Patent Application
20180273365
The present disclosure relates generally to personnel lifts or order pickers, and more particularly, to compact electric low level personnel lift devices having a height adjustable platform that is operable to lift and lower an operator.
There are many instances in commercial settings, such as retail stores, warehousing or industrial environments, where objects are placed above the normal reach of an individual standing on a floor surface. Efficient storage tends to utilize shelving or cabinetry that essentially stacks objects vertically. As a result, an individual may need an increase in reach to grasp an elevated object.
There are numerous manual devices that may be used to climb to a higher position for grasping elevated objects, such as a ladder or step stool. Such devices typically are somewhat cumbersome to use because they must be lifted and carried to a location for use, or they may be in the form of a rolling staircase, which consumes a very large amount of floor space during use and when stowed. Devices that require climbing also can present safety concerns. Climbing requires increased physical effort, presents a potential tripping hazard while ascending and descending stairs, and requires the use of at least one hand to steady oneself, reducing the ability to use both hands to grasp and hold an object being retrieved.
Fully powered lift devices have been developed that permit a user to operate a lift platform to be moved to a higher position. Such devices often are referred to as stock pickers, because a user is able to ascend to a level where the user can reach a stocked item, and then descend to exit the lift and carry away the item. However, present order picker devices tend to have lift mechanisms that may include lift cylinders and/or chains, with both being located such that they are exposed. Lift cylinders and/or chains located on outside areas present a potential risk of injury for operators that may come into contact with such components during operation of the lift. Also, the lift cylinders and/or chains would be subject to damage by contact with other objects. Alternative designs tend to place a lift cylinder in the center of the device, to avoid such risks of injury and damage. This too has drawbacks, as the operator platform space may be compromised and/or the height of the operator platform in its lowered position may be higher than would be desirable for imply stepping onto a platform.
This disclosure sets forth an example electric personnel lift device and methods of using the same that overcome shortcomings in the prior art.
Disclosed herein is an advantageous example electric personnel lift device that conceals the operative lift components to shield the components from damage and to prevent injury to the operator. The example device provides larger holding or storage space, a low initial operator platform height, and avoids encroaching on the operator's space.
The example electric personnel lift device may be used in various environments when a user is unable to grasp something that is placed above the user's reach. As noted, the device may be particularly well suited for use as a stock picker for use in retail, warehousing or industrial settings where objects must be removed from vertically spaced shelving.
In a first aspect, the disclosure provides an advantageous device including an example electric personnel lift device. The electric personnel lift device includes a base assembly having a frame and two columns that are laterally spaced apart and connected to the frame. Each of the two columns has a lift cylinder device located in the respective column and extending upward. The electric personnel lift device further includes a height adjustable platform assembly having an operator platform and two laterally spaced apart handrail assemblies connected to the operator platform. The height adjustable platform assembly is connected to an upper end of a movable portion of each lift cylinder device and is slidably coupled to the columns, wherein the height adjustable platform assembly is movable between at least a lowered position and a raised position.
The example electric personnel lift device utilizes an electric motor that drives a hydraulic system for smooth and powerful lifting. The electric motor is powered by a battery, which may be rechargeable. The example shown also conveniently includes a battery charger, which a retractable cord assembly to permit on-board battery charging.
The example electric personnel lift device includes wheel assemblies that make it portable and easy to manually roll from one location to another. The device may include a parking or braking feature that causes the base assembly to rest on at least one foot when an operator steps onto the operator platform, so as to stop the device from rolling and to remain in place while the lift is being operated. Thus, the base assembly essentially may provide a self-parking configuration by which at least one foot of the base assembly moves from a raised position to a grounded position when the operator platform is forced downward by an operator stepping onto the operator platform. This provides an intuitive and easy to use feature that enhances the safety of the operator.
Thus, the present disclosure presents an alternative to prior art devices that extend the reach of an individual, and the example disclosed provides advantageous features in a more conveniently and efficiently utilized electric personnel lift device. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only, and are not restrictive with respect to the claimed subject matter. Further features and advantages will become more fully apparent in the following description of the example preferred embodiment and from the appended claims.
In describing the preferred example, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures wherein like parts have like reference numerals, and wherein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. While some mechanical details of personnel lift devices, including some details of fastening or connecting means and other plan and section views of the particular components, have been omitted, such details are considered within the comprehension of those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure. It also should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples illustrated.
This disclosure presents an example electric personnel lift device and methods of using the same, which may be embodied in several forms. For instance,
The example electric personnel lift device 10 includes a base assembly 12 having a frame 14 and two columns 16 that are laterally spaced apart and connected to the frame 14. Each column 16 is hollow and may be connected to the frame 14, for example, by being fixedly connected to a bracket 18, such as by welding, as may be seen in
Each of the two columns 16 has a lift cylinder device 22 located in the respective column 16 and extending upward, as may be seen in
A height adjustable platform assembly 30 has an operator platform 32 and two laterally spaced apart handrail assemblies 34 connected to the operator platform 32. As may be seen in
The height adjustable platform assembly 30 is movable between at least a lowered position, seen in
The height adjustable platform assembly 30 that is slidably coupled to the columns 16 further includes a set of at least two rollers 44 for each respective column 16 and the two rollers 44 engage opposite sides of the respective column 16. Each roller 44 has a curved surface that tends to keep it centered on the respective column 16. In addition, the rollers 44 that engage the columns 16 are located opposite posts 46 that are connected to the height adjustable platform assembly 30, with the columns 16 located between the rollers 44 and the posts 46. The handrail assemblies 34 conceal moving parts of the two lift cylinder devices 22, by use of an outer cover 48, as may be seen when comparing
The height adjustable platform assembly 30 includes a front cross member 50 that is fixedly connected to the two laterally spaced apart handrail assemblies 34. In this example, the front cross member 50 is in the form of a plate, which may be welded to the handrail assemblies 34. In addition, this example includes further cross members 52 that are located at higher positions along the handrail assemblies 34 and which provide increased stiffness to the height adjustable platform assembly 30.
The base assembly 12 of the electric personnel lift device 10 is shown in
The hydraulic system 62 further includes a fluid circuit 76, a schematic view of which is shown in
The base assembly 12 of the electric personnel lift device 10 includes a plurality of wheel assemblies 98, 100, which extend downward to contact a ground surface. In addition, the base assembly includes at least one foot 102, which is capable of providing static support. In the example shown, the at least one foot 102 includes two feet 102 located along a lower surface 104 of the base assembly 12 proximate a rear portion of the base assembly 12. As may be appreciated by viewing
As may best be appreciated from
In the example shown, the plurality of wheel assemblies further includes at least two wheel assemblies 100 that rotate about a fixed axis of rotation because they simply include axles 108 having bearing supports 110 that do not move. The two wheel assemblies 100 that rotate about a fixed axis of rotation are located proximate a front portion of the base assembly 12.
For convenience in holding objects when lifting them up to be shelved or when retrieving them during order picking, the height adjustable platform assembly 30 of the electric personnel lift device 10 includes at least one shelf 112. As may be appreciated by
Additional safety is provided by having gates 118 pivotally connected to the handrail assemblies 34 at the rear of the height adjustable platform assembly 30. The gates are connected to spring biased hinges 120, which permit pivoting forward, but move back to the original position when released, and do not permit pivoting rearward. Thus, an operator may conveniently press the gates 118 forward while stepping onto the operator platform 32, and once released, the gates 118 will close, blocking exit from the height adjustable platform assembly 30. To exit, the operator must pull the gates 118 forward and swing them outward toward the handrail assemblies 34, and then walk between the gates 118 to step off of the operator platform 32. This gate structure provides convenient, intuitive use of the safety gates 118.
It will be appreciated that the disclosed examples present numerous potential combinations of elements for carts and pallets and methods of their use. Thus, while the present disclosure shows and demonstrates various example carts that may be adapted for use in transporting pallets, these examples are merely illustrative and are not to be considered limiting. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various carts and pallets may be constructed and configured for use in moving goods, without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
