Abstract: A device for longitudinal adjustment of a spreader relative to the yoke beam with a sled for lateral adjustment of the spreader between the supports of a straddle carrier for picking up and transporting containers includes a base frame and mountings for support bolts firmly connected with it, a traverse with openings for support bolts and an attachment for a displacement cylinder, support bolts between the mountings and the traverse, and displacement cylinders between the base frame and the traverse.

Abstract: A straddle carrier for transporting and stacking freight containers, with automatic steering, is made up of two chassis beams having steerable wheels, for traveling over the container stack. At least one laser scanner measures the distance to a container wall from different angles, and passes the measurement signals to an electronic control, which calculates a steering angle reference value for the electronically regulated vehicle steering from the measurement signals.

Abstract: A load suspension device that can be adjusted, locked, and braced horizontally, by hydraulics, has an extension device for length adjustment, and consists of two supporting parts and a hydraulic operating element having two work chambers, which is connected with one of the supporting parts and supports itself in the other supporting part, and adjusts these relative to one another. There is a pressure line and a tank line, a controller, a measurement sensor disposed on the hydraulic operating element or on the extension device, and a pressure measurement system. The extension device remains braced when the system is without current or pressure or when current or pressure is applied. The device is inexpensive to construct, service and maintain, minimizes damage due to impact of the supporting parts with an obstacle, and avoids impact stresses on the operating element from the hydraulic system.

Abstract: A fully automatic driverless straddle carrier for transporting and stacking freight containers is equipped with several different sensor systems for the vehicle detection and navigation. Laser scanners are arranged at the vehicle for automatically guiding the vehicle over a container stack. In this straddle carrier, one of the absolute sensor systems for the vehicle detection is made up of a local radio detection system, which is arranged on the vehicle as a mobile radio base station, a plurality of radio transponders being stationarily positioned in the traveling area of the working site, an automatic switching device being provided for switching the steering from the automatic steering by navigation to an automatic steering by laser scanners and vice versa, when the vehicle reaches, travels over or leaves a container stack.

Abstract: A driver restraint system for straddle carriers has a driver's seat firmly disposed in its infrastructure transverse to the direction of travel. The seat is connected with a seat shell which can be deformed by the forces that occur if the straddle carrier tips over, and which can be displaced in its position and braked with regard to the driver's cabin, in the direction of forces that occur. A belt roller is attached to the seat shell.

Abstract: A windshield wiper system for a vehicle cabin has two drive motors with glass wipers for cleaning a largely rectangular surface area. Two axes of the motors are disposed diagonally in the corner regions of the surface to be wiped. One wiper arm and wiper blades are disposed on these axes, the wiping movement of the wiper blades being guided from a position largely parallel from one side of the surface to be wiped to largely parallel to the other side of the surface to be wiped. The window panes of driver cabins with largely rectangular surface areas can be kept free of dirt at any time under difficult weather conditions over their entire viewing surface so that the operating personnel is given the possibility to view all the activities taking place about the cabin without having to adopt unfavourable positions with respect to their operating equipment.

Abstract: A load suspension device that can be adjusted, locked, and braced horizontally, by means of hydraulics, has an extension device for length adjustment, and consists of two supporting parts and a hydraulic operating element having two work chambers, which is connected with one of the supporting parts and supports itself in the other supporting part, and adjusts these relative to one another. There is a pressure line and a tank line, a controller, a measurement sensor disposed on the hydraulic operating element or on the extension device, and a pressure measurement system. The extension device remains braced when the system is without current or pressure or when current or pressure is applied. The device is inexpensive to construct, service and maintain, minimizes damage due to impact of the supporting parts with an obstacle, and avoids impact stresses on the operating element from the hydraulic system.

Abstract: A gantry stacker for transporting and stacking freight containers consists of two chassis beams with steerable wheels, supports, a hoist, an overhead frame, a lifting beam a driver's cab and engines. There are at least two spreaders that are movable in a horizontal direction independent of each other and are disposed in a side-by-side relationship on a lifting beam. Containers deposited directly side-by-side with no gap there between may be gripped, transported and separated or that spaced-apart containers with an alley may be gripped, transported and moved toward each other so that they may be readily transported further, using multispreader systems. Containers of different heights may be gripped and transported. The lifting height allows for straddling containers standing on the floor with attached and lifted containers.