LIFT TRUCK WITH OPTICAL LOAD SENSING STRUCTURE

摘要

A lift truck includes a frame, a pair of laterally spaced apart outriggers extending from the frame, and a load handling assembly secured to the frame adjacent to the outriggers. The load handling assembly includes a mast assembly positioned between the outriggers and a carriage assembly including fork structure for supporting a load on the load handling assembly. The carriage assembly is movable vertically along the mast assembly and laterally with respect to the mast assembly. Optical sensor structure of the truck monitors for conditions wherein movement of the carriage assembly would result in contact between the load and the outrigger(s). A vehicle controller receives a signal from the optical sensor structure and prevents movement of the carriage assembly toward the outrigger(s) if the signal from the optical sensor structure indicates that such movement would result in contact between the load and the outrigger(s).

主权项

1. A lift truck comprising:
a frame defining a main structural component of the lift truck; a pair of laterally spaced apart outriggers extending from the frame, each outrigger including at least one wheel; a vehicle controller for controlling at least one function of the lift truck; a load handling assembly secured to the frame adjacent to the outriggers, the load handling assembly comprising:
a mast assembly positioned between the outriggers; anda carriage assembly including fork structure for supporting a load on the load handling assembly, the carriage assembly being movable vertically along the mast assembly and the fork structure also being moveable laterally with respect to the mast assembly via a sideshift assembly; and optical sensor structure that monitors for conditions wherein movement of the carriage assembly would result in contact between the load and at least one of the outriggers; wherein the vehicle controller receives a signal from the optical sensor structure and prevents movement of the carriage assembly in a direction toward the at least one of the outriggers if the signal from the optical sensor structure indicates that such movement would result in contact between the load and the at least one of the outriggers.