Drive control apparatus for forklift

• US 20080011530A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: Yamada, Tadashi, Kamiya, Toshikazu, Oka, Hidenori
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0208 Clutch engagement state, e.g. engaged or disengaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/003 for fork-lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/6807 Status of gear-change operation, e.g. clutch fully engaged
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

When a determination result of a limitation determining section during a driving of a forklift is positive, a control section limits a vehicle speed and adjusts an engine speed. If a limitation canceling condition is met while the vehicle speed is limited, a control section cancels a vehicle speed limitation state, and executes a loading priority control in which an actuation of a loading device is prioritized. Thus, when a loading device is actuated during driving with a speed limit, the stability of the forklift is ensured while improving the workability of the loading operation.

Claims

1. A drive control apparatus for a forklift, wherein the forklift includes a vehicle, a drive wheel provided to the vehicle, an engine, a power transmission mechanism capable of transmitting power of the engine to the drive wheel, a loading device that is provided at a front portion of the vehicle and mounts a load, and a loading pump that supplies hydraulic oil to actuate the loading device,

wherein the forklift uses the power of the engine as a driving force for driving the vehicle and as a loading force for actuating the loading pump,

the drive control apparatus comprising:

a disconnection detection section that detects whether the power transmission mechanism is in a disconnection state, in which the driving force is not transmitted to the drive wheel, wherein, when at least the disconnection detection section detects the disconnection state, a limitation canceling condition is met;

an acceleration operation section that instructs acceleration of the vehicle in response to an operation by a driver;

a limitation determining section, wherein the limitation determining section determines whether to limit a maximum vehicle speed during driving of the vehicle based on a determination of a load state or an input from an instruction section that instructs driving limitation, and when the result of the determination is positive, the limitation determining section determines a speed limit; and

a control section that adjusts a speed of the engine based on the amount of operation of the acceleration operation section, and controls the driving of the vehicle;

wherein, when the determination result of the limitation determining section during the driving of the vehicle is negative, the control section adjusts the engine speed in accordance with the operation amount of the acceleration operation section without limiting the vehicle speed,

wherein, when the determination result of the limitation determining section during the traveling of the vehicle is positive, the control section limits the vehicle speed and adjusts the engine speed such that the vehicle speed does not exceed the speed limit, and

wherein, if the limitation canceling condition is met while the vehicle speed is limited, the control section cancels the vehicle speed limitation state, and executes a loading priority control in which the actuation of the loading device is prioritized, and wherein, in the loading priority control, the control section adjusts the engine speed in accordance with the operation amount of the acceleration operation section.

2. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the limitation canceling condition further includes a state where the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined limitation canceling vehicle speed.

3. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the limitation canceling condition further includes a non-operated state of the acceleration operation section.

4. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the vehicle speed surpasses the speed limit while the load priority control is executed, the control section terminates the load priority control, thereby returning to the vehicle speed limitation state.

5. The drive control apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, when terminating the load priority control and resuming the vehicle speed limitation state, the control section returns to the load priority control when a predetermined returning condition is met, and

wherein the returning condition includes a non-operated state of the acceleration operation section.

6. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the power transmission mechanism includes a hydraulic clutch having a pressure receiving chamber, the clutch is continuously changed between engagement and disengagement in accordance with a hydraulic pressure in the pressure receiving chamber,

wherein the clutch is provided with a hydraulic pressure detecting section for detecting the hydraulic pressure in the pressure receiving chamber, and

wherein the disconnection detection section detects whether the power transmission mechanism is in the disconnection state based on the hydraulic pressure detected by the hydraulic pressure detecting section.