Anti-trapping Operator Platform Position Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Materials handling vehicles, such as platform pallet trucks, face the risk of operator entrapment when the operator platform is in a transitional position, leading to potential injury as the platform may become wedged between the vehicle and the operator's body, especially when backing into obstacles, causing the platform to shift from a deployed to a stowed position.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that detects the operator platform's position and enables the vehicle to move at a slow pace away from obstacles if the platform is in a transitional position, allowing the operator to safely exit the trapped situation by moving the vehicle clear of the obstruction and returning the platform to a deployed position, thus preventing entrapment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the operator platform is allowed to move freely between deployed and stowed positions, then the vehicle can adapt to different operating conditions, but the operator may become trapped when the platform shifts during backing into obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by detecting transitional platform positions (where entrapment risk exists) and automatically counteracting the harmful effect by enabling vehicle movement only in the direction away from obstacles, preventing the platform from completing its transition to a trapped state
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from position sensors to continuously monitor the platform angle and provides real-time control feedback to the vehicle's drive system, allowing the controller to adjust vehicle movement based on the detected platform position and prevent entrapment scenarios
2Reliability
If the vehicle speed is restricted when the platform is in transitional position, then operator entrapment is prevented, but the vehicle cannot efficiently perform material handling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making the vehicle speed limit adaptive rather than fixed - the controller dynamically adjusts the permissible speed based on real-time platform position detection, allowing full speed when safe and restricted speed only when transitional positions are detected
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the vehicle to quickly move through the transitional position range by allowing rapid movement in the safe direction (away from obstacles) while restricting movement only in the dangerous direction (toward obstacles), minimizing the time spent in risky transitional states
3Reliability
If the vehicle is disabled when the platform is in transitional position, then operator safety is maximized, but the vehicle cannot perform any operations including extraction of trapped operators
Solution Approach 1:
The system inverts the conventional approach by not completely disabling the vehicle but rather enabling it with restricted functionality - the vehicle can move only in the direction away from obstacles, which is the opposite of the conventional complete shutdown approach
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the vehicle based on platform position - when in transitional position, the controller modifies the permissible movement direction and speed parameters to allow extraction operations while preventing entrapment, rather than using a binary on/off state
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method comprising: sensing a position of an operator platform equipped to a vehicle; enabling the vehicle to operate in a full-speed mode when the operator platform is positioned within a first range of positions corresponding to riding operation; and enabling the vehicle to operate in an anti-trapping mode when the operator platform is positioned within a second range of positions separate from the first range of positions, the anti-trapping mode allowing the vehicle to move only in a direction that allows the operator platform to open. Further, a data-processing apparatus, a computer program product, a computer-readable storage medium and a system for inhibiting trapping of an operator of a vehicle is claimed.