AN ARRANGEMENT IN INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS

Abstract: An arrangement in industrial trucks of the kind which include a chassis (3) carried by support wheels (5, 6) which lack spring suspension, and driven by a sprung drive-wheel (7) arranged between two support wheels. A hydraulically operable load carrying device (2) is provided for lifting priari­ ly goods-laden pallets. The sprung movement of the drive-­ wheel (7) relative to the chassis is effected with the aid of a spring means (22) which includes link arms (25, 26) and a spring (24) both being arranged between the chassis and the drive-wheel. Said spring (24) comprises a hydraulic working piston-cylinder device (27) by means of which the spring means can be given a desired spring bias or spring force. The piston-cylinder device is connected to the hydraulic sys­ tem of the load carrying device in a manner to increase auto­ matically the spring bias, and therewith the pressure exerted by the drive-wheel against the floor or like surface when the load carried increases.

Description: The present invention relates to an industrial truck of the kind which includes a chassis carried on a driving surface by support wheels which have substantially no spring suspension, the truck being driven and braked by a sprung drive-wheel arranged between two of the support wheels and a load carrying device which can be raised and lowered relative to the chassis by means of a hydraulic ram device, wherein said sprung drive-wheel is mounted on the chassis through coupling means coupling the chassis to the drive-wheel while permitting substantially vertical movement of the said chassis relative to said drive-wheel, and trough a spring means for exerting a force on the drive-wheel towards the driving surface, and wherein a piston-cylinder device, connected to the conduit of the hydraulic ram device, is coupled to said spring means, for varying said bias or spring force. Industrial trucks of this kind are used for transporting goods-laden pallets within, for example, industrial premises. The trucks may be intended solely for low lifts, or for both low and high lifts, when handling stock in pallet racks or the like. Normally, the supporting wheels are completely without suspension, whereas the drive-wheel is pressed against the driving surface with a given spring force, in order to hold the wheel in contact with the driving surface when meeting irregularities therein. The magnitude of this spring force is determined by the condition that the chassis must rest on all support wheels, even when being driven with no load, so that stability remains the same, i.e. the spring force must not be of such magnitude that the drive-wheel lifts the support wheels from the driving surface. This means, however, that the surface engagement pressure of the drive-wheel remains unaltered when switching from light to heavier loads, which results in disadvantageous skidding and sliding tendencies, and above all substantially lengthens the braking distance as a result of the increase in kinetic energy. Since trucks of this kind have become progressively lighter in weight in relation to their load carrying capacity and can be driven at high speeds, the aforementioned drawback has reached greater proportions in recent years. One industrial truck having a sprung drive-wheel is disclosed in DE-A-3106027. In this truck the drive wheel is pressed to the ground by a first and a second compression spring. The spring force of the second spring is arranged to be decreased by means of an hydraulic piston when a load is lifted over a certain level. Said piston will act against said second spring to decrease its submitted spring force with increasing pressure in the hydraulic circuit of the load carrying fork. The arrangement improves the stability of the truck when higher loads are lifted but does not at all improve the breaking ability. Another industrial truck of this kind is known from EP-B-150830 being prior art according to Art 54(3) EPC. The spring system includes an accumulator which is charged when heavier loads are lifted in order to increase the ground pressure of the drive-wheel with increasing load. However, there is no direct coupling between the weight of the load and the spring force put onto the drive-wheel. For example, after lifting a heavy load the pressure in the accumulator will be high and this pressure will remain also after the load is unloaded. When this unloaded truck is driven and breaked the high spring force will make the truck unstable and, which is most important, will bring such a high breaking force to the truck that it stops too fast to be convenient. This means in practice that the pressure must be set to vary within very limited values. Consequently, the object of the invention is to provide an industrial truck of the kind described, with an arrangement with which the frictional force between drive-wheel and driving surface, and therewith the braking force, can be increased or decreased with increasing or decreasing load weights on the truck. This object is achieved by providing means for increasing or decreasing the spring force of the drive-wheel with increasing or decreasing load-weights carried by the truck, and more specifically by providing means according to the characterizing part of claim 1. Further objects of the invention and advantages afforded thereby will be evident from the following description. These further objects and advantages are achieved and afforded by the characterizing features set forth in the claims. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a truck constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the truck illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side-view of the drive-wheel and its associated spring assembly, incorporated in the truck illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view of part of the spring assembly illustrated in Figure 3; Figure 5 illustrates a hydraulic circuit for a low-lift truck according to Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 6 illustrates a corresponding hydraulic circuit for a high-lift truck. The illustrated low-lift truck is of conventional construction and incorporates a battery and motor housing 1, and a load carrying device 2, all supported on a common chassis 3. The truck is steered with the aid of a movable steering handle 4, and may optionally be provided with a driving cabin or similar location, so that the truck operator can accompany the truck while sitting down or standing up. The truck is supported on two front and two back support-wheels 5 and 6 respectively, of which the front wheels have the form of conventional articulated wheels. Arranged on the chassis, centrally between the articulated wheels 5, is a drive-wheel 7 with which the truck is driven, braked, and steered. The support wheels 5, 6 are substantially without any form of spring suspension whatsoever, whereas the drive-wheel 7 is sprung in order to enable it to follow irregularities, in the form of gullies etc., in the driving surface or floor 8. The load carrying device 2 suitably has the form of a fork-lift assembly which can be raised and lowered in a known manner with the aid of a hydraulic ram device 9. The sprung suspension of the drive-wheel 7 is illustrated in Figure 3, from which it will be seen that the drive-wheel 7 is firmly connected to a power assembly 10, which comprises an electric motor 11 located above the drive-wheel 7 and a gear unit 12 located in the hub 13. The power assembly 10 is carried by a flat motor support 14 and is journalled in relation to said support by means of a bearing 15. The electric motor 11 is arranged vertically so that its rotation axis 16 will be perpendicular to the drive-wheel axis 17. The motor support 14 and thus the power assembly 10 is suspended on the chassis 3 through a spring means 22 incorporating first and second spring elements 23 and 24, and an upper and a lower link-arm pair 25 and 26 which extend parallel with one another between the chassis and the motor support. The first spring element 23 is attached between the chassis 13 and the motor support 14, while the second spring element 24 acts between the chassis and the lower link arms 26. Both spring elements 23, 24 preferably comprise two coil springs. However, whereas the first spring element 23 is arranged to exert a constant force against the driving or floor surface, the second spring element is provided with power means for increasing the spring force with increasing load-weight on the load carrying device 2. This means includes a hydraulic piston-cylinder device 27 whose piston 28 lies against the chassis 3, while the cylinder 29 of said device lies against the upper end of the spring via a flange 30. The working piston-cylinder device is connected to the hydraulic system serving the lifting ram 9 and is fed with hydraulic fluid through an inlet 31. The spring 24 extends around the cylinder 29 and is supported by a connector plate 32 arranged between the lower link arms 26. When the hydraulic pressure increases, the cylinder 29 and associated flange are pressed downwards, therewith compressing the spring 24 and exerting a greater spring force downwardly on the link-arm pair 26 and therewith on the drive-wheel 7. The piston 28 is mounted in an aperture 33 in the chassis 3 in a manner which enables the working cylinder to swing slightly when the link-arms are swung. The spring element is shown in the position taken thereby when no load is placed on the load carrying device 2. In this position, the spring force applied on the drive-wheel is adapted to give the wheel a sprung movement of plus or minus 2 mm without risk of any of the support wheels 5 lifting from the floor surface. The link arm system will make the drive-wheel suspension very stable without any risk for binding or jaming. This is particularly important since the vertical movement of the wheel is very small and said movement has to be carried out in spite of strong horizontal forces which act on the wheel especially when breaking. Figure 5 illustrates schematically a hydraulic circuit for the aforesaid low-lifting truck. As shown in the illustration, a pump 34 drives hydraulic fluid through a non-return valve 35 to the lifting ram 9, which communicates with the working piston-cylinder device 27 such that the device is subjected to the same hydraulic pressure as the lifting ram. Since the pressure prevailing in the ram is totally dependent on the weight to be carried, the bias or spring force of the spring 24 will also be proportional to the weight of the load. The hydraulic circuit also incorporates conventionally a lowering valve 36 and an overflow valve 37 through which hydraulic fluid can be returned to a tank 38. Thus, the arrangement according to the invention is effective in increasing automatically the pressure of the drive-wheel against the floor or driving surface when the load increases. This increase in wheel pressure results in greater friction between the drive-wheel and the floor surface, and therewith enables the braking distance to be shortened considerably in relation to braking distances when the wheel pressure remains unchanged. Figure 6 illustrates a modified hydraulic circuit intended for high-lift industrial trucks. These trucks are designed for transporting loads to and from pallet stacks or like locations, and for lifting the loads in the actual stack location. The hydraulic circuit incorporates a slide valve 39 or the like, for controlling lifting and lowering movements. A cut-off valve 40 is provided for interrupting communication between the ram 9 and the piston-cylinder device 27 when the load carrying device 2 has reached a given height. This switch-over is effected with the aid of schematically illustrated control means 41, which may comprise, for example, an electric switch and transducer means located on the lifting arrangement. The valve 40 is preferably adapted to take the aforesaid blocking mode when a lifting height of about one metre is reached, whereupon the piston-cylinder 27 is without pressure and is connected to the tank 38. This system enables a full spring force to be exerted on the drive-wheel when the truck is driven with limited raised loads, and further enables the spring force to be reduced when driving loads which are lifted to higher levels, so that the wheel pressure has no deleterious effect on the stability of the truck. This enables the truck to be driven at high speeds to and from the pallet locations while maintaining the desired braking effects. It is always necessary for safety reasons to drive slowly in the actual vicinity of the pallet locations, therewith rendering additional braking force unnecessary, i.e. disconnection of the piston-cylinder device has no real detrimental effect. It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated and described embodiment, and that various modifications can be made within the scope of the following claims.

Claims: An industrial truck of the kind which includes a chassis (3) carried on a driving surface by support wheels (5,6) which have substantially no spring suspension, the truck being driven and braked by a sprung drive-wheel (7) arranged between two of the support wheels and a load carrying device (2) which can be raised and lowered relative to the chassis by means of a hydraulic ram device (9), wherein said sprung drive-wheel (7) is mounted on the chassis through coupling means (25,26) coupling the chassis to the drive-wheel while permitting substantially vertical movement of the said chassis relative to said drive-wheel, and trough a spring means (22) for exerting a force on the drive-wheel towards the driving surface, and wherein a piston-cylinder device (27), connected to the conduit of the hydraulic ram device (9), is coupled to said spring means (22), for varying said bias or spring force, characterized in that said conduit to said piston-cylinder device (27) communicates with the hydraulic system of the hydraulic ram device (9), such that the pressure in said conduit increases or decreases with increasing or decreasing weight of the load, and that said piston-cylinder device (27) is arranged to increase or decrease said bias or spring force when expanded or retracted, such that the braking force is increased or decreased with increasing or decreasing weight of the load carried by the load carrying device (2). A truck according to Claim 1, characterized in that the coupling means includes at least two link arms (25,26) arranged between the chassis (3) and the drive-wheel (7). A truck according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spring means (22) includes a coil spring (24) placed around the piston-cylinder device (27) and in that the spring is arranged between one link arm (26) and the chassis (3). A truck according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said drive-wheel (7) and a motive power drive (10) for said wheel constitute a unit which is sprung relative to the chassis (3). A truck according to Claim 4, characterized in that said motive power drive (10) includes an electric motor (11) located above the drive-wheel (7) and a gear unit (12) located at the wheel-hub (13). A truck according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said motive power drive (10) is carried by a motor support (14) and that said link arms (25,26) are arranged in parallel between the chassis (3) and the motor support (14) and attached thereto. A truck according to Claim 6, characterized in that said spring means (22) includes another spring element (23) arranged between the chassis (3) and the motor support (14). A truck according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said electric motor (21) is arranged vertically with its rotation axis (16) arranged perpendicular to the drive-wheel axis (17) and that the power assembly (10) is journalled in relation to the motor support (14) by a bearing (15). A truck according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by control means (41) which co-act with the lifting arrangement for disconnecting the spring force increasing power means (27) when the load carrying device (2) lifts the load thereon above a given horizontal level.

Inventors: GUSTAFSSON, TORE, JARL, BERNT
Applicants: BT INDUSTRIES AKTIEBOLAG
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B66F9
IPC codes: B60G17, B66F9