Forklift Stability Control via Rear Axle Load Sensor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing forklift truck stability control systems fail to reliably prevent tipping under all operational conditions, especially when sensors malfunction, and often restrict truck performance unnecessarily, leading to unsafe operations.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a rear axle load sensor and a control unit that uses a mathematical model to generate control values based on data from multiple sensors, including a load sensor, tilt angle sensor, and height sensor, to ensure stability and performance by estimating the load position and triggering alarms for potential sensor failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If known stability control systems use multiple sensors to block lifting operations, then forward tipping is avoided under certain circumstances, but the system fails to detect sensor malfunctions and cannot guarantee safety under all operational conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors sensor signals and compares them against expected physical relationships (such as load distribution between axles). When sensor readings deviate from physically plausible values, the system detects the malfunction and generates an alarm, enabling continuous verification of sensor proper operation
Solution Approach 2:
The stability control system performs self-diagnosis by using its existing sensors and control unit to monitor the operational status of other sensors. The system uses load sensor data combined with rear axle load sensor data to verify the consistency of measurements, allowing the system to detect its own sensor failures without external intervention
2Reliability
If stability control systems restrict truck operation to prevent tipping, then safety is improved, but truck performance is excessively reduced due to inaccurate restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces overly conservative mechanical safety margins with precise electronic control based on actual real-time sensor data. By using mathematical models and continuous monitoring of load position, mast angle, and axle loads, the control unit dynamically adjusts operational limits to match actual stability requirements rather than applying fixed restrictive limits
Solution Approach 2:
The stability control system dynamically adjusts operational restrictions based on real-time conditions rather than applying static conservative limits. The control unit continuously calculates stability margins using current sensor data and adjusts lifting, tilting, and driving permissions accordingly, allowing maximum performance within actual safety boundaries
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial truck includes: a chassis, a mast pivotally mounted on the chassis, a lifting element for lifting a load, the lifting element being mounted on the mast in a slidable manner along the mast; a plurality of actuating units including: a lifting actuator configured to move the lifting element along the mast, a tilting actuator configured to tilt the mast with respect to the chassis, a wheel drive system for driving wheels of the industrial truck; a plurality of sensors including: a load sensor for detecting the load on the lifting element, a tilt angle sensor for detecting the tilt angle of the mast with respect to the chassis, and a height sensor for detecting the height of the lifting element with respect to the mast, a control unit configured to control the plurality of actuating units based on information detected by the plurality of sensors for achieving stability of the industrial truck during operation, wherein the control unit is configured to generate one or more control values by using a mathematical model of the industrial truck to which information detected by the plurality of sensors are inputted, the control unit being configured to control the plurality of actuating units based on the one or more control values. The industrial truck further comprises a rear axle load sensor configured to detect the load on a rear axle of the industrial truck, wherein the control unit is configured to control the operation of the industrial truck also based on a rear axle load value detected by the rear axle load sensor.