Forklift Truck Brake System

Abstract

A forklift truck brake system includes a drive, a gear box, a traction motor connected to the gear box, wheels and tires rotatably mounted on opposed ends of the drive axle, the gear box being connected to the drive axle, and the traction motor causes rotation through the gear box to rotate the wheels and tires. The system also includes a brake disc installed on an output shaft of the traction motor, and a brake is configured to clamp the brake disc and stop it from rotating. The brake is used to make the brake disc on the output shaft of the traction motor stop rotating, so that the traction motor stops rotating, and the brake force of the motor is amplified by the gear box and drive axle, to achieve quick braking and reduce the braking distance.

Claims

1. A forklift truck brake system comprising: a drive axle, a gear box, a traction motor connected to the gear box, wheels and tires rotatably mounted on opposed ends of the drive axle, wherein the gear box is connected to the drive axle and the traction motor causes rotation of the wheels and tires through the gear box, and wherein a brake disc is installed on an output shaft of the traction motor, and a brake is configured to clamp and stop rotation of the brake disc.

2. The forklift truck brake system according to claim 1, wherein the gear box is connected to a middle part of the drive axle by bolts.

3. The forklift truck brake system according to claim 1, wherein the traction motor is connected to the gear box by bolts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a top view of an example forklift truck brake system in accordance with the present disclosure; and

[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of the example shown in FIG. 1.

[0012] The components in the drawings are referred to as follows: drive axle 1, gear box 2, traction motor 3, tires 4, brake disc 5, brake 6, and wheel hub 7. A further detailed description of the drawings and examples is presented below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0013] A forklift truck brake system is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and includes a drive axle 1, a gear box 2, a traction motor 3, two wheel hubs 7 rotatably mounted on the opposed ends of the drive axle 1, tires 4 mounted on the wheel hubs 7, wherein the gear box 2 is connected to the drive axle 1, the traction motor 3 is connected to the gear box 2 by bolts and causes rotation through the gear box 2. The brake system also includes a brake disc 5 that is installed on an output shaft of the traction motor 3, and a brake 6 that clamps the brake disc 5 and stops its rotation.

[0014] When operating, the rotation of the traction motor 3 causes rotation through the gearbox 2 and drive axle 1 to drive the wheels and tires 4, thereby achieving the forklift truck driving. When braking, the brake 6 will clamp the brake disc 5 to make the traction motor 3 stop rotating, and through the gear box 2 and drive axle 1 that amplify the braking force, the brake system will achieve the purpose of forklift truck braking.

[0015] The brake disc 5 is directly mounted on the output shaft of the traction motor 3, so through the brake 6 clamping the brake disc 5 to stop its rotation, the rotation of the output shaft and the traction motor 3 are stopped. Also, due to the traction motor 3 and gearbox 2 being connected, when the traction motor 3 gradually stops rotating, the rotational speed of the gear box 2 and output shaft also gradually slows, while benefitting from the increased gear box 2 ratio. The increased gear box 2 ratio will amplify the final braking force at the wheel hubs, so that the forklift truck can achieve fast braking, and shorten the braking distance.

[0016] In addition, because the brake disc 5 is directly mounted on the output shaft of the traction motor 4, and the brake 6 directly affects the brake disc 5, the brake hubs do not have to be installed in the wheel hubs. This may greatly reduce the weight of the wheel hubs, and thereby reduce the volume and weight of the wheels and tires, and ultimately reduce the balance between the weight of the wheels and tires and the weight of the whole forklift truck, as well as the overall weight of the forklift truck, resulting in brake performance that will be more sensitive. Further, because the brake 6 directly affects the brake disc 5 that is installed on the output shaft of the traction motor 3, only one brake 6 and brake disc 5 are needed to achieve braking, greatly saving on costs compared to traditional designs where two brakes hubs are needed, one on each end of the drive axle 1.

[0017] It will be understood that the above example presents a preferred embodiment, but the patent is entitled to a range of equivalents and is directed to embodiments that may include modifications, as long as they fall within the coverage of the claims.