Forklift Safety Sensor Repositioning During Fork Insertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current loading vehicles with lifting forks face a safety defect during the critical step of inserting forks below an object, as safety sensors must be disabled, leaving the vehicle operation unsupervised and prone to accidental collisions or injuries.
Innovation Solution
A movable detection sensor is implemented, allowing it to remain active during the fork insertion process by positioning it out of the fork's detection path, ensuring continuous supervision and preventing collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safety sensor is positioned to face the fork's operating area, then it can detect obstacles during vehicle movement, but it cannot function during the critical step of inserting forks below the object
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically change its position relative to the fork. During fork insertion, the sensor moves to a position where it does not face the fork, avoiding false obstruction detection. During other phases, it returns to its monitoring position to detect obstacles, thus adapting its functionality to different operational steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor's operational cycle is segmented into distinct phases: during fork insertion, the sensor is positioned away from the fork path; during vehicle movement and loading/unloading, it faces the operating area to monitor for obstacles. This temporal and spatial segmentation allows the sensor to serve different functions at different times without conflict.
2Reliability
If the safety sensor is kept active during fork insertion, then continuous safety supervision is achieved, but the sensor will detect the fork as an obstruction and cause the vehicle to stop
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor dynamically adjusts its position based on the operational phase. During fork insertion, it moves to a position where the fork passes through its field of view without being detected as an obstruction, allowing continuous monitoring of other areas while maintaining insertion efficiency. When the fork is in its operating position, the sensor returns to monitoring the loading/unloading area.
3Device complexity
If the sensor position is fixed, then the device complexity is reduced, but the sensor cannot maintain both monitoring function and avoid detecting the fork during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor positioning system uses a movable mounting mechanism that allows the sensor to shift between two primary positions: a monitoring position facing the fork's operating area during vehicle movement, and a retracted position during fork insertion. This dynamic adjustment enables the sensor to maintain reliable safety monitoring coverage across all operational phases without requiring excessive complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Operating vehicle, comprising: a self-propelled unit (10), structured to move on a movement surface along a given path advancing along a main direction (X); a fork (20), associated with a front operating part (11) of the self-propelled unit (10) and movable vertically between a lower position and an upper position; a detection sensor (30), provided with a detecting field (R) and arranged to emit a positive signal if an object is inside the detecting field (R), said detecting field (R) facing the space occupied by the fork (20); a control module, connected to the self-propelled unit (10) and to the detection sensor (30), which is set up to control a safety manoeuvre of the self-propelled unit (10) in the presence of a positive signal of the detection sensor (30). The detection sensor (30) is movable between a first position, in which the detecting field (R) does not intercept the fork (20), in any position adopted by the fork (20) between said lower and upper positions, and a second position.