JP3208241B2 - Forklift pusher device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pusher device of a forklift for pushing a load loaded on a fork together with a pallet forward.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional forklift pusher device, which is known as one of attachments of a forklift, is an upright elevating device which moves up and down together with a fork at a front side of a fork hook finger bar fixed to a lift bracket which moves up and down along a mast. The face plate is shaped like a letter. The face plate is moved in the front-rear direction via a pantograph mechanism which is extended and retracted by a push cylinder, and is generally used in such a manner that a load on a fork is pushed forward by a face plate together with a pallet. By the way, as a pusher device similar to the above pusher device, a push-pull device is known, but this is a device mainly used for sheet pallet handling,
They differ in that the pusher device is mainly used for loading pallets made of wood, resin or iron.

[0003]

The conventional pusher device is mainly used for loading and unloading operations such as loading trucks and freight cars. In this case, the pallet pushed out together with the load by the face plate is not likely to run away because of the frictional resistance of the upper surface of the loading platform. In carrying out the cargo handling operation, there is a possibility that the luggage may run away if the operation of the face plate is incorrect.

In view of the above problems, the present invention can avoid runaway of a load by temporarily fixing the pallet on which the load is loaded to the face plate when the load is pushed out by the face plate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a forklift pusher device.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows. In other words, the invention according to claim 1 includes a mast, an elevating member capable of elevating and lowering along the mast, a fork supported by the elevating member, and the elevating member for pushing out a load on the fork along with a pallet forward. And a pusher device for a forklift having a face plate movably attached to the pallet, the clamp device being capable of gripping the pallet below the face plate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pusher device for a forklift according to the first aspect, the clamp unit is attached to the clamp holder attached to the face plate and openable and closable to the clamp holder.
A pair of clamp arms each having a tip protruding forward of the face plate and capable of being inserted into a fork insertion port of the pallet; and an actuator for opening and closing the clamp arms. It is characterized by the pallet gripping direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the pusher device for a forklift according to the second aspect, the clamp arm is slidably attached to the clamp holder in the vehicle width direction, and the actuator is attached to the clamp holder. It is characterized by being connected like a bridge.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the pusher device for a forklift according to the third aspect, the clamp holder is attached to the face plate so as to be freely movable in a vertical direction, and when the face plate is retracted, the lifting and lowering is performed. It is characterized in that it is configured to be returned to the initial position by a clamp guide member provided on the member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the pusher device for a forklift according to the first aspect, the clamp unit is attached to the clamp holder attached to the face plate, and is vertically movably attached to the clamp holder. A clamp arm protruding forward of the face plate and capable of being inserted into a fork insertion port of the pallet; and an actuator for moving the clamp arm up and down. It is characterized by:

[0010]

In the pusher device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the load on the fork is pushed forward together with the pallet by the face plate, the pallet is gripped by the clamp unit provided on the face plate. By fixing the pallet to the face plate side, runaway of luggage due to pushing of the face plate is prevented.

In the pusher device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the fork is inserted into the fork insertion port of the pallet, when the fork is inserted sufficiently deeply,
A pair of left and right clamp arms are inserted into the fork insertion port of the pallet. Therefore, in this state, by operating the clamp arm in the closing direction or the opening direction, the pallet of the pallet is gripped and the pallet is fixed to the face plate. When such a method of gripping the pallet of the pallet is employed, the entire upper surface of the pallet can be effectively used as the load surface.

In the pusher device according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the pair of clamp arms grip the pallet,
Free displacement with respect to the pallet. That is, the pallet is gripped on the basis of the pallet to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the pallet.

In the pusher device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the pallet is gripped, the clamp arm follows the vertical movement of the pallet. This absorbs the vertical relative movement between the pallet and the face plate that may occur when the fork is moved up and down while the pallet is being held.

In the pusher device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pallet is fixed to the face plate by the clamp arm pressing down the deck board of the pallet from above. In this case, the entire or almost entire surface of the pallet upper surface can be effectively used as the load surface.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. The perspective view of FIG. 1 and the side view of FIG. 2 show an outline of a forklift pusher device according to the present embodiment. As shown, forklift mast 1
A pair of upper and lower finger bars 3 fixed to a lift bracket 2 that can move up and down along
Are hooked via a hook 5, and the lift bracket 2 and the finger bar 3 constitute an elevating member.

A face plate 7 in the form of a lattice for pushing a load on the fork 4 is disposed upright in front of the finger bar 3 and the finger bar 3
Is supported by a pair of left and right telescopic pantograph mechanisms 8 on a pair of left and right telescopic pantograph mechanisms 8, and is moved back and forth on the fork 4 by a pair of left and right push cylinders 9. I have.

The end of the link constituting the pantograph mechanism 8 on the holder side is mounted so that the upper end thereof can be moved up and down via a roller 11 rolling in the holder 6, and the lower end is rotated by the pin 10 on the holder 6. It is movably mounted. The face plate side end of the link is moved up and down via a roller 14 that rolls in a grooved columnar rail member 12 whose upper end is fixed upright to the left and right ends on the back side of the face plate 7. The lower end is rotatably attached to the rail member 12 by a pin 13.

In the pusher device as described above, the center lower end of the rear side of the face plate 7 is provided for gripping the pallet, specifically, the center girder 26a of the pallet 26.
A clamp unit 15 for gripping the fork is provided, and the clamp unit 15 is disposed between the forks 4 so as not to interfere with the left and right forks 4. Hereinafter, the clamp unit 15 will be described. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3 and the side view of FIG.
5 includes a clamp holder 16 arranged below the back surface of the face plate 7. The clamp holder 16 is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view with an open front side, and includes a columnar arm support shaft 17 extending horizontally.

A pair of right and left clamp arms 18 are slidably fitted in the base of the arm support shaft 17 in the axial direction so as to be openable and closable, and are prevented from rotating. In order to prevent rotation of the clamp arm 18 with respect to the arm support shaft 17, a key or a spline can be used. In addition, a flat surface 18a is easily set at the rear end of the arm, and this flat surface 18a is attached to the front surface 16a of the clamp holder 16. This can also be achieved by a configuration in which sliding contact is made.

The distal end of the clamp arm 18 is projected forward by a predetermined amount through the lower surface of the face plate 7, and the fork 4 is moved to the pallet 26 in an initial state in which the face plate 7 is drawn most toward the vehicle body. When inserted into the fork slot 27 of the fork
7. Further, a clamp pad 19 made of a buffer material such as rubber is fixed to the front end facing surface of the clamp arm 18. That is, in this embodiment, the closing direction of the clamp arm 18 is set as the gripping direction, and the center spar 26a of the pallet 26 is gripped. The vertical thickness of the clamp arm 18 is set so as not to exceed the thickness of the fork 4.

In this embodiment, a hydraulic clamp cylinder 2 is used as an actuator for moving the clamp arm 18 in the axial direction along the arm support shaft 17 to open and close.
0 is used, and this clamp cylinder 20 is connected to both clamp arms 18 in a bridging manner. That is, the clamp cylinder 20 is disposed above and between the bases of the left and right clamp arms 18 in parallel with the arm support shaft 17, and the base end and the rod end of the clamp cylinder 20 are provided on the bracket 21 erected on the upper surface of the base of both clamp arms 18. The parts are respectively fixed, and are configured to be operable on the driver's seat.

Further, the clamp holder 16 is provided with two right and left rods 22 erected upright, and the rods 22 are attached to a cylindrical rod guide 23 fixed vertically to the back surface of the face plate 7. The lower end of the clamp holder 16 is regulated by being vertically movably inserted and having a flange 22 a at an upper end thereof abutting against an upper end surface of the rod guide 23.

That is, the clamp unit 15 according to the present embodiment employs a floating support mechanism in which the clamp arm 18 can freely move up and down and left and right. Thus, the clamping operation of the center girder 26a of the pallet 26 by the clamp arm 18 is performed on the basis of the pallet, and the relative movement between the pallet 26 and the face plate 7 can be absorbed when the pallet 26 is gripped.

On the other hand, a clamp guide member 24 for pushing up a clamp arm is provided in the center of the lower front surface of the finger bar 3. The clamp guide member 24 is formed of a substantially L-shaped plate having a forwardly inclined inclined guide surface 25 at the distal end. When the face plate 7 is pulled back, the clamp arm 16 is moved up by the clamp holder 16 to move up. An initial position suitable for insertion into the fork insertion port 27, that is, a position where the upper surface of the clamp arm 18 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the fork 4, is returned and held.

The pusher device for a forklift according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation and effect will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the initial state where the face plate 7 is pulled back to the vehicle body side,
The clamp arm 18 rides on the clamp guide member 24 and is held in an initial state substantially at the same height as the upper surface of the fork 4. Therefore, the flange 22 a of the rod 22 is separated from the upper end of the rod guide 23. In this state, when the fork 4 is inserted into the fork insertion port 27 of the pallet 26 loaded with the load W as shown by the solid line in the drawing, the left and right clamp arms 1 are inserted when the fork 4 is fully inserted.
8 is inserted into the fork insertion port 27 of the pallet 26.

Thereafter, as shown by the imaginary line in the figure, the lift bracket 2 is lifted, the load W is lifted by the fork 4, and then the clamp cylinder 20 is actuated. Hold 26a. Thus, the pallet 26 is mounted on the face plate 7
Fixed on the side.

Next, a case where the transported luggage W is lowered onto the roller conveyor 28 and pushed forward as shown in FIG. 7 will be described. After the pallet 26 has landed on the roller conveyor 28, the face plate 7 is slightly lowered together with the fork 4 as shown by the solid line in the drawing.
The clamp arm 18 remains fixed to the pallet 26 and moves upward with respect to the face plate 7.
That is, the relative movement between the pallet 26 and the face plate 7 is absorbed, and the pallet gripping surface is not damaged. In this state, when the push cylinder 9 is actuated to move the face plate 7 forward and push out the load W, the load fixed to the face plate 7 side does not separate from the face plate 7 as shown by the imaginary line in the drawing.
It is pushed out on the roller conveyor 28, and the runaway is avoided.

When the pallet gripping by the clamp arm 18 is released by operating the clamp cylinder 20 after the load is pushed out, as shown in FIG. Is lowered to a position where it contacts the upper end surface of the rod guide 23. Thereafter, when the face plate 7 is pulled back toward the vehicle body, the clamp holder 16 rides on the inclined guide surface 25 of the clamp guide member 24 when approaching the vehicle body side, and returns to the initial position.

As described above, according to the pusher device of the present embodiment, when the load W is pushed out to a slippery place such as the roller conveyor 28, the runaway can be reliably prevented and the work can be performed safely. . Further, since the clamp arm 18 is inserted into the fork insertion port 27 of the pallet 26 and the center girder 26a is gripped, the entire upper surface of the pallet can be used as a load surface of the load. Moreover, since the clamp arm 18 employs a floating support structure that can freely move right and left and up and down, the pallet 26 can be gripped on a pallet basis when the pallet 26 is gripped. Since the relative movement between the pallet 7 and the pallet 26 can be absorbed, it is effective in preventing damage to the pallet.

According to the pusher device of this embodiment,
By installing the clamp unit 15 of the pallet 25 on the face plate 7, in addition to the above-described work of pushing out the load W, the pallet of the load at the back position when the face plate 7 is pulled back is clamped by the clamp arm 18.
It is also possible to apply to the work of the form of grasping and then pulling out.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and the following modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) Regarding the gripping method of the clamp arm 18, as shown in FIG. 9, the opening direction of the clamp arm 18 may be set to the gripping direction, and the configuration may be changed to grip the inner surfaces of the left and right side girders 26b of the pallet 26. . (2) As shown in FIG. 10, the closing direction of the clamp arm 18 may be a gripping direction, and the configuration may be changed to a configuration in which the left and right side girders 26b are gripped from the outside. However, in the case of the above (1) and (2), the clamp holder 16
Is disposed above the fork 4 so as not to interfere with the fork 4, and the clamp arm 18 is bent downward by that amount to dive below the clamp holder 16. (3) As shown in FIG. 11, after inserting the clamp arm 18 into the fork insertion port 27 of the pallet 26, the method may be changed to a method of pressing the inner surface of the lower deck board 26c, or as shown in FIG. May be changed to a method of directly pressing the upper surface of the upper deck board 26c. In this case, the clamp arm 18 is vertically movably attached to the clamp holder 16 via the guide rod 29, and is configured to be operated by the clamp cylinder 20. In particular, in a method in which the clamp arm 18 is inserted into the fork insertion port 27 of the pallet 26 and then the inner surface of the lower deck board 26c is pressed, the entire upper surface of the pallet can be used as the load surface as in the above-described embodiment. Further, since the lower deck board 26c having a small thickness can be gripped without fear of damaging the pallet 26, the gripping surface can be widened. (5) Further, as shown in FIG.
May be rotatably attached to the clamp holder 16 via the pin 30, and this may be changed to a rotary clamp system operated by the clamp cylinder 20. (6) Although not shown, the clamp arm 1
A motor may be used instead of the clamp cylinder 20 as an actuator as an actuation source of 8, and the rotation may be converted to a linear motion to drive the clamp arm 18. (7) If necessary, the structure may be changed so that the clamp arm 18 can be freely moved in the front-rear direction with a certain stroke.

[0032]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
When pushing out the load on the fork by the pusher device and the load is unloaded at a place where the load is slippery like a roller conveyor, the clamp unit is operated and the pallet is pushed out while being fixed to the face plate side. Thereby, runaway of the luggage can be prevented, and the safety of cargo handling work can be enhanced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pusher device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a clamp unit.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the clamp unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a side view of an operation mode of the clamp unit when picking up the load.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an operation mode of the clamp unit when picking up the luggage.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a side view of an operation mode at the time of pushing out a load.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an operation mode at the time of retraction in a side view.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a modification example regarding the clamp arm.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another modification example of the clamp arm.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing still another modification example of the clamp arm.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing still another modification example of the clamp arm.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing still another modification example of the clamp arm.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... Lift bracket 4 ... Fork 6 ... Holder 7 ... Face plate 8 ... Pantograph mechanism 15 ... Clamp unit 16 ... Clamp holder 17 ... Arm support shaft 18 ... Clamp arm 20 ... Clamp cylinder

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References Japanese Utility Model Sho-56-96094 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Sho-51-149572 (JP, U) Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-16660 (JP, B1) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B66F 9/00-9/24

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A mast, an elevating member capable of elevating and lowering along the mast, a fork supported by the elevating member, and a fore-and-aft moving member for pushing the luggage on the fork together with a pallet forward. A pusher device for a forklift having a face plate attached to a forklift, comprising: a clamp unit capable of gripping the pallet below the face plate. 2. The clamp unit according to claim 1, wherein said clamp unit is mounted on said face plate so as to be openable and closable, and a tip projects forward of said face plate and is inserted into a fork insertion port of said pallet. The pusher device for a forklift according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of possible clamp arms, and an actuator for opening and closing the clamp arms, wherein the closing direction or the opening direction of the clamp arms is set to the gripping direction of the pallet. 3. A pusher device for a forklift according to claim 2, wherein said clamp arm is slidably mounted on said clamp holder in a vehicle width direction, and said actuator is connected to said clamp holder in a bridging manner. . 4. The clamp holder is attached to the face plate so as to be freely movable up and down, and when the face plate is pulled in, the clamp holder is returned to an initial position by a clamp guide member provided on the elevating member. The pusher device for a forklift according to claim 3, wherein the pusher device has a configuration. 5. A clamp holder attached to the face plate, wherein the clamp unit is vertically movably attached to the clamp holder, and a tip of the clamp unit projects forward of the face plate and is inserted into a fork insertion port of the pallet. The pusher device for a forklift according to claim 1, further comprising an insertable clamp arm, and an actuator for moving the clamp arm up and down, wherein the clamp arm has a downward direction as a gripping direction of the pallet.