Firma Jungheinrich Unternehmensverwaltung Kg

Siegfried Hoener

Volker Pridat

Hans-Jurgen Hachmann

Rolf Haelbich

Sven Christensen

Jurgen Hanel

An industrial truck comprising at least one steerable wheel is to be guided in dependence on direction-controlling signals which are transmitted to the industrial truck. At a junction the truck receives a direction-controlling steering signal, which causes the at least one steerable wheel to be laterally offset from the guiding signal line until a signal equilibrium which depends on the offset has been established in the steering controller. In dependence on the distance traveled and/or on time, a resetting signal is received which causes the steering means to return to an operating condition in which the vehicle is centered over a signal guiding line to be followed. The signals are transmitted by a guiding signal line, which is buried in the ground and cooperates with a sensor, which is provided at the center of the vehicle and scans the guiding signal line so as to control the deflection of steerable wheels of the vehicle. When a branch to the left or right extends from the straight guiding signal line, a signal calling for a lateral offset from the guide wire (4; 15, 16) is delivered and maintained for causing the vehicle to move along a course that is parallel to the guide wire (4; 15, 16). That parallel offset travel is continued until a signal for resetting the vehicle to a centered position over the guide wire is received.

Method of guiding industrial trucks having at least one steerable wheel

A fork truck is provided with a collision-preventing safety arrangement which initiates an emergency stopping in response to a contact with or detection of an obstacle. That safety arrangement comprises a safety device which at least adjacent to a load carrier (3) encloses the space for accommodating a picked-up load (20) on a level within the height range of a human being. That safety device is designed to permit a handling of the load (20) by means of the load carrier (3) at least in a forward direction. For that purpose the safety device may comprise a confining structure, which in its operative position encloses at least the space adjacent to the load carrier (3) and is movable out of its operative position when a load (20) is to be handled.

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Hamburg, Germany

Siegfried Hoener