Industry’s first sensory aisle entry assistant by HUBTEX

Increased Capacity but Narrow Aisles: Utilizing Multidirectional Sideloader Forklifts in Narrow Aisle Warehouses

Using multidirectional sideloader forklifts in narrow aisle warehouses allows users to maximize their storage capacity. However, this warehouse concept presents some challenges for drivers: one of them is accurately entering the narrow aisle. To enable vehicles handling long goods to enter the aisle without collisions, HUBTEX has developed the industry’s first sensory aisle entry assistant. All PhoeniX series can be equipped with this new assistance system.

To optimize storage capacity, multidirectional sideloader forklifts are often used in narrow aisle warehouses. The vehicle is usually guided by guide rollers on the vehicle and corresponding guide rails on the rack uprights. The safety distance between the vehicle and the rack is only 100 mm. To facilitate better entry, the entry area is usually funnel-shaped or rounded. The length of the entry funnel is determined by the maximum load length. Therefore, if particularly long loads are to be stored, the entry funnels must also be longer, which in turn requires a larger transfer aisle.

Given these conditions, entering the aisle with long goods poses a particular challenge for the driver. The entry area must be precisely aligned. It is not uncommon for these systems to cause damage to the vehicle or the rack, especially when the driver must enter the aisle with an overhanging, long load. Entry becomes even more difficult when the driver must enter the aisle with the opposite side of the vehicle, as accurately aiming for the funnel becomes more challenging due to larger blind spots. HUBTEX supports the driver in this challenge with a newly developed aisle entry assistant.

Assistance in Critical Driving Situations

The system is based on raw data from a 2D LiDAR sensor, a laser scanner. This sensor determines the relative distance to the entry funnel and aligns the vehicle to the centerline of the narrow aisle. “Based on this information, the assistance system aligns the forklift centrally in front of the aisle and parallel to its course. The forklift can thus enter the aisle without collisions. The driver can focus on monitoring the vehicle’s surroundings and set a speed appropriate to the situation,” explains Michael Röbig, authorized signatory and responsible for development projects at HUBTEX. The system is available in two variants: as a standalone system and as an add-on to HUBTEX’s mobile personnel protection system. The significant advantage is that if a personnel protection system is already installed on the vehicle, the same sensors can be used for the aisle entry assistance. Due to the existing hardware, the sensory aisle entry assistance can be implemented more cost-effectively.

The patented system prevents damage to both the warehouse infrastructure and the vehicle’s mechanical guidance aids. The same applies to collisions between long loads being transported and stored loads in the entry area. Additionally, future advantages in warehouse planning arise. Entry funnels can be designed much less massively, leading to savings in rack planning.

For more information, please visit: https://www.hubtex.com/en-us/company/news-press