Hyster-Yale Group has introduced the "Vision-Guide" system for its H55X series 55-ton heavy-duty diesel forklifts. In steel mills and port intermodal yards, operators must stack heavy steel slabs or 40-ton containers 5-high. From the operator's seat 15 meters away from the mast, visually aligning the 2-meter-long forks with the narrow fork pockets of a container or the lifting lugs of a steel slab is extremely difficult. Misalignment results in the forks striking the container, tearing the load pockets, or dropping the slab.
The Vision-Guide system integrates a "Wide-Angle Stereo Vision Camera" at the top of the mast carriage. The engineering breakthrough is the "Automatic Fork Pocket Segmentation." As the operator drives toward the container, the AI-powered vision system detects the target lifting points. It calculates the exact vertical and lateral offset between the current fork tips and the target pockets.
The ECU then automatically commands the hoist cylinder and the hydraulic side-shift to perfectly align the forks without the operator touching the hydraulic levers. Furthermore, the system features "Insertion Force Limiting." As the forks enter the pockets, the system monitors the mast tilt cylinder pressure. If it detects a resistance spike-indicating the forks are hitting the rear wall of the container rather than sliding in-it instantly halts the inching travel, preventing the forklift from shoving the container off the stack. This vision-guided automation reduces container and slab damage by 75% and allows novice operators to safely perform complex heavy lifts.
