WHEEL ARM FORKLIFT TRUCK, PREFERABLY AS AN AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wheel arm forklift truck (1), preferably as an automated guided vehicle, comprising a front end (10c) having at least, preferably exactly, two steerable drive rollers (11a, 11b); comprising at least one first wheel arm (10a) which extends in a straight line away from the front end (10c) and is fixedly connected to the front end (10c), wherein the first wheel arm (10a) has at least, preferably exactly, one first roller (12a); and comprising at least one first fork arm (15a) which is located above the first wheel arm (10a) in the vertical direction (Z) and is designed to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z). The wheel arm forklift truck (1) is characterized in that the first roller (12a) of the first wheel arm (10a) is steerable through at least 90°.

Claims

1. Wheel arm forklift truck, preferably as an automated guided vehicle, comprising a front end having at least two steerable drive rollers, comprising at least one first wheel arm which extends in a straight line away from the front end and is fixedly connected to the front end, wherein the first wheel arm has at least one first roller, and comprising at least one first fork arm which is located above the first wheel arm in the vertical direction, and is designed to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction, characterized in that the first roller of the first wheel arm is steerable through at least 90°.

2. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the first roller of the first wheel arm is steerable through 360°.

3. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the first roller of the first wheel arm is arranged on the end of the first wheel arm remote from the front end.

4. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the first roller of the first wheel arm has an electric motor which is designed to rotate a roller mount of the first roller, by means of a gear unit about the vertical direction as vertical axis, wherein the roller mount has at least one roller.

5. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 4, characterized in that the roller mount has at least one pair of rollers, the roller elements of which are designed and arranged axially symmetrical to the vertical axis.

6. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 4, characterized in that the first roller of the first wheel arm has at least one first position sensor which is designed to detect a rotational position of the roller mount, wherein the first roller has at least one second position sensor which is designed to detect the rotational position of the roller mount.

7. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 1, characterized by at least one second wheel arm which extends parallel to the first wheel arm in a straight line away from the front end and is fixedly connected to the front end, and by at least one second fork arm which is arranged parallel to the first fork arm in the vertical direction above the second wheel arm and which is designed to be raised and lowered together with the first fork arm in the vertical direction, wherein the second wheel arm has at least one second roller, wherein the second roller of the second wheel arm is designed to be rotatable through at least 90°.

8. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the second roller of the second wheel arm is designed to be rotatable through 360°.

9. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the second roller of the second wheel arm is designed to be steerable through at least 90°.

10. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the second roller of the second wheel arm is designed to be steerable through 360°.

11. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the second roller of the second wheel arm is arranged on the end of the second wheel arm remote from the front end.

12. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the two steerable drive rollers are not arranged in alignment with one another in the transverse direction.

13. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the two rollers of the two wheel arms are not arranged in alignment with one another in the transverse direction.

14. Wheel arm forklift truck according to claim 7, characterized in that the first steerable drive roller of the two steerable drive rollers is arranged in the longitudinal direction in alignment with the first roller of the first wheel arm, and the second steerable drive roller of the two steerable drive rollers is arranged in the longitudinal direction in alignment with the second roller of the second wheel arm.

Description

[0051] An exemplary embodiment and further advantages of the invention are illustrated in a purely schematic manner and in detail below in connection with the following figures. In particular:

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic representation of a wheel arm forklift truck according to the invention with a picked-up transportation aid and a person shown obliquely from above and from the back;

[0053] FIG. 2 shows the illustration of FIG. 1 obliquely from above and from the front;

[0054] FIG. 3 shows the illustration of FIG. 1 obliquely from below and from the front;

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a partially transparent detail view of FIG. 2;

[0056] FIG. 5 shows a perspective schematic illustration of a first steerable roller of the first wheel arm of the wheel arm forklift truck according to the invention shown obliquely from above and from the front;

[0057] FIG. 6 shows the illustration of FIG. 5 obliquely from below and from the front;

[0058] FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of the wheel arm forklift truck according to the invention in case of a rotation on the spot; and

[0059] FIG. 8 shows a schematic plan view of the wheel arm forklift truck according to the invention in the case of a rotational movement about a point.

[0060] FIGS. 1 to 6 are based on Cartesian coordinates. A longitudinal direction X is shown, which can also be referred to as depth X or as length X. A transverse direction Y, which can also be referred to as width Y, extends 5 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. A vertical direction Z, which can also be referred to as height Z, extends perpendicular both to the longitudinal direction X and to the transverse direction Y. The longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y together form the horizontal X, Y, which can also be referred to as horizontal plane X, Y.

[0061] FIGS. 7 and 8 are based on cylindrical coordinates. In this case, the vertical direction Z can also be understood as vertical axis Z. A radial direction R extends away from the vertical axis Z perpendicular to the vertical axis Z. A circumferential direction U extends perpendicular to the radial 15 direction R and around the vertical axis Z.

[0062] A wheel arm forklift truck 1 according to the invention has a frame 10. The frame 10 is U-shaped in the horizontal plane X, Y and has a first, right-hand wheel arm 10a and a second, left-hand wheel arm 10b, which run parallel to one another and extend in the longitudinal direction X away from a front end 10c of the frame 10, which connects the two wheel arms 10a, 10b fixedly to one another; see for example FIG. 3.

[0063] At the corners of the frame 10 or its front end 10c the front end 10c has two drive rollers 11a, 11b which are not aligned with one another in the transverse direction Y. The two drive rollers 11a, 11b can each be driven electrically rotationally, for example, and correspondingly transmit drive forces onto a ground (not shown) in both directions of rotation. Furthermore, both drive rollers 11a, 11b can be aligned by in each case a further drive, for example electrically, by 360° about their respective vertical axis, which runs in the vertical direction Z, and moreover in a targeted manner, which can be understood as steering. The rotational position can be detected by sensors (not shown). The two drive rollers 11a, 11b of the front end 10c are thus designed to be steerable.

[0064] The first wheel arm 10a has a first, right-hand roller 12a facing away from the front end 10c in the longitudinal direction X, which roller is also designed to be steerable; see for example FIGS. 3 and 4. This can be effected by means of an electric motor 12aa, which is arranged in the first wheel arm 10a, see for example FIGS. 5 and 6. The rotational movement of the electric motor 12aa is transmitted by means of a clutch 12ac to a gear unit 12ad, which can be designed as a worm gear unit 12ad or as a bevel gear unit 12ad. By means of the gear unit 12ad, a roller mount 12af can be rotated about its vertical axis, which extends in the vertical direction Z. The roller mount 12af has a pair of rollers 12ag, which are rotatably mounted around their common axis, which extends in the horizontal plane X, Y, within the roller mount 12af. The vertical axis of the roller mount 12af extends centrally between the two roller elements of the pair of rollers 12ag through the axis of rotation thereof. As a result, the first, right-hand roller 12a can be implemented as a steerable roller 12a, which can roll on the ground by the movement of the wheel arm forklift truck 1.

[0065] The rotational position of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a can be set via the electric motor 12aa by a control unit (not shown) of the wheel arm forklift truck 1. This can take place in any angular position within 360° and above, i.e. the gear unit 12ad can rotate the roller mount 12af as desired about its vertical axis, which increases flexibility and speed when changing the angular position. A detection of the currently assumed angular position of the roller mount 12af can be effected by means of a first position sensor 12ab of the electric motor 12aa in the form of an incremental encoder 12ab and redundantly by means of a second position sensor 12ae below the gear unit 12ad and can be used by the control unit.

[0066] The second wheel arm 10b has a comparable second, left-hand roller 12b, which, however, is not steerable but is designed to rotate freely, that is to say rotate freely about its vertical axis and can also roll over the ground by the movement of the wheel arm forklift truck 1. Accordingly, the second, left-hand freely rotating roller 12b can follow the movements of the wheel arm forklift truck 1 or its steerable drive rollers 11a, 11b and align itself in the corresponding direction of movement. This can enable support of the second wheel arm 10b on the ground and at the same time enable the execution of any movements in the horizontal plane X, Y.

[0067] The wheel arm forklift truck 1 according to the invention can thus be used as a four-way industrial truck which, by means of the steering of the two steerable drive rollers 11a, 11b and the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a, can not only carry out translational movements in the longitudinal direction X, in the transverse direction Y and also obliquely in the horizontal plane X, Y, but also carry out rotational movements on the spot, see for example FIG. 7, or around a point, see for example FIG. 8. For this purpose, the arrangement of the first, right-hand steerable drive roller 11a and of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a in the longitudinal direction X in alignment with each other and of the second, left-hand steerable drive roller 11b and of the second, left-hand freely rotating roller 12b in alignment with each other in the longitudinal direction X can be advantageous.

[0068] In contrast to this, it can be advantageous for the lateral movement in the transverse direction Y if the two steerable drive rollers 11a, 11b are not aligned with one another in the transverse direction Y and the two rollers 12a, 12b of the two wheel arms 10a, 10b are not aligned with one another in the transverse direction Y, i.e. are arranged offset to one another in the longitudinal direction X. This can facilitate the stability or the straightness of movement in the transverse direction Y.

[0069] The wheel arm forklift truck 1 further comprises a fork mount 14, which can be moved up and down between two vertical rails 13 of the front end 10c in the vertical direction Z on the two rails 13. Two fork arms 15a, 15b extend in parallel to one another from the fork mount 14 in the longitudinal direction X, which fork arms can also be referred to as fork prongs 15a, 15b or simply as prongs 15a, 15b. The first, right-hand fork arm 15a is formed to be hollow in the vertical direction Z on its underside such that the first right-hand fork arm 15a is lowered onto the first right-hand wheel arm 10a and can substantially surround the first right-hand wheel arm 10a, see for example FIG. 3. This applies correspondingly to the second, left-hand fork arm 15b and to the second, left-hand wheel arm 10b. As a result, a very flat design of the fork arms 15a, 15b can be implemented, in order to bring them underneath a transportation aid 2 such as, for example, a transport pallet 2 and to lift the transport pallet 2 in the vertical direction Z.

[0070] In the vertical direction Z above the front end 10c, a housing 16 is provided which, for example, surrounds the already mentioned control unit, a rechargeable electrical energy store (not shown) and the like, and which can protect against external influences and prevent access by persons 3. The housing 16 has a display element 17 in the form of a screen 17 or a display 17 for visually outputting information to a person 3 as a user 3, as well as operating elements 18 in the form of control levers 18 for operator inputs by the user 3, which are all positioned remotely from the fork mount 14 in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, in the lower region of the housing 16, at both corners, the wheel arm forklift truck 1 has in each case an environment scanner 19 in the form of a laser scanner 19 facing away from the fork mount 14 in the longitudinal direction X, in order to acquire environmental information.

[0071] The control unit of the wheel arm forklift truck 1 is designed to operate the wheel arm forklift truck 1 automatically so that the wheel arm forklift truck 1 can be used as an AGV or FTF. The detected surroundings information of the laser scanner 19 can be used for this purpose.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS (PART OF THE DESCRIPTION)

[0072] R Radial direction [0073] U Circumferential direction [0074] X Longitudinal direction; depth; length [0075] Y Transverse direction; width [0076] Z Vertical direction; height; vertical axis [0077] X, Y Horizontal, horizontal plane [0078] 1 Industrial truck, wheel arm forklift truck [0079] 10 (U-shaped) frame [0080] 10a First, right-hand wheel arm of the frame 10 [0081] 10b Second, left-hand wheel arm of the frame 10 [0082] 10c Front end of the frame 10 [0083] 11a First, right-hand steerable drive roller [0084] 11b Second, left-hand steerable drive roller [0085] 12a First, right-hand steerable roller [0086] 12aa Electric motor of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0087] 12ab First position sensor or incremental encoder of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0088] 12ac Clutch of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0089] 12ad Gear unit or worm gear unit or bevel gear unit of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0090] 12ae Second position sensor of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0091] 12af Roller mount of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0092] 12ag Roller or roller pair of the first, right-hand steerable roller 12a [0093] 12b Second, left-hand freely running roller [0094] 13 Rails [0095] 14 Fork mount [0096] 15a First, right-hand fork arm: first, right-hand fork prong; first, right-hand prong [0097] 15b Second, left-hand fork arm, second, left-hand fork prong, second, left-hand prong [0098] 16 Housing [0099] 17 Display element; screen; display [0100] 18 Control elements; control lever [0101] 19 Environmental scanner; laser scanner [0102] 2 Conveying aid, transport pallet [0103] 3 Person; user