This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-098629 filed on May 27, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a cargo handling control unit of a forklift.
There has been known a technique disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-230903 as a conventional cargo handling control unit of a forklift. The cargo handling control unit disclosed in the Publication includes a two-dimensional laser distance meter, a determination tool, a traveling tool, and a controller. The two-dimensional laser distance meter measures distances and angles between itself and an object by radially emitting a laser beam to the object. The determination tool calculates a position of an upper surface of a cargo loaded on the forklift relative to the forklift by using distances measured by the two-dimensional laser distance meter, between the two-dimensional laser distance meter and the opposite edges of the upper surface of the cargo in a width direction thereof in an scan angle of the two-dimensional laser distance meter, and is configured to determine whether or not a loading position of the cargo is shifted. The traveling tool travels the forklift without an operator in accordance with operation data sent from a driving management system. The controller is configured to pick and place cargos without an operator.
In the above conventional technique, the two-dimensional laser distance meter measures distance between the two-dimensional laser distance meter and a cargo loaded on forks of the forklift in a scan angle of the two-dimensional laser distance meter. However, the two-dimensional laser distance meter is quite expensive. In addition, in the above conventional technique, whether or not a loading position of a cargo is shifted relative to the forks is determined on the basis of measurement values of the two-dimensional laser distance meter. When the loading position of the cargo is shifted relative to the forks, it is required to correct the loading position of the cargo.
The present disclosure is directed to providing a cargo handling control unit of a forklift that loads cargos on forks at a predetermined position thereof with high accuracy while using inexpensive distance sensors.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cargo handling control unit of a forklift that includes a traveling device including a traveling drive unit, forks disposed in a front side of the traveling device and loading cargos, and a cargo handling device having a lift cylinder that raises and lowers the forks. The cargo handling control unit includes at least a pair of right and left one-dimensional laser distance sensors disposed on both right and left sides of the cargo handling device. Each of the right and left one-dimensional laser distance sensors is configured to emit a one-dimensional laser beam ahead of the forklift and receive the laser beam reflected from an object that is located in front of the forklift, thereby detecting a distance between the object and the one-dimensional laser distance sensor, a picking start position determination unit determining a picking start position of the forks for the cargos to be picked placed in front of the forklift on the basis of detection values of the pair of the right and left one-dimensional laser distance sensors, and a picking control unit configured to control the traveling drive unit and the lift cylinder so as to load the cargos to be picked on the forks correspondingly to the picking start position determined by the picking start position determination unit.
Other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the disclosure.
The disclosure, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:
The following will describe embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
Referring to
The box pallets 3 are open at upper ends of the box pallets 3 (see
The traveling device 2 includes a body 6, front wheels 7, rear wheels 8, a traveling motor 9 (see
The cargo handling device 4 has a mast 11, a lift bracket 12, a pair of forks 13, and a backrest 14. The mast 11 is provided upright on a front end portion of the body 6 of the traveling device 2. The forks 13 are attached to the mast 11 with the lift bracket 12 interposed therebetween and allowed to be raised and lowered. The forks 13 load the box pallets 3. The forks 13 are disposed in a front side of the traveling device 2. The backrest 14 is fixed to the lift bracket 12 and disposed in front of the mast 11. The backrest 14 is a load receiving frame to prevent the box pallet 13 loaded on the forks 13 from moving backward, that is, toward the body 6. A width dimension of the backrest 14 is larger than that of the mast 11.
The cargo handling device 4 has a lift cylinder 15 that raises and lowers the forks 13, a tilt cylinder 16 that tilts the mast 11, and a side shift cylinder 17 that shifts the forks 13 relative to the mast 11 in a right and left direction (vehicle width direction) of the body 6 (see
The cargo handling control unit 18 includes two pairs of one-dimensional laser distance sensors 19 (hereinafter, called 1D laser distance sensors) disposed on both right and left sides of the cargo handling device 4 and an ECU 20 (Electronic Control Unit) connected to the 1D laser distance sensors 19.
Referring to
Specifically, referring to
The two 1D laser distance sensors 19, that is, the upper 1D laser distance sensor and the lower 1D laser distance sensor of each aluminum flame 21, are arranged at an interval corresponding to a height dimension of each box pallet 3. The lower 1D laser distance sensor 19 is attached to a lower end portion of each aluminum frame 21 in one example. The upper 1D laser distance sensor 19 is attached to each aluminum frame 21 in a position corresponding to an upper end portion of the backrest 14 in one example. While the box pallets 3 are stacked on the forks 13 in two tiers, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 are each attached in a position corresponding to a lower end portion of one box pallet 3 (see
A pair of right and left 10 laser distance sensors 19 are arranged at a slightly larger interval than the maximum width dimension (maximum dimension in a longitudinal direction of the forklift 1) of each box pallet 3. The maximum width dimension of each box pallet 3 is equal to a width dimension of a lower end portion of the box pallet 3 which has the fasteners 3b. Thus, while the box pallets 3 are picked on the forks 13 at a desired position, the one-dimensional laser beams emitted from 1D laser distance sensors 19 pass by an outer side of the box pallets 3, that is, the one-dimensional laser beams do not hit the box pallets 3. In addition, while the box pallets 3 are picked on the forks 13 at a position which is shifted from the desired position, a one-dimensional laser beam emitted from either of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 may hit the box pallets 3. However, in this case, one-dimensional laser beams emitted from both of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit one box pallet 3. It is noted that the desired position is defined as a position in which a centerline of the box pallets 3 in a width direction of thereof are aligned with a centerline between the forks 13.
One 1D laser distance sensor 19 is attached to each aluminum frame 21 by bolts 22a with the bracket 22 interposed therebetween so as to be disposed behind a front surface 14a of the backrest 14. The 1D laser distance sensors 19 each have a detection portion 23 and a cover portion 24. The detection portion 23 emits a one-dimensional laser beam, receives reflected light from an object, and outputs electric signals showing a detection value, which is a distance between the object and the 1D laser distance sensor 19. The cover portion 24 covers the detection portion 23. The cover portion 24 is is fixed to the bracket 22 by bolts or welding.
The ECU 20 is configured of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and input/output interfaces and the like. The ECU 20 is connected to a higher system management unit 25. The higher system management unit 25 manages the overall automatic operation of the forklift 1, including a cargo handling operation, and instructs the ECU 20 in the automatic operation.
The ECU 20 performs predetermined processing in accordance with instruction signals from the higher system management unit 25 and detection values of the 1D laser distance sensors 19, controlling the traveling motor 9, the steering motor 10, the lift cylinder 15, the tilt cylinder 16, and the side shift cylinder 17. The traveling motor 9 and the steering motor 10 correspond to the traveling drive unit in the present disclosure.
The following will describe basic motions of a cargo handling operation by an automatic operation of the forklift 1. When the picking work is started, the forklift 1 is moved in front of the box pallets 3 placed on a specified place, as shown in
When the placing work is started following the picking work, the forklift 1 is moved to the trailer cargo bed 26, as shown in
Subsequently, the forklift 1 is moved forward to the placing position, and the forks 13 are slightly lowered by the lift cylinder 15, as shown in
Referring back to
The motion selection unit 30 selects a motion performed by the forklift 1 on the basis of instruction signals sent from the higher system management unit 25. The performed motions by the forklift 1 include a picking motion, a placing motion, and a moving motion.
The picking SPD unit 31 determines a picking start position of the forks 13 for the box pallets 3 to be picked placed in front of the forklift 1 on the basis of detection values of at least the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19. The picking start position of the forks 13 corresponds to a middle position of the box pallets 3 in a width direction thereof.
The picking control unit 32 is configured to control the traveling motor 9, the steering motor 10, the lift cylinder 15, the tilt cylinder 16, and the side shift cylinder 17 so as to load the box pallets 3 to be picked on the forks 13 correspondingly to the picking start position determined by the picking start position determination unit 31.
The placing SPD unit 33 determines a placing start position of the forks 13 on the basis of detection values of at least the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19.
The placing control unit 34 is configured to control the traveling motor 9, the steering motor 10, the lift cylinder 15, the tilt cylinder 16, and the side shift cylinder 17 correspondingly to the placing start position determined by the placing SPD unit 33 so as to place the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13.
The ECU 20 determines whether or not a picking motion of the motions performed by the forklift 1 has been instructed on the basis of instruction signals from the higher system management unit 25 (step S102). When the ECU 20 determines that the picking motion has been instructed (YES at S102), the ECU 20 performs the picking control process for the picking motion (step S103). The picking control process is described in detail later.
When the ECU 20 determines that the picking motion has not been instructed (NO at S102), the ECU 20 determines whether or not a placing motion of the motions performed by the forklift 1 has been instructed on the basis of instruction signals from the higher system management unit 25 (step S104). When the ECU 20 determines that the placing motion has been instructed (YES at S104), the ECU 20 determines whether or not the instructed placing motion is the placing of the box pallets 3 on a position adjacent to either of the left or right side walls 5a of the container 5, on the basis of instruction signals from the higher system management unit 25 (step S105).
When the ECU 20 determines that the instructed placing motion is the placing of the box pallets 3 on the position adjacent to either of the side walls 5a of the container 5 (YES at S105), the ECU 20 executes a first placing control process for the placing of the box pallets 3 on the position adjacent to either of the side walls 5a of the container 5 (step S106). The first placing control process will be described in detail later.
When the ECU 20 determines that the instructed placing motion is not the placing of the box pallets 3 on the position adjacent to either of the side walls 5a of the container 5 (NO at S105), the ECU 20 executes a second placing control process for the placing of the box pallets 3 on a position between existing two box pallets 3 placed in advance (step S107). The second placing control process will be described in detail later.
When the ECU 20 determines that the placing motion of the motions performed by the forklift 1 at the step S104 has not been instructed (NO at S104), the ECU 20 executes a moving control process for the moving of the forklift 1 to a picking place, a placing place, a storage place, or the like (step S108). Detailed descriptions of the moving control process are omitted in the present embodiment.
The steps S101, S102, S104, and S105 are executed by the motion selection unit 30. The step 103 is executed by the picking SPD unit 31 and the picking control unit 32. The steps 106 and 107 are executed by the placing SPD unit 33 and the placing control unit 34.
As illustrated in
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the box pallets 3 to be picked (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 hit the box pallets 3 to be picked on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors (step S113). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 still hits the box pallets 3 to be picked (YES at S113), the ECU 20 executes the step S112 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3 to be picked (see
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3 to be picked (NO at S111) or after the ECU 20 executes the step S115, the ECU 20 controls the traveling motor 9 so that the forklift 1 moves forward to a picking position (step S116) (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the side shift flag is 1 (step S118). When the ECU 20 determines that the side shift flag is not 1 but 0 (NO at S118), the ECU 20 ends the present process. When the ECU 20 determines that the side shift flag is 1 (YES at S118), the ECU 20 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are moved back to the normal position (see
The steps S111 to S114 are executed by the picking SPD unit 31. The steps S115 to S119 are executed by the picking control unit 32.
when the forks 13 are brought to a position in which the laser beam L emitted from the right 1D laser distance sensor 19 does not hit the box pallets 3 to be picked, the forks 13 stop the current shift motion as shown in
Subsequently, the forklift 1 is moved forward to a picking position. The forks 13 are inserted under the box pallets 3 at that position, and raise the box pallets 3, as shown in
As illustrated in
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the first side wall 5a (see
The ECU 20 determines whether or not laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 hit the first and second side walls 5a on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S123). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 still hits the first side wall 5a (YES at S123), the ECU 20 executes the step S122 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second side walls 5a at the step S121 (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first side wall 5a on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S125). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second side wall 5a (NO at S125), the ECU 20 executes the step S124 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the first side wall 5a (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 controls the traveling motor 9 so that the forklift 1 is moved forward from the placing start position to the placing position (step S127). The ECU 20 controls the lift cylinder 15 so that the forks 13 are lowered by a predetermined amount (step S128). With this process, the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 are placed on the floor surface of the container 5 (see
The steps S121 to S126 are executed by the placing SPD unit 33. The steps S127 and S128 are executed by the placing control unit 34.
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When the ECU 20 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S133). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 still hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (YES at S133), the ECU 20 executes the step S132 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 controls the traveling motor 9 so that the forklift 1 is moved forward to the placing position (step S135). The ECU 20 controls the lift cylinder 15 so that the forks 13 are lowered by a predetermined amount (step S136). With this process, the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 are placed on the floor surface of the container 5 (see
The steps S131 to S134 are executed by the placing SPD unit 33, The steps S135 and S136 are executed by the placing control unit 34.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment as described above, two pairs of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 are each configured to emit one-dimensional laser beam ahead of the forklift 1 and receive the laser beam reflected from an object that is located in front of the forklift 1, thereby detecting a distance between the object and the 1D laser distance sensor. A picking start position of the forks 13 for the box pallets 3 to be picked placed in front of the forklift 1 is determined on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19. The traveling motor 9 and the lift cylinder 15 are controlled so that the box pallets 3 to be picked are loaded on the forks 13 correspondingly to the picking start position. Thus, the box pallets 3 to be picked are loaded on the forks 13 at a position corresponding to the picking start position. In addition, cost of each 1D laser distance sensor 19 is lower than that of a two-directional laser distance sensor. Therefore, the box pallets 3 may be loaded on the forks 13 at a predetermined position thereof with high accuracy using inexpensive laser distance sensors.
In the present embodiment, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 are attached on both right and left sides of the backrest 14. With this configuration, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 may be disposed on the cargo handling device 4 so that laser beams emitted from the 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3 loaded on the forks 13.
In the present embodiment, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 are disposed behind the front surface 14a of the backrest 14. This configuration prevents the box pallets 3 loaded on the forks 13 from striking the 1D laser distance sensors 19.
In the present embodiment, the picking SPD unit 31 determines the current position of the forks 13 when the picking SPD unit 31 determines that laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3 to be picked as a picking start position. Thus, the picking start position of the forks 13 may be easily determined from detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19.
In the present embodiment, when the picking SPD unit 31 determines a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the box pallets 3 to be picked, the picking SPD unit 31 moves the forks 13 toward the first 1D laser distance sensor 19. Subsequently, the picking SPD unit 31 determines that the current position of the forks 13 when the picking SPD unit 31 then determines that the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3 to be picked as a picking start position. Thus, even when the forks 13 are shifted to the left or right of the forklift 1 relative to the box pallets 3 placed in front of the forklift 1, a picking start position of the forks 13 may be determined.
In the present embodiment, when the picking SPD unit 31 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the box pallets 3 to be picked, the picking SPD unit 31 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted from the normal position toward the first 1D laser distance sensor 19. Thus, the forks 13 may be moved toward the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 without moving the forklift 1 itself in the front and rear, and right and left direction.
In the present embodiment, after the picking control unit 32 controls the traveling motor 9 and the lift cylinder 15 correspondingly to the picking start position so that the box pallets 3 to be picked are loaded on the forks 13, the picking control unit 32 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 return back to the normal position. This helps a control in the following process in which the box pallets 3 loaded on the forks 13 are placed on the container 5.
In the present embodiment, the placing SPD unit 33 determines a placing start position of the forks 13 on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19, and controls the traveling motor 9 and the lift cylinder 15 so that the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 are placed correspondingly to the placing start position. Thus, the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 may be placed on the container 5 at an appropriate position thereof with high accuracy.
In the present embodiment, in a case in which the box pallets 3 to be placed are placed adjacently to either of the right and left side walls 5a of the container 5 existing in advance, the placing SPD unit 33 determines that the current position of the forks 13 when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first side wall 5a as a placing start position. Thus, in that case, the placing start position of the forks 13 may be easily determined from detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19.
In the present embodiment, when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second side walls 5a, the placing SPD unit 33 moves the forks 13 toward the first side wall 5a. Subsequently, the placing SPD unit 33 determines that the current position of the forks 13 when the placing SPD unit 33 then determines that the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first side wall 5a as a placing start position. Thus, even when a position of the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 is shifted to the second side wall 5a on the opposite side of the first side wall 5a relative to a position on which the box pallets 3 are to be placed, a placing start position of the forks 13 may be determined.
In the present embodiment, when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first side wall 5a, the placing SPD unit 33 moves the forks 13 toward the second side wall 5a on the opposite side of the first side wall 5a (toward the second 1D laser distance sensor 19). The placing SPD unit 33 moves the forks 13 toward the first side wall 5a when the placing SPD unit 33 then determines the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second side wall 5a. Thus, even when a position of the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 is shifted toward either of the side walls 5a relative to a position on which the box pallets 3 are to be placed, a placing start position of the forks 13 may be determined.
In the present embodiment, when the placing SPD unit 33 moves the forks 13, the placing SPD unit 33 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted. Thus, the forks 13 may be moved toward the first or second side wall 5a or away from the side walls 5a without moving the forklift 1 itself in the front and rear, and right and left direction.
In the present embodiment, in a case in which the box pallets 3 to be placed are placed between two existing box pallets 3 placed in advance, the placing SPD unit 33 determines the current position of the forks 13 when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second existing box pallets 3 as a placing start position. Thus, in that case, the placing start position of the forks 13 may be easily determined from detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19.
In the present embodiment, when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of two existing box pallets 3, the placing SPD unit 33 moves the forks 13 toward the second box pallet 3 of the two existing box pallets 3. Subsequently, the placing SPD unit 31 determines that the current position of the forks 13 when the placing SPD unit 33 then determines that the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the first and second box pallet 3 as a placing start position. Thus, even when a position of the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 is shifted toward either of two existing box pallets 3 relative to a position on which the box pallets 3 are to be placed, a placing start position of the forks 13 may be determined.
In the present embodiment, when the placing SPD unit 33 determines that a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first existing box pallet 3, the placing SPD unit 33 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted toward the second existing box pallet 3. Thus, the forks 13 may be moved toward the second existing box pallet 3 without moving the forklift 1 itself in the front and rear, and right and left direction.
After the ECU 20 executes the step S127, the ECU 20 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 are shifted toward the first side wall 5a until the box pallets 3 are brought into contact with the first side wall 5a of the container 5 (step S140). In this time, the ECU 20 shifts the forks 13 by, for example, a distance where the width dimension of each box pallet 3 is subtracted from a distance between the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19. With this motion, the box pallets 3 to be placed are brought into contact with the first side wall 5a (see
The steps S127, S140, and S128 are executed by the placing control unit 34.
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment as described above, the forks 13 are shifted toward the first side wall 5a of the container 5 so that the box pallets 3 to be placed are brought into contact with the first side wall 5a. This process increases the space between the two existing box pallets 3 compared with
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S153). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (NO at S153), the ECU 20 executes the step 152 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the laser beam emitted from the second 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the second box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B on the basis of detection values of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S157). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (NO at S157), the ECU 20 executes the step 156 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam emitted from the second 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the second box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (see
Subsequently, the ECU 20 obtains a positional relationship between the forks 13 and the existing box pallets 3A and 3B by using the positions of the forks 13 stored at the steps S155 and S159 (step S160). The ECU 20 determines a position corresponding to a middle position between the existing box pallets 3A and 3B as a placing start position, and controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted to the placing start position (step S161).
Subsequently, the ECU 20 controls the traveling motor 9 so that the forklift 1 is moved forward from the placing start position to the placing position (step S162). The ECU 20 controls the lift cylinder 15 so that the forks 13 are lowered by a predetermined amount (step S163). With this process, the box pallets 3 to be placed loaded on the forks 13 are placed on the floor surface of the container 5 (see
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B at step S151 (YES at S151), the ECU 20 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted from the first box pallet 3 toward the second box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (step S164).
Subsequently, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the laser beams emitted from the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hit the existing box pallets 3A and 3B on the basis of detection values of both 1D laser distance sensors 19 (step S165). When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beam from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 hits the first box pallet 3 of the existing box pallets 3A and 3B (YES at S165), the ECU 20 executes the step S164 again.
When the ECU 20 determines that the laser beams emitted from both 1D laser distance sensors 19 do not hit the box pallets 3A and 3B (NO at S165), the ECU 20 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 stop the current shifting motion (step S154). The ECU 20 executes the above steps S155 to S163 sequentially.
The steps S151 to S161, S164, and S165 are executed by the placing SPD unit 33. The steps S161 to S163 are executed by the placing control unit 34. The steps S154 and S158 may be omitted.
As illustrated in
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In the present embodiment as described above, the placing SPD unit 33 controls the side shift cylinder 17 so that the forks 13 are shifted toward the second existing box pallet 3 from a position in which a laser beam emitted from the first 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the first existing box pallet 3 of the two existing box pallets 3 to a position in which a laser beam emitted from the second 1D laser distance sensor 19 of the pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 hits the second existing box pallet 3 of the two existing box pallets 3. The placing SPD unit 33 obtains a positional relationship between the forks 13 and the two existing box pallets 3, and determines a position corresponding to the middle position between the two existing box pallets 3 as a placing start position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the box pallets 3 to be placed may be placed on an appropriate position that is the middle position between the two existing box pallets 3.
The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 are attached on both right and left sides of the backrest 14. However, the 1D laser distance sensors 19 may be attached on both right and left side of the lift bracket 12.
In the above embodiments, the box pallets 3 are stacked in two tiers, and two 1D laser distance sensors 19 are attached to the cargo handling device 4 on the right and left sides thereof and located in upper and lower direction of the cargo handling device 4. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. A pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 or some pairs of right and left 1D laser distance sensors may be disposed corresponding to the number of tiers of the stacked box pallets 3, or only a pair of right and left 1D laser distance sensors 19 may be disposed regardless of the number of tiers of the stacked box pallets 3.
In the above embodiments, the cargo handling device 4 has the side shift cylinder 17 that shifts the forks 13 relative to the mast 11 in the right and left direction of the forklift 1. However, the present disclosure may be applied to a forklift on which such a side shift cylinder is not mounted. In such case, the ECU 20 moves the forklift 1 itself by controlling the traveling motor 9 and the steering motor 10 so as to move the forks 13 in a transverse direction (right and left direction) of the forklift 1.
In the above embodiments, the box pallets 3 are placed on the container 5 in which the side walls 5a are provided on both right and left sides of the container 5. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. For example, the box pallets 3 may be placed on a storage structure that has an existing structure such as a wall and a pillar.
In the above embodiments, the box pallets 3 are placed on the container 5 and arranged in three rows. However, the box pallets 3 may be arranged not in three rows but in two rows or in four or more rows.
In the above embodiments, the box pallets 3 are loaded on the forks 13, and placed on the container 5. However, cargos of cargo handling objects are not limited to the box pallets 3.
In the above embodiments, the ECU 20 executes a cargo handling control process on the basis of instruction signals of the higher system management unit 25. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. The ECU 20 may execute a cargo handling control process, for example, in accordance with a predetermined program or while determining a working state by using a camera and the like.
In the above embodiments, the picking work and the placing work are performed by the automatic operation of the forklift 1. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. The present disclosure may be applied during manual driving of the forklift 1.
In the above embodiments, the cargo handling control unit 18 is mounted on the counter-type forklift 1. However, the present disclosure may be applied to a reach-type forklift and the like.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-098629 | May 2019 | JP | national |