Pivoting Load-bearing Assembly with Force Sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016122166-A1
Application number	US-201414528948-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A load-bearing assembly including a clamping-force sensor in a pivoting support assembly that is adjustable to vary a radial spacing between a pivot pin and a clamp pad supported on the support assembly. A plurality of clamping-force sensors may be included in a plurality of pivoting clamp pad support assemblies to support a clamp pad and may be arranged to sense the magnitude of a clamping force exerted by a particular adjustable pivoting clamp pad support assembly and send signals indicative of the magnitude of the force to a controller. Force values sensed and transmitted to the controller may be used to evaluate and adjust the clamp arm assembly to grasp a load with a desired clamping force or distribution of clamping forces.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A mounting assembly for a load-clamping member of a lift truck, comprising:
(a) a pivoting support assembly including a bearing block and a pivot pin extending through the bearing block; (b) a support member arranged to provide support for the pivoting support assembly in an axial direction with respect to the pivot pin and to transmit a clamping force to the pivoting support assembly, in a radial clamping-force direction with respect to the pivot pin; (c) a clamping-force isolating arrangement in the pivoting support assembly arranged to isolate and transmit clamping-force from the support member to the pivoting support assembly in said clamping force direction separately from providing support to the pivoting support assembly in said axial direction with respect to the pivot pin; and (d) a force sensor in the pivoting support assembly located so as to measure the clamping force between the bearing block and the pivot pin, the force sensor being arranged to provide a signal representative of the clamping force.

2 . The mounting assembly of claim 1 wherein said clamping-force isolating arrangement includes a load tube fitted on and surrounding said pivot pin within said bearing block, the load tube having a central portion fitting in a pivot pin bore defined in said bearing block and a pair of opposite end portions extending from said central portion and having radial clearance within the pivot pin bore, and wherein said force sensor is located and retained within a cavity defined in the bearing block.

3 . The mounting assembly of claim 2 including a plunger located in said cavity, between said central portion of said load tube and said force sensor, and wherein said plunger is shaped to fit within a portion of said cavity in which translational movement of said plunger is limited to movement in said radial clamping force direction, whereby force exerted on said pivot pin in said direction is carried by said plunger from said central portion of said load tube in said radial clamping force direction to said force sensor and therein through said force sensor to said bearing block so as to urge said bearing block in said radial clamping force direction.

4 . The mounting assembly of claim 2 further including a retainer member holding said force sensor in said cavity and close enough to said central portion of said load tube that force of at least a minimum amount exerted by said pivot pin in said radial clamping force direction is transmitted through said force sensor.

5 . The mounting assembly of claim 1 wherein the pivoting support assembly is located in a receptacle defined in the support member and is fastened to the support member by the pivot pin, and wherein the pivot pin is held by the support member.

6 . A pivoting load-bearing assembly including a force-measuring sensor, comprising:
(a) a pivoting support assembly including a bearing block and a pivot pin extending through the bearing block; (b) a support member arranged to provide support for the pivoting support assembly and to transmit force in a radial direction with respect to said pivot pin to the pivoting support assembly, the pivoting support assembly being located in a receptacle defined in the support member and being fastened to the support member by the pivot pin; (c) a force-isolating arrangement in the pivoting support assembly, arranged to isolate and transmit said force in a radial direction from the support member to the pivoting support assembly separately from providing support to the pivoting support assembly; and (d) a force sensor located in the pivoting support assembly, between the bearing block and the pivot pin, so as to measure said force in a radial direction, the force sensor being arranged to provide a signal representative of the amplitude of the force.

7 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 6 wherein the pivoting support assembly is adjustable and includes an adjustment member located in threaded engagement in the bearing block.

8 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 7 , wherein the adjustment member is arranged to adjust the distance from the pivot pin at which an article may be attached to the bearing block.

9 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 6 wherein the pivot pin is vertical and the radial direction is horizontal.

10 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 6 including an electrical conductor connected electrically with said force sensor and arranged to carry said signal representative of the amplitude of the force in the radial direction.

11 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 6 wherein said pivoting support assembly is included in a load-clamping member of a lift truck.

12 . The load-bearing assembly of claim 6 wherein said clamping-force isolating arrangement includes a load tube fitted on said pivot pin, the load tube having a central portion fitting snugly in a pivot pin bore defined in said bearing block and a pair of opposite end portions extending from said central portion and having external radial clearance within the pivot pin bore.

13 . A load grasping assembly for a lift truck, comprising:
(a) a clamp arm, included in a lift truck attachment adapted to be mounted on a lift truck; (b) a clamp pad; (c) a pivoting clamp pad support assembly, carried by said clamp arm and connected to and supporting said clamp pad, said pivoting clamp pad support assembly being mounted on a pivot pin so as to pivot through a limited angle with respect to the clamp arm, and including a force sensor mounted in such a way as to sense in isolation a force exerted by said pivoting clamp pad support assembly in a predetermined direction while said load grasping assembly grasps a load and to provide an electrical signal representative of a magnitude of said force exerted in said predetermined direction.

14 . The load grasping assembly of claim 13 , wherein said predetermined direction in which said force is exerted is an inward, clamping, direction relative to said clamp arm.

15 . The load grasping assembly of claim 13 including a plurality of said pivoting clamp pad support assemblies, each one of said plurality being carried on said claim arm and being connected to and supporting said clamp pad, and being mounted on a respective pivot pin so as to be free to pivot through a respective limited angle.

16 . The load grasping assembly of claim 15 ; wherein each one of said plurality of said clamp pad support assemblies includes a respective force sensor mounted so as to sense a force exerted in said predetermined direction.

17 . The load grasping assembly of claim 15 , wherein said clamp pad is a carton clamp pad carried by said plurality of said pivoting support assemblies, at least one of said pivoting support assemblies being adjustable to establish a selected distance in said predetermined direction between a related part of the carton clamp pad and said pivoting pin within a range of available positions

18 . The load grasping assembly of claim 15 wherein said clamp arm includes a carton clamp arm assembly, and wherein the respective pivot pin of each one of said plurality of pivoting clamp pad support assemblies carried on said clamp arm is vertical and coaxially aligned with the respective pivot pin of each other one of said plurality of pivoting clamp pad support assemblies carried on clamp arm.

19 . The load-grasping assembly of claim 18 wherein said carton clamp assembly includes a load stabilizer including a plurality of elongate horizontal members and wherein respective ones of said plurality

Assignees

• Cascade Corp

Inventors

• White Brian Sinclair

Classifications

• B66F9/183 Primary

  Coplanar side clamps · CPC title

• B66F17/003

  for fork-lift trucks · CPC title