JP7469148B2 - Pit equipment for vehicle inspection and maintenance - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance.

When inspecting, maintaining, or repairing vehicles at automobile repair shops and the like, there are two types of work that are known: the lift type, in which the vehicle is lifted off the floor and the work is carried out by lifting it up, and the pit type, in which the work is carried out by crawling under the vehicle while it is in contact with the floor.

Inspection and maintenance pits installed in vehicle maintenance factories and the like are constructed by digging out a rectangular shaped floor wide enough for a vehicle to enter, so that inspection and maintenance can be performed from below without lifting the vehicle, and are configured with a pit floor lifting table and a pit floor lifting mechanism that allows the pit floor lifting table to be raised and lowered.

When performing vehicle inspection and maintenance, the height of the pit floor lifting table is raised or lowered to the desired height, and workers stand on the pit floor lifting table to perform work. On the other hand, when vehicle maintenance is not being performed, the height of the pit floor lifting table is raised to the highest position, blocking the pit opening and making the top surface of the pit floor lifting table flush with the floor, allowing workers to walk freely without being particularly aware of whether they are on the pit floor lifting table or the floor.

In addition, when a vehicle is not positioned over the entire area of the pit opening but only uses a portion of it, it is necessary to cover the unused opening with a pit cover to prevent falls. For example, as shown in Figure 8, there are cases where a worker manually deploys and sets up a pit cover 03 from a storage location 01, and as shown in Patent Document 1, a vehicle maintenance pit device is known that is equipped with a pit cover drive unit that automatically deploys the pit cover from its storage location.

JP 2019-202839 A

However, in the conventional technology shown in Figure 8 and the vehicle maintenance pit device shown in Patent Document 1, one end of the pit opening is used as a storage space for the pit cover, which results in a problem of the pit becoming larger and construction costs increasing.

On the other hand, when performing vehicle inspection and maintenance, the height of the pit floor lifting table is raised or lowered to the desired height and the worker stands on the pit floor lifting table to perform the work. Therefore, in consideration of the worker's work efficiency, it is desirable for the worker's movement on the pit floor lifting table to be smooth without being affected by obstacles, etc.

In view of the above problems, at least one embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance that can store a pit cover that covers the opening of the pit on a pit floor lifting table without interfering with the movement of workers on the table, thereby preventing the pit from becoming larger and improving workability.

(1) Invented to achieve the above-mentioned object, at least one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle inspection and maintenance pit equipped with a pit floor lifting table and a pit floor lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the pit floor lifting table inside a pit with a rectangular excavated floor, the pit floor lifting table being composed of a main body forming a base and a multi-layer member placed on the upper surface of the main body and stacked on top of each other so as to be separable from one another vertically, the multi-layer member being formed by dividing it into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular shape, and the multi-layer member being characterized in that it has a pit cover member that forms an upper layer side in each of the divided regions and is fixed to the floor side to close the opening of the pit and become flush with the floor when the pit cover member is raised to the highest position by the pit floor lifting mechanism, and a flat member that forms a lower layer side and rises to the upper layer side to become flush with the table surface of the pit floor lifting table when the pit cover member is fixed to the floor.

According to this configuration (1), the pit cover member that covers the pit opening and is flush with the floor surface is provided as the upper layer member of the multi-layer member that constitutes the pit floor lifting table, so there is no need to secure space at the end of the pit opening to install the pit cover member, which helps prevent the pit from becoming too large.

In addition, when the pit cover member is fixed to the floor side, a flat member that rises to the upper side and becomes flush with the table surface of the pit floor lifting table is provided as the lower member. Therefore, when the height of the pit floor lifting table is maintained at the desired height and a worker stands on the pit floor lifting table to perform work, the top of the pit floor lifting table is flat and has no steps, allowing for smooth movement and improving workability.

(2) In some embodiments, the pit cover member is provided with a pit cover fixing means that enables the pit cover member to be engaged and disengaged with the floor side.

According to this configuration (2), the pit cover fixing means is provided on the pit cover member, so there is no need to carry out major additional work on the floor side of the structure, and the device can be easily installed even in existing pits.

(3) In some embodiments, a flat member lifting means is provided to raise and lower the flat member, and a control device is provided to control the operation of the pit cover fixing means and the operation of the flat member lifting means in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the pit floor lifting table by the pit floor lifting mechanism.

According to this configuration (3), the control device automatically controls the operation of the pit cover fixing means and the operation of the flat member lifting means in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the pit floor lifting table by the pit floor lifting mechanism.

(4) In some embodiments, a biasing means is provided between the flat member and the main body, biasing the flat member upward, and when the pit cover member is placed on the upper surface of the flat member, the weight of the pit cover member prevents the flat member from moving upward, and when the pit cover member is not placed on the upper surface of the flat member, the biasing means moves the flat member upward to make it flush with the table surface of the pit floor lifting table.

With this configuration (4), the flat member can be raised and lowered by a simple mechanism without controlling the flat member lifting means by a control device.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the pit cover that covers the opening of the pit can be stored on the pit floor lift table without interfering with the movement of workers on the table, thereby preventing the pit from becoming larger and improving workability.

1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the pit floor lifting table raised to its highest position. A side view showing the pit floor lifting table lowered to the working position. This is a side view showing the state in which the pit floor lifting table has been lowered to the working position and the central pit cover remains in a position blocking the pit opening. This is a plan view showing the pit floor lifting table raised to its highest position. 4 is a control flowchart of a controller. FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing another embodiment of the flat member lifting/lowering means. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a comparative example with and without a flat member lifting/lowering means. FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a conventional example of a pit cover.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the relative arrangement of components described as an embodiment or shown in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and is merely an illustrative example.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a pit device 1 for vehicle inspection and maintenance is installed in an inspection and maintenance workshop. A vehicle inspection and maintenance pit (hereinafter referred to as pit) 9 is provided on the floor 3, dug into a rectangle extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicles 5, 7, with a width narrower than the width of the left and right wheels of the vehicles 5, 7 so that the vehicles 5, 7 can enter.

At the edge of the opening 11 of the pit 9, for example, a steel pit corner frame 13 with a U-shaped or I-shaped cross section is embedded in the floor 3. Inside the pit 9, a pit floor lifting table 17 is provided which is raised and lowered by a pit floor lifting mechanism 15, and the pit floor within the pit 9 is raised and lowered to adjust the work position.

A stair section 19 is provided at the front-to-rear end (front end) of the pit 9, and is used when transferring onto the pit floor lifting table 17 that has been lowered to the working position. When the pit 9 is not in use, the opening of the stair section 19 is closed by a stair section cover 21 to prevent falls. The stair section cover 21 is of a sliding type, and when it is desired to close the opening of the stair section 19, the floor surface 3 is slid to close it. This stair section 19 is an example of a fixed staircase, but the slope and number of steps may be adjustable.

The pit floor lifting mechanism 15 consists of an X-shaped link mechanism installed on the bottom surface 23 of the pit 9, and this X-shaped link mechanism has link members 25, 27, the pit floor lifting table 17, and a hydraulic cylinder 29 of a hydraulic unit. When the hydraulic cylinder 29 is operated, the link members 25, 27 rise to raise the pit floor lifting table 17, and when the link members 25, 27 fall, the pit floor lifting table 17 descends. When working in the pit 9, the pit floor lifting table 17 is raised and lowered to the required height by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 29.

The pit floor lifting table 17 is composed of a main body 31, which forms part of the X-shaped link mechanism and the base of the pit floor lifting table 17, and a multi-layer member 33, which is placed on the top surface of the main body 31 and is stacked on top of the other so that they can be separated vertically.

The multi-layer member 33 has a two-layer structure, with the upper layer being composed of a pit cover member 35 that is fixed to the pit corner frame 13 by a pit cover fixing means 43 (described later) when raised to the highest position by the pit floor lifting mechanism 15, closing the opening 11 of the pit 9 and becoming flush with the floor surface 3. The lower layer is composed of a flat member 39 that rises to the upper layer and becomes flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17 when the pit cover member 35 is fixed to the floor side.

The multi-layer member 33 is divided into multiple parts in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular pit 9, and each of the multiple divided areas of the multi-layer member 33 has an upper layer member and a lower layer member.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the multi-layer member 33 is divided into three longitudinally, and is composed of a first multi-layer member 33a consisting of a first pit cover member 35a and a first flat member 39a, a second multi-layer member 33b consisting of a second pit cover member 35b and a second flat member 39b, and a third multi-layer member 33c consisting of a third pit cover member 35c and a third flat member 39c.

In addition, an operation panel 41 is installed near the pit 9 in the maintenance workshop. This operation panel 41 outputs operation signals for raising, lowering, and stopping the pit floor lifting table 17 in the pit 9, as well as which part of the divided multi-layer member 33 the pit cover member 35 should be fixed to the floor side to cover the opening 11, and performs operations corresponding to the operation signals. Note that the operation panel 41 does not have to be a fixed type, and may be a handheld wireless remote control device.

Inside each pit cover member 35a, 35b, 35c, there is provided a pit cover fixing means 43 that allows each pit cover member 35a, 35b, 35c to engage with and disengage from the floor side. For example, a hydraulically or electrically driven cylinder is operated to allow the lock pin to protrude and retract toward the pit corner frame 13 of the pit 9. When protruding, the designated pit cover member 35 engages with the steel material of the pit corner frame 13 and is fixed to the pit corner frame 13 to close the opening 11 of the pit 9, and the top surface of the pit cover member 35 becomes flush with the floor surface 3.

The pit cover fixing means 43 is provided inside each pit cover member 35a, 35b, 35c, so no major additional work is required on the floor side of the structure, and it can be easily installed even in existing pits.

Flat member lifting means 45 for raising and lowering the flat members 39 relative to the main body 31 is provided between each of the flat members 39a, 39b, 39c and the main body 31 of the pit floor lifting table 17. For example, a hydraulically or electrically driven cylinder can be operated to raise and lower the flat members 39, and when raised, the top surface of the flat members 39 becomes flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17.

The inspection and maintenance pit device 1 for vehicles 5 and 7 is also provided with a controller (control device) 47 that controls the operation of the pit cover fixing means 43 and the operation of the flat member lifting means 45 in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the pit floor lifting table 17 by the pit floor lifting mechanism 15, as shown in FIG. 1.

This controller 47 receives operation signals from the operation panel 41, as well as operation status signals from the pit cover fixing means 43 of each pit cover member 35a, 35b, 35c, and operation status signals from the flat member lifting means 45 for each flat member 39a, 39b, 39c.

The control flow of the controller 47 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5. First, in step S1, the operation signal of the operation panel 41 is read. In step S2, it is determined whether the operation signal is a lifting signal for the pit floor lifting table 17. If the determination result in step S2 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, it is determined whether the operation signal is to close only a portion of the opening 11. If the determination result in step S3 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S4, where the pit floor lifting table 17 is raised to its highest position. Then, in step S5, the pit cover fixing means 43 is operated to fix the pit cover member 35 of the specified area to the pit corner frame 13.

Next, in step S6, the pit floor lifting table 17 is lowered from its highest position, leaving behind the pit cover member 35 fixed to the pit corner frame 13. In step S7, it is determined whether the pit floor lifting table 17 has been lowered a predetermined amount or more from its highest position. This predetermined amount is the amount by which the flat member 39 can be lifted.

If the determination in step S7 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S8, where the flat member lifting means 45 is operated to lift the flat member 39. Next, the process proceeds to step S10, where the pit floor lifting table 17 is lowered to and held at a predetermined position for carrying out the work.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that the operation signal is not one that would block only a portion of the opening 11, the result is NO and the process proceeds to step S9, where the pit floor lift table 17 is raised to its highest position and maintained in that state. In other words, each pit cover member 35a, 35b, 35c is maintained in its highest position, and the opening 11 of the pit 9 is blocked by all of the pit cover members 35.

In this way, the controller 47 can automatically control the operation of the pit cover fixing means 43 and the flat member lifting means 45 in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the pit floor lifting table 17.

In the inspection and maintenance pit device 1 configured as described above, the states in which the pit floor lifting table 17 is positioned at the highest position and at the lowered working position will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

Figure 1 shows the pit floor lifting table 17 raised to its highest position. The first pit cover member 35a, the second pit cover member 35b, and the third pit cover member 35c are held in their highest positions, and the opening 11 of the pit 9 is blocked by all of the pit cover members 35, the first multi-layer member 33a, the second multi-layer member 33b, and the third multi-layer member 33c. In this case, the pit 9 is not in use.

Figure 2 shows the state where the pit floor lift table 17 has been lowered and is positioned at a specified work position. In this case, a large vehicle 5 has entered the pit 9 and is undergoing inspection and maintenance, and the entire area of the opening 11 of the pit 9 is open and is not blocked by the pit cover member 35.

Figure 3 shows a state in which small vehicles 7 enter the pit 9 from the front and rear to carry out inspection and maintenance. Since there is an area in the center that is not covered by the vehicles 7, the pit floor lifting table 17 is lowered to the work position, the second pit cover member 35b of the second multi-layer member 33b in the center is fixed in a position to cover the opening 11 of the pit 9, and the second flat member 39b is raised so that it is flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17.

As shown in Figure 3, when a worker stands on the pit floor lifting table 17 to perform work, the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17 is flat and has no steps, allowing for smooth movement and improving workability.

On the other hand, the comparative example in Figure 7 shows a case where the second flat member 39b does not rise. In this case, a step A is created between the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17 and the upper surface of the second flat member 39b, which makes the footing unstable and can lead to tripping or tripping, adversely affecting the movement of workers and the movement of inspection and maintenance equipment.

According to the embodiment described above, the pit cover member 35 that covers the opening 11 of the pit 9 and is flush with the floor surface 3 is provided as an upper layer member of the multi-layer member 33 that constitutes the pit floor lifting table 17, so there is no need to secure space at the end of the opening 11 of the pit 9 to install the pit cover member 35, which prevents the pit 9 from becoming larger.

In addition, when a part of the pit cover member 35 is fixed in a position that blocks a part of the pit opening 11, the flat member 39 installed on the underside of the fixed pit cover member 35 rises and becomes flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17, improving workability on the pit floor lifting table 17.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this other embodiment, the flat member lifting means 45 described in the first embodiment is not controlled by the controller 47, and the flat member 39 is raised and lowered by a simple mechanism.

Each of the first multi-layer member 33a, the second multi-layer member 33b, and the third multi-layer member 33c is provided with a biasing means 49 that is provided between the flat member 39 and the main body 31 of the pit floor lifting table 17, biases the flat member 39 upward, and when the pit cover member 35 is placed on the top surface of the flat member 39, the weight of the pit cover member 35 prevents the flat member 39 from moving upward, and when the pit cover member 35 is not placed on the top surface of the flat member 39, moves the flat member 39 upward to make it flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17.

The biasing means 49 is, for example, a spring member such as a coil spring or an air spring. Furthermore, in order to position the upper surface of the flat member 39 flush with the table surface 37 of the pit floor lifting table 17 when the flat member 39 is moved upward, a stroke restriction portion is provided on the spring member, or the spring force of the spring member is adjusted.

With this configuration, the flat member 39 can be raised and lowered by a simple mechanism without controlling the flat member raising and lowering means 45 described in one embodiment by the controller 47, thereby simplifying the device.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the pit cover that covers the opening of the pit can be stored on the pit floor lift table without interfering with the movement of the worker on the table, which prevents the pit from becoming too large and improves workability, making it suitable for use in pit equipment for vehicle inspection and maintenance.

1 Pit equipment for inspection and maintenance 3 Floor surface 5, 7 Vehicle 9 Pit 11 Opening 15 Pit floor lifting mechanism 17 Pit floor lifting table 23 Pit bottom surface 31 Main body 33 Multilayer member 33a First multilayer member 33b Second multilayer member 33c Third multilayer member 35 Pit cover member 35a First pit cover member 35b Second pit cover member 35c Third pit cover member 37 Table surface 39 Flat member 39a First flat member 39b Second flat member 39c Third flat member 41 Operation panel 43 Pit cover fixing means 45 Flat member lifting means 47 Controller (control device)
49 Urging means A Step

Claims (4)

A pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance, which is provided inside a pit with a floor surface excavated in a rectangular shape, and includes a pit floor lifting table and a pit floor lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the pit floor lifting table,
The pit floor lifting table is composed of a main body constituting a base and a multi-layer member placed on the upper surface of the main body and stacked on top of each other so as to be separable from each other vertically,
The multi-layer member is formed by being divided into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular shape, and the multi-layer member is
a pit cover member that forms an upper layer side in each of the divided multiple regions, and that is fixed to the floor side to close the opening of the pit and become flush with the floor surface when the pit cover member is raised to the highest position by the pit floor lifting mechanism;
A flat member that forms a lower layer and rises to the upper layer side to become flush with the table surface of the pit floor lifting table when the pit cover member is fixed to the floor side;
A pit device for inspection and maintenance of a vehicle, comprising: The pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance as described in claim 1, characterized in that the pit cover member is provided with a pit cover fixing means that allows the pit cover member to be engaged and disengaged with the floor side. A pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance as described in claim 2, characterized in that it is provided with a flat member lifting means for lifting and lowering the flat member, and is equipped with a control device for controlling the operation of the pit cover fixing means and the operation of the flat member lifting and lowering means in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the pit floor lifting table by the pit floor lifting mechanism. 3. A pit device for vehicle inspection and maintenance as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a biasing means which biases the flat member upwardly and, when the pit cover member is placed on the upper surface of the flat member, prevents the flat member from moving upwardly due to the weight of the pit cover member, and, when the pit cover member is not placed on the upper surface of the flat member, moves the flat member upward to make it flush with the table surface of the pit floor lifting table.

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