Industrial Truck Protective Field Control for Upcoming Driving Situations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for controlling industrial trucks in warehouses or production halls do not adequately adapt protective fields to changing driving situations, leading to potential collisions, especially at high speeds or on tight curves, despite the use of sensors and safety zones.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the upcoming driving situation of an industrial truck based on its position within a known route and adjusts the protective field proactively before entering that situation, using a higher-level control unit to set and monitor the field, ensuring it is activated or adjusted before the truck encounters a change in direction or speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protective field is adjusted only when the driving situation changes (reactive adjustment), then the system complexity is reduced, but collision safety deteriorates at high speeds or on tight curves
Solution Approach 1:
The control device determines the upcoming driving situation in advance based on the current driving situation and the planned route, and adjusts the protective field before the driving situation actually changes. This preliminary adjustment ensures that the protective field is already in the correct configuration when the truck enters the new driving situation, improving collision safety without requiring complex real-time reaction systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective field is dynamically adjusted based on the determined upcoming driving situation. The control device continuously monitors the truck's position and planned route, and modifies the protective field's extent and orientation to match the anticipated driving conditions, allowing the system to adapt proactively rather than reactively.
2Reliability
If the protective field extends to larger distances to improve safety, then collision protection is enhanced, but the operational efficiency and handling volume decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The protective field's extent in the direction of travel is dynamically adjusted based on the determined upcoming driving situation. When the truck is approaching a curve or high-speed section, the protective field extends further ahead; when the truck is in stable, low-risk conditions, the protective field retracts. This dynamic adjustment maintains safety while maximizing operational efficiency at different moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device changes the parameters of the protective field (extent, orientation, coverage area) based on the upcoming driving situation. By adjusting these parameters proactively, the system ensures adequate protection distance is maintained during critical phases while minimizing the protective field's footprint during safe, efficient operating conditions.
3Ease of operation
If the protective field is positioned according to current steering angle and speed, then the system operation is simplified, but dangerous situations occur on tight curves or at high speeds
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adjusting the protective field only in response to current steering angle and speed, the control device determines the upcoming driving situation based on the planned route and current position. This allows the protective field to be positioned in advance for the anticipated maneuver, ensuring adequate coverage during tight curves or high-speed sections before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective field's position and orientation are dynamically adjusted based on the upcoming driving situation rather than just current state. This dynamic, forward-looking approach ensures the protective field is always positioned to cover the area where obstacles are most likely to be encountered during the next phase of travel.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2e
AI summary
Method for controlling at least one industrial truck (10), comprising the steps: determining the position of the industrial truck (10) within a previously known route to be traveled by the industrial truck, determining an upcoming driving situation depending on the position of the industrial truck (10) and depending on a driving order to be executed by the industrial truck (10), setting a protective field monitored by the industrial truck (10) based on the upcoming driving situation before the industrial truck (10) reaches the driving situation.