JPH0225839Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a swing arm fixing device for an automobile maintenance lift.

Automobile maintenance lifts, typically two-post or four-post lifts, have a swing arm attached to the carriage that rotates horizontally, and the opening angle can be changed freely depending on the size of the vehicle. It's becoming like that. In addition, the swing arm is equipped with a fixing device that fixes the opening angle in order to prevent the vehicle from falling during lift-up.
Various structures have been proposed, as typified by the ``motor vehicle maintenance lift receiver safety device'' described in Publication No. 3527. However, with these fixing devices, all operations were performed manually, making the work complicated and causing the worst case scenario, such as the vehicle falling off, due to neglecting the fixing work. Therefore, the present invention focuses on the shortcomings of these conventional fixing devices, and attempts to automate the operation of the fixing devices in order to solve them.

The present invention has a sliding tube attached to a swing arm, which is already known as a fixing device from the above-mentioned publications, and has one end slidably fitted into the sliding tube and the other end. a sliding rod attached to a bracket protruding from near the pivot portion of the swing arm in the carriage; and a plurality of engagement holes provided in the sliding tube and carved in the longitudinal direction on the outer periphery of the sliding rod. This swing arm fixing device is an improved swing arm fixing device consisting of a locking member that engages, and a lifting rod that has an elastic downward force attached to the bracket. The sliding rod is provided so as to protrude further downward, and the sliding rod is rotatable around a longitudinal axis in relation to the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting rod, and when the carriage falls below a predetermined height, the tip of the lifting rod becomes a fixed surface. The sliding rod is brought into contact and raised, and the sliding rod rotates to release the engagement state with the locking member.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an automobile maintenance lift (hereinafter simply referred to as a lift) equipped with a swing arm fixing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same. Reference numerals 1 and 1 denote a pair of left and right columns, and 2 and 2 denote a carriage that is attached to these columns so as to be movable up and down. The carriages 2, 2 are raised and lowered in synchronization between the left and right sides by a drive device (not shown), but these mechanisms are well known and are not directly related to the present invention, so they will not be explained here. omitted.

Two swing arms 3, 3 are pivotally attached to each carriage 2, 2 so as to rotate in the horizontal direction, and the opening angles of these two swing arms can be adjusted as appropriate. Further, the swing arm is telescopic and is formed to be extendable and retractable in the longitudinal direction, and a receiver 4 is attached to the tip thereof. By adjusting the opening angle of the swing arm and extending and contracting it in the longitudinal direction, a lifting point suitable for the vehicle to be raised and lowered is set.

Next, the swing arm fixing device 5 will be explained based on the perspective views in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the sectional view in FIG. 5.

A hollow sliding tube 5a is provided on the outer side surface of the swing arm 3, the base end of which is horizontally rotatably mounted with a bracket, bolts, and nuts, and the other end opening is provided with a sliding tube 5a. One end of the rod 5b is slidably fitted. The other end of the sliding rod 5b is attached to a bracket 2a protruding near the pivot portion of the swing arm 3 via a bearing block 6, so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the sliding rod. There is. Further, a plurality of engagement holes 5c are cut at regular intervals in the upper part of the circumferential surface along the entire length of the sliding rod 5b.
On the other hand, a lock pin 7 as a locking member that engages with the engagement hole 5c is provided at the upper part of the sliding tube 5a. The lock pin 7 is always urged downward by a spring 7a, that is, in a direction in which the lock pin 7 engages with the engagement hole 5c, inside a guide tube that projects vertically from the top of the sliding tube 5a. The lock lever 7b can be raised and lowered to engage or disengage by rotating a lock lever 7b pivotally attached to the upper end of the lock lever 7b.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an elevating rod that is movable up and down on the horizontal bracket 2a, and is always urged downward by a spring 9, that is, in a direction in which the tip of the elevating rod 8 protrudes. The spring 9 is interposed between a head plate 8a provided at the tip of the lifting rod and a vertical fixed cylinder 8b, and the head plate 8a is lower than the carriage 2 when it reaches the lowest position. It protrudes downward and comes into contact with an immovable surface such as the installation surface of the lift or the lift support legs.

A sliding pin 10 is attached to the upper part of the lifting rod 8 and serves as a stopper to limit the elastic downward force of the lifting rod. It is fitted into the groove 6a and slid up and down along the groove 6a. Further, the shaft of the sliding rod 5b includes:
A rotating plate 11 having a cutout recess 11a is attached, and the sliding pin 10 is fitted into the cutout recess 11a. Therefore, as the lifting rod 8 moves up and down, the sliding pin 10 also moves up and down along the sliding groove 6a, and the sliding rod 5b is rotated via the rotating plate 11.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained based on the above embodiment.

First, when the carriage 2 is in the lowest position, the head plate 8a of the lifting rod 8 comes into contact with the installation surface, as shown in FIG.
is pushed up, and the sliding pin 10 pushes up the rotating plate 11. Therefore, the sliding rod 5b rotates counterclockwise, and the engagement between the engaging hole 5c of the sliding rod and the lock pin 7 is released. Therefore, in this state, the swing arm 3 can freely rotate in the horizontal direction.

Next, when the carriage 2 rises, the head plate 8a separates from the installation surface, the lifting rod 8 projects downward by the force of the spring 9, and the sliding rod 5b moves the sliding pin 10 and the rotating plate 11. The engagement hole 5c and the lock pin 7 are engaged with each other. As a result, the rotation of the swing arm 3 is automatically locked, making it possible to prevent the vehicle from falling. (See Fig. 3) Finally, when the work is finished and the vehicle is lowered, the carriage 2 is lowered to return to the same state as shown in Fig. 4, and the engagement state of the swing arm 3 is released.

As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, the engagement and release operations of the horizontal rotation of the swing arm are as follows:
All of this is done automatically as the carriage moves up and down. Therefore, the operation of the swing arm fixing device becomes easier, and it is possible to prevent an accident in which the vehicle falls due to an operation error.

Regarding the engagement timing, the contact timing of the head plate 8a is changed depending on the length of the lifting rod 8.
Can be adjusted.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be modified in many ways. For example, changing the engagement means such as using a screw type holding mechanism for the lock pin as a locking member without using a spring, or changing the shape of the lock pin itself into a flat plate, or changing the mounting position of the fixing device. Changes in the structure and the connection mechanism between the elevating rod and the sliding rod are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

Moreover, the present invention is of course applicable not only to two-post type lifts but also to various types of lifts having swing arms.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view schematically illustrating a two-post lift equipped with a swing arm fixing device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the pivot portion of the swing arm. The perspective view, FIG. 4, shows the same part as FIG. 3, and is an enlarged perspective view showing the sliding rod in a rotated state, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fixing device. 1... Prop, 2... Carriage, 2a... Bracket, 3... Swing arm, 4... Receiver,
5...Fixing device, 5a...Sliding tube, 5b...Sliding rod, 5c...Engagement hole, 6...Bearing block,
6a...Sliding groove, 7...Lock pin, 7a...Spring, 7b...Lock lever, 8...Elevating rod, 8a...Head plate, 8b...Vertical fixed cylinder, 9...Spring, 10...Sliding moving pin, 1
1... Rotating plate, 11a... Notch recess.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A carriage is attached to the support so that it can be raised and lowered, a swing arm having a holder for a car holder is attached to the carriage so as to be horizontally rotatable, a sliding tube is attached to the swing arm, and a sliding rod is installed in the sliding tube. One end is slidably fitted and the other end is attached to a bracket protruding from the swing arm near the pivot portion of the carriage, and a plurality of engagement holes are cut in the outer periphery of the sliding rod in the longitudinal direction,
Furthermore, in the automobile maintenance lift, the sliding tube is provided with a locking member that engages with the engagement hole, so that the swing arm can be fixed at any position within its rotation range. An elevating rod having an elastic downward force is provided on the elevating rod so that its tip protrudes downward from the carriage at its lowest position, and the sliding rod is rotated about a longitudinal axis in relation to the elevating and lowering movement of the elevating rod. When the carriage falls below a predetermined height, the tip of the lifting rod comes into contact with an immovable surface and rises, and the sliding rod rotates to release the engagement with the locking member. A swing arm fixing device for an automobile maintenance lift, which is characterized by: