A method of controlling a work vehicle including a steering cylinder operating a steering wheel by hydraulic oil supplied thereto, a steering member receiving an input for operating the steering wheel, and a steering valve unit which is connected to the steering member and supplies the hydraulic oil to the steering cylinder, the method includes: obtaining a speed of the work vehicle and a steering angle of the steering wheel; and decreasing a correction factor for correcting a deviation amount of actual steering angle information of the steering wheel with respect to target information as information on a target steering angle of the steering wheel with respect to an operation amount of the steering member when the speed of the work vehicle increases in a case where the steering angle of the steering wheel obtained based on the steering angle is in a predetermined range from a neutral position.

A pedestrian truck (50) steered with a tiller (56) is operable in a first mode where a controllable front wheel (64) is aligned generally parallel with a front-rear centre line of the truck, or a second mode where the wheel is generally perpendicular to the front-rear centre line. A steering controller can operate in either a normal steering mode to steer the rear steerable wheel (52) in the same sense (clockwise or anticlockwise) as the tiller is rotated and in an alternate steering mode to steer the rear steerable wheel in the opposite sense to the rotation of the tiller. A steering mode selector is provided which automatically engages the alternate steering mode when the truck is in the second mode of operation and either (i) the tiller is positioned on the same side of the centre line as the controllable front wheel and the drive direction is such that the tiller leads the truck (FIGS. 12-14), or (ii) the tiller is positioned on the same side of the centre line as the castor front wheel (58) and the drive direction is such that the tiller trails the truck (FIGS. 4, 5).

A steering axle (20) for a steerable vehicle includes an axle housing (1), a first steering knuckle (4), a second steering knuckle (5), a steering motor (6), and a steering gear (16). The first steering knuckle (4) and the second steering knuckle (5) are mounted so as to be steerable in the axle housing (1). The steering axle (20) has a first flexible drive (21) that connects a first output (12) of the steering gear (16) to the first steering knuckle (4) in terms of drive, and a second flexible drive (22) that connects a second output (13) of the steering gear (16) to the second steering knuckle (5) in terms of drive, so that a rotational speed of the steering motor (6) results in a steering movement of the first steering knuckle (4) and of the second steering knuckle (5). Also disclosed is a corresponding industrial truck.

A method of operating a construction machine that includes a base, support arms each pivotally coupled to the base, and a plurality of wheel assemblies each coupled to the one of the support arms, the method including, in a transport mode of the construction machine, turning a wheel of each of the wheel assemblies, independently from a wheel of another of the wheel assemblies, to a toe out orientation. The method also includes driving each support arm to a deployed condition of the support arm in an operational mode of the construction machine. Driving each support arm to the deployed condition causes the distal ends of each of the support arms to move away from one another and outwardly from the base. The method also includes locking each support arm in the deployed condition and controlling steering of each wheel in the operational mode of the construction machine.

A steering method of a multi-directional industrial truck for controlling a movement of the multi-directional industrial truck from a starting position into a target position. The method includes selectively controlling automatically at least one of a rotatory component of the movement and a translatory component of the movement.

The simultaneous maneuvering system includes a base, a plurality of wheel assemblies including at least one wheel rotatably mounted to the base, a plurality of steering rotors rotatably mounted to the base and the wheel assemblies, and a drive assembly having a drive frame coupled to each of the rotors. Operation of the drive assembly causes simultaneous rotation of the rotors and, thereby, positions the wheel of each corresponding wheel assembly in a desired direction.

A steering device includes a rotation central portion having a rotation axis Ax of the steering device and a steering unit connected to the rotation central portion. The direction in which the rotation axis of the rotation central portion extends is an axial direction. One of directions perpendicular to the axial direction is a radial direction. A direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the radial direction is a width direction. The steering unit protrudes from the rotation central portion in the radial direction in plan view of the steering device in the axial direction. A maximum width of the steering unit in the width direction is less than or equal to a maximum width of the rotation central portion in the width direction.

A forklift-type automated guided vehicle includes a body and a control circuit unit received in the body, both a first fork arm and a second fork arm parallel to each other and formed on a front end of the body to forklift cargo, each of the first fork arm, the second fork arm and a bottom end of the body including at least one two-wheel differential driving assembly rotatably connected to the first and second fork arms, and the body, respectively, and electrically connected to the control circuit unit. The two-wheel differential driving assembly includes a left driving wheel and a right driving wheel formed opposite to each other which can be independently driven to realize differential rotation. The present disclosure not only can forklift cargo with a small turning radius, but also can realize left-to-right sideways movements and an in-place rotation and a U-turn movement.

In some embodiments, a mobile robot unit for engaging a wheel of parked target vehicle is provided, the mobile robot unit comprising: a frame adjustable from a first configuration to a second configuration and vice versa, wherein in the second configuration the frame engages the vehicle wheel to apply a sufficient counterforce onto the vehicle wheel to lift the vehicle wheel and the vehicle weight supported by the vehicle wheel from the ground; and at least two wheel assemblies supporting the frame above the ground, each wheel assembly comprising at least one steerable wheel, the steerable wheel contacting the ground.

A forklift apparatus includes: an error prediction unit configured to predict a first positional error which is a positional error after picking-up between a standard position of a fork and a central position of a pallet on the fork after the pallet is picked up and a first angle error which is an angle error after picking-up with respect to the fork in the pallet; a travel route correction unit configured to correct a travel route from a picking-up position of the pallet to a stacking position of the pallet to offset the first positional error and the first angle error when the pallet is stacked; and a conveyance travel control unit configured to perform travel control such that the pallet is conveyed along the corrected travel route.