Description

zoneCONTROL comprises a stationary radio beacon in the warehouse, a radio component and the assistance display on the forklift as well as a radio module for employees. The radio beacon generates a radio field in which, depending on the distance to the equipped trucks and persons, actions are triggered at the beacon, the forklift or on the assistance display or warnings are shown to the operator on the display.

The radio beacon is connected, for example, with a hall gate controller to ensure it is only opened when an equipped and authorised truck approaches. Similarly, connected traffic lights or warning lights can be used to warn the surrounding areas. On the forklift side, crawl speed can be activated when approaching the radio beacon. This allows to effectively implement ramp protection or protect a confusing, accident-prone area. Icons can also be used to alert the operator to hazards or prohibitions, e.g. limited headroom or restricted areas. A conditional collision warning can trigger a situation-specific intervention. This means that if there are forklifts or people in the same zone, a warning or truck intervention will be activated, otherwise free movement continues.

These options can be activated simultaneously, configured at different distances and adapted so that only the desired trucks respond. Thanks to intelligent software, it is possible to respond to a variety of fault causes and risks in the warehouse – always with the same hardware.

Diese Optionen lassen sich gleichzeitig aktivieren, mit unterschiedlichen Abständen konfigurieren und so anpassen, dass nur die gewünschten Fahrzeuge reagieren. Dank intelligenter Software kann so auf vielfältige Störungsursachen und Risiken im Lager reagiert werden – immer mit derselben Hardware.

Innovations

The functional scope and flexibility of zoneCONTROL facilitate situation-oriented and precise mitigation of problematic areas in the warehouse – by warning the surrounding environment or informing the operator, by intervention in the truck or a combination of all these options. This works with different activation distances to the beacon and is activated for the trucks or situations it concerns and where intervention is required. Where a warehouse manager may have previously had to use five different special solutions for five problems, zoneCONTROL has one solution for these five problems. And this solution is adjusted every time to fit exactly – for the forklift truck and the situation.

As the system can be delivered on new trucks as well as retrofitted on existing trucks, excellent coverage of the goods traffic in the warehouse is guaranteed. The system does not require a central server; all information and response instructions are retained locally in the warehouse. In addition, the installation does not require an extensive network architecture. It is sufficient to mount the radio beacon, which is configured via radio with an equipped forklift truck in the vicinity via the assistance display.

There is no comparable product on the market with this functional range of display and intervention options, combinability and individual adaptability of the functions.

Market relevance

The product is of most relevance to producing companies in industry. Here you often find established structures in relatively old and crooked buildings. Many accident risks lurk in such an environment – from obscured T-junctions to low clearance heights or sagging pipes with a risk of collision for high masts or goods. These danger zones can be effectively mitigated using zoneCONTROL – by warning the operator via information icons and, on closer approach, by intervention in the handling of the truck. For logistics and retail, other functions offer great benefits such as ramp protection by activating crawl speed in the loading area or the connection to traffic lights on the loading dock to signal to the HGV driver that a forklift is still in the danger zone and they cannot yet drive off. Irrespective of the industry, areas where forklifts and passenger traffic interact are always dangerous. Here, zoneCONTROL offers effective support to reduce the risk of accidents.

Assistance systems become increasingly important as traffic density increases and the number of inexperienced or untrained operators drive the trucks. These warehouses are the most important target group for zoneCONTROL, but even experienced operators can become careless, leading to serious consequences. zoneCONTROL also offers important assistance here.

Customer benefits

The trade-off between safety and efficiency is a key driver in intralogistics: On the one hand, goods should be transported quickly from A to B, on the other hand, neither bystanders nor goods, forklift trucks, warehouse equipment or HGVs should be damaged. Previous solutions usually have a non-specific effect on every truck and in every area, i.e. previous solutions generally limit the speed in the hall, while less productivity-reducing solutions such as warning signs, mirrors or warning tape do not slow down the flow of goods, but usually also do not have the desired binding effect on the operators.

Due to the very specific intervention options – only for the target trucks, only as far as necessary and only where necessary – zoneCONTROL succeeds in largely eliminating this trade-off between productivity and safety. Another advantage: It is not necessary to install several different individual solutions for different problems, which may block the operator’s view or distract them due to a lack of coordination of the systems. With the assistance display, zoneCONTROL has a fixed location in which safety-relevant information is processed and displayed to the operator.

The platform of the assistance display is also the display medium for installed camera systems on the forklift truck, so that zoneCONTROL and addedVIEW – another new assistance system from Jungheinrich – can be operated simultaneously on the same display.