Abstract
An industrial truck with a drive part having a driver stand assembly. The driver stand assembly includes an L-shaped stand platform with a horizontally arranged floor element and a vertical wall element. The vertical wall element has a switching lever positioned on it which interacts with the spring element in a first switching position and is freely movable relative to the spring element in a second switching position, wherein in the first switching position, a spring force of the spring element acts by means of the switching lever on the stand platform.
Claims
1. An industrial truck with a drive part having a driver stand assembly, the driver stand assembly comprising: an L-shaped stand platform comprising a horizontally arranged floor element moveably mounted to a portion of an industrial truck by a swing arm, and a vertical wall element having at least one coupling element securely connected to the industrial truck; a spring element; and a switching lever positioned on the vertical wall element, wherein the switching lever engages the spring element in a first switching position and is freely movable relative to the spring element in a second switching position, and wherein in the first switching position, a spring force of the spring element acts on the L-shaped stand platform.
2. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein the stand platform is mounted by a suspension spring.
3. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is a pneumatic spring.
4. The industrial truck according to claim 1, further comprising a position sensor configured to interact with the vertical wall element or the at least one coupling element.
5. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein the at least one coupling element is a guide roller.
6. The industrial truck according to claim 5, wherein a guide element is coupled to the industrial truck by a pair of side legs.
7. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein the switching lever comprises an adjustment arm which contacts the spring element in the first switching position to compress the spring element when the swing arm undergoes a resilient movement.
8. The industrial truck according to claim 7, further comprising a pressure piece configured to contact a first portion of the switching lever when the switching lever is in the first position and a second portion of the switching lever when the switching lever is in the second position.
9. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein the swing arm comprises at least one sidearm, and wherein one end of the at least one sidearm is articulated to a frame fixed to the industrial truck, and the other end of the at least one sidearm is articulated to the floor element.
10. The industrial truck according to claim 9, wherein the swing arm has two sidearms connected to each other by at least one transverse arm.
11. The industrial truck according to claim 1, wherein a second spring element is coupled to a portion of a frame and configured to interact with the L-shaped floor element.
12. The industrial truck according to claim 11, wherein the second spring element is a pneumatic spring.
13. The industrial truck according to claim 1, further comprising a position sensor configured to interact with the vertical wall element and the at least one coupling element to detect an unloaded and a loaded spring assembly.
14. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the at least one coupling element is positioned below the position sensor.
15. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the position sensor generates a deadman signal when it detects an unloaded spring element.
16. The industrial truck according to claim 1, further comprising two or more switching levers and respective spring elements.
17. The industrial truck according to claim 16, wherein the two or more switching levers are independently adjustable of other switching levers.
18. The industrial truck according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more switching levers has a catch to permit one or more adjacent switching levers to be simultaneously adjusted.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail below. In the figures:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from the side of an industrial truck fitted with a spring-suspended driver stand assembly;
(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the stand platform with an unengaged spring element in an unloaded position;
(4) FIG. 3 shows the cross-sectional view from FIG. 2 in a loaded position;
(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the lifting platform with an engaged spring element and unloaded driver stand;
(6) FIG. 5 shows the cross-sectional view from FIG. 4 in a loaded position;
(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the spring-suspended driver stand assembly with a partially cutaway floor and vertical wall element in an unloaded state;
(8) FIG. 7 shows the perspective view from FIG. 6 in a loaded state;
(9) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view from the side of three switching levers; and
(10) FIG. 9 shows the three switching levers from FIG. 8 in a perspective view from the front.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(11) FIG. 1 shows an industrial truck 10 which has a drive part 12 and a load part 14. The load part 14 has a pair of fork arms 16 which are supported by load rollers 18. The drive part 12 includes at least one wheel 20 as well as an operating element 22 to control some or all of the functions. The drive part 12 also includes a driver stand assembly 21. The driver stand assembly has a floor element 26 with a pressure-sensitive mat 28 and a vertical wall element 30 connected to the floor element. As shown, switching levers 32 are provided centrally on the vertical wall element 30 and are partially covered by a cover 34.
(12) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the driver stand assembly. In an embodiment, the floor element 26 is coupled to the wall element 30 to form an L-shaped stand platform 24. In a connecting area 36 on the bottom side of the floor element 26, a sidearm 38 is pivotably coupled to the floor element 26 at a bearing site 40. In the present depiction, the pivot point of the sidearm 38 is located below the floor element and may be at least partially covered.
(13) FIG. 2 also depicts a lower frame section of a frame 42 on which a horizontal flange 44 is provided. The horizontal flange 44 includes a projection 46 on which a spring element 48 is arranged. The spring element 48 abuts the horizontal flange 44 and contacts the bottom side of the floor element 26. A pneumatic spring 50 is mounted via a ball-and-socket joint 52 to the lower frame section 42. The pneumatic spring 50 may be engaged and disengaged by one or more switching levers 54. The switching lever 54 is mounted on the wall element 30. The switching lever 54 includes an actuating section 56, an adjusting arm 58 and a switching surface 60 which is formed by two switching recesses 62 and 64. A pressure piece 66 is also arranged on the wall element 30 and engages in the switching recesses 62, 64 in order to lock the respective switching positions. A spring-mounted ball 61 is located in the pressure piece. The lower frame section 42 may be mounted on a vehicle frame, or it may be a component of the vehicle frame. A vertical flange surface 78 of an upper frame 80 section can, for example, be used for an installation on a vehicle frame.
(14) Still referring to FIG. 2, the end of the wall element 30 projecting away from the floor element 26 includes a guide roller 68 which is rotatably mounted on a bearing axle 70. The guide roller 68 contacts a guide element 72, which provides a wall-element-facing guide 74 for the guide roller 68. A top tongue 73 forms a stop for the lifting movement and limits the path of the guide roller 68.
(15) As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, a position sensor 76 is attached above the guide roller 68 and interacts with the guide roller 68, or respectively its bearing axle 70, in order to detect the unloaded position of the driver stand assembly 21 as depicted in FIG. 2.
(16) FIG. 3 shows the driver stand assembly 21 in its loaded position. As shown, the transverse arm 82 of the sidearm 38 runs substantially or nearly parallel to the floor element 26, and the spring element 48 is in a compressed state. In addition, the vertical wall 30 has moved in the direction of the stroke or LIFT so that the guide roller 68 is at a distance from the position sensor 76. The stroke drawn in FIG. 3 corresponds to the stroke from FIG. 2 due to the approximately linear movement of the floor element 26.
(17) As shown in FIG. 3, the adjusting arm 58 of the switching lever 54 travels past the pneumatic spring 50, such that a gap 84 is maintained. Accordingly, the pneumatic spring 50 does not contribute to the cushioning of the floor element 26, but rather only supports the spring 48 element.
(18) FIGS. 2 and 3 show a switching lever 54 which is located in its second switching position such that it does not actively interact with the pneumatic spring 50 and the pressure piece 66 is in the second switching recess 62.
(19) FIGS. 4 and 5 show the switching lever 54 in a first switching position such that the pressure piece 66 is located in the first switching recess 64. FIG. 4. shows the unloaded position in which the adjusting arm 58 is positioned above the pneumatic spring 50, wherein a distance 86, designated a no-load stroke, occurs. The no-load stroke 86 makes it possible to pivot the switching lever 54 when the stand platform 24 is in an unloaded state.
(20) As shown, the pneumatic spring 50 is retained by a guide rail 88 so as to be linearly displaceable. It is connected to the lower frame section 42 by means of the ball-and-socket joint 52. As shown in FIG. 5, both the spring element 48 and pneumatic spring 50 are compressed by a weight on the floor element 26. The switching lever 54 which, along with its adjusting arm 58, is entrained along with the wall element 30 to execute a lifting movement relative to the uncompressed pneumatic spring. When a load is exerted on the floor element 26, the spring forces of the spring element 48 and the pneumatic spring 50 add together.
(21) Referring to FIG. 6, the swing arm 90 is equipped with sidearms 38 and a transverse arm 82. As shown in this embodiment, six pneumatic springs 50 are arranged on the guide rail 88. The pneumatic springs 50 each possess a switching lever 54 configured to engage each corresponding pneumatic spring 50. Switching lever 92 is for example located in its activated, i.e., first switching position in which the spring force of pneumatic spring 96 acts on the stand platform 24. The switching lever 54 with switching lever 92 are jointly mounted on a bearing shaft 98 and pivot about the bearing shaft.
(22) Still referring to FIG. 6, the guide element 100 includes two side legs 102, 104 by means of which the guide element 100 can be fastened to the upper frame section 80. The upper frame section 80 may be fixed to a vehicle frame in the area of the guide element through bore holes 106. Two guide rollers 68 are arranged on a common bearing axle 70 and are retained or housed by the guide element 100. The position sensor 76 is mounted on the guide element 100 above the bearing axle 70.
(23) As shown in FIG. 6, the four bearing points 110 for the swing arm 90 are positioned below the wall element 30 and are located approximately in the area of the spring element 48 on the end of the sidearm 38 facing the wall element 30. The other end of the sidearm 38 has a bearing point 112 in which the sidearm 38 is pivotably connected to the connection area 36 of the floor element 26.
(24) FIG. 7 shows the loaded position of the stand platform 24 from FIG. 6. As shown, adjusting arm 94 actuates pneumatic spring 96, whereas the other pneumatic springs 50 are not actuated due to the position of their switching levers 54. The spring element 48 is compressed and a buffer element 114 forms a stop at the bottom stroke end in the interior of the spring element 48, and intercepts a potential overloading of the floor element. As shown in FIG. 7, when the driver stand assembly 21 is in the loaded position, there is a greater distance from the position sensor 76 to the bearing axis 70.
(25) FIGS. 8 and 9 show a detailed view of three switching levers 54, switching recesses 62, 64 and the switching surface 60. A catch pocket 116 and a catch pin 118 (FIG. 8) are provided on one side of each of the adjusting arms 58. If a switching lever 54 is moved into its inactive, i.e., second switching position, the switching levers 54 arranged on the side of the catch pocket 116 are also moved into their second switching position. If a switching lever 54 is moved into its first switching position, i.e., into its active switching position, all of the switching levers 54 located on the side of the catch pin 118 are concomitantly moved into the first switching position. In this manner, it is possible to quickly engage or disengage with a few manipulations a plurality of pneumatic springs 50 (FIGS. 6-7) by means of one switching lever 54.
(26) As shown in FIG. 9, upward movement of an actuation section 120 moves the corresponding adjusting arm 58 into contact with the pneumatic spring element 50 (FIGS. 6-7). As shown in FIGS. 6-9, engaging one or more pneumatic springs 50 makes it possible to cover a large weight range. As a result, an appropriate strength and/or number of pneumatic spring elements 50 can always be engaged to produce a corresponding spring excursion.
