OUTRIGGER COMPRISING AN APPARATUS FOR REDUCING VIBRATIONS

Abstract

The invention relates to an industrial truck comprising a vehicle body (6); a mast (8) that extends substantially vertically and is rigidly connected to the vehicle body (6) or hinged to the vehicle body (6), the mast (8) being associated with a load-carrying apparatus such that said apparatus can be moved upwards and downwards on said mast, which load-carrying apparatus comprises at least one load-receiving means for receiving a load that is to be transported; and an outrigger (9), the longitudinal axis (L) of which extends between a first fastening point (9a) on the vehicle body (6) and a second fastening point (9b) on the mast (8), the second fastening point (9b) being associated with a vertically upper side of the mast (8). In this case, the outrigger (9) is associated with an apparatus for reducing vibrations (9d) which is designed to reduce vibrations acting in the direction of the longitudinal axis (L) of the outrigger (9).

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. An industrial truck comprising: a vehicle body; a mast that extends substantially vertically and is rigidly connected to the vehicle body or hinged to the vehicle body, the mast being associated with a load-carrying apparatus such that said apparatus can be moved upwards and downwards on said mast, wherein the load-carrying apparatus comprises at least one load-receiving means for receiving a load that is to be transported; an outrigger, wherein a longitudinal axis of the outrigger extends between a first fastening point on the vehicle body and a second fastening point on the mast, the second fastening point being associated with a vertically upper side of the mast; wherein the outrigger is associated with an apparatus for reducing vibrations which is designed to reduce vibrations acting in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the outrigger.

14. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein an additional outrigger is provided, wherein the additional outrigger is associated with an additional apparatus for reducing vibrations, wherein a longitudinal axis of the additional outrigger extends between a third fastening point on the vehicle body and a fourth fastening point on the mast.

15. The industrial truck according to claim 14, wherein the first and third fastening points are arranged on opposing sides of the vehicle body in a width direction of the industrial truck.

16. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the first fastening point on the vehicle body and the second fastening point on the mast are arranged on opposing sides on the vehicle body and the mast in a width direction of the industrial truck.

17. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus for reducing vibrations is designed as a shock absorber.

18. The industrial truck according to claim 17, wherein the shock absorber comprises one of a hydraulic shock absorber or a helical spring.

19. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus for reducing vibrations comprises a controller that is designed to adapt the vibration-reducing properties of the apparatus for reducing vibrations on the basis of operating data of the industrial truck.

20. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the outrigger is designed as a rigid rod at least in a portion of the outrigger.

21. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the first fastening point is associated with a counterweight of the industrial truck.

22. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the mast is designed as a mast that is constructed of multiple parts so as to be telescopically extendable.

23. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein an additional outrigger is provided, a longitudinal axis of which extends between a third fastening point on the vehicle body and a fourth fastening point on the mast, the fourth fastening point being associated with a vertically upper side of the mast, wherein the additional outrigger is not associated with any apparatus for reducing vibrations.

24. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the mast is associated with a cab carrier that is movable in a vertical direction.

25. The industrial truck according to claim 13, wherein the industrial truck is designed as a tri-lateral sideloader.

Description

[0022] Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures in which, in detail:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an industrial truck according to the invention that is designed as a tri-lateral high-bay stacker; and

[0024] FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the embodiment from FIG. 1, the outrigger being highlighted.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an industrial truck according to the invention, specifically a high-bay stacker truck, which is designed as a tri-lateral sideloader.

[0026] The industrial truck comprises a vehicle body 6 that stands on the ground 4 by means of wheels 2, and a mast 8 that is vertically fastened to the vehicle body 6. The mast 8 is designed as a multi-stage telescopic mast, the lowest telescopic stage 10a additionally being connected to the vehicle body 6 via an outrigger 9. For this purpose, the outrigger 9 is connected to the vehicle body 6 at a first fastening point 9a and to the mast 8 at a second fastening point 9b, and the longitudinal axis L of said outrigger extends between the two fastening points 9a and 9b. The outrigger 9 comprises a rigid rod portion 9c and, in addition, an apparatus for reducing vibrations 9d, which will be explained in greater detail in the description of FIG. 2.

[0027] At the furthest extendable telescopic stage 10b of the mast 8, a cab 12 is attached such that it can move vertically by means of a cab carrier 24 as a support structure. The cab 12 is designed as a lifting driver's cabin, which has a frame comprising a cabin floor, back wall, side walls and driver overheard guard 22. In the front of the cab 12 in the main direction of movement or straightforward direction of travel G of the industrial truck, a lateral push frame guide 26 is fastened to the cab support 24, which has retaining rails for the lateral push frame 34, which can move longitudinally therein.

[0028] The lateral push frame guide 26 allows for a laterally horizontal movement of the lateral push frame 34 in a plane transverse to the straightforward direction of travel G of the industrial truck. A load-carrying apparatus 36, which is known per se, is arranged on the lateral push frame 34 so as to be laterally movable, transversely to the straightforward direction of travel G of the industrial truck. Said apparatus comprises a pivoting pusher 38 that is movable on the lateral push frame 34, having an additional mast 40 arranged on the front thereof, on which mast a load-carrying fork 42 having a fork support arrangement is vertically movable as load-receiving means. The additional mast 40 can be pivoted together with the load-carrying fork 42 about the vertical axis 44 between the position shown in FIG. 1, in which the load-carrying fork 42 is oriented laterally, and a position in which the load-carrying fork 42 is oriented in an opposite lateral position.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a simplified view, showing merely the wheels 2, the vehicle body 6, the lowest telescopic stage 10a of the mast 8 and the outrigger 9 of the industrial truck from FIG. 1, and in particular an enlarged view of a portion of the outrigger 9 that comprises the first fastening point 9a and the apparatus for reducing vibrations 9d.

[0030] It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the first fastening point 9a is located at the rear end of the vehicle body 6, in the region of the counterweight, while the second fastening point 9b is arranged at the upper end of the lowest telescopic stage 10a of the mast 8. This arrangement of the two fastening points 9a and 9b achieves optimal support of the mast 8 by the outrigger 9, since the lever arms for transferring forces in the straightforward direction of travel of the vehicle are thus optimally selected.

[0031] The outrigger 9 thus braces the mast 8 against forces that act in or counter to the straightforward direction of travel G of the industrial truck. Forces of this kind result from torques that are exerted by loads carried by the load-carrying means 42 at a distance from the mast in the G direction, but also from acceleration and/or braking of the industrial truck. In order to reduce the vibrations in the mast 8 that are triggered by forces and torques of this kind, the outrigger 9 is associated with the above-mentioned apparatus for reducing vibrations 9d, between the rigid rod portion 9c and the first fastening point 9a, which apparatus is formed as a simple helical screw in the example shown. This helical spring reduces a possible change in length of the outrigger 9 that is also made possible by a telescopic system. For this purpose, a second rod portion 9e can be inserted into and extended out of the end portion 9f of the rigid rod portion 9c, which end portion is formed as a hollow rod, one end of the helical spring being associated with the rigid rod portion 9c and the other end being associated with the second rod portion 9e. Since, when the outrigger 9 is static, the second rod portion 9e is neither completely inserted into the hollow end portion 9f nor completely extended out of said hollow end portion, the helical spring can be subjected both to compression and to tension and thus damp vibrations in these two directions. Arrangements comprising two pretensioned compression springs are also conceivable however, which springs each act in opposing directions on the rigid rod portion 9c and the second rod portion 9e.

[0032] Suitably selecting the spring rate of the helical spring makes it possible to appropriately select the damping parameters for the apparatus for reducing vibrations 9d, it also being possible to implement progressive damping properties for example by using springs having a spring rate that is dependent on the spring excursion thereof. Moreover, it would also be conceivable to use controlled apparatuses for reducing vibrations, in which the current damping parameters are made dependent on drive parameters of the industrial truck, such as the current speed or the useful load of the vehicle.

[0033] It should furthermore be noted that a plurality of outriggers can be arranged side-by-side at respective first fastening points 9a in the direction transverse to the straightforward direction of travel G of the industrial truck, i.e. in the width direction of the vehicle, for example one on each wide end of the vehicle body 6 in each case, and extend accordingly to respective second fastening points 9b. Since each one of this plurality of outriggers comprises an apparatus for reducing vibrations, torsion of the mast 8, caused by lateral ejection of the load for example, can also be damped to some extent.