Doosan Material Handling has introduced the "Pallet-Sense" 3D vision system for its Pro-5 series 5-ton internal combustion forklifts. In cold storage and automated dense warehouses, forklift operators often drive into racking aisles where visibility is obscured by frost and condensation. Blind pallet engagement leads to broken pallet stringers, dropped loads, and damaged fork tips. The operator must inch forward blindly, hoping the forks align with the pallet entry pockets.
The Pallet-Sense system integrates "Compact Stereoscopic Vision Cameras" into the back of each fork tip. The engineering breakthrough is the "Pallet Pocket Segmentation Algorithm." As the operator drives the forks toward the pallet, the cameras generate a 3D depth map of the area ahead of the forks. An AI model identifies the wooden stringers and calculates the exact horizontal and vertical center of the pallet entry pockets. If the forks are misaligned by as little as 50 millimeters, the system automatically engages the hydraulic side-shift cylinder, shifting the fork carriage laterally to align perfectly with the pockets for seamless insertion, all without the operator touching the side-shift lever.
Furthermore, the system features "Insertion Force Limiting." If the forks push against the pallet and the system detects a lateral resistance spike (indicating the forks are hitting the wood rather than entering the pocket), it instantly cuts the inching throttle, preventing the forklift from shoving the heavy pallet off the racking beam. This vision-guided engagement reduces pallet damage by 80% and allows operators to confidently enter freezer racks at maximum safe speed.
