Autonomous Work Vehicle Alignment for Forklift Cargo Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
In workplaces using both autonomous work vehicles and manned forklifts, accurately aligning the forklifts for cargo loading and unloading is challenging due to the rear wheel steering mechanism of forklifts, which limits their lateral movement, making precise alignment difficult and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A work vehicle equipped with a detection unit, communication unit, and control unit that autonomously aligns with a manned forklift by moving forward, backward, or in both directions based on detected positions, ensuring orthogonal movement directions for efficient cargo transfer, and notifies the forklift of non-orthogonal positions for alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the manned forklift uses rear wheel steering to move laterally for alignment, then the forklift can change direction, but the alignment precision and speed deteriorate due to the need for repeated forward and backward movements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the forklift laterally through complex rear wheel steering maneuvers, the patent inverts the approach by moving the autonomous work vehicle forward and backward along its own longitudinal axis to achieve alignment. This eliminates the need for the forklift to perform difficult lateral movements while maintaining high alignment precision.
2Ease of operation
If the manned forklift performs repeated forward and backward movements for lateral adjustment, then lateral positioning is possible, but the alignment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent swaps which vehicle performs the alignment movement. The autonomous work vehicle executes forward and backward movements along its longitudinal axis, while the forklift remains stationary or performs minimal lateral adjustments. This inversion dramatically reduces alignment time since the autonomous vehicle can move more efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous work vehicle independently performs the alignment maneuver by autonomously controlling its forward and backward movement based on detected forklift position, eliminating the need for coordinated complex maneuvers between both vehicles and reducing overall alignment time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the autonomous work vehicle aligns on the forklift's operable side, then cargo loading and unloading is enabled, but the forklift's rear wheel steering limitation prevents easy lateral movement for alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by inverting which vehicle performs the alignment movement. Instead of the forklift moving laterally to align with the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle moves forward and backward to align with the forklift's longitudinal axis. This enables cargo transfer capability while avoiding the forklift's steering limitations.
Data Source
AI summary
A work vehicle capable of autonomously moving in a work area, the work vehicle including a control unit, wherein the control unit starts an alignment in response to a request for the alignment from a manned forklift acquired via a communication unit, determines whether or not a positional relation between the work vehicle and the manned forklift is in a state before starting the alignment, and notifies the manned forklift that a movement direction of the work vehicle and a movement direction of the manned forklift are not orthogonal to each other via the communication unit, when the positional relation between the work vehicle and the manned forklift is not in the state.