Straddle carrier with automatic steering

• US 8,108,090 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konecranes Global Corporation (Konecranes Terex Plc)
• Original Assignee: Noell Mobile Systems Gmbh (Fantuzzi SA Société De Participations Financieres)
• Inventors: Bauer, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSEN, LIN B
• Application Number:
  US12/075,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20090129904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/38 with automatic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/48 Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Programme control
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• 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

Abstract

A straddle carrier for transporting and stacking freight containers, with automatic steering, is made up of two chassis beams having steerable wheels, for traveling over the container stack. At least one laser scanner measures the distance to a container wall from different angles, and passes the measurement signals to an electronic control, which calculates a steering angle reference value for the electronically regulated vehicle steering from the measurement signals.

Claims

1. A straddle carrier for transporting and stacking freight containers comprising:

(a) first and second horizontally and side by side arranged chassis beams having steerable wheels for travelling over a container stack;

(b) at least one laser scanner for measuring distance to a container wall from different angles;

(c) an electronic control for receiving measurement signals sent by said at least one laser scanner; and

(d) an electronically regulated vehicle steering system;

wherein said electronic control calculates a steering angle reference value for the electronically regulated steering system from the measurement signals,

wherein when a measured distance to a container wall is below a certain limit, automatic steering is activated.

2. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, wherein the laser scanner comprises a two-dimensional (2D) laser scanner.

3. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, wherein said first chassis beam travelling on one side of the containers to be stacked and transported comprises a front chassis beam part, vertical supports are set onto said chassis beam allowing the straddle carrier to span layers of containers, and one or more laser scanners are disposed in the front chassis beam or on the vertical supports.

4. Straddle carrier according to claim 3, wherein the at least one laser scanner is disposed in a ram buffer.

5. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, wherein the straddle carrier, when approaching a container stack, detects the height of the container stack and automatically sets a lift mechanism to a selected height in such manner that collision-free travel over the container stack is possible.

6. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, wherein the straddle carrier automatically brakes when going below a minimum distance (a) from the container wall or when approaching a container stack that the straddle carrier cannot travel over.

7. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a flashing light indicating to a driver that automatic steering can be activated when a measured distance to a container wall is below a certain limit.

8. The straddle carrier according to claim 1, comprising right and left laser scanners for obtaining measurement values, wherein the measurement values of the right and the left laser scanner are checked against one another for plausibility via the electronic control.