阅读说明：本技术 地面运输工具 (Ground transport tool ) 是由 C·舍特克 H·比伯内尔 M·舍恩奥尔 于 2021-04-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种地面运输工具,包括：车辆主体；从车辆主体基本竖直地延伸的升降框架；立于地面上的至少一个载重轮；也立于地面上的至少一个另外的轮,例如被导向的驱动轮,其设计用于以导向的方式驱动地面运输工具以在地面上移动；与至少一个载重轮相关联的至少一个执行器(13),执行器设计和设置用于调整载重轮相对于车辆主体的相对位置；至少一个检测单元(110),其设计用于检测地面运输工具的瞬时运行参数并输出相应的数据；和具有相关联的存储单元(114)的控制单元(112),控制单元在运行方面与至少一个执行器(13)和至少一个检测单元(110)耦联并且设计用于限定地面运输工具的目标状态(S),接收来自检测单元(110)的数据,根据检测到的地面运输工具的运行参数确定地面运输工具的实际状态(Z),计算对载重轮相对于车辆主体的相对位置的可能的调整对地面运输工具的实际状态(Z)的影响,并指示至少一个执行器(13),使得通过调整载重轮相对于车辆主体的相对位置使地面运输工具的实际状态(Z)接近于目标状态(S)。(The invention relates to a ground transportation means comprising: a vehicle main body; a lifting frame extending substantially vertically from the vehicle body; at least one load wheel standing on the ground; at least one further wheel, for example a guided drive wheel, which is also standing on the ground and is designed to drive the ground conveyance in a guided manner for movement on the ground; at least one actuator (13) associated with the at least one load-carrying wheel, the actuator being designed and arranged for adjusting the relative position of the load-carrying wheel with respect to the vehicle body; at least one detection unit (110) which is designed to detect instantaneous operating parameters of the industrial truck and to output corresponding data; and a control unit (112) having an associated memory unit (114), which is operatively coupled to the at least one actuator (13) and the at least one detection unit (110) and is designed to define a target state (S) of the industrial truck, receives data from the detection unit (110), determines an actual state (Z) of the industrial truck on the basis of the detected operating parameters of the industrial truck, calculates the influence of a possible adjustment of the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body on the actual state (Z) of the industrial truck, and indicates the at least one actuator (13) such that the actual state (Z) of the industrial truck is brought closer to the target state (S) by adjusting the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body.)

1. A ground transportation vehicle (10), in particular a narrow lane lift truck, comprising:

-a vehicle body (10 a);

-a lifting frame extending substantially vertically from the vehicle body (10 a);

-at least one load wheel (11a) standing on the ground (U);

-at least one further load carrying wheel, for example a guided drive wheel (16), which further load carrying wheel also stands on the ground, which further load carrying wheel is designed for: driving the ground conveyance (10) in a guided manner for movement on the ground (U),

-at least one actuator (13) associated with said at least one load wheel (11a), said actuator being designed and arranged to: adjusting the position of the load wheel (11a) relative to the vehicle body (10 a);

-at least one detection unit (110) designed to: detecting instantaneous operating parameters of the ground conveyance (10) and outputting corresponding data; and

-a control unit (112) having an associated memory unit (114), which is operatively coupled to at least one of the actuators (13) and at least one of the detection units (110) and is designed to:

-defining a target state (S) of the ground conveyance (10);

-receiving data from the detection unit (110);

-determining an actual state (Z) of the ground conveyance (10) from the detected operating parameters of the ground conveyance (10);

-calculating the effect of possible adjustments to the relative position of the load wheel (11a) with respect to the vehicle body (10) on the actual state (Z) of the ground conveyance (10); and

-indicating at least one of the actuators (13) such that the actual state (Z) of the ground conveyance (10) is brought close to the target state (S) by adjusting the relative position of the load wheel (11a) with respect to the vehicle body (10 a).

2. A ground conveyance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the detection units (110) is designed to: detecting at least one of:

-inclination of the vehicle body (10a) with respect to the ground (U) and/or the horizontal line; and

-acceleration and/or speed and/or inclination of at least one component of the ground conveyance (10) and/or of a load carried by the ground conveyance (10) relative to the ground (U) and/or of at least one further component of the ground conveyance (10), wherein the acceleration to be detected can be oriented in particular transversely to the direction of travel of the ground conveyance (10).

3. A ground conveyance (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one further detection unit (110a) designed to: at least one characteristic of the surroundings of the industrial truck (10) is detected and corresponding data is output to the control unit (112).

4. A ground conveyance (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the or at least one of the detection units (110, 110a) is associated with the or at least one of the load wheels (11 a).

5. A ground conveyance (10) as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the detection unit (110, 110a) or at least one of the detection units is associated with the vehicle body (10a), the lifting frame and/or a component of the ground conveyance (10) to which the vehicle body (10a) or the lifting frame is connected.

6. A ground conveyance (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one family of spatial characteristics is stored in the storage unit (114) of the control unit (112), wherein the control unit (112) is designed for: determining an imminent change in the actual state of the ground conveyance (10) as a function of the instantaneous movement parameter of the ground conveyance (10) and at least one characteristic map.

7. A ground conveyance (10) as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising at least one receiving device (110b) designed to: receiving data from an external device, the data representing information about the position or surroundings of the ground conveyance (10).

8. An earth-moving vehicle (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one load-carrying axle (11) is provided, which carries two load-carrying wheels (11a) lying opposite one another.

9. An earth-moving vehicle (10) according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the load-carrying axle (11) is pivotably suspended at the vehicle body (10a) about a pivot axis (12) extending horizontally perpendicular to the load-carrying axle (11) or by means of a resilient element (45), and at least one of the actuators (13) is designed for: causing pivoting of the load-carrying wheel axle (12), wherein optionally a damping element (14) is provided for damping pivoting movements between the pivot axle (12) or the elastic element (45) and the vehicle body (10a) and/or for load balancing.

10. A ground conveyance (30) according to claim 8, wherein between at least one load carrying axle (31) and the vehicle body there are provided at least two actuators (33a, 33b) spaced apart from each other and optionally at least one damping element (34a, 34b) and/or an element for load balancing.

11. An earth-moving vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 9 and 10, further comprising a guide element for supporting the load-carrying axle (11) in a plane that is developed through the extension direction (x) and the vertical direction (z) of the load-carrying axle (11).

12. A ground conveyance (50) according to claim 8, wherein at least one load wheel (51a) is associated with a frame element (50a) pivotably articulated at the vehicle body (50 a).

13. A ground conveyance (60) according to claim 8, wherein the load wheel (61a) or at least one of the load wheels, preferably all of the load wheels (61a), is/are arranged at the vehicle frame (60a) in such a way that it is linearly movable in a horizontal direction (z) by the at least one actuator (63), wherein optionally a damping element (64) is also provided for damping the linear movement and/or for load balancing.

14. A ground conveyance (70) as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one of the actuators (73) and, if necessary, at least one of the damping elements (74) is arranged at least in sections within the contour of the load wheel (71 a).

15. A ground conveyance according to claim 14, wherein a circular linear guide (92a) is provided in the rim of the load wheel (91a), with which a guide carriage (92b) is connected, wherein at least one actuator (93) and, if necessary, at least one damping element is provided between the vehicle body and the guide carriage (92 b).

16. An industrial truck according to claim 14, wherein a circular linear guide (102a) is provided in the rim of the load wheel (101a), with which a guide carriage (102b) is connected, which guide carriage is in turn associated with a lever element (103), wherein the lever element (103) is on the other hand pivotably supported at the vehicle body such that the pivot axis (105) of the lever element and the rotation axis of the load wheel (106) do not coincide, wherein at least one of the actuators is designed for: causing a pivoting movement of the lever element (103).

Technical Field

The invention relates to an improvement in ground transportation means, in particular to a narrow roadway lift truck.

Background

A typical problem which arises during operation of a ground transport means and which limits the turnover rates which can be achieved thereby is that: during the load changeover transverse to and along the travel direction, the lifting frame vibrates and the lifting mast deforms. In particular in the case of lift trucks which frequently lift the load to very high heights, such vibrations can play a very disadvantageous role due to geometric proportionality. Other aspects that may play an important role in the context of the present application are the level compensation when the vehicle is stationary and the compensation for vehicle deformation due to thrust loads. In practice, therefore, in order to achieve the maximum travel speed without causing excessive lateral vibrations of the lifting mast, it is necessary to ensure perfect flatness of the ground on which the ground conveyance travels with its wheels. However, this results in high costs and requires regular inspection and maintenance of the ground.

In order to reduce the vibrations mentioned on the vehicle side, it is known, for example, from EP 2814677 a 1: the surface properties of the running surface are detected and, based on the detection, the desired kinematic effect on the ground conveyance is counteracted by suitable measures. In this case, for example, a movable chassis can be considered, wherein the chassis influences the wheels of the industrial truck.

A special embodiment of a mobile chassis of this type is also known, for example, from EP 3309111B 1, in which: the load-carrying wheels of the industrial truck are rotatably arranged on at least one eccentric disc, which is mounted on the vehicle body around a rotational axis, which in turn is arranged offset to the wheel rotational axis.

In practice, however, it has been shown that: the proposed detection of the driving surface and the support of the load-carrying wheels by means of the eccentric discs are not optimal solutions for reducing the vibrations of the lifting frame in an industrial vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an industrial truck with vibration-damping measures, such that high-speed operation can be achieved even on poor driving ground without the accuracy of the tasks to be performed by the industrial truck being impaired thereby.

To this end, the ground transportation vehicle according to the invention comprises: a vehicle main body; a lifting frame extending substantially vertically from the vehicle body; at least one load wheel standing on the ground; at least one further wheel, for example a guided drive wheel, which is also standing on the ground and is designed to drive the ground conveyance in a guided manner for movement on the ground; at least one actuator associated with the at least one load wheel, the actuator being designed and arranged to: adjusting a position of the load-carrying wheel relative to the vehicle body; at least one detection unit, which is designed to detect instantaneous operating parameters of the ground vehicle and to output corresponding data; and a control unit having an associated memory unit, which is operatively coupled to the at least one actuator and the at least one detection unit and is designed to: defining a target state of the ground conveyance, receiving data from the detection unit, determining an actual state of the ground conveyance from the detected operating parameters of the ground conveyance, calculating the effect of a possible adjustment of the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body on the actual state of the ground conveyance, and instructing the at least one actuator such that the actual state of the ground conveyance approaches the target state by adjusting the relative position of the load wheel with respect to the vehicle body.

In addition to the example mentioned, in which at least one further wheel is designed as a guided drive wheel, other combinations of drive and guide device are also conceivable, for example, at least one load wheel can be driven, in particular as part of a driven load shaft, so that the further wheel can then be a guided wheel without a drive.

The detection unit can be designed in particular for: the inclination of the vehicle body relative to the ground and/or the horizontal and at least one of the acceleration and/or the speed and/or the inclination of at least one component of the ground conveyance and/or of at least one further component of the ground conveyance and/or of a load carried by the ground conveyance (10) are detected, wherein the acceleration to be detected can be oriented in particular transversely to the direction of travel of the ground conveyance.

Thus, according to the invention, firstly, the absolute levelness of the vehicle body with respect to the horizon or the levelness thereof relative to a predefined level, for example by means of an inclination sensor, is determined, for example in such a way that its levelness on the ground inclined at a predefined angle relative to the horizon is determined, using the operating parameters of the ground transportation means themselves. In this case, the vehicle body and thus the lifting frame can be aligned with respect to the horizontal line by means of the actuation of the actuators.

In another example, a plurality of sensors may be used as detection units, for example a first sensor on a load-carrying axle and a second sensor at a rear portion of the vehicle body decoupled from the load-carrying axle, as explained in more detail below. By now determining the relative orientation of the two sensors, the required actuator response can be calculated by the control unit, by means of which the two vehicle components mentioned can be optimally aligned with each other again.

In a further variant, it is also possible to associate a first sensor with a movably arranged first load-carrying wheel, a second sensor with a movably arranged second load-carrying wheel, and a third sensor with a vehicle body decoupled from the wheels. This variant applies to the embodiment of the ground conveyance according to the invention in which the rigid load-carrying axle is omitted.

Furthermore, the instantaneous operating parameters may include a state of motion, such as the speed or acceleration of a vehicle component or the position of the vehicle. As an example of this, an acceleration sensor can be considered, which detects an acceleration vector substantially transverse to the direction of travel of the industrial truck, for example at the lifting frame or at the lifted load-carrying part. From this, the actuator response can then be determined by the control unit, which counteracts the acceleration vector or at least minimizes its absolute value.

In this context, a velocity vector and a further relative position specification can be determined by continuously integrating such acceleration vectors starting from a specific starting state. The two examples just mentioned can also be used in combination with one another or complementary to one another in a single ground conveyance according to the invention.

Obviously, at least one further detection unit can also be provided at the surface vehicle, which is designed to: at least one characteristic of the surroundings of the industrial truck is detected and corresponding data is output to the control unit. Here, the environment detection includes detection of a running ground, but is not limited thereto, and other road signs or objects in the vehicle environment may also be detected. Possible embodiments of such a detection unit include laser sensors, ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors, which, for example, scan an area in front of or beside at least one load wheel. In this way, a projection of the expected actual state of the industrial truck can be generated, so that the actuator of the industrial truck according to the invention can actively counteract the predicted deviation. In particular, 2D and/or 3D detection units may be used.

Furthermore, the detection unit or at least one of the detection units may be associated with the load wheel or at least one of the load wheels, such that the actuator action may take place directly at the location where the respective operating parameter and/or environmental characteristic is detected.

Alternatively or additionally, the detection unit or at least one of the detection units may be associated with the vehicle body, the lifting frame and/or a component of the ground conveyance to which the vehicle body or the lifting frame is connected. Examples for this include the acceleration sensors already mentioned above, which may be associated with the lifting frame or the part movable at the lifting frame and the vehicle body.

Furthermore, at least one spatial characteristic map is stored in a memory unit of the control unit, wherein the control unit is designed to: an imminent change in the actual state of the ground conveyance is determined as a function of the instantaneous movement parameter of the ground conveyance and the at least one characteristic map. By providing the control unit in this way with a topological or excitation profile of the region of the ground to be traveled, the actuators of the ground conveyance according to the invention can be actuated by the control unit in a suitable manner accordingly. For example, a value vector of the current position, the current speed and the current direction of travel can be used as key parameters of the characteristic map, from which a predicted position at a later point in time and a desired actuator position at this point in time can be derived for the purpose of leveling the vehicle or counteracting vibrations.

Furthermore, the ground conveyance according to the invention can comprise at least one receiving device, which is designed to: data is received from an external device, the data representing information about a location or surroundings of the ground conveyance. In a similar manner to the family of characteristics just described, the data transmitted by the external device may also include topological or excitation information. In addition to the transmission of the corresponding data by means of known wireless data transmission standards, it is possible to consider bar codes or QR codes with local topological information, which are positioned along defined lanes or at suitable points in a freely drivable area. In a similar manner, transmitters, for example RFID tags, can be arranged along the roadway or at suitable locations, which can transmit the topology information to suitable receiving devices at the ground transport according to the invention.

As already mentioned briefly above, at least one load axle can be provided in the ground conveyance according to the invention, which load axle carries two load wheels lying opposite one another. Such a configuration of the load wheel is used, for example, in an industrial truck having only one driven and guided drive wheel spaced apart from the load wheel axle or having a combination in which the load axle is driven and the other wheel is guided only. In this case, the at least one load axle can be suspended pivotably at the vehicle body, for example about a pivot plane running horizontally perpendicular to the load axle or by means of a spring element, and the at least one actuator can be designed to: causing pivoting of the load-carrying axle, wherein if necessary a damping element can also be provided for damping pivoting movements between the pivot axle or the elastic element and the vehicle body.

The pivot axis can be arranged centrally in the vehicle width direction of the industrial truck or can be arranged offset laterally. Also, in embodiments with a single damping element and a single actuator, they may be provided at opposite or the same side of the pivot axis. As possible actuators, hydraulic cylinders, lifting magnets, lead screws, linear motors, racks, piezo elements, etc. can be considered, wherein a typical stroke in the vertical direction can be about ± 3 mm.

Furthermore, mechanical springs or hydraulic dampers can be used as damping elements and in particular also for load balancing, wherein in the case of springs they can be designed such that pressure is always present in the respective actuator. In the case of a double acting cylinder as actuator, the damping element can also be easily omitted. In one variant, the two double-acting cylinders can also be arranged symmetrically about the pivot point as respective actuators, so that the forces to be applied can be distributed and a smaller dimensioning can be achieved. However, this requires synchronous operation of the two cylinders.

In the case where an elastic element for pivotably suspending the load-carrying axle at the vehicle body is provided, the elastic element may be provided laterally in the vehicle width direction, thereby achieving pivoting of the axle. The spring element can be formed, for example, by a leaf spring, a torsion bar, an elastomer spring or the like, and the adjustment of the orientation of the load-carrying axle can be carried out by an actuator of one of the types mentioned above, which can again be supported by the damping element, opposite the spring element.

In an alternative embodiment, at least two actuators spaced apart from one another and optionally at least one damping element, which can also be used for basic load balancing, can be provided between the at least one load-carrying axle and the vehicle body. Here, in some variants, the mechanism just discussed for suspending the load-carrying axle may be omitted. In both cases, however, it is possible to provide guide units for supporting the load-carrying axle in a plane which is developed by the vertical direction and the extension direction of the load-carrying axle. Alternatively, in embodiments with several actuators, the support function can also be assumed by the actuators, wherein at different adjustment heights of the actuators, the radial length changes can be compensated by the guide play present in the actuators. Obviously, in such an embodiment, a damping element or an element for load compensation may optionally also be provided.

In a structurally different embodiment, the at least one load-carrying wheel can also be associated with a frame element which is pivotably articulated at the vehicle body, so that there are essentially two parts of the vehicle body. Here, a front end of the articulated steering gear type can be considered, wherein at least one load-bearing frame part can be connected, for example, at the level of the frame front wall, rotatably to a further part of the vehicle body, wherein the lifting frame is rigidly connected to this further part. The connection between the two parts of the vehicle body can be designed in a similar manner to that described above in the context of the above-described load-carrying wheel axle suspension, and the corresponding actuators and optionally damping elements can also be of the type described above.

Alternatively, the load wheel or at least one of the load wheels and preferably all load wheels can each be arranged at the vehicle frame in such a way that they can be moved linearly in the horizontal direction by means of at least one actuator, wherein a damping element for damping linear movements can also be provided. In this context it should be noted that: the movement of the at least one load wheel does not have to extend strictly vertically, but can also contain a horizontal component at all, that is to say it can be tilted. In this case, for example, the respective load wheel and the flange plate can form a unit which is mounted on the base frame in a vertically movable manner by means of a linear guide.

In order to drive such a linear movement, a large number of actuators of known type, such as hydraulic cylinders, lifting magnets, lead screws, linear motors, racks, piezo elements, etc., can be reconsidered. They can again be supplemented by damping elements. In a variant of the embodiment described just above, two actuators arranged in parallel can also be provided, as a result of which linear guidance of the respective load wheel can be dispensed with.

In order to be able to save installation space in the region of the attachment of the at least one load wheel to the vehicle body, the at least one actuator and, if appropriate, the at least one damping element can be arranged at least in sections within the contour of the load wheel. In such an embodiment, for example, the wheel bearing may be pulled outward and form a connection between the wheel body and the inner ring. Accordingly, the inner ring forms the basis for the at least one actuator and the linear guide. Possible embodiments in this variant include hydraulic lifting columns arranged in pairs for limiting the degrees of freedom, or also tangential wedges with linear drive units, i.e. for example piezo elements, lifting magnets or lifting cylinders. Since the forces to be absorbed in this embodiment are mainly limited to vertical wheel loads and the occurring moments have only very short lever arms, an optimum absorption of forces and moments can be achieved in addition to the compact configuration mentioned.

In such an embodiment, a circular linear guide can be provided in particular in the rim of the load-carrying wheel, to which linear guide the guide carriage is connected, wherein the at least one actuator and, if appropriate, the at least one damping element are arranged between the vehicle body and the guide carriage.

Alternatively, a circular linear guide can also be provided, to which a guide carriage is connected, which guide carriage is in turn associated with a lever element, wherein the lever element is on the other hand pivotably mounted at the vehicle body in such a way that the pivot axis of the lever element and the pivot axis of the load wheel do not coincide, wherein the at least one actuator is designed to: causing pivotal movement of the lever element. The embodiments of the actuator and the damping element already discussed above can also be provided in both variants.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of its embodiments, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Shown in detail in the accompanying drawings:

fig. 1A to 1D show schematic cross-sectional views of an industrial truck according to the invention with different variants of the load-carrying axle;

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of a variation of FIG. 1C;

fig. 3 shows a schematic view of a further variant of the load axle in the ground conveyance according to the invention;

fig. 4A to 4E show schematic cross-sectional views through further embodiments of the ground transportation according to the invention with individually suspended load wheels and embodiments of such load wheels; and

fig. 5 shows a schematic illustration of functional components of the industrial truck according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A to 1D show first of all schematic cross-sectional views through various variants of the ground conveyance according to the invention in the region of their respective load-carrying axles. In the following, identical or similar components of the respective embodiments are provided with the same reference numerals, respectively, which are increased by multiples of 10, respectively, and detailed descriptions thereof are partially omitted for reasons of readability.

Fig. 1A shows a first embodiment of an industrial truck 10 having a vehicle body 10a and a load-carrying wheel axle 11, which carries a load wheel 11A on each of its two sides and by means of which the industrial truck 10 stands on the ground U. Outside the sectional plane, a single wheel 16 is also shown which is guided and driven, which also stands on the ground U and is responsible for the driving and guiding of the vehicle 10. In other variants it is also possible to drive the load-carrying axle 11 and to guide only the other wheel 16.

The load-carrying wheel axle 11 is suspended pivotably about a pivot axis 12 arranged centrally in the width direction of the ground conveyance 10 at the vehicle body 10a of the vehicle 10, wherein the pivot axis 12 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction (y) such that the pivoting movement of the load-carrying wheel axle 11 extends in a plane which is spanned by the vehicle width direction (x) and the vehicle height direction (z). The respective directions and axes will be explained again below with reference to fig. 2, wherein in fig. 1A the pivoting movement of the vehicle body 10a relative to the ground U is also indicated by the double arrow when the length of the actuator 13 is changed.

A variable-length actuator 13, by means of which a pivoting movement between the load-carrying axle 11 and the vehicle body 10a can be caused, is arranged between the vehicle body 10a and the load-carrying axle 11 in a laterally offset manner in a first direction relative to the pivot axis 12. On the other side of the pivot axis 12 in the vehicle width direction, a damping element 14 is situated opposite the actuator 13, which damps pivoting movements and vibrations of the load-carrying axle 11 caused by the actuator 13 or occurring during the intended operation of the land vehicle 10.

As possible examples of such variable-length actuators 13, hydraulic cylinders, lifting magnets, lead screws, linear motors, racks, piezo elements, etc., can be considered, which can be actuated in a controlled manner and whose typical stroke in the vertical direction can be approximately ± 3 millimeters. Instead, a mechanical spring or a hydraulic damper can be used as damping element 14, wherein in the case of a spring, the spring can be designed such that a pressure is always present in the respective actuator 13.

A second variant of the ground transportation according to the invention is shown in fig. 1B and is denoted by reference numeral 20. In contrast to the modification of fig. 1A, in the modification of fig. 1B, the pivot axis 22 of the load-carrying axle 21 is located outside the widthwise center of the ground conveyance 20, and both the actuator 23 and the shock-absorbing member 24 are disposed on the same side of the pivot axis 22 in the vehicle width direction.

A third variant of the industrial truck according to the invention in fig. 1C again shows an industrial truck 30 in which the pivot axis for suspending the load-carrying axle 31 is omitted, since instead it is suspended in the vehicle width direction at a distance from one another by the respective pair of actuators 33a and 33b and the respective pair of damping elements 34a and 34b, respectively. This embodiment variant is shown again in fig. 2 in an isometric view, wherein the vehicle body 30a and the wheels 31a can be recognized more clearly here, and the vehicle width direction is denoted by x, the vehicle longitudinal direction by y, and the vehicle height direction by z. In this case, the respective pair of one of the actuators 33a, 33b and one of the damping elements 34a, 34b is accommodated as a functional unit in the housings 35a and 35b provided for this purpose, but in this context it should also be noted that: depending on the choice of actuators 33a and 33b, damping elements 34a, 34b can be omitted entirely in this embodiment variant.

Fig. 1D shows a fourth embodiment variant of the industrial truck 40, in which, instead of a pivot axle, an elastic element 45 is provided for suspending the load axle 41, which elastic element can be formed, for example, by a torsion bar. In the embodiment variation shown in fig. 1D, the torsion bar 45 is disposed offset from the midpoint in the vehicle width direction similarly to the pivot shaft 22 in fig. 1B, and the actuator 43 and the damper element 44 are on the same side thereof.

Fig. 3 now shows a schematic top view of a further embodiment variant of the industrial truck 50 according to the invention having a two-part vehicle frame, which is embodied in the manner of an articulated steering gear and comprises a first frame part 50a and a second frame part 50 b. Here, the load axle 51 is associated with a first frame part 50a, while a second frame part 50b may carry, for example, a lifting frame, not shown. Likewise, a further wheel 56, which is guided and driven, is associated with the second frame part 50 b. The pivotable connection of the two frame parts 50a and 50B can take place in a manner similar to the embodiment of fig. 1A and 1B by means of a pivot axis 52, which is oriented in the vehicle longitudinal direction (y-direction) of the ground conveyance 50.

Fig. 4A and 4B now show two further embodiments of the ground transportation means according to the invention in a similar manner to the views of fig. 1A to 1D, but in which the respective wheels of the ground transportation means are not carried by means of a common load axle, but are each suspended independently. Examples of corresponding independent wheel suspensions are again shown in fig. 4C to 4E.

Accordingly, fig. 4A shows an embodiment of a ground conveyance 60 with a vehicle body 60a at which two load wheels 61a are suspended individually opposite each other in the vehicle width direction in a similar manner. The load-carrying wheels 61a are displaceable relative to the vehicle body 60a in the height direction, as indicated by the respective double arrow, so that a pivoting movement of the vehicle body 60a relative to the ground U, which is also indicated by the double arrow, can be triggered. For this purpose, the two load wheels 61a are each supported on a flange 62, and the flange 62 is fastened via an actuator 63 and a damping element 64 to a corresponding counterpart 65 associated with the vehicle body 60 a. Therefore, the above-described inclination of the vehicle body 60a with respect to the ground U can be achieved by asynchronously manipulating the two actuators 63.

In the variant of the ground conveyance 70 of fig. 4B, in contrast to the embodiment variant of fig. 4A, the actuator 73 and the damping element 74 are each accommodated within the contour of the wheel body 71a in a view along the height direction (z direction) as follows: the flange plates 72 respectively close the wheel main bodies outward in the width direction of the vehicle 70. In this way, a significant saving in installation space can be achieved compared to the embodiment of fig. 4A, with the same function.

Three variants of the independent wheel suspension discussed in connection with fig. 4B are now shown in fig. 4C to 4E. In fig. 4C, the load wheel 81a is rotatably mounted by means of a wheel bearing 82, the wheel bearing 82 being associated with a vehicle body, not shown, at a fastening point 85 at a counter element by means of an actuator 83 and, if necessary, a damping element, not shown.

In contrast, in the embodiment of fig. 4D, the carriage bearing is omitted and only the guide carriage 92b, which engages on the circular linear guide 92a, is used for rotatably carrying the carriage wheel 91a, which is, however, associated in a similar manner with the vehicle frame, not shown, at the fastening point 95 via the actuator 93 and, if appropriate, damping elements.

Finally, fig. 4E shows a further variant of the independent wheel suspension, in which the load carrying wheel 101a is likewise rotatably carried by means of a linear guide 102a, but in which the linear guide is associated with a lever element 103 which is in turn pivotably supported at a fastening point 105 at the not shown vehicle frame, wherein the fastening point 105 is offset with respect to the center of rotation 106 of the load carrying wheel 101 a. By means of the actuator, which is now not shown, being designed for causing a pivoting movement of the lever element 103, a relative displacement in the height direction between the load wheel 101a and the vehicle body, which is not shown, with a further magnitude in the vehicle longitudinal direction can be achieved by the fastening point 106 being offset from the centre of rotation 105.

Finally, fig. 5 now shows a schematic functional diagram of the functional components of the ground conveyance according to the invention, as it can be used with each of the just discussed embodiments of the load-carrying wheel arrangement. In particular, fig. 5 shows one of the proposed actuators, for example the actuator 13 of fig. 1A, the actuator 23 of fig. 1B, etc., wherein for reasons of readability hereinafter only the actuator 13 is referred to.

As mentioned, the actuator 13 is designed to: the relative position of the load wheel in relation to the vehicle body in the ground conveyance according to the invention is adjusted. Furthermore, the arrangement of fig. 5 comprises a detection unit 110, which is designed to: instantaneous operating parameters of the ground transportation tool are detected and corresponding data are output. The data are forwarded to a control unit 112 having an associated memory unit 114, which is operatively coupled to the actuator 13. The control unit 112 and the storage unit 114 can be of any known type and can be operatively coupled to or integrated into a central control device of the respective ground transport vehicle, for example.

Furthermore, at least one further detection unit 110a may also be provided in the vehicle, which detects at least one characteristic of the surroundings of the vehicle and outputs corresponding data to the control unit 112. Alternatively or additionally, a receiving device 110b may be provided in the vehicle, which receiving device is designed to: data is received from an external device, the data representing information about the location and environment of the ground transportation vehicle.

The control unit 112 is designed here to: defining a target state S of the ground conveyance, receiving data from the detection unit 110, determining an actual state Z of the ground conveyance from the detected operating parameters of the ground conveyance, calculating the effect of a possible adjustment of the relative position of the load wheel 11a with respect to the vehicle body 10a on the actual state Z of the ground conveyance, and then instructing the actuator 13: so that the actual state Z of the ground transportation means is brought close to the target state S by adjusting the relative position of the load wheels 11a with respect to the vehicle body 10 a.