US 12,134,550 B2
Method for transporting a goods carrier by means of an industrial truck operable in an at least partially automated manner
Frank Roethling, Stuttgart (DE); and Patrick Strouhal, Murrhardt (DE)
Assigned to Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
Filed by Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
Filed on Oct. 14, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/501,010.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 213 124.4 (DE), filed on Oct. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0119236 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. B66F 9/06 (2006.01); B66F 9/075 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01)
CPC B66F 9/063 (2013.01) [B66F 9/0755 (2013.01); G05D 1/0231 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for transporting a goods carrier with an industrial truck that is operated in an at least partially automated manner, the method comprising:
a) acquiring, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, an item of information about a length of the goods carrier;
b) checking, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, the acquired information about the length of the goods carrier in relation to a total length of a cargo surface of a cargo platform of the industrial truck; and
c) performing, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, one of a multistep loading process and a multistep unloading process, which at least includes reloading the goods carrier on the cargo platform in response to the length of the goods carrier being less than the total length of the cargo surface,
wherein the acquiring the item of information about the length of the goods carrier comprises (i) approaching, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, an initial position that is predefined relative to the goods carrier, a sensor device of the industrial truck being configured to detect when the initial position is reached, (ii) driving, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, a predefined distance along a longitudinal direction of the goods carrier, starting from the initial position, and (iii) performing, in an automated manner with the industrial truck, a further detection process using the sensor device of the industrial truck after the predefined distance has been driven, and
wherein the method further comprises differentiating between a first goods carrier having a first length and a second goods carrier having a second length that is different from the first length, based on the further detection process using the sensor device after the industrial truck drives the predefined distance.