Forklift truck

Abstract

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional forklift, and an object thereof is to provide a forklift capable of improving the workability of battery replacement.SOLUTION: A forklift 100 is a forklift in which a battery 16 is mounted on a vehicle body 20, and includes an upper cover 24 for covering the upper part of the battery 16, a side cover 21 for covering the side of the battery 16, and a magnet unit 30 for generating magnetic attraction force capable of holding the side cover 21 on the vehicle body 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a forklift truck. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric forklifts are equipped with multiple batteries that supply power to the driving motor and other components. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a forklift that has a toe board that covers a battery storage compartment and a side hood. In this device, the toe board covers part of the battery storage compartment from above and is rotatably attached to the front of the vehicle body. The side hood covers the storage compartment from the side and is rotatably attached to the side of the vehicle body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-300698 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the forklift described in Patent Document 1, the battery storage section is located under the floor of the vehicle body. The toe board allows the front portion of the top surface of the storage section to be opened and closed, and the side hood allows the sides of the storage section to be opened and closed using hinges. In this case, since the storage section is located under the floor, the vertical dimension of the battery is limited, making it difficult to install a large-capacity battery. This results in a problem of increased frequency of battery replacement, which correspondingly reduces the operating efficiency of the forklift.

[0005] In addition, because only a portion of the top of the storage compartment is open, it is not possible to remove or install the battery from above. Furthermore, even when removing or installing the battery from the side of the storage compartment, it is difficult to lift the battery, making it difficult to remove or install smoothly. This has been an obstacle to improving the workability of battery replacement.

[0006] As described above, conventional forklifts have room for improvement in terms of improving the ease of battery replacement.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one of its objects is to provide a forklift that can improve the workability of battery replacement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the forklift of the present invention is a forklift equipped with a battery mounted on the vehicle body, and has side covers that cover the sides of the battery, an upper cover that covers the top of the battery, and a magnet unit that can hold the side covers to the vehicle body by magnetic attraction.

[0009] Any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a forklift capable of improving the workability of battery replacement can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a forklift truck according to an embodiment, viewed obliquely from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a side cover and an upper cover of the forklift truck of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the forklift truck of FIG. 1 with an upper cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a trim seal of the forklift truck of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a side cover and an upper cover to which the trim seal of FIG. 4 is applied. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a trim seal of the forklift truck of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a magnet unit of the forklift of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a bracket supporting the magnet unit of FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modifications, identical or equivalent components and members are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the members in the drawings are enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0013] Furthermore, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the components.

[0014] [Embodiment] The overall configuration of a forklift 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the forklift 100. The forward and backward directions of the forklift 100 are sometimes referred to as "front" and "rear," the vehicle height direction as "up" and "down," and the vehicle width direction as "right" and "left." The fore-and-aft direction is sometimes referred to as the X direction, the vehicle width direction as the Y direction, and the vehicle height direction as the Z direction. These directional notations do not limit the position in which the forklift 100 is used, and the forklift 100 can be used in any position depending on the application. As shown in FIG. 1, the forklift 100 is a so-called counterbalance forklift.

[0015] The forklift 100 includes a vehicle body 20 and a loading / unloading unit 60 provided at the front of the vehicle body 20 for lifting and lowering loads. The vehicle body 20 mainly includes a seat 11, a head guard 13, front wheels 14, rear wheels 15, a battery 16, and a counterweight 62.

[0016] The seat 11 is a driver's seat from which the driver operates the forklift 100 while sitting. The head guard 13 is arranged to cover the upper central portion of the body 20 and functions as a roof that protects the seat 11. The front wheels 14 are a pair of wheels arranged at the front of the body 20 and spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and function as drive wheels. The rear wheels 15 are a pair of wheels arranged at the rear of the body 20 and spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and function as steering wheels. The counterweight 62 is arranged at the rear of the body 20 to adjust the front-to-rear weight balance of the forklift 100. The counterweight 62 is, for example, a weight made of cast iron.

[0017] The vehicle body 20 has side covers 21 that cover the sides of the battery 16, an upper cover 24 that covers the top of the battery 16, and a magnet unit 30 that can hold the side covers 21 on the vehicle body by magnetic attraction. Note that the state before the side covers 21 and the upper cover 24 are attached may also be referred to as the vehicle body 20.

[0018] See also Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the side cover 21 and top cover 24 of the forklift 100. Figure 3 is a plan view showing the forklift 100 with the top cover 24 removed. The battery 16 mainly supplies power for the travel and lifting operations of the forklift 100. The battery 16 is provided in a storage space below the seat 11 of the vehicle body 20. The battery 16 is, for example, a lead-acid battery.

[0019] The side covers 21 are disposed on the sides of the battery 16 and include a main cover 22 that extends longitudinally mainly in the front-to-rear direction, and corner covers 23 that are disposed at the corners between the main cover 22 and the top cover 24. The main cover 22 and the corner covers 23 may be formed integrally, but in this embodiment, they are formed separately and then connected. In this case, the battery 16 can be exposed by simply removing the corner covers 23, allowing for maintenance such as adding water. As an example, the side covers 21 are formed from iron plates. The side covers 21 may be entirely or partially made of iron plates.

[0020] The main cover 22 covers the left side of the battery 16. In a side view, the main cover 22 of this embodiment has a rectangular outer contour with a front-to-back width greater than its top-to-bottom width. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper inclined portions of the front upper corners of the main cover 22 contact the corner cover 23. In a side view, the corner cover 23 has an outer contour that is approximately trapezoidal or pentagonal. The upper portion 23b of the corner cover 23 is engaged with and supported by the left inclined portion 24c of the upper cover 24. The lower portion of the corner cover 23 is fixed to the front portion of the upper portion 22b of the main cover 22 by a predetermined connector (not shown).

[0021] The upper cover 24 covers the upper side of the storage space 25 below the seat 11. In a plan view, the upper cover 24 of this embodiment has a rectangular outer contour with a left-to-right width greater than its front-to-rear width. A left inclined portion 24c at the left front corner of the upper cover 24 covers the upper portion 23b of the corner cover 23. A left side portion 24b continuing rearward from the left inclined portion 24c of the upper cover 24 covers the upper portion 22b of the main cover 22. A trim seal, described later, is provided between the side cover 21 and the upper cover 24.

[0022] In forklifts, when the battery's charge level drops to a certain level due to operation, the battery is replaced with a charged battery. Depending on the forklift's operating hours, the battery may need to be replaced more than twice a day. Since the forklift cannot operate while the battery is being replaced, the long battery replacement time can result in a decrease in the forklift's operating efficiency.

[0023] The battery 16 can be replaced using either a vertical movement method, in which the battery 16 is lifted up and then moved sideways, or a horizontal movement method, in which the battery 16 is moved to either the left or right side. The forklift 100 of this embodiment can accommodate both the vertical movement method and the horizontal movement method, but the following explanation will be given assuming that the vertical movement method is used.

[0024] When replacing the battery 16, the top cover 24 is opened to expose the top surface of the battery 16, and the side cover 21 is removed to expose the side surface of the battery 16. Therefore, in order to shorten the time required for battery replacement, it is important to shorten the time required for attaching and detaching the side cover 21.

[0025] It is conceivable to fasten the side cover 21 to the vehicle body 20 at multiple locations with bolts. These bolts may be bolts that can be tightened by hand without using tools. These bolts may also be thumb screws that are press-fitted together with a resin knob and a hexagon socket head cap screw. In an embodiment, the thumb screws are also eliminated, and a trim seal is provided between the side cover 21 and the upper cover 24. In this case, the gap between the covers can be filled. Also, flapping of the side cover 21 due to vibration can be suppressed.

[0026] The trim seal 40 of the forklift 100 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the trim seal 40 of the forklift 100. In this figure, for ease of understanding, the trim seal 40 is shown on the surface of the cover. The trim seal 40 includes a trim seal 41 provided between the main cover 22 and the top cover 24, and trim seals 44, 47 provided between the corner cover 23 and the top cover 24. The location where the trim seal 41 is applied is referred to as part A, and the location where the trim seals 44, 47 are applied is referred to as part B.

[0027] There are cases where the gap between the side cover 21 and the top cover 24 is large and cannot be filled with a single trim seal. Therefore, in this embodiment, the trim seal 40 includes a first trim seal 44 attached to the side cover 21 and a second trim seal 47 attached to the top cover 24 so as to contact the first trim seal 44. In this case, even a large gap can be filled with the trim seal.

[0028] Using a single trim seal 41 as in portion A is advantageous in terms of cost. Using multiple trim seals 44, 47 as in portion B can be achieved at a lower cost than custom-ordering new trim seals because existing trim seals can be used. In the embodiment, an example has been described in which trim seals are provided in two locations, portion A and portion B, but trim seals may be provided in one location or in three or more locations.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the side cover 21 and the upper cover 24 to which trim seals 41, 44, and 47 are applied. FIG. 5(A) shows the trim seal 41 in part A, which is provided between the main cover 22 and the upper cover 24, and FIG. 5(B) shows the trim seals 44 and 47 in part B, which are provided between the corner cover 23 and the upper cover 24. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the trim seals 41, 44, and 47. The trim seals 41, 44, and 47 are integrated components that combine trim that protects the edges of the side cover 21 and the upper cover 24 with a tubular buffer portion that provides cushioning. For ease of understanding, FIG. 5(B) shows the shape of the trim seals 44 and 47 before deformation. However, when the upper cover 24 is placed over the corner cover 23, the buffer portions 46 and 49 of the trim seals 44 and 47 are compressed and deformed.

[0030] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the trim seals 41, 44, 47. Figure 6(A) shows the trim seal 41 applied to the upper edge of the main cover 22. The trim seal 41 has a trim 42 that covers the upper edge of the main cover 22 and a tube-type buffer part 43 connected to the trim 42. The buffer part 43 comes into contact with the top cover 24 when the side cover 21 is closed, reducing the gap between the two covers.

[0031] Figure 6(B) shows a trim seal 44 applied to the lower edge of the upper cover 24. The trim seal 44 has a trim 45 that covers the lower edge of the upper cover 24 and a tube-type buffer portion 46 connected to the trim 45. Figure 6(C) shows a trim seal 47 applied to the upper edge of the corner cover 23. The trim seal 47 has a trim 48 that covers the upper edge of the corner cover 23 and a tube-type buffer portion 49 connected to the trim 48.

[0032] 6 is merely an example, and various trim seals can be used as the trim seals 41, 44, and 47. The shapes and locations of the trim seals 41, 44, and 47 can be determined by experiment or simulation so as to obtain the desired gap filling function and cushioning performance.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5(A), a positioning stud 21s is provided on the lower portion 21b of the side cover 21. A plurality of studs 21s may be arranged spaced apart from each other in the front and rear. In this embodiment, two studs 21s are arranged spaced apart from each other in the front and rear. In this example, the stud 21s is shaped like a bolt with a flange connected to a male-threaded rod 21r. The rod 21r is threaded into a hole 21h formed in the lower portion 21b and fixed to the side cover 21. The rod 21r protrudes downward from the lower portion 21b. The rod 21r is configured to be able to fit into a rod support hole 20h provided in the vehicle body 20. The rod support hole 20h penetrates vertically and has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the rod 21r. In other words, the rod 21r fits into the rod support hole 20h with some play. The side cover 21 can be removed from the vehicle body 20 by lifting the rod 21r upward to remove it from the rod support hole 20h. The side cover 21 can be attached to the vehicle body 20 by lifting it upward and fitting the rod 21r into the rod support hole 20h.

[0034] It is also conceivable to provide the hinges of the forklift described in Patent Document 1 to the lower portion 21b of the side cover 21. The studs 21s are less expensive than hinges and have the advantage of being highly durable. Furthermore, the side cover 21 can be completely separated from the vehicle body 20 by removing the rods 21r from the rod support holes 20h, which facilitates maintenance.

[0035] The magnet unit 30 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the magnet unit 30. In this figure, the closed state of the side cover 21 is indicated by a solid line, and the open state of the side cover 21 is indicated by a dashed line. That is, the posture of the side cover 21 changes from the closed state to the open state by moving as indicated by arrow H with the stud 21s as a fulcrum. Furthermore, this posture changes from the open state to the closed state by moving in the direction opposite to arrow H.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the cover-side bracket 51 and the vehicle-body-side bracket 55 that support the magnet unit 30. The magnet unit 30 is configured by housing a plate-shaped magnet 30b magnetized at the top and bottom and two iron plates 30c sandwiching the magnet 30b in a rectangular parallelepiped case. The magnet unit 30 has an attraction surface 30a on one side that generates magnetic attraction. The ends of the magnet 30b and the two iron plates 30c are exposed on the attraction surface 30a. The magnet unit 30 is fixed to the cover-side bracket 51 with bolts (not shown). The magnet unit 30 is configured so that the distance between the attraction surface 30a and the attracted surface 55a of the vehicle-body-side bracket 55 in the vehicle width direction can be adjusted. In this embodiment, the magnet 30b is a ferrite magnet, but magnets made of known materials can be used to meet desired specifications.

[0037] The cover-side bracket 51 is a bracket that supports the magnet unit 30 and is fixed to the side cover 21. As an example, the cover-side bracket 51 is formed of a steel plate, extends in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions, and has a main portion 51c to which the magnet unit 30 is fixed, an intermediate portion 51e that extends upward from the outer end of the main portion 51c, and a fixed portion 51d that extends from the upper end of the intermediate portion 51e in parallel to the upper portion 22b of the side cover 21. The fixed portion 51d is fixed to the bracket fixing portion 22d of the upper portion 22b of the main cover 22 by welding or the like. The position of the magnet unit 30 in the front-to-rear direction can be determined by experiment or simulation so that the side cover 21 can be supported on the vehicle body 20.

[0038] The vehicle body side bracket 55 is a magnetic bracket that generates a magnetic attraction force between itself and the magnet unit 30, and is fixed to any location on the vehicle body 20. As an example, the vehicle body side bracket 55 is formed from a steel plate and has an attracted surface portion 55a that extends up and down and front and rear, and a supported portion 55c that extends from the attracted surface portion 55a to the side opposite the side cover 21. The supported portion 55c is fixed to any location on the vehicle body 20 by screwing or welding.

[0039] From the viewpoint of facilitating the attachment and detachment of the side covers 21, it is desirable that the side covers 21 can be kept closed even when the upper cover 24 is not present, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 7. Therefore, in this embodiment, the magnet unit 30 is configured to be able to hold the side covers 21 to the vehicle body 20 by magnetic attraction. The magnetic attraction of the magnet unit 30 can be adjusted by selecting the shape and magnet material of the magnets 30b, and can be set by experiment or simulation to obtain desired characteristics.

[0040] In order to temporarily hold the side cover 21, it is desirable that the lower part of the side cover 21 can be engaged with the vehicle body 20. Therefore, in the embodiment, the side cover 21 has an engaging portion 38 that can engage with the vehicle body 20 from a second direction that intersects with the direction of the magnetic attractive force of the magnet unit 30. In the example of FIG. 7, the engaging portion 38 is exemplified by the rod 21r. The direction of the magnetic attractive force of the magnet unit 30 is exemplified as the Y direction, and the second direction is exemplified as the Z direction. In this example, the side cover 21 can be temporarily held on the vehicle body 20 by moving it from top to bottom, inserting the rod 21r into the rod support hole 20h of the vehicle body 20, and closing the side cover 21.

[0041] In the embodiment, as long as the lower portion 21b of the side cover 21 is engaged with the vehicle body 20, the side cover 21 can maintain a position in which the upper portion of the side cover 21 is released from the vehicle body 20. In other words, in the embodiment, the side cover 21 is temporarily held to the vehicle body 20 whether in the closed state or the open state.

[0042] In the embodiment, the side cover 21 is supported by the vehicle body 20 when the upper cover 24 covers the upper part of the side cover 21 with the lower part 21b of the side cover 21 engaged with the vehicle body 20. That is, as shown in FIG. 5(A), when the rod 21r, which is the engaging part 38, is engaged with the rod support hole 20h, the side cover 21 is closed and the left side part 24b of the upper cover 24 covers the upper part 22b of the main cover 22, thereby supporting the side cover 21 by the vehicle body 20. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the thumb screw for fixing the side cover 21.

[0043] The following describes the features of the forklift 100 of the embodiment. The forklift 100 of the embodiment is a forklift having a battery 16 mounted on a vehicle body 20, and includes a side cover 21 that covers the sides of the battery 16, an upper cover 24 that covers the top of the battery 16, and a magnet unit 30 that can hold the side cover 21 to the vehicle body 20 by magnetic attraction.

[0044] According to this configuration, since the magnet unit 30 is provided, the side cover 21 can be temporarily held to the vehicle body 20 even if the upper cover 24 is opened when attaching or detaching the side cover 21. By temporarily holding the side cover 21, the worker's hands are freed up, and the upper cover 24 can be placed over the side cover 21 with the free hands. Therefore, the work time required to attach or detach the side cover 21 can be shortened compared to when the magnet unit 30 is not provided. The side cover 21 is firmly supported to the vehicle body 20 by the upper cover 24 covering it from above.

[0045] The above is a description of the embodiment.

[0046] The above describes in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Each of the above-described embodiments merely illustrates a specific example of how the present invention may be implemented. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design modifications, such as changes, additions, and deletions of components, are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined in the claims. In each of the above-described embodiments, content that allows such design modifications is described using notations such as "in the embodiment" or "in the embodiment," but this does not mean that design modifications are not permitted in content that does not have such notations. Furthermore, hatching on cross sections in the drawings does not limit the material of the hatched object.

[0047] (Variation) The following describes modified examples. In the drawings and descriptions of the modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the embodiment.

[0048] In the above description, an example has been shown in which a gap is provided between the attracting surface 30a of the magnet unit 30 and the attracted surface 55a of the vehicle body-side bracket 55 when the side cover 21 is closed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The attracting surface 30a may be in contact with the attracted surface 55a.

[0049] In the above description, an example has been shown in which the magnet unit 30 is fixed to the side cover 21 via the cover-side bracket 51 and magnetically attracts the vehicle body-side bracket 55, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the magnet unit may be configured to be fixed to the vehicle body and magnetically attract the cover-side bracket.

[0050] In the above description, an example has been shown in which the first trim seal 44 and the second trim seal 47 are provided between the corner cover 23 and the top cover 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which one or both of the first trim seal 44 and the second trim seal 47 are not provided is also possible.

[0051] In the above description, an example in which trim seals are provided in both the A section and the B section has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, trim seals may not be provided in either or both of the A section and the B section.

[0052] In the above description, an example was given in which the engaging portion 38 is the rod 21r, but the present invention is not limited to this. A known engaging mechanism can be used for the engaging portion 38.

[0053] Each of the above-described modifications provides the same functions and effects as the embodiment.

[0054] Any combination of the components and modifications of the above-described embodiments is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of the combined embodiments and modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 16 Battery, 20 Body, 21 Side cover, 22 Main cover, 23 Corner cover, 24 Upper cover, 30 Magnet unit, 30a Adsorption surface, 40 Trim seal, 44 First trim seal, 47 Second trim seal, 51 Cover side bracket, 55 Body side bracket, 100 Forklift.

Claims

1. A forklift having a battery mounted on a vehicle body, the forklift having side covers that cover the sides of the battery, an upper cover that covers the top of the battery, and a magnet unit that can hold the side covers to the vehicle body by magnetic attraction.

2. The forklift of claim 1 , wherein a trim seal is provided between the side cover and the top cover.

3. 3. The forklift according to claim 2, wherein the trim seals include a first trim seal attached to the side cover and a second trim seal attached to the top cover so as to contact the first trim seal.

4. 2. The forklift according to claim 1, wherein the side cover has an engaging portion that can be engaged with the vehicle body from a second direction that intersects with the direction of the magnetic attractive force of the magnet unit.

5. The forklift according to claim 1 , wherein the side covers are supported by the vehicle body by the upper cover covering the upper part of the side covers with the lower part of the side covers engaged with the vehicle body.

6. The forklift according to claim 1, wherein the side covers are configured to be able to maintain a position in which a lower portion of the side covers engages with the vehicle body and an upper portion of the side covers is released from the vehicle body.

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