Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9421963B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 21:47:34+00:00

Document:
2014-04-02 Assigned to CROWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION reassignment CROWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: SCHLOEMER, JAMES FRANCIS, WETTERER, GEORGE ROBERT, CRABILL, MONTY L., JENSEN, ERIC L.
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This application is a divisional application of prior application U.S. Ser. No. 13/788,683, filed Mar. 7, 2013, and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE HAVING A CONTROL APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AN ACCELERATION VALUE,” which is a continuation of prior application U.S. Ser. No. 12/360,353, filed Jan. 27, 2009, and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE HAVING A CONTROL APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AN ACCELERATION VALUE,” which claims the benefit of: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/026,151, filed Feb. 5, 2008 and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE HAVING A STEER SYSTEM INCLUDING A TACTILE FEEDBACK DEVICE”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/026,153, filed Feb. 5, 2008 and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE HAVING A CONTROL APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AN ACCELERATION VALUE”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/049,158, filed Apr. 30, 2008 and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE HAVING A STEER SYSTEM INCLUDING A TACTILE FEEDBACK DEVICE”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/055,667, filed May 23, 2008 and entitled “A MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLE WITH A MODULE CAPABLE OF CHANGING A STEERABLE WHEEL TO CONTROL HANDLE POSITION RATIO,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a materials handling vehicle is provided comprising: a frame; wheels supported on the frame; a traction motor coupled to one of the wheels to effect rotation of the one wheel; a speed control element operable by an operator to define a speed control signal corresponding to a desired speed of the traction motor; a system associated with a steerable wheel to effect angular movement of the steerable wheel; and control apparatus coupled to the speed control element to receive the speed control signal, and coupled to the traction motor to generate a drive signal to the traction motor in response to the speed control signal to control the operation of the traction motor. The control apparatus may use points from one or more curves each defining an acceleration value that varies based on one of an angular position of the steerable wheel, the speed of the traction motor and the speed control signal to determine an acceleration value for the traction motor.
The system may comprise a sensor generating signals indicative of an angular position of the steerable wheel.
The materials handling vehicle may further comprise a sensor associated with the traction motor for generating signals indicative of a speed of the traction motor.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a materials handling vehicle is provided comprising: a frame; wheels supported on the frame; a traction motor coupled to one of the wheels to effect rotation of the one wheel; a speed control element operable by an operator to define a speed control signal corresponding to a desired speed of the traction motor; a system associated with a steerable wheel to effect angular movement of the steerable wheel; and control apparatus coupled to the speed control element to receive the speed control signal, and coupled to the traction motor to generate a drive signal to the traction motor in response to the speed control signal to control the operation of the traction motor. The control apparatus may determine acceleration values for the traction motor based on an angular position of the steerable wheel, a speed of the traction motor and a current position of the speed control element as defined by the speed control signal.
The control apparatus may use points from curves to define the acceleration values based on the angular position of the steerable wheel, the speed of the traction motor and the current position of the speed control element.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, a materials handling vehicle is provided comprising: a frame comprising an operator's compartment; wheels supported on the frame; a traction motor coupled to one of the wheels to effect rotation of the one wheel; a system associated with a steerable wheel to effect angular movement of the steerable wheel about a first axis, the system comprising a control handle capable of being moved by an operator to define a current desired angular position of the steerable wheel; and control apparatus varying a drive signal to the traction motor based on a steerable wheel error.
The steerable wheel error may be determined by comparing the current desired angular position of the steerable wheel to a current calculated actual position of the steerable wheel.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, a materials handling vehicle is provided comprising: a frame comprising an operator's compartment; wheels supported on the frame; a traction motor coupled to one of the wheels to effect rotation of the one wheel; a system associated with the steerable wheel to effect angular movement of the steerable wheel about a first axis. The system may comprise a control handle capable of being moved by an operator to define a desired angular position of the steerable wheel. Further provided is a control apparatus to vary a drive signal to the traction motor based on one of the desired angular position of the steerable wheel, a calculated actual position of the steerable wheel, a steerable wheel error, and a steer rate of the control handle. The control apparatus may determine a first traction motor speed limit based on the desired angular position of the steerable wheel, a second traction motor speed limit based on the calculated actual position of the steerable wheel, a third traction motor speed limit based on the steerable wheel error and a fourth traction motor speed limit based on the steer rate of the control handle. The control apparatus may select the smallest of the first, second, third and fourth traction motor speed limits and may use the smallest limit when generating the drive signal to the traction motor.
The tactile feedback device 100 further comprises a control handle position sensor 100A, shown in FIG. 2 but not shown in FIG. 9, which senses the angular position of the control handle 90 within the angular range of approximately +/−60 degrees in the illustrated embodiment. The control handle position sensor 100A comprises, in the illustrated embodiment, first and second potentiometers, each of which senses the angular position of the shaft 102. The second potentiometer generates a redundant position signal. Hence, only a single potentiometer is required to sense the angular position of the shaft 102. The angular position of the shaft 102 corresponds to the angular position of the control handle 90. An operator rotates the control handle 90 within the angular range of approximately +/−60 degrees in the illustrated embodiment to control movement of the steerable wheel 74, which wheel 74 is capable of rotating approximately +/−90 degrees from a centered position in the illustrated embodiment. As the control handle 90 is rotated by the operator, the control handle position sensor 100A senses that rotation, i.e., magnitude and direction, and generates a steer control signal corresponding to a desired angular position of the steerable wheel 74 to a steering control module or unit 220.
The steering control unit 220 also receives the steer control signal from the control handle position sensor 100A, which, as noted above, senses the angular position of the control handle 90 within the angular range of approximately +/−60 degrees in the illustrated embodiment. The steering control unit 220 passes the steer control signal to the display module 230. Since a current steer control signal corresponds to a current position of the control handle 90 falling within the range of from about +/−60 degrees and the steerable wheel 74 is capable of rotating through an angular range of +/−90 degrees, the display module 230 converts the current control handle position, as indicated by the steer control signal, to a corresponding desired angular position of the steerable wheel 74 by multiplying the current control handle position by a ratio of equal to or about 90/60 in the illustrated embodiment, e.g., an angular position of the control handle 90 of +60 degrees equals a desired angular position of the steerable wheel 74 of +90 degrees. The display module 230 further determines a steer rate, i.e., change in angular position of the control handle 90 per unit time, using the steer control signal. For example, the display module 230 may compare angular positions of the control handle 90 determined every 32 milliseconds to determine the steer rate.
As noted above, the proximity sensor 36 generates an operator status signal indicating that either an operator is standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30 or no operator is standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30. The proximity sensor 36 is coupled to the traction control module 210 such that the traction control module 210 receives the operator status signal from the proximity sensor 36. The traction control module 210 forwards the operator status signal to the display module 230. If an operator is standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30, as indicated by the operator status signal, the display module 230 will allow movement of the steerable wheel 74 to an angular position falling within a first angular range, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is equal to approximately +/−90 degrees. If, however, an operator is NOT standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30, the display module 230 will limit movement of the steerable wheel 74 to an angular position within a second angular range, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is equal to approximately +/−15 degrees. It is noted that when an operator is standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30, the vehicle is being operated in a rider mode, such as the high speed or the low speed mode noted above. When an operator is NOT standing on the floorboard 34 in the operator's compartment 30, the vehicle may be operated in the “walkie” mode, where the operator walks alongside the vehicle 10 while gripping and maneuvering the control handle 90 and one of the first and second rotatable speed control elements 96A and 96B. Hence, rotation of the steerable wheel 74 is limited during the walkie mode to an angular position within the second angular range.
Typically, an operator does not request that the control handle 90 be turned to an angular position greater than about +/−_45 degrees from the centered position when the vehicle 10 is operating in the walkie mode. If a request is made to rotate the control handle 90 to an angular position greater than about +/−45 degrees and the vehicle 10 is being operated in the walkie mode, the display module 230 will command the traction control module 210 to cause the vehicle 10 to brake to a stop. If the display module 230 has caused the vehicle 10 to brake to a stop, the display module 230 will allow the traction motor 72 to rotate again to effect movement of the driven steerable wheel 74 after the control handle 90 has been moved to a position within a predefined range such as +/−40 degrees and the first and second speed control elements 96A and 96B have been returned to their neutral/home positions.
The display module 230 may generate a high steerable wheel turn signal to the traction control module 210 when the steer control signal corresponds to a steerable wheel angular position greater than about +/−7 degrees from its straight ahead position. When the display module 230 is generating a high steerable wheel turn signal, the vehicle is considered to be in a “special for turn” mode.
wherein said steerable wheel error is determined by comparing said current desired angular position of said steerable wheel to a current calculated actual position of said steerable wheel.
a system associated with said steerable wheel to effect angular movement of said steerable wheel about a first axis, said system comprising a control handle capable of being moved by an operator to define a desired angular position of said steerable wheel; control apparatus varying a drive signal to said traction motor based on one of said desired angular position of said steerable wheel, a calculated actual position of said steerable wheel, a steerable wheel error, and a steer rate of said control handle, wherein said control apparatus determines a first traction motor speed limit based on said desired angular position of said steerable wheel, a second traction motor speed limit based on said calculated actual position of said steerable wheel, a third traction motor speed limit based on said steerable wheel error and a fourth traction motor speed limit based on said steer rate of said control handle, said control apparatus selects the smallest of the first, second, third and fourth traction motor speed limits and uses said smallest limit when generating said drive signal to said traction motor.
3. The materials handling vehicle as set out in claim 1, wherein said traction motor effects rotation of said one wheel about a generally horizontal second axis and said first axis is a generally vertical axis.
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