JP7440075B2 - Traction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a traction device that can be suitably used in supermarkets, home centers, etc.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in store warehouses such as supermarkets and home centers, for example, electric tractors (power tractors) are often used for loading and unloading products (for example, see Patent Document 1). Small tow trucks are useful in small warehouses, but the number of basket carts (towed carts) that can be towed at one time is limited. As a result, the number of trips back and forth within the warehouse for loading and unloading products increases, which puts a heavy burden on workers.

That is, in the conventional method, only one basket car can be directly connected to the towing vehicle, so the efficiency of transportation is not good. In order to increase efficiency, it is possible to connect basket cars in series and have the first cage car pulled by a towing vehicle, but there is a problem that cage cars connected in series are likely to tip over from side to side. Therefore, with conventional devices, there is a problem in that it is difficult to safely and efficiently load and unload products, etc.

JP2020-23288A

The present invention aims to solve the problems described above.

The invention according to claim 1 is a towing device comprising a power towing vehicle and a towing jig for simultaneously towing a plurality of towed carts arranged in parallel by the power towing vehicle, the towing device comprising: a power towing vehicle; The jig includes a jig main body attached to the rear part of the power towing vehicle, and a plurality of engaging parts provided on the jig main body and respectively engaging with each towed truck, The towing jig is supported by the power towing vehicle so as to be movable up and down, and is also pivotally supported by the power towing vehicle so as to be able to swing from side to side. A single compression coil spring is provided that serves both the role of elastically biasing the traction jig and the role of self-returning the traction jig to approximately the center of the oscillation range, and the compression coil spring has a coil axis. A protruding portion on the upper end side and a protruding portion on the lower end side are provided, which are substantially parallel to the center, and the protruding portion on the upper end side is engaged with the traction jig, and the protruding portion on the lower end side is connected to the power traction. It is a towing device that is attached to a car .

If this is the case, at least two towed carts arranged in parallel can be towed by one towing vehicle by engaging the towed carts with each of the plurality of engagement parts of the towing jig. Therefore, the conveyance work can be carried out efficiently while preventing or suppressing the towed cart from falling over.

According to the invention of claim 1 , the traction jig is supported by the power traction vehicle so as to be able to move up and down, and the traction jig is provided with a biasing means for elastically biasing the traction jig upward. It is possible to suppress the reaction against the towed cart due to the unevenness of the surface, and to smoothly move the towing device and the towed cart.

According to the invention of claim 2 , the engaging portions are provided on the jig main body at intervals in the left-right direction, and each engaging portion is supported by the jig main body and stands up; The device includes a bottom plate extending rearward from the lower edge of the base plate, and a tip plate standing up from the extending end of the bottom plate, and each of the engaging portions is connected to the end frame of the corresponding towed truck. Since the engaging portion can be engaged from below, the engaging portion and the end frame can be easily engaged and disengaged only by the tilting motion of the power towing vehicle.

According to the invention of claim 3 , since the upright dimension of the tip plate is set to a lower value than the upright dimension of the base end plate, the engaging portion is engaged with the end frame of the towed truck. When performing work, it is possible to realize a structure in which the end frame can be easily fitted into the engaging part, and the end frame is difficult to come off from the engaging part.

According to the invention of claim 4 , the rearward extension dimension of the bottom plate is set to a larger value than the longitudinal dimension of the end frames of all towed carts that are expected to be towed. Therefore, any towed truck can be towed by one towing device.

According to the invention of claim 5 , since the upper end of the tip plate of the engaging portion of the towing jig is tilted backward, it is possible to smoothly engage this engaging portion with the end frame of the towed truck. can.

According to the invention of claim 6 , the jig main body is provided with a concave portion in an intermediate portion located between the engaging portions to prevent interference with the towed carts, so that the jig main body is provided with a recessed portion for preventing interference with the towed carts. When changing the direction of travel (turning) while connected to the traction device, clearance can be secured behind the recessed portion for the end of the towed cart to escape.

According to the invention of claim 1 , the towing jig is pivotally supported on the power towing vehicle in a state in which it can swing from side to side, and the towing jig is self-centered approximately in the center of the swinging range. Since it is provided with an elastic biasing means for returning to its original state, the direction of the towed cart can be smoothly returned to the front after changing the direction of travel (turning).

According to the present invention, since at least two towed carts arranged in parallel can be towed by one towing vehicle, it is possible to efficiently carry out transport work while preventing or suppressing overturning of the towed carts. A traction device that can be provided can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a traction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing main parts of a towing device and a towed truck according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view taken along arrow A in FIG. 2 of the traction jig according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view taken along arrow B in FIG. 2 of the traction jig according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a compression coil spring according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure for towing a towed cart by the towing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure for towing a towed cart by the towing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure for towing a towed cart by the towing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an engagement mode between the traction device and the towed truck according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an engagement mode between the traction device and the towed truck according to the same embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the traction device 1 of this embodiment is a traction device for simultaneously towing a power traction vehicle 3 and a plurality of towed carts 2 arranged in parallel by the power traction vehicle 3. It is equipped with a tool 4.

The power towing vehicle 3 is, for example, an electric type, and as shown in FIG. 1, it can be driven to any desired location by operating a handle 31 and an accelerator 311, a brake 312, etc. equipped on the handle 31. is now possible. Specifically, in this embodiment, for example, a partially modified electrically assisted tow vehicle (trade name: Powerful Buddy) is used as the power tow vehicle 3. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a frame 32 for mounting a jig, which is different from existing products, is provided at the rear end of this power towing vehicle 3, and an upper mounting plate 33 and an upper mounting plate 33 are attached to this frame 32. , and a lower mounting plate 34 are fixedly installed in parallel. Bolt insertion holes 33a and 34a are formed in the upper mounting plate 33 and the lower mounting plate 34, respectively, so that their axes coincide with each other.

The towed truck 2 is, for example, in the form of a six-wheeled truck, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to 8, a pair of left and right casters 611 are respectively attached to end frames 61 arranged at both front and rear ends. A pair of left and right central wheels 621 are attached to a central frame 62 (not shown) disposed at the front-rear center position. At the center of the upper surface of the end frame 61 in the left-right direction, support pipes 612 for fitting the proximal end of the guard frame 8 are erected, and a connecting frame 63 is constructed between the front and rear support pipes 612. ing. The base 6 is constructed by connecting and integrating the front and rear end frames 61 and the central frame 62 through the connecting frame 63. A top plate 7 for loading cargo N is arranged on this base 6. The towed cart 2 of this embodiment is of a type called a six-wheeled balance cart, and on a horizontal floor F, most of the load is concentrated on the central wheels 621 mounted on the central frame 62. It is configured as follows. Further, 613 is a bumper made of a cushioning material.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 9, and 10, the towing jig 4 includes a jig main body 41 attached to the rear of the power towing vehicle 3, and a jig main body 41 provided on the jig main body 41 to support each towed truck. 2, and a plurality of engaging portions 42 that engage with each other. More specifically, this towing jig 4 is supported by the power towing vehicle 3 so as to be able to freely move up and down, and includes a compression coil spring 5 as a biasing means for elastically biasing this towing jig 4 upward. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 9, and 10, the jig main body 41 has a prismatic shape extending left and right, and the center portion in the left and right direction is used for attaching the jig to the power traction vehicle 3 via an attachment mechanism 43. It is attached to a frame 32 for use. As shown in FIGS. 2, 9, and 10, the mounting mechanism 43 is mounted between the upper mounting plate 33 and the lower mounting plate 34 of the power towing vehicle 3 using connecting bolts 434 and nuts 435. It includes a traction sleeve 431, a movable bush 432 slidably fitted around the outer periphery of the traction sleeve 431, and a stationary bush 433 fitted around the outer periphery of the lower end of the traction sleeve 431 and fixed to the lower mounting plate 34. A movable bush 432 is fixed to the tip of a connecting bracket 411 that projects from the center of the jig main body 41 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the movable bush 432 and the stationary bush 433 also play a role as a spring retainer, and are a compression coil spring that is wound around the outer circumference of the traction sleeve 431 and interposed between the movable bush 432 and the stationary bush 433. Both the upper and lower ends of 5 are held.

Therefore, this towing jig 4 is pivoted to the power towing vehicle 3 by the attachment mechanism 43 so that it can swing from side to side. It is equipped with elastic biasing means for returning. The elastic biasing means may be a torsion coil spring or the like independent of the compression coil spring 5, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The compression coil spring 5 is provided with two protruding parts 51 and 52, and the protruding part 51 on the upper end side is hooked to the connection bracket 411, and the protruding part 52 on the lower end side is hooked on the lower mounting plate 34. This also serves as the aforementioned elastic biasing means. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8, this jig main body 41 has an intermediate portion located between the engaging portions 42 to prevent interference with the towed cart 2. The recessed portion 41a is provided.

The jig main body 41 described above is provided with a pair of engaging portions 42 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, FIG. 9, and FIG. It is channel-shaped, and includes an extending bottom plate 422 and a tip plate 423 that stands up from the extending end of the bottom plate 422. It is designed so that it can be engaged from the side. The upright dimension h2 of the distal end plate 423 is set to a value lower than the upright dimension h1 of the proximal end plate 421. Further, the rearward extension dimension d1 of the bottom plate 422 is set to a larger value than the longitudinal dimension d2 of the end frames 61 of all the towed carts 2 that are expected to be towed. Note that the upper end 423a of the distal end plate 423 is tilted backward, and the upper end 421a of the base end plate 421 is tilted forward.

Next, a procedure for towing two towed carts 2 using this towing device 1 will be explained. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the towed carts 2 that are scattered apart are arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. It is engaged with the end frame 61 of the towed truck 2. That is, the power towing vehicle 3 equipped with the towing jig 4 is made to face the front of the towed carts 2 arranged in parallel, and the power towing vehicle 3 is moved backward. At this time, when the power traction vehicle 3 is moved backward with the traction jig 4 inclined in the direction in which it approaches the floor surface F, as shown in FIG. The pair of engagement parts 42 of the tool 4 can be inserted under the end frame 61 of the corresponding towed truck 2. When the power towing vehicle 3 is tilted from this state to the initial position, the pair of engaging portions 42 move upward and engage the end frame 61 of the corresponding towed vehicle 2, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. They will be engaged from below, and preparations for the traction operation will be completed. In this ready state, the compression coil spring 5 is appropriately compressed, and the front caster 611 of the towed truck 2 may be slightly lifted off the floor surface F due to this biasing force. When the power towing vehicle 3 is moved forward from this stage, its forward force is transmitted to both towed carts 2 via the towing jig 4, and these towed carts 2 follow the power towing vehicle 3 while remaining in a parallel position. It turns out.

Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a traction device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating a central longitudinal section of a main part of the traction device 1 and a side view of a main part of the towed truck 2 according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the traction jig 4 according to the same embodiment viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 (arrow A view). FIG. 4 is a diagram of the traction jig 4 according to the same embodiment viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 (view from arrow B). FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the compression coil spring 5 according to the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state of the jig attachment frame 32, the towing jig 4, and the two towed carts 2 before the start of the towing operation according to the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the two towed carts 2 are engaged with the towing jig 4. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which two towed carts 2 are engaged with the towing jig 4. As shown in FIG. In FIGS. 6 to 8, the frame 32 for attaching the jig is broken in the middle, and other parts of the power traction vehicle 3 are not shown. FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 in a state immediately before the two towed carts 2 are engaged with the towing jig 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 in which the two towed carts 2 are engaged with the towing jig 4.

With such a configuration, two towed carts arranged in parallel can be towed using one power towing vehicle 3, so overturning of the towed cart 2 can be prevented or suppressed. Transport work can be carried out efficiently.

In addition, since the compression coil spring 5 can bias the front end of the towing jig 4 and the towed truck 2 upward, the reaction against the towed truck 2 due to unevenness of the floor surface F is suppressed. , the traction device 1 and the towed cart 2 can be moved smoothly.

Furthermore, each engaging portion 42 includes a base end plate 421 that stands up while being supported by the jig main body 41, a bottom plate 422 that extends rearward from the lower edge of this base end plate 421, and a bottom plate 422 that extends from the extending end of this bottom plate 422. Since each engaging portion 42 can be engaged with the end frame 61 of the corresponding towed truck 2 from below, the tilting of the power towed vehicle 3 can be prevented. The engagement portion 42 and the end frame 61 can be engaged and disengaged only by the operation.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the upright dimension h2 of the distal end plate 423 of the engaging part 42 of the traction jig 4 is set to a lower value than the upright dimension h1 of the proximal end plate 421, this engaging part 42 When performing the work of engaging the end frame 61 of the towed truck 2, the end frame 61 can be easily fitted into the engaging part 42, and the end frame 61 is difficult to come off from the engaging part 42. can be realized.

Further, the rearward extension dimension d1 of the bottom plate 422 is set to a larger value than the longitudinal dimension d2 of the end frames 61 of all towed carts 2 that are expected to be towed by the traction device 1. Therefore, any towed truck 2 can be towed by the towing device 1 of this embodiment.

In addition, since the upper end 423a of the tip plate 423 of the engaging portion 42 of the towing jig 4 is tilted backward, the engaging portion 42 can be smoothly engaged with the end frame 61 of the towed truck 2. I can do it.

Furthermore, since the jig main body 41 is provided with a concave portion 41a at an intermediate portion located between the engaging portions 42 to prevent interference with the towed carts 2, the two towed carts 2 can be moved by the towing device. When changing the traveling direction (turning) in a state connected to 1, a clearance is secured behind the concave portion 41a for allowing the end of the towed cart 2 to escape.

A compression coil spring 5 having protrusions 51 and 52 substantially parallel to the coil axis at both ends is used to form an elastic biasing means for self-returning the traction jig 4 to substantially the center of the swinging motion range. Therefore, the direction of the towed cart 2 can be smoothly returned to the front after changing the direction of travel (turning).

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, three or more towed carts arranged in parallel may be towed simultaneously by a power towing vehicle.

Further, the engagement structure between the engagement portion and the towed cart is not limited to the one in which the engagement portion is fitted from below as in the embodiment described above, but can be modified in various ways.

In addition, the power towing vehicle is not limited to an electric type, and may be one equipped with an internal combustion engine, but an electric type is suitable if the work is often done indoors.

In addition, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1... Traction device 2... Towed cart 3... Power traction vehicle 4... Traction jig 41... Jig body 41a... Recessed part 42... Engagement part 421... Base end plate 422... Bottom plate 433... Tip plate 433a... Tip plate Upper end portion 5...Biasing means (compression coil spring)
61... End frame of the towed truck h1... Upright dimension of the base end plate h2... Upright dimension of the tip plate d1... Rearward extension dimension of the bottom plate d2... Anteroposterior dimension of the end frame of the towed truck

Claims (6)

A towing device comprising a power towing vehicle and a towing jig for simultaneously towing a plurality of towed carts arranged in parallel by the power towing vehicle,
The towing jig includes a jig main body attached to the rear of the power towing vehicle, and a plurality of engaging parts provided on the jig main body and respectively engaging with each towed truck. ,
The towing jig is supported by the power towing vehicle so as to be movable up and down, and is also pivotally supported by the power towing vehicle so as to be swingable from side to side;
A single compression coil spring is provided that serves both the role of elastically biasing the traction jig upward and the role of self-returning the traction jig to approximately the center of the swinging motion range,
The compression coil spring is provided with an upper end protrusion and a lower end protrusion that are substantially parallel to the coil axis, and the upper end protrusion is engaged with the traction jig and the lower end A towing device in which a side protrusion is locked to the power towing vehicle . The engaging portions are provided on the jig main body at intervals in the left-right direction,
Each engagement portion includes a base plate that stands up while being supported by the jig main body, a bottom plate that extends rearward from the lower edge of the base plate, and a tip plate that stands up from the extending end of the bottom plate. It is
2. The towing device according to claim 1, wherein each of said engaging portions can be engaged with an end frame of a corresponding towed truck from below. The traction device according to claim 2 , wherein the upright dimension of the distal end plate is set to a lower value than the upright dimension of the base end plate. The towing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rearward extension dimension of the bottom plate is set to a larger value than the longitudinal dimension of the end frames of all towed carts that are expected to be towed. . 5. The traction device according to claim 2 , wherein the upper end of the tip plate is tilted backward. The towing device according to claim 1, wherein the jig main body is provided with a concave portion in an intermediate portion located between the engaging portions to prevent interference with the towed cart. Device.

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