JP2009190421A - Direction change supporting device of rubber crawler service vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direction change supporting device for facilitating a direction change operation by reducing loads on rubber crawlers, a rubber crawler supporting mechanism, and a rubber crawler drive system when a rubber crawler service vehicle is directionally changed. <P>SOLUTION: A lifter mechanism 3 is mounted on a carriage 2 with casters 2C. An abutting member 4 is upwardly mounted on the lifting member 3E of the lifter mechanism 3. The front side or rear side of the body of the rubber crawler service vehicle is pushed up from the underside by the lifter mechanism 3 through the abutting member 4 to change the ground-contact state of the rubber crawlers and a ground surface from a parallel two-line ground-contact state to a two-point ground-contact state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a direction change assisting device for a rubber crawler type service vehicle that is used as an auxiliary in a direction change operation of an existing rubber crawler type service vehicle in order to facilitate the direction change operation of the rubber crawler type service vehicle.

  An endless track traveling service vehicle using a crawler track called a rubber crawler has become widespread. The rubber crawler was developed from a steel caterpillar and rapidly expanded its demand mainly for small service vehicles due to its features such as low noise, low vibration, low cost, and road friendlyness. The rubber crawler has the same function as a steel caterpillar in the basic function of running while laying its own track, but in today's paved roads up to agricultural roads, The following problems have been pointed out in relation to

  The problem pointed out is that the direction change method unique to rubber crawler service vehicles and the frictional force generated between the rubber and the paved road are much larger than the frictional force generated between the iron and the paved road. It has occurred. In other words, the direction change in a rubber crawler service vehicle having no steering wheel such as a four-wheel vehicle is performed by moving the other rubber crawler forward while braking one of the left and right rubber crawlers. This is done by a forcible direction change operation that drives backwards.

Here, the forcible direction change operation means a direction change operation in which a relative drag is generated between the rubber crawler and the road surface. Since the rubber crawler service vehicle is a vehicle that travels only through a pair of left and right rubber crawlers that are in contact with the road surface in a parallel two-line ground state, avoid the occurrence of dragging in the direction change operation as described above. This phenomenon is not possible. In addition, even in such a forceful direction change operation, if the road surface is a non-paved surface, it will escape while the surface of the road surface partially collapses due to the drag movement of the rubber crawler. The rubber crawler support mechanism and the drive mechanism are not burdened greatly. However, when the road surface is a paved surface, a large burden is applied to the support mechanism and the drive mechanism of the rubber crawler. This can be confirmed from the fact that the engine output must be increased during the direction change operation and the turning marks such as the sudden braking marks of the four-wheeled vehicle remain on the paved road surface. It can also be confirmed from peeling, cracking, abnormal wear, and the like. As a result, by repeating the direction changing operation on the paved road surface, the service life of the rubber crawler and its support mechanism is extremely shortened, and deterioration in fuel consumption is unavoidable. Conventionally, the following proposed examples have been found for this problem.
JP 2004-268618 A

  The above prior art relates to a so-called walking type agricultural working machine in which a driver walks with a vehicle while walking, but needless to say, it belongs to the category of rubber crawler service vehicles.

  This farm work machine adopts a configuration in which, when viewed from the side, a rear end guide ring and two driven wheels are arranged at the apex of the triangle, and a rubber crawler is wound around the ring between the rings. is doing. When traveling to a paddy field or the like that is a work place, the corner of the rubber crawler passing through the rear end guide wheel is grounded, and during the operation, the rear end guide wheel and one driven wheel are driven. The rubber crawler linear part passing between the body is grounded to run. In other words, the rubber crawler can be used by switching the grounding state between a two-point grounding state and a parallel two-wire grounding state. In other words, when the rubber crawler is in a two-point grounding state, even if the other rubber crawler is driven with one of the rubber crawlers braked, no drag is generated between the road surface and the rubber crawler. It can be said that this is an excellent proposal that pays attention to the fact that it is possible to change the direction.

  By the way, in order for a vehicle to maintain a fixed attitude | position on a road surface, it is necessary to be supported by at least 3 points | pieces. In this regard, the above proposal is based on the premise that the driver is responsible for supporting the third point other than the two point support by the left and right rubber crawlers. Therefore, this is a proposal unique to the walking type farm working machine that the driver follows the vehicle, and is difficult to apply to the riding type vehicle. In addition, in order to switch the rubber crawler between the two-point grounding state and the parallel two-wire grounding state, a dedicated configuration for changing the posture of the entire mounting member of the rear end guide wheel body and the two driven wheel bodies is necessary. It is impossible to apply to other vehicles. In addition, there seems to be no technology for facilitating the direction changing operation of an existing rubber crawler service vehicle.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is mainly directed to a riding-type rubber crawler service vehicle, and is used as an auxiliary in the direction changing operation, so that the safety of the riding-type rubber crawler and its Direction change that can greatly reduce the burden on the drive system of the support mechanism and rubber crawler, and can realize a light and smooth direction change operation without increasing the engine output causing deterioration of fuel consumption. It is to provide an auxiliary device.

  A rubber crawler service vehicle direction change assist device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a cart that has a plurality of casters on the back surface and travels in an arbitrary direction according to an applied external force, and a manual or An electric lifter mechanism and an abutting member attached to the lifting member of the lifter mechanism are provided, and an arbitrary part on the front side or the rear side of the body of the rubber crawler service vehicle is pushed up from below by the lifter mechanism via the abutting member. Thus, the ground contact state between the rubber crawler and the road surface is changed from a parallel two-wire ground state to a two-point ground state.

  In the above invention, when the direction change assisting device is arranged on the front side of the rubber crawler service vehicle and pushes up the vehicle body, the front side of the vehicle body is lifted with two points on the rear side of the pair of left and right rubber crawlers as fulcrums, In addition, when pushing up the rear side of the vehicle body, the rear side of the vehicle body is lifted with the two points on the front side of the rubber crawler as fulcrums. In either case, the ground state of the rubber crawler is changed from the parallel two-wire ground state to the two-point ground state. Change. As a result, as a whole rubber crawler type service vehicle, a state in which the third support point by the direction change assisting device is added and grounded at three points is realized. In this state, when one of the rubber crawlers is braked and the other rubber crawler is driven, the other grounding point makes an arc motion around the grounding point of the rubber crawler on which the brake is applied. At this time, since the rubber crawler that is actively driven is in a point contact state with the road surface, no theoretical drag occurs. However, in fact, it is not a complete point contact but a line contact that limits the width dimension of the rubber crawler, so that slight dragging occurs, but it is a negligible range. Further, the direction change assisting device serving as the third ground contact point is driven in accordance with the body of the rubber crawler service vehicle, but the direction change assisting device is in any direction via a caster. In this case, the friction at the third contact point is negligible. Therefore, the rubber crawler service vehicle can change direction with little friction with the road surface.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the abutting member is attached to the lift member of the lifter mechanism in a replaceable manner.

  In the above invention, because the abutting member is replaceable, the shape of the push-up portion selected by the type of rubber crawler type service vehicle that is the target of using the direction change assist device or the vehicle body configuration for each manufacturer is different. Accordingly, an optimal abutting member can be used.

  In the rubber crawler service vehicle direction change assist device according to claim 3 of the present invention, the abutting member has a swing joint, and can follow the posture change of the body of the rubber crawler service vehicle raised by the abutment member. It is characterized by being.

  The abutting member in the above invention is provided with a swing joint, so that a stable contact state with the vehicle body is maintained regardless of a change in the posture of the rubber crawler service vehicle body from the push start time to the push end time. In addition, it is possible to move stably along with the vehicle body during the direction changing operation.

  The rubber crawler type service vehicle direction change assisting device according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that a height-adjustable adjuster member is interposed between the lifting member and the abutting member of the lifter mechanism. And

  In the above invention, by providing the height-adjustable adjuster member, it is possible to broadly adapt to the difference in the height position of the optimal push-up portion that differs depending on the type of rubber crawler service vehicle and the vehicle body configuration of each manufacturer. .

  The direction change auxiliary device for a rubber crawler type service vehicle according to the present invention is configured such that the front side or the rear side of the body of the rubber crawler type service vehicle is pushed up and inclined from below by a lifter mechanism to thereby make a ground contact state between the rubber crawler and the road surface. By changing from a parallel two-wire grounding state to a two-point grounding state, a three-point grounding state with a support point by the direction changing auxiliary device can be easily realized. The rubber crawler is in a two-point grounding state, and the direction changing auxiliary device can travel along with the vehicle body of the rubber crawler type service vehicle via a cart having a caster while maintaining the state of supporting the vehicle body. As a result, a rubber crawler service vehicle can smoothly perform a direction change operation in which one rubber crawler is braked and the other rubber crawler is driven without generating a large amount of friction with the paved road surface. Can do. Therefore, the burden on the rubber crawler, its support mechanism, and the rubber crawler drive mechanism during the direction change operation can be greatly reduced, the lifetime of the rubber crawler can be extended, and the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine can be reduced. it can. In addition, since the direction change operation is performed in a three-point grounding state, operational safety can be maintained even when the vehicle is used in a riding type rubber crawler service vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a direction change assisting device for a rubber crawler service vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The direction change auxiliary device 10 includes a carriage 2, a lifter mechanism 3 mounted on the carriage 2, and an abutting member 4 attached to the lifter mechanism 3 (FIG. 1).

  The carriage 10 includes a square plate-like chassis 2A, a sub-chassis 2B provided on the chassis 2A, and four casters 2C disposed on the back surface of the chassis 2A. The chassis 2A can be formed, for example, by covering a frame assembled at an angle with an exterior plate.

  The sub-chassis 2B is a chassis 2A used for the purpose of mounting the lifter mechanism 3 so as to be biased with respect to the carriage 2 so that the abutting member 4 attached to the lifter mechanism 3 can be positioned in the central portion of the carriage 2 as much as possible. This is an extension member. Therefore, it is omitted depending on the form of the lifter mechanism 3 to be used.

  The four casters 2C are arranged at the four corners on the rear surface of the chassis 2A. Each caster 2C is a non-directional universal caster. In addition, as each caster 2C, it is preferable to use what is equipped with a large-diameter wheel which is a heavy class with a load resistance per 1t class.

  The lifter mechanism 3 includes a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) that is manually pumped by an operating rod 3G around a pin shaft P5 and a pin shaft P1 to P4, with respect to a horizontal base 3A that is fixed on the sub chassis 2B in a horizontal posture. The swinging four-node parallel link is assembled, and the elevating member 3E is attached to the four-node parallel link. A hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is built in a horizontal posture inside the horizontal base 3A and takes charge of the function of driving the entire four-node parallel link.

  The four-node parallel link in the lifter mechanism 3 includes a swing arm 3B between the pin shafts P1 and P2, a swing arm 3D between the pin shafts P2 and P3, a swing arm 3C between the pin shafts P3 and P4, and a pin The oscillating arm is formed by borrowing a part of the horizontal base 3A between the shafts P4 and P1, the oscillating arm 3B and the oscillating arm 3C are parallel to each other, and the oscillating arm 3D and the imaginary oscillating arm. The moving arms are parallel to each other. This parallel relationship is maintained even when the four-node parallel link is activated. This is the basic operation of a four-bar parallel link.

  The elevating member 3E is a bracket formed in a downward U-shape, and is fixed in an upright posture at both ends of the pin shaft P2 so as to straddle the top end portion of the swing arm 3B from above. As a result, the lifting member 3E always operates even when the entire four-node parallel link swings up and down by swinging the tip of the swinging arm 3B by operating the hydraulic cylinder via the operation rod 3G. It can move up and down while maintaining an upright posture when attached to the pin shaft P2.

  The abutting member 4 is a rubber crawler for the purpose of stably pressing the elevating member 3E against the abutting portion 22 of the rubber crawler type service vehicle 20 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that is the target of using the direction change assist device 10. It is a member of an arbitrary shape that is optimally formed according to the abutting portion 22 that is different for each type of service vehicle 20, and is usually integrated with the elevating member 3E by welding. Accordingly, the lifting member 3E and the abutting member 4 can be combined to recognize the entire abutting member 4. The abutting member 4 in the present embodiment has a configuration in which a stopper rib 4B and an abutting surface 4C are attached to an arch-shaped substrate 4A. The stopper rib 4B is set low with respect to the abutting surface 4C, and is considered to be detached from the rubber crawler type service vehicle 20 when an excessive external force exceeding a certain limit is applied to the direction change auxiliary device 10. The rubber crawler service vehicle 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a combine, and the abutting portion 22 is a part of the frame 21 located on the rear side B1 of the vehicle body.

  The direction change auxiliary device 10 configured as described above normally positions the direction change auxiliary device 10 below the frame 21 on the rear side B1 of the rubber crawler service vehicle 20, and lifts the rear side B1 of the vehicle body. Thus, the entire vehicle body is used so as to be inclined toward the front side F1 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 4).

  In the following description, the right rubber crawler R is a rubber crawler positioned on the right hand of the driver who is riding in the direction of the front side F1 of the vehicle body, and the left rubber crawler L is the same as the driver. The rubber crawler located in the left hand of is shown. The left rubber crawler L and the right rubber crawler R are respectively a rear end guide wheel T6 disposed on the rear side B1 of the rubber crawler service vehicle 20, a drive wheel T1 disposed on the front side F1, and a drive wheel T1. The front-end grounding wheel T2 disposed obliquely below and the plurality of intermediate grounding wheels T3, T4,... Disposed between the front-end grounding wheel T2 and the rear-end guide wheel T6 are wound around these. .

  After positioning the direction changing auxiliary device 10 under the frame 21 of the rubber crawler type service vehicle 20, the lifter mechanism 3 is operated to lift the rear side B1 of the vehicle body. When the rear side B1 of the vehicle body is lifted, the rear end guide wheel T6 is also lifted at the same time, and both the left rubber crawler L and the right rubber crawler R are in a two-point grounding state in which only the portion corresponding to the front end grounding wheel T2 contacts the road surface G. (FIGS. 4 and 5).

  That is, here, if the ground contact point of the left rubber crawler L is G1, the ground contact point of the right rubber crawler R is G2, and the ground contact point of the direction change assisting device 10 is G3, the rubber crawler after the direction change operation 10 is actuated. The formula service vehicle 20 is in contact with the road surface G at three points of the contact points G1 to G3 (FIG. 5).

  In this state, when turning 90 degrees in the left direction, the left rubber crawler L is locked by the braking force at the portion R, and the right rubber crawler R is driven to the front side F1. Then, the right rubber crawler R turns so as to draw an arc around the grounding point G1 of the left rubber crawler. However, since the right rubber crawler R is actively driven, it drags at the grounding point G2, that is, dragging. There is no friction. Further, although the direction change assisting device 10 also performs a turning motion around the ground contact point G1, since it travels through the casters 2C of the carriage 2, drag friction does not occur at the ground contact point G3. Accordingly, the direction of the rubber crawler service vehicle 20 can be changed very easily.

  Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  The abutting members 4 and 5 attached to the lifter mechanism 3 can be exchanged (FIG. 6). In this case, the elevating member 3E of the lifter mechanism 3 is provided with a fitting connection plug 3F upright, and can be fitted to the plug 3F on the back side of the abutting members 4 and 5 attached to the elevating member 3E. Sockets 4D and 5D are provided. This is because a pulling force does not act on the abutting members 4 and 5 in using the direction change assisting device 10, so that it is sufficient to fit them. It should be noted that a taper is adopted for the outer diameter portion of the plug 3F and the inner diameter portions of the sockets 4A and 5A so as to prevent relative rotation between the two by adopting a taper fit or by inserting a lock pin therebetween. It may be.

  The abutting member 5 is formed in a single plate shape with a cushion rubber 5P attached on the surface, and is used, for example, when pushing up a planar abutting portion such as a back surface portion of a counterweight of a power shovel. Can do. Further, a swing joint 5B is interposed on the back surface side of the abutting member 5, and can follow the inclination of the abutting portion and the inclination change during the pushing operation.

  Between the elevating member 3E of the lifter mechanism 3 and the abutting members 4 and 5, an adjuster member 6 capable of adjusting the height can be interposed. The adjuster member 6 is composed of a socket cylinder 6A corresponding to the plug 3F of the elevating member 3E and an outer cylinder 6B of the socket cylinder 6A. Further, at the upper end of the outer cylinder 6B, the same diameter as the plug 3F of the elevating member 3E is provided. A plug 6F is formed. The length of the adjuster member 6 can be adjusted by selecting any one of a plurality of screw holes 6J provided in the socket cylinder 6A and screwing the fixing screw 6N from the outer cylinder 6B. The adjuster member 6 is attached to the plug 3F of the elevating member 3E first, and then the arbitrary abutting members 4 and 5 are attached to the plug 6F of the outer cylinder 6B for use. By using the adjuster member 6, it is possible to use the direction change assisting device 10 also in the abutting portion at a high position exceeding the operating range of the lifter mechanism 3.

  In addition, although the direction change auxiliary device 10 shown in the above embodiment has been described with respect to the one using the manual lifter mechanism 3, the battery 2 is mounted on the carriage 2 and the electric lifter mechanism 3 is mounted. You can also. In addition, the lifter mechanism 3 is provided with an arbitrary lock mechanism such as a ratchet mechanism for fixing the tilting posture of the swing arms 3B and 3C when lifted up, or as a vehicle stop for a four-wheel vehicle. It is assumed that similar locking members can be used in combination.

It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the use condition of the said embodiment. It is a rear view which shows the use condition of the said embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the said embodiment. It is a top view which shows typically operation | movement of the said embodiment. It is a perspective view of the principal part which shows other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 direction change assist device,
2 carts,
2C casters,
3 Lifter mechanism,
3E lifting member,
4 abutting member,
5 abutting member,
5B Swing joint,
6 Adjuster members,
20 Rubber crawler service vehicle,
L Left rubber crawler,
R Right rubber crawler,
F1 front side,
B1 rear side,
G road surface,
G1 grounding point,
G2 ground point G3 ground point

Claims (4)

A cart that has a plurality of casters on the back surface and travels in an arbitrary direction according to an applied external force, a manual or electric lifter mechanism that is mounted on the cart, and an abutting member that is attached to a lifting member of the lifter mechanism ,
By pushing up an arbitrary part of the front or rear side of the vehicle body of the rubber crawler type service vehicle from below by the lifter mechanism via the abutting member, the grounding state between the rubber crawler and the road surface is changed from the parallel two-wire grounding state to 2 A direction change assisting device for a rubber crawler service vehicle characterized by changing to a point grounding state.   The rubber crawler service vehicle direction change assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the abutting member is replaceably attached to the lifting member of the lifter mechanism.   The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the abutting member has a swing joint and is capable of following a change in a posture of a vehicle body of a rubber crawler service vehicle that is pushed up by the abutting member. Assistance device for changing direction of type service vehicle. The rubber crawler according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an adjuster member capable of adjusting a height is interposed between the lifting member of the lifter mechanism and the abutting member. Assistance device for changing direction of type service vehicle.

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