Industrial Truck Control System

• US 20080051952A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Original Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Inventors: Tushaus, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

The present invention relates to an industrial truck control system (10) for influencing the driving operation of an industrial truck (A, B) according to irregularities along the route to be traveled by the industrial truck (A, B), the system comprising a sensor device (14) for recording irregularities along the route in assignment to the position of irregularities concerned, a memory device (16) for storing the data recorded by the sensor device, and means (16) for influencing the driving operation of the industrial truck (A, B) in dependence on the respective position of the industrial truck (A, B) and according to the data of the sensor device (14) stored in the memory device (16).

Claims

1. Industrial truck control system (10;

100) for influencing the driving operation of an industrial truck (A, B) according to irregularities (46, 48, 50, 52) along the route (42) to be traveled by the industrial truck (A, B), comprising

a sensor device (14) for recording irregularities (46, 48, 50, 52) along the route (42) in assignment to the position of irregularities concerned,

a memory device (16) for storing the data recorded by the sensor device, and

means (16) for influencing the driving operation of the industrial truck (A, B) in dependence on the respective position of the industrial truck (A, B) and according to the data of the sensor device stored in the memory device (16).

2. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, the sensor device (14) comprising optical and/or electromagnetic and/or mechanical sensors.

3. Industrial truck control system according to claim 2, the sensor device having at least one sensor (12) for determining the position of the industrial truck.

4. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being possible for the type of irregularities concerned (46, 48, 50, 52) to be recorded automatically or by manual input.

5. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being possible for unevennesses of the ground (46) along the route (42) to be recorded by means of the sensor device (14) as irregularities.

6. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being possible for narrow points, obstacles (48, 50, 52) and the like along the route (42) to be recorded as irregularities.

7. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, control data for driving operation of the industrial truck (A) that can be influenced by the influencing means (16) comprising data for controlling the speed of the industrial truck and/or data for controlling the lifting height of a load part of the industrial truck and/or data for steering the industrial truck (A).

8. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being possible for the control data for driving operation to be influenced automatically by the influencing means (16).

9. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being a component part of the industrial truck (A) and taken along by it.

10. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being possible for it to be configured at least partially as a non-vehicle-bound device (30;

70), wherein a communication link between the industrial truck (A, B) and the non-vehicle-bound device (30) can be set up for the two-way exchange of recorded data and/or control data for driving operation.

11. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, it being set up for influencing the driving operation of a number of industrial trucks (A, B).

12. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, comprising means for determining a desired point in time for the next maintenance of the industrial truck according to the data of the sensor device that are stored in the memory device, in particular according to the frequency with which the industrial truck passes the positions of recorded irregularities.

13. Industrial truck control system according to claim 1, comprising means for counting the frequency with which the industrial truck passes the positions of recorded irregularities.

14. Industrial truck control system according to claim 12, it comprising a maintenance interval indicating device and being set up for the purpose of indicating the desired point in time determined for the next maintenance of the industrial truck by means of the maintenance interval indicating device.

15. Industrial truck (A), which is equipped with an industrial truck control system according to claim 1.

16. Fleet of industrial trucks comprising a number of industrial trucks (A, B) that can be influenced in their driving operation by a control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of these is an industrial truck (A) which is equipped with said industrial truck control system.

17. Method of operating an industrial truck control system for industrial trucks according to claim 1, in which data on irregularities (46, 48, 50, 52) along a route (42) to be traveled by an industrial truck are recorded in assignment to the position of irregularities concerned, wherein the recorded data are stored by the memory device (16) and processed by the influencing means in such a way that control data for influencing the driving operation of the industrial truck (A, B) are determined from the recorded data.

18. Method according to claim 17, the recorded data and/or the control data for driving operation being transmitted to the industrial truck (A) and/or to further industrial trucks (B) and/or to a central computing unit (30).

19. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that the data recording is carried out during a learning trip with an industrial truck (A) equipped with said industrial truck control system.

20. System for modifying maintenance time intervals of an industrial truck according to irregularities along the route to be traveled by the industrial truck, comprising

a sensor device for recording irregularities along the route in assignment to the position of irregularities concerned,

a memory device for storing the data recorded by the sensor device, and

means for determining a desired point in time for the next maintenance of the industrial truck according to the data of the sensor device that are stored in the memory device, in particular according to the frequency with which the industrial truck passes the positions of the respective irregularities.