Industrial truck with optical lifting height measurement

• US 9,511,985 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Original Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Inventors: Haemmerl, Robert, Schoettke, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitchell, Joel F.
• Application Number:
  US14/068,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

The invention relates to an industrial truck, comprising a vehicle frame, a lifting framework (14), the lifting framework (14) having a first lifting frame (20) which is attached to the vehicle frame, and at least one lifting arrangement (22, 24) which is movable in the vertical direction (V) relative to the first lifting frame (20), and a measuring arrangement (32, 38, 40) which is provided in order to detect a movement of the first lifting frame (20) and/or of the lifting arrangement (22, 24) relative to the vehicle frame. In this case, it is provided according to the invention that the measuring arrangement comprises at least one optical sensor (32) by means of which the movement of the first lifting frame (20) and/or of the lifting arrangement (22, 24) can be sensed contactlessly. Furthermore, the invention proposes a method for determining the lifting height in a lifting framework of an industrial truck, with the distance covered by the first lifting frame (20) and/or by the lifting arrangement (22, 24) being detected by sensing of a surface (36) of the first lifting frame (20) or of the lifting arrangement (22, 24) by means of an associated optical sensor (32).

Claims

1. An industrial truck, comprising:

a vehicle frame,

a lifting framework comprising a first lifting frame attached to the vehicle frame, and a lifting arrangement movable in the vertical direction relative to the first lifting frame,

a measuring arrangement configured to detect contactlessly a movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, wherein the measuring arrangement comprises an optical sensor that senses a coincidental surface design of the lifting arrangement and does not require regular markings to detect the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame; and

two or more visually recognizable markings facing the optical sensor and arranged on the lifting arrangement, wherein the optical sensor senses the coincidental surface design of the lifting arrangement between two of the two or more markings.

2. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is fastened to the first lifting frame and faces a surface of the lifting arrangement such that movement of the lifting arrangement relative to the first lifting frame is capable of being detected.

3. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting arrangement comprises a second lifting frame that is capable of being displaced telescopically in the vertical direction with respect to the first lifting frame, the second lifting frame being guided on the first lifting frame.

4. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is directed toward a surface of the second lifting frame such that movement of the second lifting frame relative to the first lifting frame is capable of being detected.

5. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second lifting frame comprises a plurality of second lifting frames that are guided telescopically on one another in the vertical direction, and the industrial truck comprises a stepped-up or stepped-down vertical movement coupling between the second lifting frames.

6. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lifting arrangement comprises a load pickup means or a driver'"'"'s cab, and the load pickup means or the driver'"'"'s cab is attached to a lifting frame.

7. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 6, wherein optical sensor is attached to the load pickup means or to the driver'"'"'s cab, optical sensor being directed toward a surface of the second lifting frame such that the vertical movement of the load pickup means or of the driver'"'"'s cab relative to said second lifting frame is capable of being detected.

8. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lifting arrangement comprises a driver'"'"'s cab attached to the second lifting frame and a load pickup means, and the industrial truck further comprises:

a lifting apparatus for the load pickup means attached to the driver'"'"'s cab, and

a further optical sensor capable of detecting relative movement between said load pickup means and the driver'"'"'s cab.

9. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the measuring arrangement does not comprise a sliding block that slides on a surface during the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame.

10. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is capable of detecting two movement components, which are orthogonal with respect to each other, in one sensing plane.

11. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first lifting frame is coupled to the vehicle frame in such a manner that the entire lifting framework is capable of being pivoted about a pivot axis which is substantially orthogonal to a straight-ahead direction of travel and lies in a plane substantially parallel to an underlying surface.

12. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 11, wherein the optical sensor or a further optical sensor is attached to the industrial truck in such a manner that the pivoting movement of the lifting framework is capable of being detected.

13. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 12, wherein the optical sensor or a further optical sensor is attached to the vehicle frame.

14. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring arrangement does not comprise a sliding block that slides on a surface during the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame.

15. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring arrangement is free from mechanically stressed components.

16. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting arrangement comprises a load pickup means or a driver'"'"'s cab, and the load pickup means or the driver'"'"'s cab is attached to a lifting frame.

17. An industrial truck, comprising:

a vehicle frame,

a lifting framework comprising a first lifting frame attached to the vehicle frame, and a lifting arrangement movable in the vertical direction relative to the first lifting frame,

a measuring arrangement configured to detect contactlessly a movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, wherein the measuring arrangement comprises an optical sensor that senses a coincidental surface design of the lifting arrangement and does not require regular markings to detect the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, and

a visually recognizable marking facing the optical sensor and arranged on the lifting arrangement, wherein the visually recognizable marking is provided at a predetermined reference position on the lifting arrangement such that a position of the visually recognizable marking, which position is detected by the optical sensor, is capable of being compared with an absolute reference position.

18. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 17, wherein the visually recognizable marking comprises an additional component attached to the lifting arrangement, or a change in color or a change in surface structure on the lifting arrangement.

19. An industrial truck, comprising:

a vehicle frame,

a lifting framework comprising a first lifting frame attached to the vehicle frame, and a lifting arrangement movable in the vertical direction relative to the first lifting frame,

a measuring arrangement configured to detect contactlessly a movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, wherein the measuring arrangement comprises an optical sensor that senses a coincidental surface design of the lifting arrangement and does not require regular markings to detect the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, and

a visually recognizable marking facing the optical sensor and arranged on the lifting arrangement,

wherein the lifting arrangement comprises a second lifting frame that is capable of being displaced telescopically in the vertical direction with respect to the first lifting frame, the second lifting frame being guided on the first lifting frame,

wherein the visually recognizable marking is provided at a predetermined reference position on the lifting arrangement or on the second lifting frame such that a position of the visually recognizable marking, which position is detected by the optical sensor, is capable of being compared with an absolute reference position.

20. The industrial truck as claimed in claim 19, wherein the visually recognizable marking is in the form of an additional component attached to the lifting arrangement or to the second lifting frame, or in the form of a change in color or a change in surface structure on the lifting arrangement or on the second lifting frame.

21. An industrial truck, comprising:

a vehicle frame,

a lifting framework comprising a first lifting frame attached to the vehicle frame, and a lifting arrangement movable in the vertical direction relative to the first lifting frame,

a measuring arrangement configured to detect contactlessly a movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, wherein the measuring arrangement comprises an optical sensor that senses a coincidental surface design of the first lifting frame and does not require regular markings to detect the movement of the first lifting frame or of the lifting arrangement relative to the vehicle frame, and

two or more visually recognizable markings facing the optical sensor and arranged on the first lifting frame, wherein the optical sensor senses the coincidental surface design of the first lifting frame between two of the two or more visually recognizable markings.