JP2004359466A - Fork width movement adjusting device for forklift vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fork width movement adjusting device for a forklift vehicle capable of adjusting an interval of forks by remote operation from a driver's seat and being simply attached to an existing forklift vehicle having no fork interval adjusting function. <P>SOLUTION: Side brackets S2 are mutually opposingly attached in the middle of a pair of finger bars in the direction of right angle of parallel support column frames 11, 11 by turning a side sprocket S2 freely for a side bracket 24. A chain CH constitutes fittings 30 having a U shape at its one end and the other end through blocks 22 in a series so as to prevent separation. The fork 16 is inserted into the U shape, and the forks 16, 16 are pulled and moved in the direction of running of the chain by turning a driving sprocket S1 provided between a center bracket 15 and a motor bracket 21 to adjust fork width. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a forklift vehicle with a fork width that is designed so that a mutual distance between a pair of forks can be remotely controlled from a driver's seat, and a function for adjusting the distance between forks can be added to an existing forklift vehicle. The present invention relates to a movement adjusting device.

  Forklifts are widely used as cargo handling vehicles for handling heavy objects, and are indispensable for labor saving particularly in on-premise cargo handling operations. A general-purpose forklift includes a pair of L-shaped forks as a direct cargo handling member.

  The pair of forks is attached to a slide base horizontally provided on a lift frame of a forklift vehicle so as to be capable of adjusting the interval. This is based on the need to adjust the spacing between a pair of forks depending on the size of the pallet. However, the pair of forks has a lock mechanism for preventing a displacement during a cargo handling operation. The lock mechanism usually employs a configuration in which a recess is regularly formed in a slide base that receives a pair of forks in a slidable manner, and a lock pin is dropped into the recess from the fork side. I have.

As a means for adjusting the fork width of the forklift vehicle, the results of an IPDL (patent electronic library) survey of what seems to be related to the present invention will be listed and described.
JP-B-33-3570 JP-B-43-5777 Japanese Patent Publication No. 47-445 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-71978 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-61196 JP-A-6-73086

  Patent Literature 1 discloses that a piston rod of a cylinder fixed to an underframe is connected to one of forks that can move along a rail of the underframe, and an endless belt is attached to a pivoted wheel on both front sides of the underframe. Fork operation of a forklift with claw fittings fixed to a fork connected with a piston rod and connected to an endless band, and claw fittings that can be connected to the upper and lower sides of the endless band on other forks An apparatus is disclosed. In other words, the fork is guided by the chain wheel that is pivoted on the basis of the reciprocation of the piston rod, the fork connected to the endless belt (chain) moves, and the spacing and position of the forks are arbitrarily set. is there.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a fork support plate mounted on an attachment so as to be able to move left and right with respect to a main body to open and close a gap between both forks is provided so as to be rotatable left and right or can be opened and closed with respect to a moving chain. A fork opening / closing moving device for a fork lift truck is described, which links a fork and interlocks the rotation of the rotating chain and the lateral movement of a fork support plate in a detachable manner. This moving device uses a hydraulic cylinder for side shift to make opening and closing movement of the fork extremely easy, and also enables operation in a driver's seat.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, an upper end of a movable frame in which a pair of forks that can be freely attached and detached by an endless drive member is slidably attached is provided on a sliding shaft mounted on an upper and lower movable frame that is vertically movable along a mast. Attached so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction, and a roller attached via a bracket so as to be horizontally rotatable inside the lower part of the moving frame is brought into contact with the side of the horizontal frame at the lower part of the elevating frame. There is disclosed a cargo handling apparatus in which a movable frame and a fork formed by mounting a cylinder between the movable frame and either one of the forks can be opened and closed and movable left and right. In other words, in the present invention, the fork is moved by a cylinder connected to the fork, and the movement of the fork allows the distance between the forks connected by the chain to be changed. Can be

  In the claims of the utility model registration of Patent Document 4, a chain wheel that is rotated by a handle on a tie beam is pivotally connected, and an intermediate portion of a wire having one end connected to a chain orbiting around the wheel is wrapped around each of the pulleys. A fork moving device is described in which the other end is connected to a bracket on the back of the fork, and the distance between the forks can be arbitrarily changed by turning a handle. That is, in the present invention, as means for changing the fork width, the fork can be manually moved.

  Patent Document 5 discloses a cargo handling device in which a mast provided in front of an airframe is provided with a vertically movable carriage, and the carriage is provided with a fork slidable in the vehicle width direction. A cargo handling apparatus is provided in which a moving body control mechanism for controlling the movement of a moving body along a direction is provided, and the moving body for controlling the movement of the moving body is attached to left and right forks. In this cargo handling device, each fork is individually moved.

  Further, in Patent Document 6, a groove is formed on the front surface of an upper fork bar over the entire length, and a chain wheel is disposed on each of the left and right ends of the fork bar. A fork shift device in which an upper side is connected to the one fork and a lower side is connected to the other fork is described. In this fork shift device, a chain wheel on one side is moved by rotation of a manual handle.

  In the prior arts listed in Patent Documents 1 to 6 (excluding Patent Document 5), a pair of forks are connected to each other via a chain via a chain wheel, and the other fork is driven by driving the forks. Also move at the same time.

  As for the driving method of the fork, there are various proposals and implementations of driving both the left and right forks by screw driving or hydraulic driving in addition to the hydraulic driving as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  In the above-mentioned patent document, except for Patent Document 5, the left and right forks are connected by a chain via mutually facing sprockets, and one of the forks is moved or the sprocket engaged with the chain is manually rotated. By doing so, the forks are mutually moved, and the fork width can be adjusted. When the hydraulic drive is used to move the fork, there is a chain that drives a carriage other than the fork, its sillder and a rubber hose in front of the driver, which hinders the visibility of the driver. is there. In the case of manual operation, when the driver is alone, the driver gets off the driver's seat and works, so that the workability is reduced.

  Further, in Patent Document 5, since the left and right forks are individually driven, when the cargo handling article is positioned substantially on the center line of the vehicle, the positioning may not be easily performed, and the stability of the cargo handling work may be poor. May be missing.

  The forklift vehicle fork width movement adjusting device of the present invention has an elevating frame in front of the forklift vehicle, and two finger bars substantially parallel to the support frame are integrally fixed to the elevating frame, A pair of forks movable left and right using the finger bar as a guide, and side sprockets fixed to the support frame at opposite middle positions inside the support frame to face each other and engaged with the side sprockets Is connected to the fork on one side and the other end of the chain is connected to the fork on the other side. The finger bar is narrowed by a motor bracket for mounting a motor at a substantially central position of the finger bar and a center bracket. The side brackets having the side sprockets are fixed so that the side sprockets face each other, and shim insertion can be adjusted on the back side of the side brackets. Power transmission is performed by a shaft of a motor installed on the motor bracket. When the drive splotter and the chain are engaged, the motor is rotated forward and backward, and the fork simultaneously moves the fork in the left or right direction with respect to the center bracket located at the center, thereby forming a pair of fork widths. Is adjustable.

  That is, a motor is mounted at the center position of the finger bar in order to link the forks with a chain, and the pair of forks is moved left and right by driving the motor to adjust the fork width. The first feature is that a means for adjusting the stretched state of the chain for driving the chain is provided.

  The motor is fixed to a substantially central position of a motor bracket, and a driving sprocket is fixed to a shaft protruding through a bearing on the motor bracket, and the sprocket is located between the front surface of the motor bracket and the rear surface of the center bracket, And it is attached so that it may become substantially parallel with both side sprockets.

  The chain is generally connected with pins so that the roller link fitted with the bush is sandwiched between two pin link plates, and the chain is driven linearly and bent by the side sprocket. The parallelism between the drive sprocket and the side sprocket is an important feature in terms of power transmission by the chain.

  The chain used for driving is a roller chain, and the chain is fixed to a "U" -shaped bracket for holding a fork and a block, and the block is connected to the chain via a chain joint.

  If the chain is fixed to the fork, the drive sprocket and the side sprocket will be connected when they are slightly insane, contrary to being parallel to each other, or when the forklift vehicle vibrates due to uneven roads while running. The chain has no degree of freedom in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction, induces rigidity of the chain, and transmits an abnormality of the chain directly to each sprocket, so that the motor may be in an abnormal state. Therefore, a third feature is that the means for fixing the fork imparts a degree of freedom, makes it easy to stretch the chain, and makes it easy to release the connection with the fork.

  The chain is stretched and adjusted by a shim inserted and laid on the bottom side of the side bracket and a chain guide attached to a center bracket, and the chain is designed to engage at least three pitches with a driving sprocket.

  On the bottom side of the side bracket that holds the side sprocket, a shim is inserted to stretch the chain, and under the motor bracket, a guide roller or a U-shaped groove in the center and a chain guide with a mountain height on both sides are provided. The fourth feature is that the chain is forcibly engaged with the bracket of the motor, and the engagement is minimized by three pitches of the chain so that the width adjustment movement can be performed stably and smoothly.

  According to the present invention, the motor is mounted substantially at the center position of the pair of finger bars, the chain is mutually connected via side sprockets at one end to one side, and the other end is connected to the other fork. Are engaged and engaged at one point, so that when the motor is driven, the pair of forks can be moved and adjusted at the same time. And the shim is adjusted on the bottom side of the side bracket to which the side sprocket is attached, and the tension of the chain is adjusted.By loosening the tightened nut, the motor sprocket and the side sprocket can be connected. Parallelism can also be adjusted.

  Since this chain is a roller chain, it can be smoothly engaged with and engaged with each sprocket, and the chain is connected to a joint made of sheet metal processed "U" -shaped metal fittings via a chain joint. Since it is fixed with the pins, the connection with the fork can be released, and there is a degree of freedom in connecting the fork, and the parallelism of the chain can be maintained, so that a smooth chain drive is possible. In addition, since a chain guide is provided to forcibly engage and engage with the drive bracket of the motor, stable operation can be performed.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 8, and a second embodiment in which the first embodiment is improved with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

  The forklift vehicle F has two left and right masts F1 and F1 on the front side (FIG. 1). The movable fork unit 100 of the forklift vehicle according to the present invention is assembled to an elevating frame 10 attached to the masts F1 and F1 so as to be vertically movable, and is unitized using the elevating frame 10 as a frame member (FIGS. 1 and 5).

  The lifting frame 10 includes a pair of left and right support frames 11, an upper frame 12 interconnecting the top ends of the support frames 11, 11, and an upper and lower section interconnecting the lower ends and intermediate portions of the support frames 11, 11. This is a frame structure including a pair of finger bars 13 and 13 and a frame 14 for preventing a load of the forklift vehicle F from falling on the driver's seat HP side. The left and right support frames 11, 11 are made of molded steel. For the upper and lower finger bars 13, 13, a steel plate having a sufficient plate thickness is used, and also has a function as a main structural member of the lifting frame 10.

  The lifting frame is attached to the masts F1, F1 via a pair of lift brackets F2, F2. Each lift bracket F2 includes rollers R1 and R1 that roll along the inner wall of the mast F1, and is engaged with the mast F1 via the rollers R1 and R1. The pair of lift brackets F2 and F2 of the pair of left and right masts F1 and F1 are suspended at the same height by lift chains C1 and C1, which are folded back from sprockets provided at the upper ends of the rods of the hydraulic cylinders for lift. It can be moved up and down guided by the masts F1 and F1.

  The lift frame 10 and the lift brackets F2, F2 are fixed to the back of the slide bases 13, 13 above and below the lift frame 10 in a state where the pair of lift brackets F2, F2 are equally distributed on the left and right sides (FIG. 5). ). As a result, the lifting frame 10 is vertically driven by the lift chains C1 and C1 via the lift brackets F2 and F2.

  The pair of left and right forks 16, 16 in the movable fork unit 100 is slidably attached to upper and lower finger bars 13, 13. Each fork 16 is made of a steel material having an integral structure formed in a substantially L-shape, and a pair of upper and lower gripping portions 16B, 16B is welded to the back surface of the upright portion. At this time, the upper grip 16B is formed to be bent downward, and the lower grip 16B is formed to be bent upward. The upper grip 16B grips the upper finger bar 13 from above, and the lower grip 16B grips the lower finger bar 13 from below (FIG. 7). Therefore, each of the forks 16 is allowed to move only in the left-right direction along the finger bars 13.

  The lifting frame 10 incorporates a fork width movement adjusting device 20 that drives the left and right forks 16, 16 toward and away from each other along the finger bars 13, 13.

  The fork width movement adjusting device 20 includes the pair of finger bars 13, a center bracket 15 fixed so as to sandwich the finger bars 13, 13, a motor bracket 21 for mounting the drive motor M 1, a chain CH, and a pair of The main members are the side sprockets S2 and S2. The driving motor M1 is provided almost at the middle of a motor bracket 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 2) fixed to the back surfaces of the upper and lower finger bars 13 and a bearing (not shown) installed on the motor bracket 21 outputs the motor M1. The shaft M2 is fitted, and the motor M1 is positioned between the left and right lift brackets F2 and F2 and between the upper and lower finger bars 13 and 13. A drive sprocket S1 is mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor M1, and guide rollers (chain guides) S3 and S3 are installed on the mounting portion 41 on both sides of the drive sprocket S1. Is done.

  Further, the center bracket 15 avoids the close contact state of the pair of forks 16 and 16 and makes contact and interference between the sprocket S1 fixed to the output shaft of the central motor M1 and a block 22 connected to a chain CH described later. Also prevent.

  Side sprockets S2, S2 are rotatably mounted on the support frames 11, 11 at both ends of the pair of finger bars 13, 13 (FIGS. 5, 6). Each sprocket S2 is configured such that a part of a mold forming the support frame 11 is cut off in the support frame 11, and the side sprockets S2 and S2 are mounted in the mold.

  Therefore, a bearing bracket (not shown) for supporting the side sprockets S2 and S2 is screwed to the both support frames 11, and the bearing bracket is attached to the side sprocket S2. The tension of the chain CH is adjusted by interposing a shim on the bottom surface of the bearing bracket.

  The chain CH may be a bushed chain or a leaf chain, but here, a roller chain is used, and two blocks 22, 22 are connected via a chain joint corresponding to a half length position of the entire length. It is connected to a fork 16. The chain CH can be bridged between the left and right side sprockets S2 and S2 such that one block 22 is located in the upper half of the chain CH and the other block 22 is located in the lower half of the chain CH. (FIG. 5). At this time, the lower half of the chain CH meshes with and engages with the driving sprocket S1, and passes between the guide rollers S3 and S3.

  The pair of forks 16 and the chain CH are to fix the upper half block 22 of the chain CH to the back surface of one fork 16 and to fix the lower half block 22 of the chain CH to the other fork 16. Are inseparably linked by At this time, the pair of forks 16, 16 is located symmetrically with respect to the center position of the finger bars 13, ie, the center bracket 15.

  As the power source of the drive motor M1, a battery power source PS mounted on the forklift vehicle F or a battery power source PS separately mounted can be used (FIG. 8). At this time, the battery power supply PS and the drive motor M1 can be easily connected by one positive and negative circuit. Note that an operation box 25 is interposed between the battery power supply PS and the drive motor M1, and the operation box 25 is disposed at an appropriate place in the driver's seat HP of the forklift vehicle F (FIG. 1). A positive / negative switching circuit and the like are built in the operation box 25, and push buttons B1 and B2 with indicators for operating the forks 16 and 16 are provided on the panel surface.

  The driver can easily adjust the distance between the pair of forks from the driver's seat of the forklift vehicle. Moreover, since no hydraulic system is used, there is no room for oil leakage or the like from the pipe connection due to aging.

  For example, when widening the interval between the forks 16, 16, the push button B2 is pressed while observing the forks 16, 16 (FIG. 8). Then, the driving sprocket S1 and the sprockets S2 and S2 rotate in the direction of the arrow, and the two blocks 22 and 22 in the shift chain CH move in directions away from each other. Therefore, the interval between the pair of forks 16, 16 connected to this is increased. If the push button B2 is released when the interval between the forks 16, 16 becomes an interval suitable for the pallet, the fork immediately stops at that position without a time delay.

  However, since the fork 16 is connected to the chain CH via the block 22, when the fork 16 swings forward of the finger bar 13 due to vibration during running of the vehicle, slight vibration accompanying the movement of the fork 16, etc. The CH is free to bend in a linear direction with respect to the chain running direction, but for swinging in the transverse direction to the running direction, the swing is transmitted directly from the chain CH to the drive sprocket S1, and the motor M1 It may cause a failure. The improvement is a second embodiment described below.

  The upper surface of the upper finger bar 13 of the finger bars 13, 13 fixed to the support frames 11, 11, has a tapered surface 13a, and grooves 13b for lock pins RP are provided at appropriate intervals. A tapered surface 16a is formed on the upper portion of the fork 16 in a direction opposite to the front claw, and the tapered surface 16a is slidable on the tapered surface 13a (FIG. 2). The finger bar 13 and the fork 16 are different in shape from the finger bar 13 and the fork described in the first embodiment, but are functionally substantially the same.

  Further, in the case of the fork 16, the upper fork 16 is engaged by the upper tapered surface 16a and can move stably by contacting the front surfaces of the upper and lower finger bars 13 with the weight of the lower portion. 16 so long as no article is placed on it. Hereinafter, a description will be given assuming that the fork 16 is in a detached state until the tension adjustment after the attachment of the chain CH is completed.

  A fixing plate 23 having stud bolts 27, 27 stood thereon is fixed to the inner surfaces of the opposing support frames 11, 11 between the upper and lower finger bars 13, 13 of the support frames 11, 11. Then, the side bracket 24 on which the side sprocket S2 is rotatably supported is provided with a shim 26 between the upper surface of the fixing plate 23 and the bottom surface of the side bracket 24, and the nut 29 is tightened and fixed. 28 is a protective cover for the side sprocket S2 (FIG. 2).

  The chain CH is a roller chain having the same pitch (length), both ends of which are roller links, connected to the hole 22h of the block 22 via a chain joint, and the two chains CH are inseparably one endless chain. Completed as CH. The projection 22t of the block 22 is fitted and welded to the hole 31 of the metal fitting 30 to be integrated (FIGS. 3 and 4). The hole 31 is provided in the metal fitting 30 in order to prevent the side sprocket S2 from contacting the block 22. When the position can be determined by a jig or the like, the hole 31 may be directly welded and fixed.

  The metal fitting 30 is formed by bending both ends of a steel plate having a fixed width and a fixed length to form a U-shape, and a hole 31 is formed at a predetermined position on a flat portion. After this single chain CH is stretched over the side brackets S2 and S2, the motor shaft M2 is inserted into a bearing (not shown) provided on the motor bracket 21, and the driving sprocket S1 is fixed to the protruding shaft M2. In this state, the finger bars 13, 13 are sandwiched and fixed between the center bracket 15 and the motor bracket 21 so as to be tightened.

  The mounting portion 41 of the chain guide 40, which has a U-shape in the center, an M-shape on both sides and an M-shape on the outside, and an upper portion having a thickness capable of guiding the inner width of the roller link of the chain CH, is provided with the length of the center bracket 15, The roller is attached to the hole 15a, the roller portion of the chain CH is supported on the upper part of the chain guide 40, and is engaged with the driving sprocket S1 so as to be engaged. With this attachment, the position of the metal fitting 30 is evenly positioned on the left and right with respect to the center bracket 15.

  When this mounting is completed, the chain CH is inserted into the bottom side of the side bracket 24 so that the vertical run-out CR of the chain CH is within a maximum of 30 mm in the vicinity of the center of travel of the upper chain and in the vicinity of the center bracket 15 being mounted. Adjustment is performed by adding or removing a certain shim 26. Further, after the chain guide 40 is once pressed against the driving sprocket S1, the mounting portion 41 is fixed by being moved downward by a maximum of about 5 mm. At this time, though it depends on the size of the driving sprocket, if the chain is engaged with three or more pitches of the chain CH, good power can be transmitted from the viewpoint of power transmission.

  The fork 16 can be inserted into the metal bracket 30 having the U-shape while engaging the tapered surface 16a with the tapered surface 13a while the fork 16 is being inserted. Numeral 30 holds and engages the fork 16 and moves in the chain running direction. In this traveling, the fork 16 and the metal fitting 30 are engaged so as to be hooked in the traveling direction of the chain CH. However, it is irrelevant to the movement and does not transmit the sway to the chain CH.

  Further, since the metal fitting 30 is attached, the metal fitting 30 is partially hung down, so that a pin (not shown) enough to support the metal fitting 30 can be formed on the back surface side of the fork 16.

  In particular, in the second embodiment, even when the support frame 11 is a steel material such as an L-shaped steel, a square steel, an I-shaped steel, or the like, the side bracket 24 can be attached, and the chain CH is formed by sheet metal processing. Since the bracket 30 having the shape of "" is fixed via the block 22, the present fork movement adjusting device can be attached to any type of forklift vehicle.

1 is a side view of a forklift vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a relationship between a chain and a sprocket according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bracket and a block connected to the chain according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic front view showing a relationship between a chain and a sprocket according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the relationship between the fork and the finger bar according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an operation system diagram according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

F Forklift vehicle CH Chain M1 Drive motor M2 (Motor) shaft S1 Drive sprocket S2 Side sprocket S3 Guide roller (chain guide)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elevating frame 11 Support frame 13 Finger bar 15 Center bracket 16 Fork 20 Fork movement adjusting device 21 Motor bracket 22 Block 24 Side bracket 30 Metal fitting 40 Chain guide 41 Mounting part

Claims (4)

In front of the forklift vehicle, a lifting frame is provided, and two finger bars substantially parallel to the support frame are integrally fixed to the lifting frame, and a pair of finger bars that can move left and right using the finger bar as a guide is provided. A fork is provided, and side sprockets are fixed to the support frame so as to face each other at an intermediate position between the finger bars vertically arranged inside the support frame, and one end of a chain engaged with the side sprocket is connected to one fork. A fork width movement adjusting device for a forklift vehicle, wherein the other end of the chain is interconnected with a fork on the other side, and the fork is moved by remote control to adjust the width.
A motor bracket for mounting a motor at a substantially central position of the pair of upper and lower finger bars, and a center bracket for fixing the finger bar so as to sandwich the finger bar;
The side sprocket faces the side bracket having the side sprocket, and shim insertion can be adjusted on the back side of the side bracket,
The drive splotter and the chain, which transmit power by the motor shaft mounted on the motor bracket, engage with each other to rotate the motor forward / reverse, and the fork moves left or right with respect to the center bracket located at the center. The fork is simultaneously moved to adjust the width of the pair of forks.
Fork width movement adjustment device for forklift vehicles. The motor is fixed at a substantially central position of the motor bracket, and the motor bracket fixes a driving sprocket to a shaft protruding through a bearing, and the sprocket is intermediate between a front surface of the motor bracket and a rear surface of a center bracket. And made substantially parallel to both side sprockets,
The fork width movement adjusting device for a forklift vehicle according to claim 1. The chain is a roller chain, the chain is fixed to a U-shaped bracket for holding a fork and a block, and the block is connected to the chain via a chain joint.
The fork width movement adjusting device for a forklift vehicle according to claim 1 or 2. The chain is stretched and adjusted by a shim inserted and laid on the bottom side of the side bracket and a chain guide attached to a center bracket, and the chain is engaged with at least three pitches with a sprocket.
The fork width movement adjusting device for a forklift vehicle according to claim 1.

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