Forklift Travel Direction Control for High-Speed Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial vehicles, such as forklift trucks, may fail to recognize objects in their actual travel direction when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, leading to potential collisions, especially when the travel direction is changed.
Innovation Solution
The forklift truck is equipped with a travel direction detector, vehicle speed sensor, travel direction determiner, object detector, and a controller that maintains the previous travel state and activates an object detector based on the previous travel direction even when the direction command is changed at high speeds, reducing the load on the power transmission and preventing collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the controller switches travel mode immediately when the direction lever is operated, then the travel direction response is fast, but the controller may not recognize objects in the actual travel direction when vehicle speed is high
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs preliminary action by maintaining the current travel mode temporarily after receiving a direction change command, before actually switching modes. This preliminary delay allows the object detector to continue monitoring in the original direction, ensuring objects are not missed during the transition period when vehicle speed is high.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the travel mode switching behavior based on vehicle speed conditions. When vehicle speed exceeds the threshold, the controller extends the mode maintenance period, making the response dynamic rather than fixed, thus adapting to the reduced object detection capability at high speeds.
2Reliability
If the controller maintains the previous travel state at high speeds, then object recognition reliability is improved, but the travel direction change is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The controller changes the parameter of travel mode switching timing based on vehicle speed. At high speeds, the mode switching is delayed; at low speeds, immediate switching occurs. This parameter-based adaptation resolves the contradiction by adjusting the timing according to the operational context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic travel mode switching where the timing and behavior of mode changes are not fixed but adapt based on real-time vehicle speed conditions, optimizing both safety and responsiveness across different operating scenarios.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the object detector operates based on the previous traveling state at high speeds, then collision risk is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller acts as an intermediary that manages the transition between travel modes and coordinates with the object detector. It maintains the current mode temporarily and ensures the object detector operates based on the previous traveling state during high-speed transitions, reducing collision risk without requiring direct modification of the object detector hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial vehicle includes a travel direction detector configured to detect a travel direction of the industrial vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle speed of the industrial vehicle, a travel direction determiner, an object detector, and a controller. The controller is set in a particular state when the vehicle speed of the industrial vehicle is equal to or higher than a first vehicle speed threshold value. In the particular state, even when a travel direction command is changed by the travel direction determiner, the controller recognizes that a traveling state of the industrial vehicle before the travel direction command is changed continues and the object detector operates based on the traveling state of the industrial vehicle before the travel direction command is changed.