JP2945390B1 - Locking mechanism of lifting device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism for locking a lifting device to a fork, in which the posture of a clamp mechanism hardly changes even if the thickness of the fork is different. SOLUTION: A first bracket 16 is provided at a front portion of a sheath portion 14, a second bracket 18 is provided at a rear portion of the sheath portion, an opening 26 is provided at a lower surface of a rear portion of the sheath portion, a clamp mechanism 12 and a sheath. And a link 20 that connects the unit or the frame 32 and supports the clamp mechanism so that the clamp mechanism can move up and down. The link 20 is pivotally supported by the first bracket, bent downward at a pivot portion to the first bracket, and the front end is the lower end of the clamp mechanism. An arm 22 pivotally supported by the arm, a rod 24 pivotally supported by a downwardly bent rear end of the arm and extending toward the rear of the sheath, and a pivotally supported by the second bracket, the upper end of which extends from the opening in the sheath. A pressing surface 28 is formed to be in contact with the lower surface of the fork inserted and inserted into the inside of the portion, and a stopper 30 to which the rear end of the rod is connected is provided between the supporting portion to the second bracket and the pressing surface. Equipped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lock mechanism for fitting a lifting device such as a forklift to a lifting device for transporting and lifting a container to prevent the container from falling off the fork.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus (10) for lifting a large cylindrical container (90) such as a drum can, as shown in FIG.
Some are used by attaching to 6). This lifting device
In (10), a frame (32) is erected on a sheath (14) into which a fork (96) is inserted, and a clamp mechanism (12) for gripping a container (90) is provided on the frame (32). Deployed. As shown in FIG. 4, in the standby state, the clamp mechanism (12)
4) and the lower claw (36) are opened between the claws by the bias of the spring (38). Insert the fork (96) into the sheath (14) of the lifting device (10), raise the fork (96), and the height between the claws corresponds to the height of the projecting ridge on the upper edge of the container. The height of the clamp mechanism (12) is adjusted so as to perform the adjustment. In this state, advance the forklift and apply the lower claw (36) to the body of the container (90),
When the lifting device (10) is slightly raised, the upper claw (34) connected to the lower claw (36) is lowered, and one portion of the projecting ridge is grasped by the lower claw (36) and the upper claw (34). . When the lifting device (10) is further raised from this state, it can be lifted while holding the container (90).

The sheath (14) is formed with a margin in the vertical direction with respect to insertion of a fork. In addition, since the clamp mechanism (12) for gripping the container (90) is attached to the front, the center of gravity of the lifting device (10) is in the front with the container (90) being gripped, and FIG. As shown, the lifting device (10) assumes a forward leaning posture. Therefore, when the forklift is suddenly stopped, the lifting device (10) may slide down from the fork. Fork and lifting device (1
0) can be connected, but it is troublesome and inconvenient.

Accordingly, the applicant has filed a patent application No. 2664355.
Lock mechanism that automatically fixes the fork to the lifting device (10) when the fork (96) is inserted and raised
A lifting device (10) equipped with (40) was proposed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the lifting device (10). The lifting device (10) pivotally supports the clamp mechanism (12) on a bracket (17) protruding above the front end of the sheath (14). It has a lock mechanism (40) utilizing rotation with respect to 14). An opening (26) is formed on the lower surface of the rear end of the sheath (14), and a bracket (19) projecting downward across the opening (26) has an upper end formed with a fork (96). A stopper (30), which serves as a holding surface (28) and protrudes from the opening into the inside of the sheath (14), is pivotally supported. Sheath
One end of an arm (22) whose center is bent is pivotally supported on the bracket (17) at the upper end of the front part of (14). The arm (22)
The bent portion and the stopper (30) are pivotally supported by a rod (24) while being bent forward. The free end of the arm (22) is located on the rotation transition path of the clamp mechanism (12), and the clamp mechanism (12) is substantially perpendicular to the sheath (14).
The free end of 2) hits the back of the lower end of the clamp mechanism (12) and is pushed rearward, and the arm (22) pivots rearward about the pivotal support to the bracket (17). The rod (24) rotates the stopper (30) by the rotation of the arm (22),
The holding surface (28) is pressed against the fork (96). Presser surface (2
Press the fork (9) against the fork (96).
6) is sandwiched between the upper surface of the inner surface of the sheath (14) and the holding surface (28), so that the fork (96) is locked without falling out of the sheath (14).

[0006]

The lifting device (10)
Locks the fork (96) using the force in the rotational direction due to the weight of the clamp mechanism (12). by the way,
Since the thickness of the fork (96) differs depending on the model, the amount of protrusion of the pressing surface (28) changes depending on whether the fork (96) is thick or thin, and the inclination of the clamp mechanism (12) in the locked state changes. Come. In other words, when the fork (96) is thin, the stopper (30) must be turned greatly to press the holding surface (28) against the fork (96). It becomes a leaning posture. Conversely, when the fork (96) is thick, the amount of rotation of the stopper (30) for pressing the holding surface (28) against the fork (96) can be small, so that the clamp mechanism (12) is in the backward inclined posture. . For example, when the thickness of the fork changes by 10 mm, the inclination of the clamp mechanism (12) becomes about 7 °. Thus, the fork inserted
When the clamping mechanism (12) tilts due to the difference in thickness of (96),
It is not desirable because the grip of the container (90) by the claws (34) and (36) becomes unstable. Then turn the rod (24) with the turnbuckle (42)
By adjusting the posture of the clamp mechanism (12), the arm (22) attaches a bolt (44) to the free end where the arm (22) contacts the clamp mechanism (12), and adjusts the tightening of the bolt. By changing the amount of bolt protrusion, the clamp mechanism (1
Adjust the posture of 2).

However, it is troublesome and inconvenient to adjust the length of the turnbuckle (42) or the tightening of the bolt (44) each time due to the difference in the thickness of the fork (96). . Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a lifting device having a lock mechanism in which the posture of the clamp mechanism hardly changes even if the thickness of the fork is different.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism of a lifting device in which the posture of the clamp mechanism hardly changes even if the thickness of the fork is different, and the lifting device can be securely locked to the fork.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problem, a lifting device (10) of the present invention comprises a first bracket (16) projecting downward at a front portion of a sheath (14), A second bracket (18) projecting downward from the rear of the sheath (14);
4) Opening (26) formed on the lower surface of the rear part and the clamping mechanism (1
2) and sheath (14) or frame (32),
Link (2) that supports (12) movably up and down with respect to the sheath (14)
0), an arm (10) pivotally supported by the first bracket (16), bent downward at a pivoted portion to the first bracket (16), and has a front end pivotally supported by a lower end of the clamp mechanism (12). 22) and the arm
(22) a rod (24) pivotally supported by the downwardly bent rear end and extending toward the rear of the sheath (14);
8), the upper end of which is in contact with the lower surface of the fork inserted into the sheath from the opening (26) of the sheath (14).
8) to form a pivot and a holding surface for the second bracket (18).
And a stopper (30) to which the rear end of the rod (24) is connected.

[0010]

[Action] Insert the fork (96) into the sheath (14),
When (96) is raised, the clamp mechanism (12) is lowered with respect to the sheath (14) by the weight of the clamp mechanism (12). Due to the lowering of the clamp mechanism (12), the arm (22) and the link (20) rotate downward. When the arm (22) rotates downward,
The rod (24) pivotally supported by the rear end of the arm (22) is pushed backward, and rotates the stopper (30). Stopper (30)
By the rotation of, the pressing surface (28) rises and is pressed against the lower surface of the fork. When the pressing surface (28) is pressed against the lower surface of the fork, the fork (96) is locked by being sandwiched between the upper surface inside the sheath (14) and the pressing surface (28).

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a lifting device (1) having a lock mechanism (40) of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views partially showing the sheath. In the following description, “front” means the forward side of the forklift, and “rear” means the backward side.

The lifting device (10) includes a sheath (14) in which a fork such as a forklift fits. At the front of the sheath (14), a frame (32) is erected, and at the upper end of the frame (32), a pair of links (20) is turned in a vertical plane across the frame (32). It is movably supported, and a clamp mechanism (12) is connected to the tip of the link (20). The lower surface of the sheath (14) has an opening (26) over its entire length, and a stopper (46) for regulating the rotation of an arm (22) described later is formed at the front end of the sheath (14). ing.

The clamp mechanism (12) includes a clamp support column (48) connected to the link (20), and the clamp support column (48).
A clamp mounting base (50) supported so as to be able to move up and down, and a clamp part (52) supported by the clamp mounting base (50) so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane.

The clamp support column (48) is disposed substantially perpendicular to the sheath (14), and has an upper end supported by the link (20) and a lower end supported by an arm (22) to be described later. Thus, it can be moved up and down with respect to the sheath (14). The clamp support column (48) is a pair of upper and lower parallel links (62) (62) facing forward.
Is rotatable in a vertical plane. In addition, the upper end of the clamp support column (48) has a clamp mount
A presser piece (54) for restricting the movement of the (50) in the ascending direction is protruded. The lower end of the clamp support column (48) is slightly bent forward, and forms a holding member (56) for holding the body of the container (90) when the container is lifted. Holding member
(56) is a pair of upper and lower plates (58) with the center recessed rearward
At both ends of (58), holding pieces (6
0) is provided so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane.

The clamp mount (50) is connected to the parallel link (6).
It is pivotally supported at the tip of 2) and can move up and down with respect to the clamp support column (48). A spring (64) that urges the clamp mounting base (50) in the ascending direction is stretched between the clamp mounting base (50) and the clamp support column (48). This spring (6
Due to the bias of 4), in the standby state, the upper end of the clamp mounting base (50) is in contact with the pressing piece (54) at the upper end of the clamp support column with the parallel link (62) obliquely downward and forward.

The clamp part (52) is accommodated in an inverted L-shaped hollow casing (66) whose upper part protrudes forward. Housing (66)
The upper and lower sides are pivotally supported by a clamp mounting base (50), and are rotatable in a horizontal plane about these pivots (68), (68). Further, a spring (82) for urging the housing (66) so as to face forward is stretched between the housing (66) and the clamp mount (50). As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical lower pawl mounting base (70) is formed upward from the lower surface of the hollow housing (66), and the mounting base (50) has a forward end at the upper end. Lower nail (3
A round shaft (72) protruding from (6) is fitted so as to be vertically movable.
At the upper part of the round shaft (72), there is provided a lower claw (36) having a claw (74) which protrudes forward and is concave in a substantially arc shape substantially corresponding to the body of the container (90). At the upper end of the round shaft (72), a support piece (80)
The support piece (80) is pivotally supported by an upper pawl (34). The upper claw (34) is a lever (76) pivotally supported by a support piece (80).
And a claw piece (78) formed at the tip of the lever (76). The lever (76) is slightly behind the center
(80), the rear end of which is pivotally supported by the hollow housing (66), and can swing in a vertical plane passing through the lower claw (36).
The claw (78) protrudes slightly below the lever (76), and a claw (74) of the lower claw (36) is formed in the swing transition path. The lever (76) is urged rearward by a spring (38), and by the urging force of the spring (38), the two claw pieces (74) and (78) are separated in a standby state. . When the load in the direction of the lower claw (36) is applied and the round shaft (72) descends against the bias of the spring (38), the lower claw (36) moves downward,
The lever (76) of the upper claw (34) is pulled by the support piece (80) and pivots forward, and the claw piece (78) of the upper claw (34) is turned into the claw piece (74) of the lower claw (36).
Approach. When the downward load of the lower claw (36) is removed, the round shaft (72) rises and returns to a state where the claw pieces are separated.

On both sides of the hollow casing (66), guide arms (84) and (84) are provided to project obliquely forward. The guide arms (84) (84) project from the left and right sides of the housing (66) so as to substantially match the shape of the body of the container (90).

A first bracket (16) projects downward from the front of the sheath (14). In the first bracket (16),
A pair of left and right arms (22) (22) are pivotally supported, and both arms
(22) The front end of (22) is the clamp support column of the clamp mechanism (12).
It is connected to the lower end of (48). The arm (22) is provided between the long arm (86) connecting the pivot between the clamp support column (48) and the first bracket (16), and the pivot between the first bracket (16) and a rod (24) described later. And a short arm (88) connecting the first bracket (16) and the arm (22) at the pivot with the first bracket (16).
It is bent by 20 °. The two arms (22) and (22) are connected by a tubular member (23) at a bent portion, and can be integrally rotated by the tubular member (). The long arm (86) of the arm (22) and the aforementioned link (20) are adjusted so that the distance between the pivots is the same and they are parallel to each other. Therefore,
When the clamp mechanism (12) is moved up and down, the clamp mechanism (12)
Moves while maintaining a state perpendicular to the sheath (14).

Between the tips of the short arms (88) of the arms (22) and (22),
The rod (24) is pivoted. The rod (24) is a sheath (14)
And is pivotally supported by a stopper (30) provided at the rear end of the sheath (14). A second bracket (18) is projected downward from the rear end of the sheath (14), and a pair of left and right stoppers (30) (30) is pivotally supported by the second bracket (18). ing. Stopper (30) (30) is arm (22) (22)
Similarly to the above, they are connected by a cylindrical member (not shown), can rotate integrally toward the upper part, and the upper end is the pressing surface of the fork (96)
(28), and the pressing surface (28) is capable of protruding and retracting inside the sheath (14). The rod (24) has a pivotal support portion of the stopper (30) with the second bracket (18) and a pressing surface (28).
Pivoted between

When the lifting device (10) is placed on the floor (98), as shown in FIG. 2, the long arm (86) of the arm (22) is attached to the stopper (46) of the sheath (14). The rod (24) is adjusted so that the stopper (30) is positioned outside the sheath (14).

Therefore, the lifting device (10) having the above structure is attached to a lifting / lowering and transport means such as a forklift. Adjust the height of the fork (96) so that it can be inserted into the sheath (14),
With the fork (96) facing the sheath (14), the forklift is advanced to insert the fork (96) into the sheath (14). In this state, the fork (96) is raised. fork
When the (96) is raised, the clamp mechanism (12) descends with respect to the sheath (14) while rotating the link (20) and the arm (22) downward by their own weight. When the long arm (86) of the arm (22) rotates downward, the short arm (88) of the arm (22) rotates upward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the rod (24) pivotally supported by the short arm (88) is pushed backward and moves, and the stopper (30)
Push backwards. Stopper (30) is the second bracket
Since one end is pivotally supported by (18), when pushed into the rod (24), the pressing surface (28) approaches the lower surface of the fork (96) inserted inside the sheath (14), Presser surface (28) is fork (9
6), the fork (96) is fixed by being sandwiched between the upper inner surface of the sheath (14) and the holding piece (54), and the lifting device (10).
Can be locked to the fork.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stopper (30) rotates backward to lock the fork (96).
Even if the lifting device (10) moves in the direction in which the lifting device (10) comes off with respect to the fork (96), the friction between the pressing surface (28) and the fork (96) causes the pressing surface (28) to follow the fork (96). For this reason,
Since the pressing surface (28) is further rotated in the direction of pressing the fork (96), the locking is performed firmly, and the fork (96) does not fall out of the sheath (14).

With the fork (96) locked on the sheath (14), a container (90) such as a drum can placed upright on the floor (98),
Close the lifting device (10) so that the gap between the lower pawl (36) and the upper pawl (34) of the clamp mechanism (12) corresponds to the upper edge projecting ridge (92) of the container (90). Then, the lifting device (10) is lifted and aligned. Next, when the forklift is advanced, the lower pawl (36) hits the container (90). At this time,
If the container axis and the clamp mechanism (12) are misaligned, one of the guide arms (84) hits the body of the container (90), and the clamp (52)
Rotates against the urging force of the spring (82), and faces in the container axis direction. In this state, when the forklift is moved forward at a low speed to raise the elevating fork (96), the lower claw (36) hits the lower surface of the protruding ridge (92) and is pushed down. Upper nail (34)
Rotate downward in conjunction with the lowering of the lower claw (36), and the upper claw (34) and the claw pieces (76) (74) of the lower claw (36) approach to grasp the protruding ridge (92). Can be. When the container (90) is grasped by the upper claws (34) and the lower claws (36) and the fork (96) is further raised, the container (90) is lifted away from the installation surface. At this time, the container
The body of (90) is supported by the holding member (56) at the lower end of the clamp support column.

To remove the lifting device (10) from the fork (96), the fork (96) is lowered and the lifting device (10) is removed.
Only have to be pressed against the floor. When the fork (96) is lowered, the lower end of the clamp mechanism (12) hits the floor (98).
If the fork (96) continues to descend further, the clamp mechanism (1
With the lower end of (2) abutting on the floor (98), the sheath (14) descends together with the fork (96). When the sheath (14) descends, the link
(20) and the arm (22) rotate in the opposite direction to the
(22) pulls the rod (24). As a result, the stopper (3
(0) rotates forward, the pressing surface (28) moves downward away from the fork (96), and the fork is moved by the stopper (30).
The lock of (96) is released. After unlocking the fork (96), retract the forklift and
Is pulled out of the sheath (14), the removal of the lifting device (10) is completed.

According to the lifting device (10) having the above structure, the clamp mechanism (12) always maintains a constant angle (vertical in the above embodiment) with respect to the sheath (14). Even if they are different, the clamp mechanism (12) does not tilt during locking. Therefore, the container (90) has excellent stability when gripped.

Second Embodiment FIG. 5 is a side view of a lifting device (10) according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein a lifting device without a frame is formed.
This is an embodiment in which a lock mechanism (40) is attached to (10). FIG.
As shown in the figure, the upper part of the clamp mechanism (12) and the second bracket (18) projecting downward at the rear end of the sheath (14) are connected via a long link (20). I have. The link (2
0) can also be pivoted directly on the sheath (14). The other parts are the same as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. However, as in the first embodiment, the fork (96) is inserted into the sheath (14) and lifted, and the lifting device (10) is forked. (96)
Can be fixed.

In order to use the clamp mechanism (12) more nearly vertically, it is desirable to determine the length of the link (20) as follows. For example, when the thickness of the fork (96) used is 30 to 40 mm, a fork (96) of 35 mm in the middle is inserted, and the lifting device (10) is inserted.
The link (2) so that the clamp mechanism (12) is perpendicular to the floor when the fork (96) is locked.
0) Determine the length. Thus, used fork
By adjusting the length of the link (20) based on the average thickness of the (96), the clamping mechanism (12) due to the difference in the thickness of the fork (96) can be used in a more vertical state. . In this case, the thickness of the fork (96) is 10 mm.
The inclination of the clamp mechanism (12) at the time of the change is about 2.5 ° or less, and the inclination of the clamp mechanism (12) can be made smaller than in the conventional case. With such an inclination, there is no problem in use.

[0028]

According to the lifting device (10) of the present invention, the fork (96) can be locked simply by inserting the fork (96) into the sheath (14) and raising it. Further, even if the adjustment according to the thickness of the fork (96) is not performed, the clamp mechanism (12) hardly tilts when the fork (96) is locked. In particular, according to the lifting device (10) shown in the first embodiment, even if the fork (96) has a different thickness, the clamp mechanism (12) does not tilt during locking. By suppressing the inclination of the clamp mechanism (12) when the fork (96) is locked, the gripping force does not decrease due to the inclination of the clamp mechanism (12), so that the gripping stability is excellent.

The description of the above embodiments is for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention described in the claims or reducing the scope thereof. Further, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lifting device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the lifting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a locked state of the lifting device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a clamp unit.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a lifting device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state where a conventional lifting device is attached to a fork.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a lifting device previously proposed by the applicant.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (10) Lifting device (12) Clamp mechanism (14) Sheath (16) First bracket (18) Second bracket (20) Link (22) Arm (24) Rod (30) Stopper

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A clamping mechanism (12) for gripping a container (90).
Frame on the sheath (14) where the fork (96) fits
(32) In a lock mechanism for preventing the lifting device (10) arranged and deployed on the fork (96) from falling off, the first bracket projecting downward at the front of the sheath (14) is provided. (1
6) and a second bracket (1) projecting downward from the rear of the sheath (14).
8), an opening (26) formed in the lower surface of the rear part of the sheath (14), the clamp mechanism (12) and the frame (32), and the clamp mechanism (12) is moved up and down with respect to the frame (32). A link (20) for movably supporting the first bracket (1) pivotally supported by the first bracket (16);
The arm (22), which is bent downward at the pivot portion to 6) and whose front end is pivotally supported at the lower end of the clamp mechanism (12), and is pivotally supported by the downwardly bent rear end of the arm (22), Sheath (1
4) a rod (24) extending toward the rear, and a pivotally supported by the second bracket (18), the upper end of which is the opening of the sheath;
A holding surface (28) is formed to come into contact with the lower surface of the fork inserted into the sheath portion from (26), and is provided between the pivot portion to the second bracket (18) and the holding surface (28). And a stopper (30) to which a rear end of the rod (24) is connected. A locking mechanism of the lifting device, comprising: 2. A clamp mechanism (12) for gripping a container (90).
The lifting device (10), which is attached to the front end of the sheath (14) in which the fork (96) fits, prevents the lifting device (10) from falling off the fork (96). The first bracket (1
6) and a second bracket (1) projecting downward from the rear of the sheath (14).
8), an opening (26) formed in the lower surface of the rear part of the sheath (14), and the clamp mechanism (12) and the sheath (14).
A link (20) for supporting the (2) vertically with respect to the sheath (14).
Pivotally supported by the first bracket (16), and the first bracket (1
The arm (22), which is bent downward at the pivot portion to 6) and whose front end is pivotally supported at the lower end of the clamp mechanism (12), and is pivotally supported by the downwardly bent rear end of the arm (22), Sheath (1
4) a rod (24) extending toward the rear part, and a fork which is pivotally supported by the second bracket (18) and has an upper end inserted into the sheath part through the opening (26) of the sheath part (14). Forming the holding surface (28) to be in contact with the lower surface, the second bracket (18)
And a stopper (30) to which the rear end of the rod (24) is connected between the pivot portion of the lifting device and the pressing surface (28).