Claims:We Claim:

1. A motorised truck with tiller comprising:
(a) a chassis having a plurality of ground-engaging wheels, at least one of which is a steerable wheel to steer the truck;
(b) a drive motor for driving at least one of the ground-engaging wheels to move the truck across the ground;
(c) a tiller rotatably connected to the chassis which may be swung from side to side to steer the truck;
(d) a steering motor for varying the angle of the steerable wheel;
(e) a steering motor controller which, in a normal mode of operation, receives as an input an indication of the tiller angle and which outputs in response thereto a control signal to the steering motor to vary the angle of the steerable wheel such that the angle between the tiller and steerable wheel maintains a predetermined angular offset;
wherein the steering motor controller is also operable in a de-coupled mode of operation in which:
(i) there is no output to the steering motor;
(ii) the tiller is rotatable independently of the steerable wheel; and
(iii) the drive motor remains active and unaffected
whereby the tiller may be offset relative to the steerable wheel in the de-coupled mode without any realignment of the steerable wheel while maintaining the ability to drive the truck across the ground.

2. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 1, wherein the angular offset between the tiller and steerable wheel may be adjusted and the adjusted angular offset subsequently used as the predetermined angular offset.

3. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment of the angular offset is carried out by said steering motor controller in a realignment mode of operation, in which the steering motor controller outputs a control signal to the steering motor to steer the wheel to a different angular offset.

4. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 3, wherein the steering motor controller is operable, in said realignment mode of operation, to perform automatic alignment of the steerable wheel to be parallel with either of two major axes of interest, namely the tiller axis and a major axis of the truck chassis.

5. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the steering motor controller is operable, in said realignment mode of operation, to change said predetermined angle between (i) a zero tiller angle wherein the wheel is aligned parallel to the tiller and (ii) a zero chassis angle wherein the wheel is aligned parallel to an axis of the chassis and offset from the tiller by the same angle as the tiller is offset from the chassis during the realignment mode of operation.

6. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 4 or 5 wherein said axis of the chassis is selected from an axis defined by the axis of the tiller when the tiller is in a neutral steering position; a front-rear axis of the truck; a left-right axis of the truck; and, where the truck is provided with lifting forks, an axis defined by said lifting forks.

7. A motorised truck with tiller according to any of claims 3-6, further comprising one or more manual controls which when actuated engage the realignment mode of operation.

8. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 7, wherein the manual controls can select between at least two states, namely (i) a zero tiller angle wherein the wheel is aligned parallel to the tiller and (ii) a zero chassis angle wherein the wheel is aligned parallel to an axis of the chassis and offset from the tiller by the same angle as the tiller is offset from the chassis during the realignment mode of operation.

9. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the tiller has a tiller head at its free end, the tiller head being provided with said manual controls.

10. A motorised truck with tiller according to any of claims 3-9, wherein when the steering motor controller is in said realignment mode of operation the tiller is decoupled from the steerable wheel.

11. A motorised truck with tiller according to any of claims 3-10, wherein the steering motor controller is configured to automatically revert from said realignment mode to said normal mode of operation following completion of the operation to steer the wheel so as to change said predetermined angular offset, and further wherein upon reverting to said normal mode from said realignment mode, the predetermined angular offset is updated in accordance with the offset achieved in the realignment mode.

12. A motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein the steering motor controller receives as an input an indication of the tiller angle relative to one or more of the chassis, the steerable wheel, or the steering motor.

13. A motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-12, further comprising an angular sensor system of one or more sensors which detect and output an indication or indications of the relative angle between two or more of the tiller, the steerable wheel, the steering motor, and the chassis.

14. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 13, wherein the indication or indications output by said angular sensor system provide the steering motor controller with information to determine, during a realignment mode of operation, the angle between the tiller and the steerable wheel and/or the angle between the steerable wheel and the chassis.

15. A motorised truck with tiller according to claim 13 or 14, wherein when said steering motor controller is operating to change said predetermined angle to a zero tiller angle it receives as an input from the angular sensor system information to determine the angle between the tiller and the steerable wheel, and when said steering motor controller is operating to change said predetermined angle to a zero chassis angle it receives as an input from the angular sensor system information to determine the angle between the steerable wheel and the chassis.

16. A motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-15, further comprising a memory accessible to the steering motor controller in which is stored an indication of said predetermined offset angle.

17. A motorised truck with tiller as claimed in any one of claims 1-16, wherein the motorised truck with tiller is selected from a forklift truck, a pallet carrier and an order picker.

18. A motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein the chassis supports the tiller at a rear end and the truck further comprises forks located at a front end of the chassis, and wherein the steered wheel is at the rear end.

19. A motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-18, wherein the truck is a three-wheeled truck with two front wheels which are undriven and not steered, and a single driven, steered, rear wheel which is positioned generally beneath the rotation axis of the tiller.

20. A method of manoeuvring a motorised truck with tiller according to any one of claims 1-19, comprising the steps of:
(a) driving the truck within an aisle with the tiller substantially aligned with a steerable wheel of the truck;
(b) positioning a front end of the truck adjacent a space into which the truck is to be manoeuvred along the aisle;
(c) adjusting the angular offset between the tiller and steerable wheel such that the steerable wheel is offset from the line of the tiller by more than 45 degrees; and
(d) driving front of the truck into said space while maintaining the offset of greater than 45 degrees between the steerable wheel and the tiller.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein in steps (a) and (b) said wheel is aligned with the line of the tiller to within 5 degrees or less.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein in steps (c) and (d) the steerable wheel is offset from the line of the tiller by 60 degrees or more.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein in steps (c) and (d) the steerable wheel is offset from the line of the tiller by 80 degrees or more

Dated this 15th day of December 2018
, Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

1. A MOTORISED TRUCK WITH TILLER

2.

1. (A) COMBILIFT
(B) Ireland
(C) Gallinagh Monaghan Town, County Monaghan IRELAND

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.