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A camera lifting apparatus is used in an industrial vehicle equipped with a cargo handling apparatus for lifting a cargo carrying carriage up and down along a mast provided on a vehicle body. The carriage has a cargo carrying apparatus. The camera lifting apparatus comprises a camera unit attached t

A camera lifting apparatus is used in an industrial vehicle equipped with a cargo handling apparatus for lifting a cargo carrying carriage up and down along a mast provided on a vehicle body. The carriage has a cargo carrying apparatus. The camera lifting apparatus comprises a camera unit attached to the cargo carrying apparatus. The camera unit has a camera for picking up an image of a work area of the cargo carrying apparatus. A moving mechanism moves the camera unit relatively to the cargo carrying apparatus. An actuator drives the moving mechanism.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A camera lifting apparatus for use in an industrial vehicle equipped with a cargo handling apparatus for lifting a cargo carrying carriage up and down along a mast provided on a vehicle body, said carriage having a cargo carrying apparatus, wherein said camera lifting a

The invention claimed is: 1. A camera lifting apparatus for use in an industrial vehicle equipped with a cargo handling apparatus for lifting a cargo carrying carriage up and down along a mast provided on a vehicle body, said carriage having a cargo carrying apparatus, wherein said camera lifting apparatus comprises: a camera unit attached to said cargo carrying apparatus, said camera unit having a camera for picking up an image of a work area of said cargo carrying apparatus; a moving mechanism for moving said camera unit relative to said cargo carrying apparatus; an actuator for driving said moving mechanism; a height sensor for detecting a height of said cargo carrying apparatus and sending a detection signal; and a controller for controlling said actuator to be capable of arbitrarily moving said camera unit relative to said cargo carrying apparatus, wherein said moving mechanism is a lifting mechanism for lifting said camera unit up and down with respect to said carriage and allows said camera unit to be lifted to two positions, an image pickup position in which said camera unit projects below said carriage and a storage position in which said camera unit does not project from said carriage, wherein said controller drives said actuator using the detection signal from the height sensor in such a way that said camera unit can be moved from the image pickup position to the storage position during said cargo carrying apparatus moves down from a predetermined height to a lowest lift-down position, and wherein said controller drives said actuator in such a way that said camera unit is allowed to be lifted down to said image pickup position when the height of said cargo carrying apparatus is equal to or higher than the predetermined height, the predetermined height being determined based on a time period required for moving the camera unit from the image pickup position to the storage position and a descending speed of said cargo carrying apparatus. 2. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said camera can pick up an image even in said storage position, and when the height of said cargo carrying apparatus is equal to or higher than the predetermined height, said controller drives said actuator in such a way as to lift up said camera unit to place said camera unit in the storage position in order to avoid interference of said camera unit with a surrounding object. 3. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in that said storage position is a position in which an image pickup section of said camera is placed at an approximately same height as a load pickup portion of said cargo carrying apparatus. 4. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said image pickup position is a position in which an image of a work area can be picked up from a viewpoint which is not blocked by a load on said cargo carrying apparatus. 5. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has a lift bracket, which is lifted up and down along said mast, a tilt support member provided tiltable to said lift bracket, and a side shifter provided movable along a widthwise direction of the vehicle with respect to said tilt support member, said cargo carrying apparatus is attached integrally to said side shifter, and said camera unit is provided liftable up and down with respect to said side shifter. 6. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving mechanism is a lifting mechanism which supports said camera unit in such a way as to be liftable up and down with respect to said carriage, and said lifting mechanism has a flexible power transmitting member coupled to said camera unit to support said camera unit in a suspended fashion, and further said lifting mechanism is coupled to said actuator via said flexible power transmitting member. 7. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said actuator has a rotary body which is rotated forward and reverse and winds said flexible power transmitting member by its driving, and as said flexible power transmitting member is selectively fed out from said rotary body and wound up in accordance with driving of said rotary body, said camera unit is lifted up and down in a suspended and supported fashion. 8. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising urging means for urging said camera unit downward. 9. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said urging means is a damper. 10. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said lifting mechanism has a tensioner for giving tension to said flexible power transmitting member at a coupled portion of said flexible power transmitting member and said camera unit. 11. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said actuator is an electrically operated actuator. 12. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said actuator is a hydraulic cylinder attached to said carriage, and said camera unit is coupled to a piston rod of that cylinder. 13. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said camera unit has a case, said lifting mechanism has at least one guide rail for guiding said camera unit in such a way as to be liftable up and down, a roller bearing which is provided on a side surface of said case and rolls on said guide rail, and a pressure receiving member for receiving a load in a thrust direction of said roller bearing. 14. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in said storage position, said camera unit is stored substantially within said carriage and in said image pickup position, said camera unit is placed in such a way as to project below said cargo carrying apparatus. 15. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cargo carrying apparatus is a pair of forks and said camera unit is arranged in a center position in a widthwise direction of said pair of forks in a widthwise direction of the vehicle. 16. The camera lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said industrial vehicle is a reach type industrial vehicle in which said cargo carrying apparatus reaches said vehicle body and said camera unit is provided in such a way as to be able to move with said cargo carrying apparatus.