Industrial Truck Torque Distribution via Pivot Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial trucks with rear-wheel drive suffer from reduced power utilization under load due to the rear wheel being relieved when a load is placed in the front area, while front-wheel drive systems with differential gearing do not fully exploit turntable steering advantages, and complex solutions with dual front drive motors are costly.
Innovation Solution
An industrial truck design featuring a chassis with a front axle, differential gear-driven front wheels, a rear wheel on a turntable for steering, and a control device that dynamically distributes drive torque between front and rear motors based on steering angle, allowing the rear motor to predominantly handle cornering and the front motor straight-ahead driving.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rear-wheel drive is used with turntable steering, then maneuverability is improved, but power utilization deteriorates under load
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is segmented into front-wheel drive for straight-line travel and rear-wheel drive for turning maneuvers. The control device dynamically assigns drive tasks to different wheel sets based on steering angle, allowing each to operate in its optimal performance regime without compromising the other.
2Power
If front-wheel drive with differential gear is used, then power utilization is improved, but steering capability deteriorates at large angles
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive modes based on real-time steering angle feedback. At small steering angles, front-wheel drive with differential provides optimal power utilization. At large steering angles, the system transitions to rear-wheel drive to maintain steering capability, creating a seamless adaptive drive system.
3Ease of operation
If dual front drive motors are used, then steering capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rear wheel assembly serves multiple functions: it provides steering capability through turntable rotation and acts as a driven wheel when activated by the rear drive motor. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dual front drive motors while achieving the same steering performance.
Data Source
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Figure 3a~3c
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AI summary
The invention relates to an industrial truck (101) comprising two front wheels (VRL, VRR), a load receiving means (106) which is provided on a vehicle frame (102) in a front region, preferably in front of the front wheels (VRL, VRR), a front drive motor (111) which is coupled to the two front wheels (VRL, VRR) via a differential transmission (110), a rear wheel (HR) which is mounted on the vehicle frame (102) so as to be rotatable about a rear wheel vertical axis (A) by means of a pivot plate (104), a steering mechanism (120) which is coupled to the pivot plate (104) for adjusting a steering angle, a rear drive motor (105) which is coupled to the rear wheel (HR), and a controller (130) which is designed to distribute a currently required drive torque to the front drive motor (111) and the rear drive motor (105), preferably dependent at least on a current steering angle.