Industrial vehicle safety system

A multiple-zone safety system for use with an industrial vehicle, said multiple-zone safety system including at least a first zone proximate a lateral portion of the industrial vehicle;

• and at least one of
• a a second zone adjacent side portions of the industrial vehicle;
• b a third zone defined as at least one visually obstructed region within a region where the industrial vehicle operates;
• said safety system including
• i) a sensor means for each of said first, second and third zones included in said system;
• ii) receiver means associated with all of said sensor means to provide a response appropriate to said sensor means for each of said first, second and third zones.

A process of establishing a multiple-zone safety system for an industrial vehicle comprising the steps of

• a) sensing at least i) and one of ii) and iii), where
• i) is a person in a first zone proximate a lateral portion of the industrial vehicle;
• ii) is a person in a second zone adjacent and spaced from side portions of said vehicle;
• and
• iii) is a person in a third zone which includes at least one visually obstructed region in which the industrial vehicle operates;
• and
• b) producing a particular response to a sensing a person in said particular zone, said response producing step being selected from the group of steps consisting of disabling the industrial vehicle and initiating a warning signal.

A safety system for use with an industrial vehicle, said safety system including at least one of each of

• a) a first zone proximate a lateral portion of the industrial vehicle;
• b) a second zone adjacent and spaced from lateral side portions of the industrial vehicle;
• c) a third zone defined as at least one visually obstructed region within a region where the industrial vehicle operates;
• said safety system including
• i) a sensor means for each of said zone included in said system;
• ii) receiver means associated with all of said sensor means to provide a response appropriate to said sensor means for each of said first, second and third zones included in said system.