Transport vehicle for the transport of load shelves with partially autonomous operation and method for operating said transport vehicle

• US 9,823,662 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH (Rudolf Grenzebach,)
• Original Assignee: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH (Rudolf Grenzebach,)
• Inventors: Mecklinger, Siegfried, Kuegle, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US15/022,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20160231751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/02 with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element in combination with tipping B60P1/34; devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes, movable on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/06 ; suspensions with electronic levelling control during loading or unloading B60G17/0157
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/6409 details, accessories, auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07586 Suspension or mounting of wheels on chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

The invention concerns a transport vehicle and a method for the trouble-free transport of load shelves in workshops with partially autonomous operation, having the following features: (a) a vehicle body with a carrier plate for receiving and transporting a load shelf with cargo, with two separately driven drive wheels, at least one support wheel being provided at the front and at the rear of the vehicle body in each case; (b) a transverse link which connects the drive wheels which are each pivotable via an angled lever about the rotational axis, such that the drive wheels can carry out vertical movements independently of each other; (c) a centrally disposed adjusting element which, via a lifting-turning lever and a thrust rod connected thereto, can move two front lifting rods and two rear lifting rods in order to raise or lower the carrier plate; (d) a system for supplying energy to the vehicle body; and (e) at least one 3D scanner and at least one light field sensor in the front region of the vehicle body.

Claims

1. A transport vehicle for transporting storage shelves by partially autonomous operation and without interference in factory buildings, the transport vehicle comprising:

a) a vehicle body (9) having a support plate (4) adapted for receiving and transporting a storage shelf (1) having transported goods (2), having two separately driven drive wheels (5) on both sides of one in each case individually mounted rotation axle (32) in a center region of the vehicle body (9),

b) wherein in each case at least one support wheel (8) is provided on a front side and on a rear side of the vehicle body (9),

c) a transverse link (13) which connects the drive wheels (5) which are in each case by way of an angular lever (31) pivotable about the rotation axle (32) such that said drive wheels (5) are configured to execute mutually independent vertical movements,

d) a centrally disposed control member (17), which by way of a lift-and-rotate lever (38) and by way of a push rod (35) connected to the lift-and-rotate lever (38), move two front lifting rods (40) by way of lifting rod levers (37) and two rear lifting rods (26) by way of lifting rods (11), for lifting or lowering the support plate (4),

e) an installation space (16) for electric batteries or tanks for storing other energy sources is provided in the vehicle body (9),

f) at least one laser scanner (3) and at least one light-field sensor (6) in a front region of the vehicle body (9), and

g) a processor comprising a program for controlling the transport vehicle, wherein the processor is in communication with the at least one laser scanner (3) and the at least one light-field sensor (6).

2. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one laser scanner (3) and at least one light-field sensor (6) are provided on each side of the transport vehicle.

3. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first control member adapted for height adjustment of the two front lifting rods (40), and a second control member adapted for height adjustment of the two rear lifting rods (26).

4. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage shelf (1) has a center of gravity and the transport vehicle includes a sensor adapted for detecting the center of gravity of the storage shelf (1).

5. The transport vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein sensors for detecting the rotation movement of the drive wheels (5) are provided, which sensors are adapted to determine slippage on each drive wheel (5) dependent on the speed of the transport vehicle.

6. A method for operating a transport vehicle for transporting storage shelves by partially autonomous operation and without interference in factory buildings, the method comprising:

a) providing a warehouse comprising a command center adapted to receive an order for transportable goods, a storage shelf (1) having transportable goods (2), and a transport vehicle according to claim 1;

b) receiving an order, wherein the order requests the transportable goods to be transported to a specific destination;

c) sending the order to the transport vehicle, wherein the order identifies the storage shelf (1) having transportable goods (2) within the warehouse;

d) instructing the transport vehicle to pick up the storage shelf (1), and to drive with the storage shelf (1) having the transported goods (2) located thereon to a specific storage space;

e) instructing the transport vehicle to drive a specific route and speed to and from the storage shelf (1), wherein a laser scanner (3) and a light-field sensor (6) on the transport vehicle (9) identifies the storage shelf (1);

f) instructing the transport vehicle (9) to drive the storage shelf (1) having the transportable goods (2) somewhere else in the warehouse.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the storage shelf (1) has a center of gravity and the center of gravity of the storage shelf (1) is detected by sensors.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the transport vehicle further comprises drive wheels (5) and sensors adapted for detecting the rotation movement of the drive wheels (5), wherein the sensors are adapted to also determine slippage on each drive wheel (5) dependent on the speed of the transport vehicle.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the storage shelf (1) comprises shelf unit posts (7) and a marking in the form of a bar code or of a data-matrix code on all sides of the shelf unit posts (7).

10. A machine-readable carrier comprising a non-transitory program code of a computer program for carrying out a method for operating a transport vehicle for transporting storage shelves by partially autonomous operation and without interference in factory buildings, when the program is executed in a computer;

the method comprising;

a) providing a warehouse comprising a command center adapted to receive an order for transportable goods, a storage shelf (1) having transportable goods (2), and a transport vehicle;

b) receiving an order, wherein the order requests the transportable goods to be transported to a specific destination;

c) sending the order to the transport vehicle, wherein the order identifies the storage shelf (1) having transportable goods (2) within the warehouse;

d) instructing the transport vehicle to pick up the storage shelf (1), and to drive with the storage shelf (1) having the transported goods (2) located thereon to a specific storage space;

e) instructing the transport vehicle to drive a specific route and speed to and from the storage shelf (1), wherein a laser scanner (3) and a light-field sensor (6) on the transport vehicle (9) identifies the storage shelf (1);

f) instructing the transport vehicle (9) to drive the storage shelf (1) having the transportable goods (2) somewhere else in the warehouse;

wherein the transport vehicle comprises;

a) a vehicle body (9) having a support plate (4) adapted for receiving and transporting a storage shelf (1) having transported goods (2), having two separately driven drive wheels (5) on both sides of one in each case individually mounted rotation axle (32) in a center region of the vehicle body (9),

b) wherein in each case at least one support wheel (8) is provided on a front side and on a rear side of the vehicle body (9),

c) a transverse link (13) which connects the drive wheels (5) which are in each case by way of an angular lever (31) pivotable about the rotation axle (32) such that said drive wheels (5) are configured to execute mutually independent vertical movements,

d) a centrally disposed control member (17), which by way of a lift-and-rotate lever (38) and by way of a push rod (35) connected to the lift-and-rotate lever (38), move two front lifting rods (40) by way of lifting rod levers (37) and two rear lifting rods (26) by way of lifting rods (11), for lifting or lowering the support plate (4),

e) an installation space (16) for electric batteries or tanks for storing other energy sources is provided in the vehicle body (9),

f) at least one laser scanner (3) and at least one light-field sensor (6) in a front region of the vehicle body (9), and

g) a processor comprising a program for controlling the transport vehicle, wherein the processor is in communication with the at least one laser scanner (3) and the at least one light-field sensor (6).