Lift truck

• US 7,165,819 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Genlyte Thomas Group LLC (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Yusoki Company Limited (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): SICONOLFI, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US11/199,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 303/151, 303/152, 303/22.1, 303/22.2, 303/20
• US Class Current: 303/151
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/006 Dynamic electric braking by reversing current, i.e. plugging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/26 Controlling the braking effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

In a lift truck of a type that, using a brake controller 20, a traveling motor 3 can be braked by an electromagnetic brake 17, the brake controller 20, when it detects the brake operation of a brake operation device, not only actuates the electromagnetic brake 17 but also detects the truck body weight and traveling speed of the lift truck, thereby electrically braking the traveling motor 3 in such a manner that the electric brake force can be increased or decreased in correspondence to whether the thus-detected truck body weight is heavy or light as well as the electric brake force can be increased or decreased in correspondence to whether the thus-detected traveling speed is high or low.

Claims

1. A lift truck comprising:

a truck body;

a traveling motor for traveling the truck body;

an electromagnetic brake for braking rotation of the traveling motor;

a brake operation device to be operated for actuation of the electromagnetic brake; and

,

a brake controller for detecting the brake operation of the brake operation device to actuate the electromagnetic brake,

the brake controller comprising;

an operation sensor for detecting operation of the brake operation device;

a speed sensor detecting the traveling speed of the truck body;

a controller for deciding the value of an electric brake force of an electric brake in accordance with the detected value of the speed sensor; and

a motor drive part for inputting therein the value of the electric brake force to electrically brake the traveling motor,

wherein the brake controller, when it detects the brake operation of the brake operation device, actuates the electromagnetic brake, detects the traveling speed of the truck body, and electrically controls the traveling motor in accordance with the decided value such that the electric brake force is increased or decreased in correspondence to the detected traveling speed of the truck body.

2. A lift truck as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller includes;

a data table containing detection values of the speed sensor and electric brake force values respectively corresponding to the detection values; and

a read-out section for reading out one of the electric brake force values from the data table based on the detected value of the speed sensor,

wherein the one of the electric brake force values is transferred to the motor drive part as a decided value.

3. The lift truck as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

an operation part for calculating the electric brake force based on the detected value of the speed sensor,

wherein the calculation result of the operation part is transferred to the motor drive part as a decided value.

4. The lift truck as set forth in claim 3, wherein the operation part comprises:

a traveling speed operation portion for calculating the traveling speed based on the detected value of the speed sensor, a brake efficiency operation portion for calculating a brake efficiency based on the calculation result of the traveling speed operation portion; and

an electric brake force operation portion for calculating the electric brake force based on the calculation result of the brake efficiency operation portion,

wherein the calculation result of the electric brake force operation portion is transferred to the motor drive part as a decided value.

5. A lift truck as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electric brake is a plugging or regenerative brake.