JP7490232B2 - palette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to pallets made of foamed resin such as polystyrene foam, which are used for transporting cargo using a forklift.

Traditionally, various types of pallets have been widely used as loading platforms when transporting goods using forklifts and the like. Common pallets are made of wood, plastic, metal (iron alloy), or paper. However, the most common wooden pallet weighs more than 10 kg, and paper pallets are also compressed at a high density to ensure shape stability, making them quite heavy. Therefore, there are pallets made of foamed resin that are even lighter than paper pallets (see Patent Document 1).

Also, as a pallet used for transporting long cylindrical objects in roll or coil form, there is known a pallet with members provided on both ends of the top surface to prevent the objects from rolling and falling off the pallet (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2003-72754 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-193654

However, although foam plastic pallets are lighter than wooden pallets, they are usually large transport components with each side measuring more than 1m, and are very bulky when not in use, requiring a large storage space.

In addition, when manufacturing pallets made of foamed resin, it is necessary to prepare a large, dedicated mold. Therefore, if the shape is simple and versatile, a large number can be produced, so there is merit in preparing a large mold. However, in the case of pallets used for transporting goods of a specific shape, such as the long cylindrical goods mentioned above, a large number of production numbers are not expected, and preparing a large mold may increase production costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a pallet made of foamed resin on which long cylindrical objects are placed horizontally, which can be stored compactly when not in use, and which can be produced without using large molds.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a pallet made of foamed resin on which a long cylindrically shaped object to be transported is placed horizontally, the pallet body having a rectangular plate shape when viewed from above, a support member formed on the upper surface of the pallet body to support the cylindrical side surface of the object to be transported, and a number of leg bodies provided on the lower surface of the pallet body, wherein a pair of the pallet bodies of the same shape are connected at their long sides , the object to be transported is placed so as to straddle the pair of connected pallet bodies, the support member has convex portions that form both edges of an arc-shaped surface that follows the cylindrical side surface of the object to be transported, the leg bodies and the convex portions are arranged so as to be staggered on the upper and lower surfaces of the pallet body, respectively, and when a number of the pallet bodies are stacked, the convex portions fit between the leg bodies .

In the above pallet, it is preferable that a pair of the support members are provided along the longitudinal direction of the pallet body, and two transported objects are placed on the pair of pallet bodies connected to each other.

In the above pallet, it is preferable that the legs have a concave arc surface that conforms to the cylindrical side surface of the transported item.

In the above pallet, the pallet body has a joint protrusion that protrudes toward the other pallet body to be connected, and a joint recess into which the other joint protrusion is inserted, and it is preferable that the joint protrusion and the joint recess are arranged alternately along the longitudinal direction of the pallet body.

In the above pallet, it is preferable that the upper surface of the joint protrusion is formed so as to be stepped down from the upper surface of the pallet body, and abuts against the lower surface of the joint recess when the pair of pallet bodies are connected.

The pallet according to the present invention is constructed by connecting two pallet bodies, so that they can be separated when not in use (before use) and stored compactly. In addition, since the two pallet bodies have the same shape, they can be molded using a single mold, and compared to a one-piece pallet, only a mold that is half the size is required, making it possible to produce them without using a large mold.

1A is an exploded oblique view of the top surface of a pallet according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is an oblique view of the top surface of the same pallet, and FIG. 1C is an oblique view of the bottom surface of the same pallet. 1A is a plan view of a pallet used in the above-mentioned pallet, FIG. 1B is a bottom view, and FIG. 1A is a plan view of a pallet body used in the pallet, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1A is a bottom view of the pallet body, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1A, FIG. 1C is a right side view, and FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the pallet in use, and FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of the above-mentioned pallets are stacked in use, and FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of the pallets are stacked for storage when not in use, FIG. 1B is a right side view, and FIG.

A pallet according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1(a) to (c) and 2(a) to (c), the pallet 1 of this embodiment is suitable for use in managing and transporting cargo using a forklift or the like at logistics sites. In the following description, the left front side of the pallet 1 shown in Fig. 1(a) will be referred to as the front, and the right front side of the pallet 1 will be referred to as the right side.

The pallet 1 is a platform on which a long cylindrical object (see FIG. 5 described later) is placed horizontally, and comprises a pallet body 2 that is a rectangular plate in plan view, a support member 3 formed on the upper surface of the pallet body 2 to support the cylindrical side of the object, and a number of legs 4 provided on the lower surface of the pallet body 2.

In this embodiment, a pair of pallet bodies 2 of the same shape are connected at their long sides, and the transported goods are placed across the pair of connected pallet bodies 2. The pallet 1 is a rectangular shape with one side longer than the other, and the long side is made up of the sides of two pallet bodies 2, and the short side is made up of the side of one pallet body 2. For example, the length of the long side of the pallet 1 is 1600 mm, and the length of the short side is 1160 mm.

The pallet body 2, support members 3, and legs 4 are molded as a single unit. The material from which they are made is, for example, a foamed synthetic resin such as polyolefin resins such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene. In this embodiment, expanded polystyrene (EPS (expanded polystyrene)) is used. Note that the pallet body 2, support members 3, and legs 4 may each be made as separate bodies, may be made of different materials, or may be made of the same type of foamed resin with different foaming ratios.

As shown in Figures 3(a) to (c) and Figures 4(a) to (c), the pallet body 2 has a rectangular rectangular shape in plan view, with the short sides forming half of the long sides of the pallet 1 and the long sides forming the short sides of the pallet 1. The corner formed by the long side of the two long sides that connects to the other pallet body 2 and the short side is formed at a right angle. In addition, the corner formed by the other long side and the short side is chamfered to be rounded, and this chamfered corner becomes the corner of the pallet 1. The upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2 is a flat surface except for the support member 3. The lower surface 22 of the pallet body 2 is a flat surface except for the legs 4, and is the part that receives the forks of a forklift. The thickness from the upper surface 21 to the lower surface 22 of the pallet body 2 is, for example, 40 mm.

A pair of support members 3 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the pallet body 2, and two transported objects are placed on the pair of pallet bodies 2 when the pair of pallet bodies 2 is connected. The support member 3 also has convex portions 30 that form both edges of an arc surface along the cylindrical side surface of the transported objects. The convex portions 30 have a pair of outer edge convex portions 31 that are arranged on both longitudinal edges of the pallet body 2, and a central convex portion 32 that is arranged midway between the pair of outer edge convex portions 31.

When viewed from the front, the outer edge convex portion 31 is a roughly right-angled trapezoid with one oblique side, and the inner oblique side forms a gently concave arc surface 31a (see FIG. 3(b)). The upper base 31b of the outer edge convex portion 31 is a flat surface that is horizontal with the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, and a hollowed-out recess 31c is formed in the upper base 31b. In addition, the ridges of the arc surface 31a and the upper base 31b are rounded to give them a gently rounded shape.

When viewed from the front, the central convex portion 32 has an isosceles trapezoid shape with two hypotenuses, and the hypotenuses located on the outside each form a gently concave arc surface 32a. The upper base 32b of the central convex portion 32 is a flat surface that is horizontal with the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, and a hollowed-out recess 32c is formed in the upper base 32b. In addition, the ridges of the arc surface 32a and the upper base 32b are each rounded to be gently rounded.

The arc surfaces 31a, 32a of the outer edge convex portion 31 and the central convex portion 32 are formed into an arc with an R of 280 so as to fit, for example, a long cylindrical object of φ580. In addition, the ridges of the arc surfaces 31a, 32a and the upper bases 31b, 32b are rounded, so that the arc surfaces 31a, 32a can also be used for objects with diameters larger than φ580 (for example, φ620).

The ridge between the arcuate surfaces 31a, 32a and the top surface 21 of the pallet body 2 is not smooth and continuous, but has a certain step, and the top surface 21 of the pallet body 2 forms a recess 33 with respect to the arcuate surfaces 31a, 32a. Therefore, the arcuate surface of the transported object fits partially into this recess 33, and the transported object is stably placed. It can also be used for transported objects with a diameter smaller than φ580 (for example, φ560). In addition, the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2, where the forks are inserted, is directly below the recess 33, so the load of the transported object is appropriately applied to the forks.

Six leg bodies 4 are provided for one pallet body 2 (see FIG. 4(a)). The leg bodies 4 have two pairs of outer edge legs 41, 42 arranged on both longitudinal edges of the pallet body 2, and central legs 43, 44 arranged in the middle of these two pairs of outer edge legs 41, 42. The outer edge legs 41 and the central leg 43 are arranged to be aligned along the long side of the connecting side of the pallet body 2, and are integrated with the outer edge legs 41 and the central leg 43 of the other connected pallet body 2 to form one leg body 4. The outer edge legs 42 and the central leg 44 are also arranged to be aligned along the other long side of the pallet body 2 (see FIG. 1(c)), and each independently form one leg body 4.

When viewed from the front, the outer edge leg 42 (41) is a roughly right-angled trapezoid with one oblique side, and the inner oblique side forms a gently upwardly concave arc surface 42a (41a) (see FIG. 4(b)). The upper bases 41b, 42b of the outer edge legs 41, 42 are flat surfaces that are horizontal with the lower surface 22 of the pallet body 2. Hollowed-out recesses 41c, 42c are formed in the arc surfaces 41a, 42a. Note that the pair of outer edge legs 42 away from the connecting edge are symmetrical in shape, but one of the pair of central legs 43 along the connecting surface is smaller than the other.

The central legs 43, 44 are isosceles trapezoids with two hypotenuses when viewed from the front, and the hypotenuses located on the outside form arc surfaces 34a, 44a that are gently concave upward. The upper bases 43b, 44b of the central legs 43, 44 are flat surfaces that are horizontal with the lower surface 22 of the pallet body 2, and the upper bases 43b, 44b are formed with hollowed-out recesses 43c, 44c. The central leg 44 away from the connecting side is box-shaped, and the hollowed-out recess 44c is also a square hole, but the central leg 43 along the connecting side is L-shaped when viewed from the bottom, and the hollowed-out recess 43c is also L-shaped.

The legs 4 (outer edge legs 41, 42 and central legs 43, 44) and the convex portions 30 (outer edge convex portions 31 and central convex portions 32) are arranged alternately on the upper surface 21 and lower surface 22 of the pallet body 2, respectively, so that the convex portions 30 fit between the legs 4 when multiple pallet bodies 2 are stacked.

The pallet body 2 also has a joint protrusion 5 that protrudes toward the other pallet body 2 to be connected, and a joint recess 6 into which the other joint protrusion 5 is inserted. The joint protrusions 5 and joint recesses 6 are alternately provided along the longitudinal direction forming the connecting side of the pallet body 2. In other words, the joint protrusions 5 and joint recesses 6 fit together like a key, making it difficult for the pair of connected pallet bodies 2 to shift sideways, and stabilizing the pallet 1.

The upper surface 51 of the joint protrusion 5 is formed so as to be stepped down from the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2 (see FIG. 4(d)), and abuts against the lower surface 61 of the joint recess 6 when the pair of pallet bodies 2 are connected. The abutting upper surface 51 and lower surface 61 are bonded with an adhesive, so that the pair of pallet bodies 2 are fixed in a connected state. In this way, because the bonding surface is provided on a horizontal plane, it is possible to resist stress that tends to separate the two pallet bodies 2 into left and right halves.

As described above, the pallet 1 of this embodiment is constructed by connecting two pallet bodies 2, and can be stored compactly by separating them when not in use (before use). In addition, since the two pallet bodies 2 have the same shape, they can be molded using a single mold. Compared to a one-piece pallet, only a mold that is half the size is required, and production can be achieved without using a large mold.

The pallet 1 constructed as above can carry two transported objects P, as shown in Fig. 5(a) and (b). At this time, the transported object P is supported by the support member 3, so the transported object P can be moved stably without falling. In addition, when two forks are inserted from the front direction, the same pallet body 2 is straddled by both forks, so the pallet 1 is not divided even when the forks are pushed up. On the other hand, when two forks are inserted from the side direction, two different pallet bodies 2 are straddled by both forks, so when the forks are pushed up, a stress is applied to split the connected pallet body 2. However, since the transported object P straddles the connected pallet body 2, the transported object P applies a load evenly to the two forks, and the connected pallet body 2 is prevented from being split.

The legs 4 are provided with arc surfaces 42a (42a) and 44a (43a), so that the pallet 1 and the transported goods P can be further loaded on top of the transported goods P, and as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), if the transported goods P are sturdy, the pallet 1 and the transported goods P can be stacked three high. In addition, since the pallet 1 is made of foamed resin, it is lightweight and has a moderate flexibility, so it is less likely to damage the transported goods P compared to wooden or plastic pallets, and is suitable for stacking in multiple levels as shown.

In addition, the pallet 1 is configured so that the convex portion 30 fits between the legs 4, so that when not in use, the stacked height can be reduced and the pallet can be stored compactly, as shown in Figures 7(a) to (c).

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the structure of the pallet 1 is applied to transporting luggage using a forklift, but this does not exclude application to other structures made of foamed synthetic resin.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Pallet 2 Pallet body 21 Upper surface 22 Lower surface 3 Support member 30 Convex portion 4 Leg body 41a, 42a, 43a, 44a Arc surface 5 Joint convex portion 6 Joint concave portion P Transported object

Claims (5)

A pallet made of foamed resin on which a long cylindrical object is placed horizontally,
A pallet body having a rectangular plate shape in a plan view, a support member formed on the upper surface of the pallet body so as to support the cylindrical side surface of the transported object, and a plurality of legs provided on the lower surface of the pallet body,
A pair of pallet bodies having the same shape are connected at their long sides, and an object to be transported is placed across the pair of connected pallet bodies ,
The support member has a convex portion that forms both edges of a circular arc surface that follows the cylindrical side surface of the transported object,
The legs and the convex portions are arranged alternately on the upper and lower surfaces of the pallet body,
A pallet as described above, characterized in that when a plurality of the pallet bodies are stacked, the convex portion fits between the leg bodies . The support members are provided in pairs along the longitudinal direction of the pallet body,
2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein two articles are placed on the pair of pallet bodies in a connected state. 3. A pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the legs have a concave arcuate surface that conforms to the cylindrical side surface of the transported object . The pallet body has a joint protrusion protruding toward the other pallet body to be connected, and a joint recess into which the other joint protrusion is inserted,
A pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the joint protrusions and the joint recesses are arranged alternately along the longitudinal direction of the pallet body . A pallet as described in claim 4, characterized in that the upper surface of the joint convex portion is formed so as to be stepped down from the upper surface of the pallet body, and abuts against the lower surface of the joint concave portion when the pair of pallet bodies are connected .

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