A new camera solution from Yale monitors the area around forklifts in warehouses that increasingly face changing workforces and inexperienced forklift operators, alerting the operator with visual and audible signals.
Increased safety in a 120° environment. Image: Yale
The camera system is the latest addition to Yale Reliant's portfolio of active warning and assistance technologies designed to raise driver awareness and improve overall warehouse safety. The new camera solution detects pedestrians within a 120-degree field of view at distances of up to six meters and automatically alerts the forklift operator if they are present.
“In research and development, we continuously focus on the challenges of real-world warehouse environments,” says Daniel Heap, Manager, Product & Commercial – Technology & Connected Fleet at Yale. “The camera-based pedestrian warning solution offers the functionality and configurability we need in actual warehouse environments.”
Optionally reduce the speed
Companies can use the camera system with acoustic and visual warning signals, or optionally with traction warnings as a third type of alert. If the system detects a pedestrian, it indicates their location using an acoustic signal and a light. The driver receives this information via an LED display. Traction warnings go a step further: they reduce the vehicle's speed. The operator retains full control of the vehicle. The braking process is designed to prompt the operator to avoid a collision with the detected pedestrian by slowing down, swerving, or a combination of both.
The system adapts to low-light conditions and various environments. It is optimized for driving speeds of 8 km/h or less (although higher speeds are available). This gives operators ample time to recognize and respond to warnings. The camera is mounted at the rear of the forklift, behind the forks. The audible and traction warnings stop as soon as the forklift moves away from the detected pedestrians and they are no longer within the camera's field of view.
The Yale Reliant series incorporates a range of technologies that assist the operator by sensing input from the work environment and equipment, alerting them to potential hazards, and adjusting the forklift's performance accordingly. Originally launched globally in 2021, the Yale Reliant has since accumulated over 24 million operating hours on more than 8,300 units in service.
