Forklift Height Indicator

• US 20090101447A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Durham, Terry, Lawrence, Loren
• Application Number:
  US12/123,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20090101447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/238
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/08 Masts; Guides; Chains
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems

Abstract

A forklift may include (a) a mast; (b) forks which are substantially perpendicular to the mast; (c) a load backrest adjacent to the mast, the load backrest and the forks are coupled and moveable along a longitudinal direction of the mast; and (d) a height measuring component determining a location of the forks relative to the mast.

Claims

1. A forklift, comprising:

a mast;

forks being substantially perpendicular to the mast;

a load backrest adjacent to the mast, the load backrest and the forks being coupled and moveable along a longitudinal direction of the mast; and

a height measuring component determining a location of the forks relative to the mast.

2. The forklift of claim 1, wherein the height measuring component is a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.

3. The forklift of claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags disposed in predetermined locations along the longitudinal direction of the mast.

4. The forklift of claim 3, wherein, when the RFID reader receives RF data from one of the plurality of RFID tags, the location of the forks is determined.

5. The forklift of claim 1, wherein the height measuring component is a barcode reader.

6. The forklift of claim 5, wherein the barcode reader is oriented to scan a plurality of barcodes disposed in predetermined locations along the longitudinal direction of the mast.

7. The forklift of claim 6, wherein, when the barcode reader scans one of the plurality of barcodes, the location of the forks is determined.

8. The forklift of claim 1, wherein the height measuring component is a sonic sensor disposed on a bottom side of the forks.

9. The forklift of claim 3, wherein the plurality of RFID tags is disposed one of permanently and removably.

10. The forklift of claim 9, wherein, when the plurality of RFID tags is disposed permanently, each of the RFID tags is encoded with data indicating the location and, when the plurality of RFID tags is disposed removably, each of the RFID tags is encoded with data indicating a respective identity, the identity indicating the location.

11. The forklift of claim 6, wherein the plurality of barcodes is disposed one of permanently and removably.

12. The forklift of claim 11, wherein, when the plurality of barcodes is disposed permanently, each of the barcodes is encoded with data indicating the location and, when the plurality of barcodes is disposed removably, each of the barcodes is encoded with data indicating a respective identity, the identity indicating the location.

13. An arrangement, comprising:

a reader adapted to be disposed on one of forks and a load backrest of a forklift, the one of the forks and the load backrest moveable along a longitudinal direction of a mast of the forklift; and

a plurality of tags adapted to be disposed in predetermined locations along the longitudinal direction of the mast,

wherein, when the reader reads one of the plurality of tags, a location of the forks relative to the mast is determined.

14. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein the reader is an RFID reader and the plurality of tags is a plurality of RFID tags.

15. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein the reader is a barcode reader and the plurality of tags is a plurality of barcodes.

16. An arrangement, comprising:

a transmitter disposed on a bottom side of forks of a forklift, the forks coupled to a load backrest, the coupling being movable along a longitudinal direction of a mast that is perpendicular to a floor, the transmitter transmitting a sound toward the floor; and

a sensor disposed on the bottom side of the forks of the forklift, the sensor receiving an echo of the sound to determine a height of the forks.

17. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein the transmitter is disposed at a proximal end of the forks.

18. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein a time for the sound to be transmitted, a time for the echo to be received, and a frequency of the sound is used for the determining of the height.

19. The arrangement of claim 16, further comprising:

a further sensor disposed on a distal end of the forks of the forklift, the sensor receiving an echo of a sound transmitted to an object to determine a distance of the forks to the object.

20. A forklift, comprising:

a mast;

forks being substantially perpendicular to the mast;

a load backrest adjacent to the mast, the load backrest and the forks being coupled and moveable along a longitudinal direction of the mast; and

a height measuring means for determining a location of the forks relative to the mast.