Motor vehicles – Power – Battery mountings and holders
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-03
2001-02-20
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3618)
Motor vehicles
Power
Battery mountings and holders
C180S065100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189636
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to industrial vehicles such as forklifts having a battery, and more specifically, to a battery location.
Generally, battery-powered forklifts are divided into two types according to the location of the battery. As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, in one type of forklift
60
, which is mainly used in Japan, part of a battery
61
is located above the rear wheels
62
. Parts of the steering mechanism (not shown) are located below the battery
61
. A battery hood
63
, which opens and closes, is located over the battery
61
. A seat
64
is provided above the battery hood
63
.
As shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, in a second type of forklift
60
, which is mainly used in Europe, a battery
61
is located between the front wheels
65
and rear wheels
62
. The lower part of the battery
61
extends to the vicinity of a vehicle frame
66
. Accordingly, the size of the battery
61
of the European-type forklift
60
can be larger than that of the Japanese-type forklift
60
. Further, the center of gravity of the European-type forklift
60
is lower, and the European-type forklift
60
is thus more stable than the Japanese-type forklift
60
.
Compared to engine-powered forklifts, the battery-powered forklifts have less space in the driver's compartment, especially at the feet of the driver, because the battery
61
occupies a large space. Further, the battery
61
, which is a rectangular parallelepiped, has substantially the same width as that of the vehicle body
66
. The upper surface of the battery
61
reaches the vicinity of the seat
64
. The battery hood
63
has a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the battery
61
. Therefore, compared to the engine-powered forklift, the driver has trouble getting in and out of the driver's compartment
67
due to the corner of the battery hood
63
.
In the Japanese-type forklift
60
, the driver's room is increased by positioning part of the battery
61
above the rear wheels
62
. However, since the center of gravity of the Japanese-type forklift
60
is higher than that of the European-type forklift
60
, the stability of the Japanese-type is lower.
On the other hand, the battery
61
of the European-type forklift
60
is located more forward than that of the Japanese-type forklift
60
. Therefore, the driver's foot room in the European-type is smaller than that of the Japanese-type, and a step
68
is relatively small. When loading and unloading a truck using the forklift
60
, the driver must frequently get in and out of the forklift
60
. The narrow compartment
67
and the small step
68
inconvenience the driver, and work efficiency is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a stable battery-powered industrial vehicle that facilitates getting in and out of the vehicle.
To achieve the above embodiment, the present invention provides an industrial vehicle driven by a battery. The industrial vehicle includes a body frame having a battery box, a seat for a driver, and a floor for supporting the driver's feet. The floor is below the seat, the battery box is below the floor, and the floor covers part of the battery box.
The present invention also includes a forklift driven by a battery. The forklift includes a body frame having a battery box. The battery box has an opening that faces upward. The forklift further includes a hood for covering a rear portion of the opening, a seat for a driver, which is provided on the hood and a floor board for supporting the feet of a driver. The floor board is located below the seat, the battery box is located below the floor board, and the floor board covers a front portion of the opening.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1875627 (1932-09-01), Mancha et al.
patent: 5501289 (1996-03-01), Nishikawa et al.
patent: 0 030 928 A1 (1981-06-01), None
patent: 2 705 903 (1994-12-01), None
patent: 2097731 (1982-11-01), None
patent: 48-80267 (1973-10-01), None
patent: 4-317870 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 2861503 (1998-12-01), None
Camby Richard M.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidishokki Seisakusho
Morgan & Finnegan L.L.P.
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