Chassis for a battery-operated industrial truck

• US 8,113,311 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Linde Material Handling GmbH (Superlift Holding SARL)
• Original Assignee: Linde Material Handling GmbH (Superlift Holding SARL)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Udo, Eckhoff, Arne, Harsche, Michael, Just, Daniel, Reinbott, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Triggs, James
• Application Number:
  US12/354,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20090200837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/311, 280/783, 429/159
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/186 for building site vehicles or multi-purpose tractors tracked vehicles B62D55/10; tractors in general B62D49/00; building site vehicles in general E02F; lift-trucks B66F
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07513 Details concerning the chassis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A chassis for a battery-operated industrial truck has a center chassis section (1) configured to hold a battery block. The center chassis section (1) is open on top, has a forward transverse wall (5), a rear transverse wall (6), an open side wall (7) provided with a lateral battery compartment opening (B), and a closed side wall (8) which is at a distance from the open side wall (7) in the transverse direction of the chassis. The center chassis section (1) has a chassis bottom (9) in the form of a rigid and torsion-resistant hollow body.

Claims

1. A chassis for a battery-operated industrial truck, comprising:

a central chassis section configured to hold a battery block, wherein the central chassis section has an opening on top, a forward transverse wall, a rear transverse wall, an open side wall provided with a lateral battery compartment opening, and a closed side wall spaced from the open side wall in a transverse direction of the chassis, and wherein the central chassis section has a chassis floor comprising at least one cover plate and a floor plate spaced below the at least one cover plate to define a rigid and torsion-resistant hollow body.

2. The chassis of claim 1, wherein the chassis floor has a framework structure comprising a plurality of horizontally oriented braces.

3. The chassis of claim 2, wherein the framework structure comprises a first longitudinal brace located in a vicinity of the open side wall and a second longitudinal brace located in a vicinity of the closed side wall, and wherein the first and second longitudinal braces are connected to each other by at least one diagonal brace and extend through the forward transverse wall into a forward chassis section where they are anchored.

4. The chassis of claim 3, wherein the diagonal brace viewed from overhead has a rear end in a vicinity of an intersection of the open side wall and the rear transverse wall and a forward end in a vicinity of an intersection of the closed side wall and the forward transverse wall.

5. The chassis of claim 2, wherein at least some of the braces comprise a hollow profile bar that has a closed cross-section.

6. The chassis of claim 3, wherein the floor plate is located below the framework structure and the at least one cover plate is positioned in a top portion of the framework structure.

7. The chassis of claim 6, further comprising two triangular-shaped cover plates, each of which connects one of the longitudinal braces with the diagonal brace.

8. The chassis of claim 3, wherein in the vicinity of the battery compartment opening at a transition from a forward vertical boundary to a horizontal boundary, a forward L-shaped corner element is located between the first longitudinal brace and the open side wall, the forward L-shaped corner element having a vertical leg connected with the side wall and a horizontal leg connected with the first longitudinal brace.

9. The chassis of claim 3, wherein in the vicinity of the battery compartment opening at a transition from a rear vertical boundary to a horizontal boundary, a rear L-shaped corner element is located between the first longitudinal brace and the open side wall, which rear L-shaped corner element has a vertical leg connected with the rear transverse wall and a horizontal leg connected with the first longitudinal brace.

10. The chassis of claim 8, wherein in the vicinity of the battery compartment opening at a transition from a rear vertical boundary to a horizontal boundary, a rear L-shaped corner element is located between the first longitudinal brace and the open side wall, which rear L-shaped corner element has a vertical leg connected with the rear transverse wall and a horizontal leg connected with the first longitudinal brace.

11. The chassis of claim 10, wherein the open side wall, in the transition from the vertical boundaries to the horizontal boundary of the battery compartment opening, has an undercut and the corner elements are each provided, in the transition between the vertical leg and the horizontal leg with a contour which is congruent with the undercuts of the open side wall.

12. The chassis of claim 11, wherein an upper edge of the horizontal leg of the corner elements and the horizontal boundary of the battery compartment opening are congruent and are located below the upper boundary of the longitudinal braces.

13. The chassis of claim 12, wherein in the vicinity of the forward chassis section, the first longitudinal brace is connected at least with an extension of the horizontal leg of the forward L-shaped corner element and the second longitudinal brace is connected at least with the closed side wall.