Industrial Truck Load Handling with Sensor-Controlled Ergonomic Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial trucks with lifting devices face challenges in order picking, where operators must constantly bend or kneel to load and unload goods, leading to health issues and inefficiencies, and the high-lift masts increase costs and obstruct visibility, while not providing the necessary low overall height for parking.
Innovation Solution
An industrial truck with a load handling device controlled by sensors that detect loads, allowing for automatic lowering or raising to ergonomic heights during loading and unloading, eliminating the need for a protruding mast and enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a high-lift mast is provided to raise the load fork beyond initial lift, then lifting height is increased, but overall vehicle height increases and visibility is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The load fork is made dynamically adjustable through automated position changes based on sensor detection. The system transitions between initial lift position and elevated picking position dynamically, allowing the vehicle to maintain low overall height when high lifting is not needed, while providing elevated positioning only when required for order picking operations
2Length of moving object
If the load fork is raised to high lifting height, then goods can be placed on pallet at higher levels, but operator must bend or kneel constantly leading to health problems
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensor devices to automatically detect load presence and control the lifting device to adjust fork height accordingly. This automated self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention to change lifting heights, maintaining ergonomic loading positions automatically based on detected load conditions
3Length of stationary object
If a picking lifting frame is integrated into the load part housing, then overall height is reduced, but the lifting range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the fork position between two states: initial lift position for transport and elevated picking position for order picking. This dynamic positioning allows the integrated lifting frame to provide sufficient picking stroke (approximately 75 cm) while maintaining low overall vehicle height, as the elevated position is achieved only when needed through automated control
Data Source
AI summary
The truck (1) has a loading part (3) with a load retaining unit (30) i.e. load shank, formed from load arms (32). A control device is connected with a sensor device i.e. laser beam sensor, arranged in an area of an upper cover (8) of the drive and/or loading part. The sensor device detects loads provided in the unit in a horizontal detection area. The control device controls a commissioned lifting device such that the lifting device is lowered and lifted when the loads are detected and not detected in the detection area in loading and unloading conditions, respectively. An independent claim is also included for a method of controlling lifting in an industrial truck.