420 stably attached to the carriage 418. Different from the carriages of other carriage assemblies of the present disclosure, the carriage 418 can include only a single transverse member 422 that is J-shaped and / or includes a protruding portion 423 that is received in the groove 404 of the frame assembly 328. In other words, the carriage 418 includes a single horizontal carriage member and does not include additional vertical and / or horizontal carriage members attached to or formed with the single horizontal carriage member. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, the transverse member 422 is single. When at least one tab member 427 is included, as in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19-25, the carriage 418 includes only the single transverse member 422 and the tab member 427 attached to or formed with the single transverse member.

[0025]

[0049] Although specific embodiments of the attachment assembly are shown, other embodiments can modify, add, and / or omit one or more components. For example, instead of the illustrated carriage assembly, a standard carriage without a linear actuator can be used. The frame and faceplate assembly may be stably attached to the standard carriage to provide (when the faceplate assembly includes a fork positioner) weighing capacity and / or fork positioning ability. Additionally or alternatively, the frame assembly and the carriage assembly may include slides, rollers, and / or other components that allow the frame assembly to move relative to the carriage assembly.

[0026]

[0050] The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described, but may be modified in accordance with general legal principles including the principle of equivalents or any other principle that extends the scope of the claims beyond their literal scope without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. It will be understood that such modifications can be made so as to be construed in accordance with general legal principles. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to an instance of an element requires at least an instance of the recited number of elements, whether it is a reference to one instance or to more than one instance, but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than recited. The term "comprising" or its derivatives, when used in a claim, is used in a non-exclusive sense that does not intend to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in the claimed structure or method.

Claims

1. An attachment assembly comprising: a carriage assembly having a carriage and a linear actuator stably attached to the carriage, the carriage being attachable to industrial material handling equipment; a frame assembly slidably connected to the carriage; a face plate assembly stably attached to the frame assembly, the face plate assembly being configured to receive one or more support members for supporting a load; and comprising: the face plate assembly including one or more load cells configured to measure horizontal and vertical forces applied to the one or more support members; the linear actuator being configured to slide the frame assembly laterally relative to the carriage assembly; the carriage including a protruding portion projecting upward, the frame assembly including a lower hook portion having a groove, the protruding portion being received within the groove to enable the frame assembly to slide laterally relative to the carriage assembly, the protruding portion including a cavity for receiving a portion of the industrial material handling equipment, and when the portion of the industrial material handling equipment is received within the cavity, the protruding portion being disposed between the lower hook portion and the portion of the industrial material handling equipment. An attachment assembly.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the carriage includes only a transverse carriage member having the upwardly protruding portion.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the carriage includes a tab sized to be received within a notch of the industrial material handling equipment.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the carriage includes only a transverse carriage member having the upwardly protruding portion and the tab.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the linear actuator includes a body stably attached to the carriage and longitudinally opposing piston rods slidably received within the body, each of the piston rods having an end.

6. The frame assembly includes upper and lower transverse frame members and end vertical frame members that connect the upper and lower transverse frame members at spaced relationships to define a frame central cavity therebetween, and the linear actuator is disposed within the frame central cavity such that the end of the piston rod contacts the end vertical frame member, enabling the linear actuator to slide the frame assembly in a transverse direction with respect to the carriage assembly. The assembly according to claim 1.

7. The face plate assembly further includes a fork positioner disposed within a face plate central cavity, the fork positioner being configured to selectively move a pair of forks closer to or away from each other. The assembly according to claim 6.

8. The face plate assembly includes an upper transverse face plate member and a lower transverse face plate member, and end vertical face plate members that connect the upper transverse face plate member and the lower transverse face plate member at spaced relationships to define a face plate central cavity therebetween, and the face plate assembly includes a central tie bar spanning between the upper transverse face plate member and the lower transverse face plate member across the face plate central cavity. The assembly according to claim 1.

9. The face plate assembly includes at least one face plate hole, the frame assembly includes at least one frame hole corresponding to the at least one face plate hole, and the at least one load cell is housed within at least one housing, the at least one housing being received within the at least one face plate hole and the at least one frame hole. The assembly according to claim 1.

10. The frame assembly includes at least one fastener that fixes the at least one housing to the at least one face plate hole and the at least one frame hole, and fixes the face plate assembly to the frame assembly. The assembly according to claim 9.

11. Each of the one or more load cells includes one or more first strain gauges and one or more second strain gauges perpendicular to the one or more first strain gauges, the assembly according to claim 1.

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