Forklift Load Wheel Position Control for Mast Vibration Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial trucks, particularly narrow-aisle forklifts, face challenges with mast vibrations and deformations when operating on uneven surfaces, limiting their speed and requiring costly and frequent maintenance of perfectly flat surfaces.
Innovation Solution
An industrial truck equipped with a vehicle body, lifting frame, load wheels, actuators, detection units, and a control unit that adjusts the relative position of the load wheels to compensate for surface irregularities and maintain optimal alignment, using sensors to detect inclination, acceleration, and environmental factors to proactively counteract vibrations and deformations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the industrial truck operates on uneven surfaces, then the truck can maintain high speed, but mast vibrations and deformations increase, compromising task precision
Solution Approach 1:
The load wheel is designed with dynamic adjustment capability through an actuator that can change its relative position to the vehicle body in real-time. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to uneven surfaces and counteract vibrations, enabling high-speed operation without compromising task precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates detection units that continuously monitor operating parameters such as inclination and acceleration. This feedback is processed by a control unit that calculates the effects of possible adjustments and instructs the actuator to optimize the load wheel position, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains task precision at high speeds
2Manufacturing precision
If the driving surface is maintained perfectly flat, then mast vibrations are reduced and task precision is improved, but surface maintenance costs and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The industrial truck equipped with the active load wheel system performs self-leveling and self-adjustment operations. The detection units monitor the vehicle state and the actuator automatically compensates for surface irregularities, eliminating the need for external surface maintenance and reducing maintenance time and costs
3Stability of the object's composition
If the load wheel position is adjusted actively, then mast vibrations are reduced and operational stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator serving the load wheel is designed to perform multiple functions: it adjusts the load wheel position to counteract vibrations, maintains operational stability, and works in conjunction with the detection and control units to provide adaptive response to various operating conditions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate vibration reduction mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high-speed operation on poor driving surfaces without compromising task precision, reducing the need for expensive surface maintenance and improving operational stability.
Implementation Method 1
The detection unit can in particular be configured to detect at least one of an inclination of the vehicle body relative to the ground and/or the horizontal and an acceleration and/or a speed
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a forklift truck comprising a vehicle body, a lifting frame, at least one load wheel, at least one further wheel, for example a steered drive wheel, at least one actuator (13) assigned to the at least one load wheel, which is configured and arranged to adjust a relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body, at least one detection unit (110) which is configured to detect an instantaneous operating parameter of the forklift truck and to output corresponding data, and a control unit (112) with an associated storage unit (114) which is operationally coupled to the at least one actuator (13) and the at least one detection unit (110) and is configured to define a target state (S) of the forklift truck and to receive data from the detection unit (110).to determine the actual state (Z) of the industrial truck based on the recorded operating parameters of the industrial truck, to calculate the effects of possible adjustments to the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body on the actual state (Z) of the industrial truck, and to instruct the at least one actuator (13) such that an adjustment of the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body brings the actual state (Z) of the industrial truck closer to the target state (S), wherein the at least one load wheel is assigned to a frame element pivotably attached to the vehicle body.