Self-guided automatic load transporter
First Claim
1. A self-guided automatic load transporter comprising:
- a generally rectangular vehicle body includingparallel front end and rear end walls and parallel left side and right side walls,a plurality of transverse and longitudinal upright internal walls dividing said body into a plurality of portions,base plate means closing the bottom of a number of said portions to form upwardly opening box-like compartments, at least three of the remaining unclosed body portions forming wheel wells,a pair of parallel fork tubes extending through the body and open on at least one end to form means for receiving the forks of a forklift, anda cargo plate forming the top surface of said body and serving to close the tops of said portions to thereby cover said compartments;
first and second castor wheels disposed within two of said wells for supporting one end of said body;
an elongated axletree having a first drive wheel attached to one end thereof and a second drive wheel attached to the other end thereof, said axletree being disposed in said third well and pivotally attached to and supporting the other end of the body;
first and second drive means carried by said axletree for powering said first and second driven wheels, respectively;
bumper means formed into a closed loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion, said bumper means being disposed around said castor wheels and beneath said body, with said forward portion partially extending forwardly and sidewardly of said front end wall;
suspension means for attaching said bumper means to said body; and
a bumper contact sensing means responsive to bumper displacement and operative to de-energize said drive means, thereby halting motion of the transporter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A self-guided automatic load transporter for moving cargo between two or more locations by following a buried energized conductor and including a body which occupies a volume of space substantially surrounded on four sides by an exterior wall and having its interior divided by a plurality of transverse and longitudinal internal walls of approximately the same height as the external wall, a pair of parallel fork pockets extending between two parallel sides of the exterior wall, three base plates welded to the bottom of a number of the internal walls forming several box-like enclosures accessible only from the top, the plates not entirely covering the bottom and leaving open a number of wells, a cargo plate or bed disposed on top of and covering the body, a lightweight safety bumper extending forwardly and sidewardly from a front end of the transporter which senses obstructions and causes the transporter to stop, independent, motor driven wheels mounted on a common beam axletree which is disposed in a rearward well of the body and which is pivotally attached to the body to support the rearmost portion of the transporter, and two castor wheels, one each located in a front corner well and supporting the front end of the transporter.
201 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A self-guided automatic load transporter comprising:
- a generally rectangular vehicle body including
parallel front end and rear end walls and parallel left side and right side walls, a plurality of transverse and longitudinal upright internal walls dividing said body into a plurality of portions, base plate means closing the bottom of a number of said portions to form upwardly opening box-like compartments, at least three of the remaining unclosed body portions forming wheel wells, a pair of parallel fork tubes extending through the body and open on at least one end to form means for receiving the forks of a forklift, and a cargo plate forming the top surface of said body and serving to close the tops of said portions to thereby cover said compartments; first and second castor wheels disposed within two of said wells for supporting one end of said body; an elongated axletree having a first drive wheel attached to one end thereof and a second drive wheel attached to the other end thereof, said axletree being disposed in said third well and pivotally attached to and supporting the other end of the body; first and second drive means carried by said axletree for powering said first and second driven wheels, respectively; bumper means formed into a closed loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion, said bumper means being disposed around said castor wheels and beneath said body, with said forward portion partially extending forwardly and sidewardly of said front end wall; suspension means for attaching said bumper means to said body; and a bumper contact sensing means responsive to bumper displacement and operative to de-energize said drive means, thereby halting motion of the transporter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- a generally rectangular vehicle body including
Specification