Forklift Fork Tip Geometry for Pallet Entry and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fork designs for powered industrial vehicles cause damage to pallets and increase the risk of accidents due to instability, particularly when the forks strike pallets or negotiate turns with raised loads.
Innovation Solution
A new fork design with a beveled portion and rounded tip, combined with sensors and a central computer system, allows the fork to gently ride over pallet lips, reducing damage and enhancing operational safety and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the fork is designed with a standard sharp edge, then the fork can easily penetrate the pallet pocket, but the fork causes damage to the pallet and reduces pallet life
Solution Approach 1:
The fork tip is designed with a rounded profile instead of a sharp edge, featuring a radius of curvature that allows the fork to gently ride over the pallet lip and enter the fork pocket without causing impact damage to the pallet structure
Solution Approach 2:
The beveled portion is positioned ahead of the fork tip to make initial contact with the pallet, absorbing impact energy before the main fork body engages with the pallet pocket, thereby preventing damage while facilitating entry
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the fork has a wide and curved tip design, then the fork is more forgiving when hitting the side of a pallet pocket, but the fork design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fork tip incorporates a rounded profile with specific radius dimensions that provide forgiveness when contacting the side of pallet pockets, reducing damage risk while maintaining a relatively simple geometric form that is easy to manufacture
3Productivity
If the forklift negotiates turns at speed with raised load, then the operational efficiency increases, but the risk of tip-over accidents increases due to centrifugal and gravitational forces
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors detect the forklift's operational state including load position and movement dynamics, providing feedback to the control system that can alert operators or automatically adjust operations to prevent unstable conditions during turns with raised loads
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical forklift operation with an intelligent control system that uses sensors and processors to monitor and manage stability, substituting automatic control for manual operator judgment in stability-critical situations
4Reliability
If sensors are added to the fork to detect impact and improve safety, then the safety and control improve, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system serves multiple functions including impact detection, pallet contact verification, and stability monitoring, allowing a single addition to address multiple safety concerns rather than requiring separate systems for each function
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are features and improvements for a powered industrial vehicle, such as a forklift. In some embodiments, the forklift may have improved geometry and sensors. In some embodiments, the forklift may include an operator interface system for controlling powered industrial vehicles based on the field of view of an operator. In some embodiments, the forklift may include an integrated control system such that the operator cannot perform a certain operation without first performing a different, prior operation and/or such that the operator cannot perform two or more operations simultaneously which would result in unsafe operation. In some embodiments, a virtual reality simulator for the forklift may be provided.