US 12,351,441 B2
Forklift and forklift controlling method
Takuro Kato, Tsukuba (JP); Yukikazu Koide, Tsukuba (JP); and Hironobu Okamoto, Tsukuba (JP)
Assigned to KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI, Kariya (JP)
Filed by KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Jan. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/157,572.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-012313 (JP), filed on Jan. 28, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0242386 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. B66F 9/16 (2006.01); B66F 9/075 (2006.01); B66F 9/12 (2006.01); B66F 9/22 (2006.01)
CPC B66F 9/0755 (2013.01) [B66F 9/122 (2013.01); B66F 9/16 (2013.01); B66F 9/22 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A forklift, comprising:
a vehicle body;
a fork configured to mount a pallet, an opening into which the fork is inserted when the pallet is mounted on the fork being an insertion opening, the fork including an insertion portion that is inserted into the insertion opening, surfaces that define the insertion opening including a first facing surface that is located above the insertion portion when the fork is inserted into the insertion opening and a second facing surface that faces the first facing surface;
a lift device that is configured to lift or lower the fork;
a tilt device that is configured to tilt the fork;
a tilt sensor that is configured to output a signal corresponding to a tilt angle of the fork;
processing circuitry that is configured to control the lift device and the tilt device; and
a detection sensor provided in the insertion portion, the detection sensor being disposed closer to a base of the insertion portion than to a distal end of the insertion portion so as to correspond to an entrance of the insertion opening when the fork is inserted into the insertion opening, and the detection sensor being configured to detect whether the insertion portion is in contact with the first facing surface, wherein
the forklift is configured to perform, with the lift device, a placing operation of placing the pallet on a placement surface by lowering the fork with the pallet mounted on the fork,
the processing circuitry is configured to execute:
a stopping process of stopping lowering of the fork by the lift device when the detection sensor is separated from the first facing surface while the fork is being lowered by the lift device in the placing operation;
a forward tilting process executed after execution of the stopping process, the forward tilting process controlling the tilt device to tilt the fork forward until the tilt angle reaches a limit value and sequentially obtaining values of the tilt angle calculated based on a signal from the tilt sensor during execution of the forward tilting process; and
a returning process controlling the tilt device to tilt the fork rearward such that the insertion portion or the detection sensor is separate from the first facing surface when the value of the tilt angle stops changing before the tilt angle reaches the limit value, and
the returning process is not executed in a case in which the tilt angle reaches the limit value.