Perimeter Monitoring Radar to be Adopted in Komatsu’s New Electric Forklifts

Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc. (Headquarters: Inukami-gun, Shiga Prefecture; President: Shigenobu Abe), a member of the Furukawa Electric Group, announces that its perimeter monitoring radar (Model: MMR1C) has been adopted by Komatsu Ltd. as a detection sensor for the reversing collision detection and warning system of its new electric forklifts, models FE25-2 and FE30-25 in Japanese domestic market.

In order to improve forklift safety, it is essential to provide functions that reduce the risk of hazards at the work site such as collision, pinching, or tangling while the vehicle is reversing, and these functions must be capable of handling the following:

• Complex conditions where there is a mix of people, cargo, and other work vehicles
• Dark environments or nighttime scenarios
• Dusty sites where water droplets, dirt, and other deposits can easily adhere to sensors
• Traveling in a straight line, turning, and other short and repeated or complex features of vehicle movement

Of radar, lidar, cameras, ultrasonic waves, and other sensing methods, radar is the most suitable for forklift truck operating environments. In particular, the MMR1C submillimeter wave band (24 GHz band) is less susceptible to sensor debris, as this band has a wavelength about three times longer than that of the millimeter wave band (76 GHz band). This gives it the advantage of being suitable for use in more challenging environments.
However, it is difficult to improve target separability using the submillimeter wave band due to the narrow bandwidth allocated by the Radio Act. Within MMR1C, we have developed a process to improve target separability based on the pulse-Doppler method, which differs from the continuous-wave method.
Furthermore, since simple rear sensors can be oversensitive, we have developed appropriate detection processing based on forklift-specific detection targets and vehicle movement. This has made it possible to select and detect detection areas and targets for which a warning is given depending on changes in the driving path and speed, such as when reversing in a straight line or reversing while turning.

Furukawa Automotive Systems will continue to promote the installation of perimeter monitoring radars in various types of vehicles and construction equipment in order to improve the safety of construction sites and other work areas and contribute to the creation of environments where people can work with peace of mind.

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