Industrial vehicle equipped with load handling operation control apparatus

• US 7,219,769 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2002
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: Ichijo, Hisashi, Katae, Kenichi, Yamanouchi, Torahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATTHEWS, TERRELL HOWARD
• Application Number:
  US10/470,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 187/224, 187/397, 187/414, 701/50, 701/207
• US Class Current: 187/227
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors

Abstract

A load handling operation control apparatus for an industrial vehicle, which has a load carrying apparatus provided movably on a vehicle body, is provided. A load carrying apparatus 2 is positioned with a load handling target 41, 42 according to its movement. A load handling control section 47 has a display device 28 and a detection device for detecting the position of the load handling target. A image control section 46 displays positioning information for supporting positioning of the load carrying apparatus 2 with respect to the load handling target 41, 42 on the display device 28 based on a positional detection result detected by the detection device.

Claims

1. A load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle, which comprises:

a load carrying apparatus movably provided on a vehicle body for doing a load carrying work;

image pickup means for picking up an image of a load handling target of said load carrying apparatus;

display means for displaying an image picked up by said image pickup means on a screen;

calculation means for calculating a position of a moving target point of a reference mark, affixed to said load handling target, on the screen of said display means at the time of positioning of said load carrying apparatus with respect to the load handling target; and

drawing control means for drawing a target mark for visual confirmation of said moving target point on the image on said screen.

2. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1,

further comprising operation means to be manually operated to move said load carrying apparatus, and control means for controlling drive means for moving said load carrying apparatus in accordance with a manual operation of said operation means, and

wherein said calculation means calculates a moving target point on the screen of said display means when said load carrying apparatus is moved in accordance with a manual operation of said operation means.

3. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in, an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said image pickup means is a camera which is provided liftable with respect to said load carrying apparatus, wherein said load handling operation aiding apparatus further comprises discrimination means for discriminating whether a load carrying work by said load carrying apparatus is a load pickup work or a load deposition work, and lifting means for lifting said camera up and down in such a way that said camera is moved and placed in a position according to the type of the load carrying work discriminated by that discrimination means, and wherein a placed position of said camera at the time of the load deposition work is set to a position that does not interfere with image pickup of a work area by a load picked up by said load carrying apparatus.

4. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said industrial vehicle has a mast and a carriage provided on said mast in a liftable manner, said load carrying apparatus is provided on said carriage, said image pickup means is a camera which is fixed to said mast,

wherein said load carrying apparatus is constructed in such a way that when said load carrying apparatus is lifted up and down in a range of a predetermined height or more, said carriage is moved on said mast while said load canying apparatus and said camera keep a constant positional relationship at least in a height direction,

wherein said load handling operation aiding apparatus further comprises height detection means for detecting a height of said load carrying apparatus, and

wherein said drawing control means draws a target mark for visual confirmation of said moving target point on the image on said screen based on positional data of the moving target point calculated by said calculation means when the height detected by said height detection means is equal to or higher than said predetermined height.

5. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a position of a load handling target differently between a load pickup work and a load deposition work, and wherein said display means displays positional information according to the load handling target detected by said detection means.

6. An industrial vehicle equipped with a load handling operation aiding apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said mast is a telescopic type multi-level mast constructed to have multi-level constituting members including an inner mast, said mast is protracted and retracted by sliding of those constituting members including an inner mast, and said mast is protracted if said load carrying apparatus is moved and positioned at a topmost stage of the inner mast in said constituting members, and wherein said camera is fixed to said inner mast.

8. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said camera is fixed to said inner mast in a center portion of the inner mast in the vehicle'"'"'s widthwise direction.

9. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said load handling target is affixed with a reference mark to be a reference for positioning, said calculation means calculates a moving target point of said reference mark on the screen of said display means, and said drawing control means draws a target mark indicating said moving target point of said reference mark on the image on said screen.

10. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said target mark is constituted by a figure of a target point with respect to a center point and said target mark is drawn in such a way that said center point coincides with said moving target point.

11. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said load handling target is a pallet or a shelf plate.

12. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, further comprises:

load detection means for detecting whether or not there is a load placed on or held by the load carrying apparatus and outputting a detection signal;

decision means for determining whether the load carrying work is a load pickup work or a load deposition work based on the detection signal from said load detection means; and

control means for causing said load carrying apparatus to do a load pickup work or a load deposition work based on decision by said decision means.

13. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, further comprises:

load detection means for detecting whether or not there is a load placed on or held by the load carrying apparatus and outputting a detection signal;

at least one actuator to be driven to cause said load carrying apparatus to do the load carrying work;

decision means for determining the type of said load carrying work based on the detection signal from said load detection means; and

control means for driving said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means.

14. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said load carrying apparatus is liftable up and down along a mast provided on the vehicle body,

said actuator is driven to lift said load carrying apparatus up and down along the mast, and

said load carrying apparatus is lifted up to a load pickup height by said actuator when said decision means determines that the type of the load carrying work is a load pickup work, and said load carrying apparatus is lifted up to a load deposition height by said actuator when said decision means determines that the type of the load carrying work is a load deposition work.

15. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said decision means determines that the type of the load carrying work is a load deposition work when a load is detected on said load carrying apparatus, and said decision means determines that the type of the load carrying work is a load pickup work when no load is detected on said load carrying apparatus.

16. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising start operation means for outputting an operation signal at the time of starting automatic load handling control of said load carrying apparatus, wherein said start operation means is used commonly in a plurality of different load carrying works, and

said control means performs automatic load handling control of said load carrying apparatus by driving said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means when said operation signal is input from said start operation means.

17. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising second detection means that detects if a start condition to start automatic load handling control of said load carrying apparatus is satisfied and outputs a second detection signal that indicates whether or not the start condition is satisfied, wherein said control means drives said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means only when the second detection signal indicates that the start condition is satisfied.

18. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said automatic load handling control is control to position said load carrying apparatus with respect to a load handling target, and

wherein said control means controls said actuator to place said load carrying apparatus in a work start position set in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means.

19. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 1, further comprises:

load detection means for detecting whether or not there is a load placed on or held by the load carrying apparatus and outputting a detection signal;

an aiding apparatus provided to support an automatic load control of the handling work of said load carrying apparatus and equipped with at least one actuator;

decision means for determining the type of said load carrying work based on the detection signal from said load detection means; and

control means for controlling said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means.

20. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 19, further comprising start operation means for outputting an operation signal at the time of starting automatic load handling control of said load carrying apparatus, wherein said start operation means is used commonly in a plurality of different load carrying works, and

said control means supports said automatic load handling control by driving said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means.

21. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 19, further comprising second detection means that detects if a start condition to start automatic load handling control of said load carrying apparatus is satisfied and outputs a second detection signal that indicates whether or not the start condition is satisfied, wherein said control means drives and controls said actuator in accordance with the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means only when the second detection signal indicates that the start condition is satisfied.

22. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said types of load carrying works include a load deposition work and a load pickup work.

23. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the industrial vehicle further comprises start operation means for automatic elevation and wherein said control means is part of an automatic elevation unit for lifting the load carrying apparatus up to a predetermined height by an operation signal from said start operation means,

said control means drives the actuator for automatic elevation control of the load carrying apparatus by said automatic elevation unit, and

when elevation is designated by the operation signal from said start operation means, said control means positions said load carrying apparatus in either a load deposition position or a load pickup position, determined according to the type of the load carrying work determined by said decision means with respect to the height instructed by said operation signal.

24. An industrial vehicle equipped with a load handling operation aiding apparatus according to claim 12.

25. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said control means performs positioning control to position the load carrying apparatus with respect to a load handling target according to the type of the load carrying work.

26. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said control means starts control to automatically execute a load pickup work or a load deposition work, based on an operation signal from start operation means, and controls actuation of at least one actuator provided to operate said load carrying apparatus.

27. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said control means controls actuation of at least one actuator provided to operate said load carrying apparatus and said control means starts said control to automatically execute a load pickup work or a load deposition work, based on an operation signal from a start operation means.

28. The load handling operation aiding apparatus in an industrial vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said decision means determines that the load carrying work is a load pickup work when a signal output from said load detection means is a signal indicating no load and determines that the load carrying work is a load deposition work when the signal indicates presence of a load.