A side shifter configured for use on a lift truck with an actuator of the side shifter embedded in and almost completely surrounded by the weight bearing components of the side shifter, particularly the fork base top bar and back carriage top bar. This arrangement provides additional protection to the actuator. Embedding the actuator in the weight bearing components of the side shifter also provides for a larger unobstructed view through the middle side shifter.

A forklift linkage system (100) for movement has a levelling carriage assembly (110) movably contained within a channel assembly (120). A main long link pivotally connects to the levelling carriage assembly (110) at a first pivot point (111) and a fork carriage assembly (150) at a second pivot point (151). A short link (140) pivotally connects near a midpoint (131) of the main long link (130) at a third pivot point (121) and at a fixed pivot point (121) relative to the channel (120), near a vertical offset position from the pivot point of the main long link (130) to the levelling carriage assembly (110) at a fourth pivot point (112). A levelling link (160) pivotally connects to the levelling carriage assembly (110) at a fifth pivot point (151) and at the opposite end to a fork carriage assembly (150) at a sixth pivot point, such that the travel path of the second pivot point (151) connecting the main long link (130) to the fork carriage assembly (150) remains substantially perpendicular to the channel (120) when the linkage system (100) is moved between retracted and extended positions. The angle through the second pivot point (151) connects the main long link (130) to the fork carriage assembly (150). The sixth pivot point (152) connects the levelling link (160) to the fork carriage assembly (150) substantially constant in relation to the channel (120) when the linkage system (100) is moved between retracted and extended positions.

A transport robot including a body, a mover that is located beneath the body and provides a moving function, a loading box retractable into and extendable from the body, a horizontal driver that moves the loading box in a front and rear direction, a vertical driver that moves the loading box in a vertical direction, and a link module that spreads the loading box in a left and right direction to open a bottom of the loading box. The loading box includes a pair of loading frames that move in the left and right direction opposite to each other as the link module operates. The transport robot easily unloads an item from a loading space as a loading box automatically extends.

An automatic guided vehicle for the handling of shuttles and/or loading units in automatic warehouses. A telescopic upright integral with a vehicle frame bears a fork holder plate provided with a pair of forks and connected to the telescopic upright with an equipment. The equipment includes actuators and sensors for controlling and commanding the movements of the forks. An actuator controls the global lateral translation of the fork holder plate. A pair of actuators moves the forks closer to and away from each other. A pair of actuators rotates the fork holder plate with respect to a central axis of the equipment. The equipment also includes a pair of fork side sensors, to check the alignment of the fork holder plate to the front side of a rack and fork alignment sensors to check the alignment of the forks with respect to the lateral guides of the tunnel.

A lift truck includes a frame, a pair of laterally spaced apart outriggers extending from the frame, and a load handling assembly secured to the frame adjacent to the outriggers. The load handling assembly includes a mast assembly positioned between the outriggers and a carriage assembly including fork structure for supporting a load on the load handling assembly. The carriage assembly is movable vertically along the mast assembly and laterally with respect to the mast assembly. Optical sensor structure of the truck monitors for conditions wherein movement of the carriage assembly would result in contact between the load and the outrigger(s). A vehicle controller receives a signal from the optical sensor structure and prevents movement of the carriage assembly toward the outrigger(s) if the signal from the optical sensor structure indicates that such movement would result in contact between the load and the outrigger(s).

Different exemplary control systems for a hydraulically powered load-handling clamp, of the type usually mountable on industrial lift trucks or automatically guided vehicles, are disclosed. The disclosed systems variably limit a hydraulic force, by which load-clamping arms move a load substantially transversely, automatically depending on the weight of the load being moved, so as to avoid excessive transverse force applied to fragile loads.

Systems and methods for providing a rotatable boom attachment that is rotatable about at least two different axes with respect to an attached boom are described. A system embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a body portion configured to couple to a distal end of a boom, the body portion coupled with a rotational actuator configured to rotate the body portion about a first rotational axis with respect to the boom; a connecting arm rotatably coupled to the body portion; and a motor configured to drive the connecting arm about a second rotational axis having an orientation differing from the first rotational axis, wherein at least one of the body portion or the connecting arm includes a mounting site configured to removably couple to one or more implements.

Examples of an alignment assembly for loading a shipping container are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, the alignment assembly includes a base rotatably disposed on a pole and an alignment bracket moveably connected to the base. The alignment bracket may include a main support member connected to an alignment member. The alignment bracket is configured to permit the alignment member to be disposed substantially co-planer with a sidewall of the shipping container.

An equipment (1) for a lift truck or similar self-propelled work machines, comprising: a fixed frame (2) which can be mounted solidly constrained to an arm of said lift truck, a movable frame (3), to which a tool (41, 42) is fixed, and actuating means (5) for displacing said movable frame (3) with respect to said fixed frame (2). The fixed frame (2) comprises a straight upper guide (22, 23) and a straight lower guide (24, 25) which lie on parallel or coincident planes. The movable frame (3) comprises upper connecting means (31, 32) and lower connecting means (33, 34) slidably coupled respectively to the upper guide (22, 23) and to the lower guide (24, 25) and coplanar thereto, so as to enable translation of the tool (41, 42) with respect to the fixed frame (2).

An industrial vehicle includes a side shift mechanism, a distance sensor provided on a side surface of at least one of the pair of forks in the horizontal direction and configured to detect a distance from the side surface to a detection object; and a control unit configured to control a side shift operation by the side shift mechanism based on a detection result of the distance sensor. The control unit stores an initial value of a distance between a side surface of the fork and an inner wall surface when the side shift operation by the side shift mechanism is started, and stops the side shift operation by the side shift mechanism when the distance between the side surface of the fork and the inner wall surface has varied from the initial value during execution of the side shift operation by the side shift mechanism.