Floor conveyor

• US 10,633,232 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Material Handling Manufacturing Sweden AB (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Material Handling Manufacturing Sweden AB (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Valfridsson, Goran, Rogers, Terence
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US15/650,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20180016125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/003 for fork-lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07509 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07568 Steering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07581 Remote controls

Abstract

Systems and methods for a floor conveyor include a sensor device and a control unit, wherein the control unit is operable to control the travel functions of the floor conveyor, wherein the sensor device is arranged to be able to provide the control unit with sensor data, wherein the sensor device is arranged such that it can detect objects in a plane. The plane is arranged to a have a follow section and a steer away section. And the floor conveyor is arranged such that it can determine an object to follow.

Claims

1. A floor conveyor comprising:

a sensor device and a control unit, wherein the control unit is operable to control a travel function of the floor conveyor, wherein the sensor device is arranged to provide the control unit with sensor data, wherein the sensor device is arranged to detect objects in a plane;

wherein the plane is to extend along a first side of the floor conveyor, the plane comprising a follow section and a steer away section, wherein the follow section is to be positioned outside the steer away section in relation to the floor conveyor, wherein the floor conveyor is arranged to;

initiate a search mode by extending the plane outside the follow section with a search section to determine that an object is positioned outside the follow section;

follow the object by moving in a straight line when the floor conveyor is traveling, based on the detection of the object within the search section;

steer away from the object based on the object being detected in the steer away section; and

steer towards the object based on the object not being detected in the steer away section and not being detected in the follow section.

2. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the search mode comprises an ability to extend the plane by a predetermined distance, on a second side and a third side of the floor conveyor, and the floor conveyor is arranged to follow the object on the side which is detected inside the predetermined distance.

3. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the search mode comprises an ability to extend the plane outside the follow section in a stepwise procedure such that the extension is made by cumulative addition of a new section onto a previous section, the stepwise procedure extending the plane alternately to a second side and a third side of the floor conveyor.

4. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the floor conveyor is arranged to follow the object at a predetermined distance, wherein the floor conveyor is arranged to determine at least one of a distance to be a current position from which the object is detected to be followed, the distance to be the predetermined distance that has been stored on the control unit of the floor conveyor, and the distance based on an operator identification data provided by an operator and relate the distance to a stored distance value.

5. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the floor conveyor is arranged to be able to be controlled by a remote control device.

6. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is mounted at an angle α

with regard to a horizontal plane, wherein the plane is extending at the angle α

when compared with the horizontal plane.

7. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is mounted at a predetermined distance from the surface on which the floor conveyor is supported, wherein the predetermined distance enables the sensor device to detect objects on the first side and a section of a second side, and

wherein the predetermined distance enables the sensor device to detect an object on a section of a third side of the floor conveyor, the sensor device mounted in a central position on a longitudinal symmetry line of the floor conveyor.

8. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the first side is positioned opposite a load carrier on the floor conveyor, perpendicular to a central symmetry line of the floor conveyor.

9. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is a laser sensor.

10. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the side on which the floor conveyor is arranged to search for and follow an object is positioned perpendicular to the first side.

11. The floor conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the plane further comprises a stop section, wherein the floor conveyor is arranged such that based on the object being detected in the stop section, the floor conveyor is stopped by control of the travel function from the control unit upon receipt of a sensor data indicating the object being positioned in the stop section, the stop section extending along a section of a first side and a second side and a third side of the floor conveyor, the stop section positioned inside the steer away section closest to the floor conveyor.

12. The floor conveyor according to claim 11, wherein the stop section further has an extension that is to alter between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration the stop section has a side that has an angled side to a central symmetry line of the floor conveyor such that the stop section discloses a wedge shape with a narrowing width away from the floor conveyor in a perpendicular direction to the central symmetry line, wherein the second configuration discloses a shape with a constant width perpendicular to the central symmetry line of the floor conveyor, and the steer away section has a reversed wedge shape with regard to the stop section such that the floor conveyor facing side of the steer away section is angled to the central symmetry line.