JP2021004126A - Fork sheath attaching/detaching device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fork sheath attaching/detaching device capable of easily attaching/detaching a fork sheath.SOLUTION: A fork sheath attaching/detaching device 10 is used for attaching/detaching a fork sheath 11 having an opening part 11a provided on one side in a longitudinal direction with respect to a fork 71 of a fork lift 70. The fork sheath attaching/detaching device 10 includes: an open part 40 opened such that the fork 71 can move back and forth; a placement part 20 on which the fork sheath 11 can be placed in such an attitude that the opening part 11a faces the open part 40 side at a predetermined height position; and a holding part 50 capable of holding the fork sheath 11 on the placement part 20. The fork sheath attaching/detaching device 10 allows the fork 71 to move back and forth with respect to the placement part 20 through the open part 40 so that the fork sheath 11 can be attached to/detached from the fork 71 by inserting/removing the fork 71 of the fork lift 70 through the opening part 11a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a sheath fork attachment / detachment device capable of attaching / detaching a sheath fork to / from a fork of a forklift.

Conventionally, a sheath fork has been attached to the fork in order to adjust the length of the fork of the forklift and prevent the load to be transported from falling (for example, Patent Document 1). A plurality of sheath forks as described above are often prepared in the factory according to the intended use. Further, when mounting the sheath fork on the fork of the forklift, the sheath fork is first taken out from a predetermined shelf or the like by an operator. The removed sheath fork is carried by an operator near the forklift and manually attached to the fork of the forklift.

Akira Jikai 60-114195

By the way, the sheath fork is generally formed to be long, and it is often prohibited to place the sheath fork directly on the floor surface in the factory from the viewpoint of preventing the worker from stumbling. Therefore, for example, a predetermined shelf is provided and stored in the shelf.

Further, the sheath fork is a heavy object because it is generally made of metal. Therefore, it is difficult for the operator to easily take out the sheath fork from the shelf or attach it to the fork of the forklift. Therefore, the scabbard fork is often worn by a plurality of people. Therefore, there is a problem that the work efficiency of mounting the sheath fork on the fork is deteriorated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheath fork attachment / detachment device that improves work efficiency by allowing the sheath fork to be easily attached to the fork of a forklift.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems is for attaching / detaching a sheath fork having an opening provided on one side in the longitudinal direction to the fork of the fork lift. An open portion opened so that the fork can move forward and backward, a mounting portion on which the sheath fork can be placed in a posture in which the opening faces the open portion side at a predetermined height position, and a mounting portion described above. The portion has a holding portion capable of holding the sheath fork and a moving portion capable of moving at least in a direction away from the fork on a predetermined surface through the open portion. It is characterized in that the sheath fork can be attached to and detached from the fork by advancing and retreating the fork to the above-mentioned resting portion and inserting and removing the fork of the fork lift through the opening.

In the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above, since the sheath fork can be placed at a predetermined height, it is possible to prevent the sheath fork from being directly placed on a floor surface (also referred to as an installation surface) in a factory or the like.

Further, in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention, the fork can access the mounting portion via the opening portion. As a result, the sheath fork can be attached / detached simply by relatively moving the fork and the sheath fork attachment / detachment device in the longitudinal direction of the sheath fork via the opening portion.

Further, since the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention is provided with the holding portion, the stability at the time of attachment / detachment of the sheath fork is improved. As a result, the workability of attaching and detaching the sheath fork is improved, and the sheath fork can be prevented from slipping or falling from the mounting portion, and the safety is also improved.

Further, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention has a moving portion, and is capable of moving at least in a direction away from the fork on a predetermined surface such as a floor or the ground. Therefore, according to the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the movement of the fork when attaching / detaching the sheath fork, and it is possible to improve safety. Further, by providing the moving portion, even if the weight of the sheath fork is heavy, it can be easily conveyed to a position close to the fork. Therefore, according to the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention, the burden on the operator can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above is an operation unit capable of switching between a holding state in which the holding portion holds the sheath fork in the previously described placing portion and a holding / releasing state in which the holding of the sheath fork is released. By operating the operation unit, the holding state may be released, and by releasing the operation of the operation unit, the holding state may be released.

According to such a configuration, the operation unit is in the holding release state when the operation is intentionally performed, and is in the holding state in which the holding unit holds the sheath fork when the operation is released. As a result, it is possible to prevent the holding state of the sheath fork in the holding portion from being released at a timing unintended by the operator. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheath fork from slipping off or falling from the mounting portion at a timing unintended by the operator, and the safety is improved.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above can hold the sheath fork from the lower surface side at a position where the holding portion is out of the moving region of the fork that is inserted and removed from the sheath fork through the opening. It may be characterized by being a simple one.

According to such a configuration, the holding portion can hold the sheath fork without obstructing the access of the sheath to the sheath fork. As a result, it is not necessary to release the holding state of the holding portion when the fork accesses the sheath fork. Further, when the fork accesses the sheath fork, the deviation from the holding position of the sheath fork can be suppressed. Therefore, the workability of attaching and detaching the sheath fork to and from the fork is improved, and the safety is also improved.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above may be characterized in that the opening portion has a limiting portion that can be opened and closed.

According to such a configuration, the opening can be closed when access is not required, and the sheath fork may fall out from the opening or an operator or an object may unexpectedly enter the device. Can be suppressed.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above may be characterized in that the limiting portion surrounds the sheath fork mounted on the above-described resting portion at least on the opening side.

According to such a configuration, since the opening side of the sheath fork is surrounded by the limiting portion, it is possible to prevent a person or an object from colliding with the sheath fork. As a result, safety can be improved and damage to objects and sheath forks can be suppressed.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention described above may be characterized in that the previously described mounting portion can mount a plurality of the sheath forks in parallel.

According to such a configuration, since the fork of the forklift usually includes a plurality of forks of two or more, the time required to attach the sheath fork to the plurality of forks can be shortened.

According to the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention, the sheath fork can be easily attached to the fork of the forklift, so that the work efficiency is improved.

Is a front view of the sheath fork attachment / detachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Is a plan view of FIG. Is a right side view of FIG. Is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. Is an explanatory view at the time of fork insertion in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention. Is an operation explanatory view in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention. Is an operation explanatory view in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention. Is an operation explanatory view in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device of the present invention. Is a partially cutaway sectional view showing a state in which the sheath fork is attached to the fork of the forklift.

The sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 holds the sheath fork 11 in the opening portion 40 which is opened so that the fork 71 of the forklift 70 can move forward and backward, the mounting portion 20 in which the sheath fork 11 can be mounted, and the mounting portion 20. It is provided with a possible holding portion 50 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 20 is formed substantially horizontally on the upper surface side of the support frame 21 assembled in a rectangular shape. The support frame 21 includes a plurality of crosspieces 22 and the like suspended in the lateral direction (hereinafter, also referred to as the width direction). The mounting portion 20 is formed perpendicular to the width direction (longitudinal direction of the support frame 21, hereinafter also referred to as “longitudinal direction”), and the sheath fork 11 can be suspended in the vertical direction on the crosspiece 22. Further, the mounting portion 20 is provided with a partition wall 27 along the longitudinal direction near the center in the width direction. The partition wall 27 divides the mounting portion 20 into two, and makes it possible to store the sheath forks 11 in two rows. Further, a plurality of support walls 28 are provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction inside the support frame 21. The support wall 28 supports and positions the side surface of the sheath fork 11 on which the support wall 28 is placed.

Further, in the support frame 21, the handle 24 is erected at a position on the tip side of the sheath fork 11 in a state where the sheath fork 11 is mounted on the mounting portion 20. On the handle 24 side of the support frame 21, a contact wall 23 is erected on which the tip of the sheath fork 11 abuts when the sheath fork 11 is placed to position the tip of the sheath fork 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a plurality of casters 30 as moving portions are provided on the lower surface of the support frame 21, and the mounting portion 20 is allowed to move freely on the installation surface G. Therefore, by operating the handle 24, the mounting portion 20 can be moved so as to be close to and separated from the fork 71. If the sheath fork 11 does not need to be moved, or if the forklift 70 moves to attach / detach the sheath fork 11, the caster 30 may not be provided. If the caster 30 is provided with the stopper 30a, the mounting portion 20 can be stopped with respect to the installation surface G. As a result, it is possible to prevent the mounting unit 20 from moving at a timing not intended by the operator.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening portion 40 is formed on the opening portion 11a side of the sheath fork 11 mounted on the mounting portion 20. The opening 40 is opened so that the fork 71 of the forklift 70 can advance and retreat to the opening 11a.

Further, the opening portion 40 is provided with a limiting frame 41 as a limiting portion that opens and closes to limit the advance / retreat of the fork 71 to the opening 11a. The restriction frame 41 is formed in a substantially U-shape. Further, the limiting frame 41 is rotatably supported by hinge members 42 erected on both sides of the support frame 21. As a result, the limiting frame 41 is in an open state that allows the fork 71 to move back and forth to the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11 through the opening 40 by opening, and by closing the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11. It is possible to switch between a closed state in which at least a part thereof is surrounded and the fork 71 is restricted from advancing and retreating to the opening 11a. In the present embodiment, the restriction frame 41 is opened and closed manually, but it may be automatically opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the holding portion 50 includes a holding member 52 for holding the sheath fork 11, a lever 51 as an operating portion for releasing the holding of the sheath fork 11, and a link mechanism for transmitting the operation of the lever 51 to the holding member 52. It is configured to include 53 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lever 51 as an operation unit for operating the holding member 52 is provided on the inside of the handle 24 so as to be able to move up and down. Sliders 54 and 54 are provided on both side surfaces of the lever 51, and the sliders 54 and 54 are slidably fitted to rails 25 and 25 provided along both inner sides of the handle 24 in the vertical direction. ing. Further, a stopper 26 is provided at the lower end of the rail 25 to limit the lever 51 from lowering more than necessary.

One end of an elastic member 55 such as a spring is connected to the lower end of the lever 51, and the other end of the elastic member 55 is connected to the stopper 26. The elastic member 55 urges the lever 51 toward the stopper 26. As a result, the lever 51 is located at the descending end on the stopper 26 side in the unoperated state. Further, the lever 51 moves upward against the elastic member 55 by being gripped together with the handle 24. An appropriate stopper may be provided on the lever 51 so that the lever 51 is fixed at a predetermined position (for example, the rising end). By providing such a stopper, for example, the lever 51 can be maintained at the rising end and the holding member 52 can be maintained in the released state.

Two link mechanisms 53 are provided corresponding to each of the two sheath forks 11 and 11. Since the two link mechanisms 53 have the same structure, one of them will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 4, the link mechanism 53 is after the first link shaft 56 provided with the holding member 52 at the tip, the fulcrum shaft 57 serving as a fulcrum for rotating the first link shaft 56, and the first link shaft 56. It is configured to include a second link shaft 58 connected to the end, a connecting member 51a that connects one end of the second link shaft 58 to the lever 51, and the like.

The first link shaft 56 extends from below the handle 24 on the rear end side of the mounting portion 20 to below the opening portion 40 on the front end side of the mounting portion 20. Further, the tip of the first link shaft 56 is formed to have a length located near the lower side of the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11 mounted on the mounting portion 20. A fulcrum shaft 57 is provided in the width direction below the center of the mounting portion 20 in the longitudinal direction. The first link shaft 56 is rotatably supported near the center with the fulcrum shaft 57 as a fulcrum.

In the present embodiment, the holding member 52 uses a block-shaped claw and is fixed to the tip of the first link shaft 56 so as to project upward. Therefore, the holding member 52 can be moved up and down by rotating the first link shaft 56. When the holding member 52 is raised, the holding member 52 is in a holding state for holding the sheath fork 11 in the mounting portion 20. Further, when the holding member 52 is lowered, the holding member 52 is released from being held by the sheath fork 11. In the present embodiment, the holding member 52 is locked to the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11 to hold the sheath fork 11. As the holding member 52, various members can be adopted as long as the movement of the sheath fork 11 on the mounting portion 20 can be restricted. For example, the holding member 52 may be one that sandwiches the sheath fork 11, or may be one that contacts the sheath fork 11 and holds it by frictional force.

The second link shaft 58 is erected in the vertical direction, and its lower end is pivotally supported by the rear end of the first link shaft 56. Further, the upper end of the second link shaft 58 is pivotally supported by a connecting member 51a provided on the lever 51. Therefore, by grasping the lever 51, the second link shaft 58 is pulled upward and rises. As the second link shaft 58 rises, the first link shaft 56 rotates around the fulcrum shaft 57 as a fulcrum. As a result, the rear end side of the first link shaft 56 rises and the holding member 52 at the front end lowers to enter the holding release state. Further, by releasing the lever 51, the lever 51 is lowered and the holding member 52 is raised to be in the holding state.

The above is the configuration according to one embodiment of the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 of the present invention. Next, the operation of the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. In the present embodiment, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is moved to mount the sheath fork 11 on the fork 71. For convenience, FIGS. 6 to 8 show the relative between the mounting portion 20 and the fork 71. Please note that it is drawn to represent the state of movement.

FIG. 5 is a partially omitted explanatory view showing a state in which the fork 71 of the forklift 70 faces the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10. Prior to mounting the sheath fork 11 on the fork 71, first, the limiting frame 41 of the opening portion 40 is rotated to switch to the open state. As a result, the fork 71 is allowed to move in and out of the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11.

Further, prior to mounting the sheath fork 11 on the fork 71, the forklift 70 is operated so that the fork 71 is positioned at a predetermined height and the fork 71 is in a horizontal state. The above operation may be performed by appropriately providing a height gauge on the forklift 70 and adjusting the scale of the height gauge. Alternatively, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 may be provided with an adjustment mechanism in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, and the height and level may be adjusted on the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 side.

When the height and level of the fork 71 and the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11 are adjusted as described above, the holding member 52 is lowered (holding release state) as shown in FIG. 7 by grasping the lever 51. ). In this state, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is moved toward the fork 71 as shown by the arrow in the drawing. In this state, the fork 71 enters the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11 by further advancing the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 as shown in FIG. When the fork 71 is inserted into the sheath fork 11, the retaining pins 11c of the sheath fork 11 are inserted into the pin holes 11b provided on both side surfaces of the sheath fork 11, and a nut member (not shown) is inserted through the pin holes 11b on the opposite side. Is screwed. As a result, the sheath fork 11 is prevented from falling out of the fork 71.

When the sheath fork 11 is attached to the fork 71, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is moved in a direction away from the fork 71. As a result, a series of operations for mounting the sheath fork 11 on the fork 71 is completed.

Subsequently, by retracting the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is pulled out, so that the sheath fork 11 is taken out in a state of being attached to the fork 71. By repeating the above operation and mounting the other sheath fork 11 on the fork 71, the mounting operation is completed.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the sheath fork 11 is attached to the fork 71. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the length of the fork 71 can be increased by mounting the sheath fork 11 which is longer than the fork 71 on the fork 71. By preparing the sheath forks 11 having various lengths in this way, the sheath forks 11 according to the intended use can be attached to the forks 71. As the sheath fork 11, not only the length but also various types such as those provided with a non-slip surface can be used depending on the application. The above is an embodiment of mounting the sheath fork 11 on the fork 71.

Next, a storage method in which the sheath fork 11 is removed from the fork 71, removed, and stored in the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. When removing the sheath fork 11, first, the height and levelness of the fork 71 of the forklift 70 are adjusted, and the fork 71 is adjusted so as to be substantially horizontal at a predetermined height. After that, the limiting frame 41 of the opening portion 40 is opened, and the holding member 52 is lowered (holding release state) by grasping the lever 51. Subsequently, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is moved in a direction close to the fork 71. As a result, the fork 71 to which the sheath fork 11 is attached is brought into the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 from the opening portion 40 and mounted on the mounting portion 20. After that, by opening the lever 51, the holding member 52 is brought into a raised state (holding state). As a result, the sheath fork 11 is held on the mounting portion 20.

After the sheath fork 11 is held on the mounting portion 20 as described above, a nut member (not shown) is removed from the retaining pin 11c, and the retaining pin 11c is pulled out from the pin hole 11b to pull out the sheath fork. The retaining of 11 is released. Subsequently, the sheath fork 11 is removed from the fork 71 by retracting the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10. At this time, since the holding member 52 holds the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11, the sheath fork 11 does not slip off from the mounting portion 20. Further, if the holding release state is set when the lever 51 is operated as described above, it is possible to prevent the holding of the sheath fork 11 from being released at a timing unintended by the operator. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sheath fork 11 from slipping off or falling from the mounting portion 20 at a timing unintended by the operator.

By repeating the above operation, the other sheath fork 11 is also mounted and stored on the mounting portion 20. After that, the limiting frame 41 is rotated to bring the sheath fork 11 into a restricted state in which the opening 11a side is surrounded. After that, the sheath fork attachment / detachment device 10 is moved to a predetermined storage position as needed.

The above is the embodiment of the present invention, but it goes without saying that the above-described embodiment is merely an embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the urging force by the elastic member 55 is used to maintain the holding state in the holding portion 50, but various mechanisms can be adopted to switch between the holding state and the holding release state. For example, instead of the link mechanism 53, the holding member 52 may be configured to be directly driven by the drive source, and the holding state and the holding release state may be performed by the switch of the drive source. Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the lever 51 is urged toward the direction away from the handle 24 (downward in the present embodiment) by the urging force of the elastic member 55 so as to be separated from the handle 24 in the unoperated state. As shown, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the link mechanism 53, the mass on the rear side including the lever 51 is made larger than that on the front side from the portion serving as a fulcrum so that the center of gravity is closer to the rear, and the weight of the link mechanism 53 naturally causes the link mechanism 53 to be in an unoperated state. The lever 51 side may come to the lower side than the tip side.

In the above-described embodiment, the holding member 52 locks and holds the opening 11a of the sheath fork 11, but for example, the sheath fork 11 may be sandwiched. As the holding member 52, various members can be adopted as long as the sheath fork 11 can be maintained on the mounting portion 20. For example, the surface of the holding member 52 may be roughly formed, and the holding member 52 may be pressed against the sheath fork 11 to prevent the sheath fork 11 from being displaced due to frictional force.

In the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing of the opening portion 40 is performed by turning the limiting frame 41, but it is also possible to provide a shutter in the opening portion 40 and open / close the shutter. Further, the opening and closing of the opening portion 40 may be performed automatically by providing a drive source, or may be indirectly performed by a link mechanism or the like.

Further, the limiting portion does not have to surround the entire circumference of the sheath fork 11 mounted on the mounting portion 20. For example, the limiting portion may surround only the portion of the sheath fork 11 mounted on the mounting portion 20 that protrudes from the mounting portion 20. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the limiting portion is integrally formed as the limiting frame 41, but it may be divided into a plurality of members.

In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of mounting portions 20 are provided in parallel, but for example, the mounting portions 20 may be provided side by side in the vertical direction even if they are not arranged in parallel.

The movement by the moving portion may be such that it only moves away from the fork 71. Further, the movement by the moving portion may be a movement relative to the fork 71.

The present invention can be used when attaching and detaching a sheath fork to and from the fork of a forklift. Further, the present invention can be used for storing and transporting a sheath fork to be attached to a fork of a forklift.

G Installation surface 10 Scabbard fork attachment / detachment device 11 Scabbard fork 11a Opening 20 Mounting part 24 Handle 30 Caster (moving part)
40 Open part 41 Restriction frame (restriction part)
42 Hinge member 50 Holding part 51 Lever (operating part)
52 Holding member 53 Link mechanism 56 First link shaft 57 Supporting shaft 58 Second link shaft 70 Forklift 71 Fork

Claims (1)

A sheath fork attachment / detachment device for attaching / detaching a sheath fork having an opening provided on one side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the fork of a forklift.
An open portion that is open so that the fork can move forward and backward,
A mounting portion on which the sheath fork can be mounted in a posture in which the opening faces the opening side at a predetermined height position.
A holding part capable of holding the sheath fork in the above-mentioned placing part,
It has a moving portion that enables movement in a direction that is close to and separated from the fork at least on a predetermined surface.
The sheath fork can be attached to and detached from the fork by advancing and retreating the fork to the above-mentioned resting portion via the opening portion and inserting and removing the fork of the forklift through the opening portion. Saya fork attachment / detachment device.

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