Pedal drive device, industrial vehicle, and method for manufacturing industrial vehicle

Abstract

To provide a pedal driving device capable of being installed in a space-saving manner and having high versatility.SOLUTION: A pedal driving device includes a base installed detachably on a floor surface between a seat of an industrial vehicle and a maneuvering pedal so as to be over in a width direction, a linear motion mechanism provided slidably in a width direction with respect to the base and having a rod to be driven extensively and contractably in a front and rear direction below the maneuvering pedal, and a cable for connecting the maneuvering pedal and the rod and rotating the maneuvering pedal due to the extension / contraction of the rod.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pedal actuation device, an industrial vehicle, and a method for manufacturing an industrial vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, there is an increasing demand for automating the operation of industrial vehicles, including forklifts. In vehicles other than forklifts, which are mechanically connected, it is possible to control the throttle and braking amount by electronic control in automating the operation of the accelerator pedal and brake pedal. However, in conventional forklifts, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are mechanically connected to the throttle and brake mechanism. Even in electrically connected vehicles, special design and modification of the vehicle are required to control them by electronic control. For this reason, a device is required to directly operate the accelerator pedal and brake pedal.

[0003] One example of this type of pedal drive device is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a brake system having a brake operation device that operates a brake pedal. The brake operation device is installed below and in front of the brake pedal, and an actuator is operated in response to a control signal to operate the brake pedal connected to the actuator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-202613 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, since industrial vehicles including forklifts are relatively small, it is difficult to secure a space for installing a pedal drive device below and in front of the steering pedal, and it is also uneconomical to design and manufacture an individual device for each vehicle model.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pedal drive device, an industrial vehicle, and a method for manufacturing an industrial vehicle that can be installed in a space-saving manner and are highly versatile. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the pedal drive device according to the present disclosure includes a base that is removably installed across the width of the floor between a seat and a steering pedal of an industrial vehicle, a linear motion mechanism that is slidably provided in the width direction relative to the base and has a rod that is driven to extend and retract in the front-rear direction below the steering pedal, and a cable that connects the steering pedal and the rod and rotates the steering pedal as the rod extends and retracts. When the steering pedal and the rod are in their initial positions, the rope is in a bent state, and the steering pedal is rotated when the rod of the linear motion mechanism extends until the rope is no longer bent, while the pilot presses the steering pedal until the rope is no longer bent, allowing the rod of the linear motion mechanism to move forward and backward in accordance with the movement of the steering pedal. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a pedal drive device, an industrial vehicle, and a method for manufacturing an industrial vehicle that can be installed in a space-saving manner and are highly versatile. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a configuration of an industrial vehicle (forklift) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a pedal drive device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the pedal drive device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating a state in which the steering pedal is in an initial position. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a side view of a pedal actuation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, showing the rod slightly extended and the steering pedal still in the initial position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the pedal actuation device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a state in which the steering pedal is in an operating position. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a manufacturing method for an industrial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (Forklift configuration) Hereinafter, a forklift 100 as an example of an industrial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the forklift 100 includes a vehicle body 80 and a pedal drive device 90.

[0011] The vehicle body 80 has a vehicle body 81 , wheels 82 , a seat 83 , a floor surface 84 , a handlebar 85 , steering pedals 86 , a fork 87 , and a mast 88 .

[0012] An engine or a motor, a transmission, etc. are housed inside the vehicle body 81. Power generated by the engine, etc. is transmitted to wheels 82 via the transmission. Four wheels 82 are provided on the lower part of the vehicle body 81. A seat 83 is provided above the vehicle body 81. A floor surface 84 on which an operator places his / her feet is formed in the front of the lower part of the seat 83. A pedal drive device 90, which will be described later, is attached to this floor surface 84. A handle 85 for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle body 80 is provided in front of the seat 83. Furthermore, a steering pedal 86 is provided below the handle 85.

[0013] A mast 88 and a fork 87 are provided at the front of the vehicle body 81. The mast 88 extends in the vertical direction and guides the fork 87 in the vertical direction. The fork 87 protrudes forward. The fork 87 advances and retreats along the mast 88 by a hoisting device and a cylinder (not shown). Various loading and unloading operations are carried out by placing cargo on the fork 87.

[0014] (Configuration of pedal drive device) Next, the configuration of the pedal drive device 90 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the pedal drive device 90 has a base 91, a clamp 92, a linear motion mechanism 93, a load cell 94 (load detection unit), a ring unit 95, a rope 96, and a jig 70.

[0015] The base 91 is disposed on the floor surface 84 and extends across the floor surface 84 in the width direction of the vehicle body 81. Clamps 92 are provided on both sides of the base 91 in the width direction. The clamps 92 removably fix the base 91 to the floor surface 84.

[0016] The base 91 has a plate-shaped base body 91a and a guide rail 91b that is integrally provided with the base body 91a. The guide rail 91b is a groove that extends in the width direction, and is provided as a pair with a gap in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 81. A linear motion mechanism 93 is attached to the guide rail 91b.

[0017] The linear motion mechanism 93 has a main body 93a and a rod 93b. The linear motion mechanism 93 incorporates, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or a ball screw, and the rod 93b can extend and retract in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 81 based on an electric signal from the outside. The rod 93b extends from the main body 93a toward the front side of the vehicle body 81. In other words, the rod 93b faces the steering pedal 86 (accelerator pedal 86a and brake pedal 86b) from the rear side. The main body 93a is supported so as to be slidable in the width direction of the vehicle body 81 along the above-mentioned guide rail 91b. Moreover, a pair of linear motion mechanisms 93 are provided on the guide rail 91b so as to correspond to the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b, respectively.

[0018] A load cell 94 is provided at a midway point in the extending direction of the rod 93b. The load cell 94 detects the load applied to the rod 93b (i.e., the load caused by turning the steering pedal) and transmits it to the outside as an electric signal.

[0019] A ring portion 95 is provided at the tip end (i.e., the front end) of the rod 93b. The ring portion 95 has an annular shape with the width direction as the central axis. A cable 96 is connected to the ring portion 95 in a rotatable state.

[0020] The cable 96 connects the ring portion 95 and the jig 70 fixed to the steering pedal 86. A flexible wire, rope, or the like is appropriately selected and used as the cable 96. The cable 96 is in a downwardly bent state from a state in which the rod 93b and the steering pedal 86 are in their initial positions as shown in FIG. 3 to a state in which the rod 93b is slightly extended and the steering pedal 86 is still in its initial position as shown in FIG. 4. In other words, the length of the cable 96 is set so as to achieve the above state.

[0021] In other words, even if the rod 93b is slightly extended, no tension is generated in the cable 96, and no load is applied to the steering pedal 86. On the other hand, when the rod 93b is further extended, tension is generated in the cable 96, and the steering pedal 86 is rotated as shown in Fig. 5. As a result, the throttle opens in the case of the accelerator pedal 86a, and a braking force is generated in the case of the brake pedal 86b.

[0022] When the operator operates the steering pedal 86 with the pedal drive device 90 attached, the steering pedal 86 can be rotated by the amount of bending of the cable 96 as described above. In addition, when the operator depresses the steering pedal 86 greatly, the rod 93b can move forward and backward in response to the movement.

[0023] Next, a manufacturing method of the forklift 100 according to this embodiment (a method of attaching the pedal drive device 90) will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As shown in the figure, this manufacturing method includes step S1 of installing the base 91, step S2 of sliding the linear motion mechanism 93, and step S3 of connecting the cable 96.

[0024] In step S1, the base 91 is fixed to the floor surface 84 by the clamp 92. The amount of tightening of the clamp 92 is adjusted according to the width dimension of the floor surface 84. Next, in step S2, the linear motion mechanism 93 is slid along the guide rail 91b on the base 91. This adjusts the position of the linear motion mechanism 93 to match the width direction position of the steering pedal 86, which differs for each vehicle model. Furthermore, in step S3, the jig 70 and the ring portion 95 are connected by the cable 96. At this time, it is preferable that the length of the cable 96 is preset for each vehicle model so that the cable 96 is in the bent state described above. With the above, all steps of the manufacturing method of the forklift 100 are completed.

[0025] (Action and effect) Next, an example of the operation of the pedal drive device 90 will be described. To operate the pedal drive device 90, a drive signal is first sent to the linear motion mechanism 93 via a control device (not shown). The control device stores, for example, a loading route and a pattern that are preset according to the work site. The linear motion mechanism 93 moves forward and backward so that the forklift 100 moves forward and backward according to the loading route and the pattern. As a result, the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b are automatically operated. Also, the load detected by the load cell 94 changes according to the amount of operation of the steering pedal 86. The magnitude of this load is input from the load cell 94 to the control device, and the control device detects the amount of operation of the steering pedal 86.

[0026] However, because industrial vehicles including the forklift 100 are relatively small, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure space to install this type of pedal drive device 90. In addition, there is also a problem that it is not economical to design and manufacture an individual device for each vehicle model. Therefore, the pedal drive device 90 according to this embodiment employs the above-mentioned configurations.

[0027] According to the above-mentioned configuration, since the base 91 is disposed on the floor surface 84 between the seat 83 and the steering pedal 86, it is possible to save space for installation compared to, for example, a configuration in which the device is attached to the front side of the steering pedal 86. In addition, the base 91 is detachable from the floor surface 84, and the linear motion mechanism 93 is slidable relative to this base 91. This allows the pedal drive device 90 to be easily attached and detached to various vehicle models, and the position of the linear motion mechanism 93 can be adjusted to match the position of the steering pedal 86. Therefore, the versatility of the pedal drive device 90 can be improved.

[0028] In addition, in this pedal drive device 90, the length of the cable 96 is set so that the rod 93b extends from a state in which it is in the initial position, and the cable 96 is bent until the rod 93b is extended and the steering pedal 86 is in the initial position.

[0029] According to the above configuration, the length of the cable 96 is set so that the cable 96 is in a bent state. This allows the operator to directly operate the steering pedal 86 without using the pedal drive device 90, even when the pedal drive device 90 is still attached. This improves the operability of the forklift 100 and makes loading and unloading operations more efficient.

[0030] Furthermore, the pedal drive device 90 further includes a load cell 94 that is attached to the rod 93b and detects the load applied to the cable 96 as the steering pedal 86 rotates.

[0031] According to the above configuration, the load applied to the cable 96 by the load cell 94 can be detected to detect the operating state of the steering pedal 86. This allows the steering pedal 86 to be operated more precisely.

[0032] In addition, the pedal drive device 90 further includes a ring portion 95 that is provided at the tip of the rod 93b and to which a rope 96 is rotatably connected.

[0033] According to the above configuration, since the cable 96 is rotatably connected to the ring portion 95, the tension of the cable 96 can be efficiently applied to the steering pedal 86 regardless of the relative position or angle between the steering pedal 86 and the cable 96. This can further increase the versatility of the pedal drive device 90.

[0034] In addition, in this pedal drive device 90, the steering pedal 86 includes an accelerator pedal 86a and a brake pedal 86b, and a linear motion mechanism 93 and a cable 96 are provided for each of the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b.

[0035] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b can be individually and independently controlled by the linear motion mechanism 93 and the rope 96. This can further improve the operability of the forklift 100.

[0036] In addition, the manufacturing method of the forklift 100 includes step S1 of installing the base 91 on the floor surface 84, step S2 of adjusting the relative position of the linear motion mechanism 93 with respect to the steering pedal 86 by sliding the linear motion mechanism 93 on the base 91, and step S3 of connecting the cable 96 to the steering pedal 86.

[0037] According to the above method, the pedal drive device 90 can be easily and stably installed simply by placing the base 91 on the floor surface 84, adjusting the position of the linear motion mechanism 93 on the base 91, and finally connecting the cable 96 to the steering pedal 86. Moreover, since the same installation method can be applied regardless of the type of vehicle, the versatility of the pedal drive device 90 can be further increased.

[0038] (Other embodiments) The above describes the embodiment of the present disclosure. Various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration and method without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which a pair of linear motion mechanisms 93 are provided has been described. However, it is also possible to provide only one linear motion mechanism 93 or three or more linear motion mechanisms 93 depending on the design and specifications. In addition, although the forklift 100 has been described as an application example of the pedal drive device 90, the pedal drive device 90 can also be suitably applied to industrial vehicles other than the forklift 100.

[0039] <Additional Notes> The pedal drive device 90, the industrial vehicle (forklift 100), and the manufacturing method of the industrial vehicle described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0040] (1) The pedal drive device 90 of the first embodiment comprises a base 91 that is removably installed across the width of the floor surface 84 between the seat 83 and the steering pedal 86 of the industrial vehicle, a linear motion mechanism 93 that is slidable in the width direction relative to the base 91 and has a rod 93b that is driven to extend and retract in the front-to-rear direction below the steering pedal 86, and a rope 96 that connects the steering pedal 86 and the rod 93b and rotates the steering pedal 86 as the rod 93b extends and retracts.

[0041] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the base 91 is disposed on the floor surface 84 between the seat 83 and the steering pedal 86, so that the space required for installation can be saved. In addition, the base 91 is detachable from the floor surface 84, and the linear motion mechanism 93 is slidable relative to the base 91. This allows easy attachment and detachment to a variety of vehicle types, and the position of the linear motion mechanism 93 can be adjusted to match the position of the steering pedal 86.

[0042] (2) In the pedal drive device 90 of the second embodiment, the length of the cable 96 is set so that the rod 93b extends from a state in which the rod 93b is in the initial position and the steering pedal 86 is in the initial position, and the cable 96 is in a bent state.

[0043] According to the above configuration, the length of the cable 96 is set so that the cable 96 is in a bent state. This allows the operator to directly operate the steering pedal 86 without using the pedal drive device 90, even if the pedal drive device 90 is left attached. This improves the operability of the industrial vehicle.

[0044] (3) The pedal drive device 90 according to the third embodiment further includes a load detection unit (load cell 94) that is provided on the rod 93b and detects the load applied to the rope 96 as the steering pedal 86 rotates.

[0045] According to the above configuration, the load detection unit detects the load applied to the rope 96, thereby making it possible to detect the operating state of the steering pedal 86. This allows the steering pedal 86 to be operated more precisely.

[0046] (4) The pedal drive device 90 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a ring portion 95 that is provided at the tip of the rod 93b and to which the cable 96 is rotatably connected.

[0047] According to the above configuration, since the cable 96 is rotatably connected to the ring portion 95, the tension of the cable 96 can be efficiently applied to the steering pedal 86 regardless of the relative position or angle between the steering pedal 86 and the cable 96. This can further increase the versatility of the pedal drive device 90.

[0048] (5) In the pedal drive device 90 of the fifth aspect, the steering pedal 86 includes an accelerator pedal 86a and a brake pedal 86b, and the linear actuator mechanism 93 and the cable 96 are provided for each of the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b.

[0049] According to the above configuration, the accelerator pedal 86a and the brake pedal 86b can be individually and independently controlled by the linear motion mechanism 93 and the rope 96. This can further improve the operability of the industrial vehicle.

[0050] (6) The industrial vehicle according to the sixth aspect includes a vehicle body 80 having the steering pedal 86 and a pedal drive device 90 provided on the vehicle body 80.

[0051] According to the above configuration, the operability of the industrial vehicle can be improved.

[0052] (7) A manufacturing method for an industrial vehicle according to a seventh aspect is a manufacturing method for an industrial vehicle according to the sixth aspect, and includes a step S1 of installing the base 91 on the floor surface 84, a step S2 of adjusting the relative position with respect to the steering pedal 86 by sliding the linear motion mechanism 93 on the base 91, and a step S3 of connecting the cable 96 to the steering pedal 86.

[0053] According to the above configuration, the pedal drive device 90 can be easily and stably installed by simply placing the base 91 on the floor surface 84, adjusting the position of the linear motion mechanism 93 on the base 91, and finally connecting the cable 96 to the steering pedal 86. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100 Forklift 90 Pedal drive device 80 Vehicle body 70 Jig 81 Body 82 wheels 83 seats 84 Floor 85 Handle 86 Control pedal 86a Accelerator pedal 86b Brake pedal 87 Fork 88 Mast 91 Base 91a Base Body 91b Guide rail 92 Clamp 93 Linear motion mechanism 93a Main body 93b Rod 94 Load Cell 95 Ring section 96 Route

Claims

1. A base that is detachably installed on a floor surface between a seat and a steering pedal of the industrial vehicle so as to span the width direction; a linear motion mechanism having a rod that is slidably provided on the base in the width direction and is driven to extend and retract in the front-rear direction below the steering pedal; a cable connecting the steering pedal and the rod and rotating the steering pedal in accordance with extension and contraction of the rod; Equipped with When the steering pedal and the rod are in their initial positions, the cord is in a bent state, The rod of the linear motion mechanism is extended until the cable-like flexure disappears, whereby the control pedal is rotated. A pedal drive device in which the steering pedal is depressed by an operator until the cord-like flex is eliminated, thereby enabling the rod of the linear motion mechanism to move forward and backward in accordance with the movement of the steering pedal.

2. The pedal drive device according to claim 1 , further comprising a load detection unit provided on the rod for detecting a load applied to the rope as the steering pedal rotates.

3. 3. The pedal drive device according to claim 1, further comprising a ring portion provided at a tip end of the rod, the ring portion being rotatably connected to the wire.

4. The steering pedals include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal.

4. The pedal drive device according to claim 1, wherein the linear motion mechanism and the wire are provided for each of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal.

5. A vehicle body having the steering pedal; The pedal drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is provided on the vehicle body; An industrial vehicle equipped with

6. A method for manufacturing an industrial vehicle according to claim 5, placing the base on the floor surface; adjusting a relative position of the linear motion mechanism with respect to the steering pedal by sliding the linear motion mechanism on the base; connecting the cable to the steering pedal; A method for manufacturing an industrial vehicle comprising the steps of:

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