GB2110620A - Industrial vehicle and adjustable guide roller assembly therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Adjustable guide roller assemblies (38, 40) for an industrial vehicle such as a narrow-aisle lift truck have guide rollers (60) engageable with guide rails to minimize the necessity for steering by an operator during minimal aisle clearance conditions. Guide roller assemblies (38, 40) are preferably mounted on both sides of the industrial vehicle. The body (12) of the industrial vehicle is provided with openings (52) having a polygonal, e.g., square, configuration. Each guide roller assembly (38 or 40) includes an axle (54), at least one of the end portions (58) of which is offset relative to the linear middle portion (56) of the axle and is provided with a polygonal configuration that is similar to the opening (52) in the body (12) so as to be receivable in the body in at least two positions. A guide roller (60) of the assembly is mounted on the middle portion (56) of the axle. The alternative positions of the end portion (58) of the axle (54) in the opening (52) provide at least two adjusted positions of the guide roller (60) relative to the body (12) and enable the roller (60) to be adjusted relative to a guide rail. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Industrial vehicle and adjustable guide roller assembly therefor This invention relates to industrial vehicles and to an adjustable guide rail assembly therefor.

Industrial vehicles such as narrow-aisle lift trucks have applications in warehouses where the width of the aisles has been minimized. In this application it is common to mount guide rails on the floor or at the base of stacking racks so that the operator can focus his attention on the other functions and operations of the lift truck and pay little attention to steering. In this situation the industrial vehicle may be provided with guide rollers mounted at the sides of the vehicle about vertical axes which are intended to track along the guide rails. For example, see United States Patents Nos.

3,850,111 and 4,043,463.

Due to manufacturing tolerances and normal wear on parts, the guide roller assemblies are usually provided with some sort of apparatus for adjusting the spacing between the outer contact surfaces of the guide rails and the guide rollers.

The prior art includes the provision of a plurality of shims or spacers on the guide roller axle shaft which can be removed to vary the spacing between the outer contact surfaces of a guide rail and the guide roller. A problem with this structure is that in order to adjust it, the guide roller assembly must be taken apart, shims or spacers added or removed, and reassembled. This is both time consuming and burdensome.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a guide roller assembly which is easily taken apart and quickly reassembled to one of a plurality of adjusted positions of the guide roller without the addition or removal of additional parts.

The invention will be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation of an industrial vehicle according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the industrial vehicle shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged and broken away detailed plan view of one outrigger on which is mounted front and rear guide roller assemblies as shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the outrigger and guide roller assemblies shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an elevational view of a guide roller axle of the industrial vehicle of the present invention; and Figures 7A-7C are detail views iilustrating the guide roller and associated axle in first, second and third positions.

The numeral 10 designates generally a battery powered industrial truck which is of a straddle type. It should be noted that the invention is disclosed in a straddle type lift truck for the purposes of illustration only and that the invention can readily be adapted to various types of industrial vehicles.

The vehicle 10 includes a body portion 12. The body portion 1 2 includes an outrigger 1 3 on one side of the lift truck 10 and similarly an outrigger 14 is provided on the other side. Each of the outriggers 13, 14 is secured to the main body portion of the truck 10 by a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies 26 (Figure 3). Also included is a pair of unidirectional rear wheels 16 mounted on one side of the body 12 beneath outrigger 1 3 and a second pair of unidirectional rear wheels 1 8 mounted on the other side beneath outrigger 14.

At the front of the vehicle dual caster wheels 20 and 22 are mounted beneath outriggers 1 3 and 14. These wheels swivel as required during operation. Centrally located at the front of the vehicle is a traction wheel 24.

As shown, the industrial truck 10 includes a telescopic mast or upright structure 28 of known construction which is mounted adjacent body portion 12. Carried on the mast structure is a load carriage of known construction which carries fork tines 30 and operator's station indicated generally at 32 which includes an operator's platform 34 and controls at 36. An overhead guard 33 is supported from vertical legs 35 and 37 at the operator's station.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a front guide roller assembly 38 is mounted near the front end of outrigger 14 and a rear guide roller assembly 40 is mounted at the rear end of outrigger 14. Similar front and rear guide roller assemblies are mounted on outrigger 1 3 which is identical to outrigger 14; thus, only the construction of the guide roller assemblies attached to outrigger 14 will be described.

The front guide roller assembly 83 includes a top plate 42 and bottom plate 44, each of the plates 42, 44 includes a respective axle housing section 46, 48. Openings are provided in each of the four corners of each plate 42 and 44 and the openings are aligned with each other and in openings in the outrigger 14 so that the front guide roller assembly 38 can be rigidly attached to the outrigger 14 by a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies 50 as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

Each of the axle housing portions 46, 48 has identical square configured openings 52 which are in alignment with one another when the guide roller assembly 38 is mounted on the outrigger 14. A guide roller axle 54 has a linear middle guide roller receiving portion 56 and two identical and aligned end portions 58. Each end portion 58 has a square configuration and is offset relative to the middle portion 56. The end portions of the axle 58 are received in the square configured openings 52 in respective axle housing portions 46 and 48.

A guide roller 60 is mounted on the middle portion 56 of axle 54. When front guide roller assembly 38 is fully assembled as shown in Figures 1 and 2, guide roller 60 may be placed in guiding contact with a guide rail (not shown) of a stacking rack (not shown).

The rear guide roller assembly 40 is attached to the rear end of the outrigger 14. The rear guide roller assembly 40 includes spaced-apart mounting brackets or plates 63 and 65 which are rigidly attached to the rear ends of outrigger 14 by nut and bolt assemblies 68. Each bracket 63, 65 is provided with a square configured opening 52 wherein the end portions 58 of an axle 54 may be received therein with a guide roller 60 mounted thereon, aii as previously described with respect to the front guide roller assembly 38.

The openings 52 in respective plates 42, 44 and 63, 65 provide three mounting positions for each axle 54 which provides three adjusted positions of the guide roller 60 relative to the plates 42, 44 or 63, 65 and hence to the body portion of the vehicle, thus enabling the guide roller to be adjusted relative to a guide rail. When the vehicle is in use as diagrammatically illustrated in Figures 7A, 7B and 7C. In the first position of the axle shown in Figure 7A, the guide roller 60 is spaced in its operative position closest to the guide rail. In the second position of the axle shown in Figure 7B, the guide roller 60 is spaced further from the guide rail than the guide roller 60 shown in Figure 7A but closer to the guide rail than the guide roller assembly shown in its third position in Figure 7C.

It should be noted that an alternative second position of the guide roller assembly 38 is shown in Figure 3. The guide roller 60 of the assembly 38 is positioned the same distance away from the lift truck as the position shown in Figure 7B. The only difference is that the lateral position of the guide roller is changed.

The line 70 is tangent to the guide roller 60 shown in Figure 7A and is parallel to a horizontal centre line passing through the guide roller. The line 72 is tangent to the guide roller 60 shown in Figure 7B and is parallel to a horizontal centre line passing through the guide roller. The distance between lines 70 and 72 illustrates the different in spacing between the guide roller 60 and the guide rail as the guide roller is adjusted from the first position shown in Figure 7A to the second position shown in Figure 7B. In Figure 7C, line 74 is tangent to the guide roller 60 and is parallel to a horizontal centre line passing through the guide roller. The distance between lines 74 and 72 illustrates the difference in spacing between the guide roller and the guide rail as the guide roller 60 is adjusted from its second position shown in Figure 78 to its Figure 7C third position.It should be noted that the difference in spacing between the guide roller and the guide rail in the second and third positions is equal to the difference in spacing between the guide roller and the guide rail in the first and second positions.

To change the position of the guide roller assembly from a first Figure 7A position to either of the other desired positions, the nut and bolt assemblies 50 or 68 are loosened so that the respective axle 54 can be removed from the respective plates 42, 44 or brackets 63, 65 and reinserted in the new desired position. Then the respective nut and bolt assemblies 50 and 68 are retightened.

It should be noted that additional width adjustments of the truck may be accomplished by substituting existing plates 42, 44 or brackets 63, 65 with substitute plates or brackets in which the openings 52 for the axle are provided in a different position. Accordingly, the substitution of plates or brackets is used for relatively large guide roller assembly adjustements and the repositioning of the axle is used for fine adjustments.

Claims (10)

1. An industrial vehicle having an adjustable guide roller assembly for adjustable guiding contact with a guide rail, the guide roller assembly including: an axle having a linear guide roller receiving portion and at least one end portion provided with a polygonal cross-sectional configuration, the at least one portion of the axle being offset relative to the guide roller receiving portion; a guide roller mounted on the guide roller receiving portion of the axle; the industrial vehicle body, the body comprising at least one opening having a polygonal configuration; and the at least one end portion of the axle being received in the or a said polygonal opening in at least either a first or a second position, said first and second positions providing different adjusted positions of the guide roller relative to the body to enable the guide roller to be adjusted relative to a said guide rail when the vehicle is in use.

2. An industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a second opening having a polygonal configuration and wherein the other end portion of the axle is provided with a polygonal cross-sectional configuration that is received in the second polygonal opening in at least either a first or second position that corresponds to the respective first and second positions of the one end portion of the axle.

3. An industrial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the first opening in the body is similar to the second opening in the body wherein the one end portion of the axle is provided with a polygonal configuration that is similar to the other end portion of the axle and in alignment therewith.

4. An industrial vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the polygonal configuration of the first and second openings and the one and other end portions of the axle are all substantially square.

5. An industrial vehicle according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the body includes a guide roller mounting assembly comprising a pair of spacedapart plate structures, each of the plate structures having one of the polygonal openings provided therein, the axle being positioned between the plate structures with its polygonal end portions received in the respective polygonal openings.

6. An industrial vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, having opposed sides each of which is provided with a said adjustable guide roller assembly.

7. An industrial vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the industrial vehicle is a narrow-aisle lift truck.

8. An industrial vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one end portion of the axle is further capable of being received in the or a said polygonal opening in a third position providing a further adjusted position of the guide roller relative to the body.

9. An adjustable guide roller assembly for guiding contact with a guide rail, the guide roller assembly being mountable on the body of an industrial vehicle and including: a pair of spaced apart mounting plates connectable with the body of an industrial vehicle, each of the mounting plates being provided with an opening having a polygonal configuration; an axle having two end portions and a linear middle portion connecting the two ends portions, each end portion of the axle being provided with a substantially similar polygonal configuration, and the end portions of the axle being aligned relative to each other and offset relative to the middle portion; a guide roller mounted on the middle portion of the axle; and the respective end portions of the axle being receivable in respective polygonal openings in the mounting plates in at least a first position and a second position, the first and second positions providing different adjusted positions of the guide roller relative to the mounting plates, respective ends of the axle are in their second position.

10. In or for an industrial vehicle, a guide roller assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.