JPH09120810A - Connection mechanism for industrial vehicle to battery replacement carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connection mechanism comprising an engagement hole formed in a fork lift and a hook provided on a battery replacement carrier which easily and securely connects both to each other. SOLUTION: At a base end part 8c of a plate-shaped hook 8 having an engagement groove 8b of which lower edge is cut in a U-letter shape to be continuous with an introducing tip part 8a in a front surface of a carriage 5 of a battery replacement carrier, a protrusion 14 extended under the lower edge of the introducing tip part 8a is integrally moulded with it, and a slit type engagement hole 13 which corresponds to the hook 8 is provided on a frame 12 of a fork lift 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting mechanism for setting a battery replacement carrier at a battery inlet / outlet of an industrial vehicle when mounting or replacing a battery mounted on an electric industrial vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Batteries mounted on electric industrial vehicles are large and heavy. Therefore, when a new battery is installed in an unloaded industrial vehicle, or when a battery whose electric capacity has decreased due to use cannot be recharged while it is still installed, a battery replacement carrier is used. . The battery replacement carrier is provided with a pair of left and right hooks on the front surface of a trolley equipped with a conveyor roller as a component of a connecting mechanism for arranging and fixing the battery replacement carrier at the battery inlet / outlet port for an industrial vehicle. There is. On the other hand, the frame of the industrial vehicle is provided with an engaging hole at a position corresponding to the hook as a component of the connecting mechanism for engaging the hook and connecting the two. Conventionally, the hook has a shape in which an engaging groove 8b is provided around a substantially middle portion of a cylindrical member, as shown in, for example, FIG. By chamfering the periphery so that it can be smoothly inserted into the joint hole, the base end portion 8c is fixed to the front surface of the trolley, and by engaging with the engagement hole 13 provided in the industrial vehicle, I was trying to connect.

[0003]

In order to engage the engaging groove of the hook with the engaging hole of the industrial vehicle, the opening / closing door of the battery housing is opened so that the hook comes directly in front of the engaging hole. Position the battery replacement carrier, move forward while maintaining that state, insert the hook into the engaging hole, and then lift down slightly to engage the engaging groove that is the engaging part of the hook with the engaging hole. The engaging groove 8 of the hook 8'is engaged with a portion such as the inner edge of the engaging hole.
Since the base end portion 8c at the rear side of b has the same diameter as the leading end portion 8a at the front side of the engagement groove 8b, the hook 8'can be inserted into the engagement hole 13 up to the base end portion 8c. . Therefore, as shown in FIG.
If ′ ′ is inserted too far into the base end portion 8c, the position of the inner peripheral edge of the engagement hole 13 and the engagement groove 8b will be displaced, and even if the carriage 5 is lowered, the engagement groove 8b of the hook 8 ′ will remain in the engagement hole 13b. It cannot be engaged with the inner peripheral edge, and the hook base end portion 8c is on the inner peripheral edge of the engaging hole 13 and is in an incompletely connected state, and the carriage comes off unless it is sufficiently lowered. If the carriage is sufficiently lowered (the carriage is actually in a lifted state because it is not engaged), the engagement groove 8b and the inner peripheral edge of the engagement hole 13 are dislocated when the carriage is displaced by something. Engage,
Impact is applied to the trolley, which impairs battery transfer workability.
The present invention, the engagement hole provided in the frame of the industrial vehicle,
In a coupling mechanism for inserting a hook provided on a battery exchange carrier and engaging the engaging portion of the hook with the engaging portion of the engaging hole, an engaging groove of the hook is provided. The purpose of the present invention is to easily and surely engage with the engaging portion of the engaging hole.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a positioning means for regulating the insertion depth of the hook in at least one of an industrial vehicle and a battery exchange carrier. That is the summary. The hook can be formed in a plate shape, and the engagement hole corresponding to the hook can be formed in a slit shape. As the positioning means, for example, on the hook mounting surface of the battery replacement carrier, it is provided integrally with or separately from the hook, and the tip is in contact with the frame of the industrial vehicle, or the hook is provided inside the engaging hole. A stopper arranged so as to abut the tip of the is adopted. Further, the positioning means can adjust the insertion depth of the hook.

[0005]

Since the insertion depth of the hook is regulated by the positioning means provided on at least one of the industrial vehicle and the battery exchange carrier, the hook and the engaging groove can be positioned relative to each other without over-inserting the hook. It can be easily adapted to prevent misconnection.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A connection mechanism between an industrial vehicle and a battery replacement carrier according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is a forklift that is a battery-driven industrial vehicle, and 2 is a battery replacement carrier that is used to newly mount or replace a battery on the forklift. The battery exchanging carrier 2 is provided with a conveyor roller 6 capable of moving the battery M in the front-rear direction on a dolly 5 having a steering handle 3 and a height adjusting lever 4 at its rear part. A breaker-type stopper 7 is provided at the front end of the conveyor roller 6, one end of which is pivotally attached so that the battery M mounted on the conveyor roller 6 does not jump out in front of the conveyor roller 6. Is provided. A pair of left and right hooks 8 are provided on the front surface of the carriage 5. On the other hand, the forklift 1 is provided with a battery storage section 9 in a base that is a lower portion of the instrumental panel 1a.
A conveyor roller 10 is provided on the bottom surface of the battery storage portion 9 inward from an opening 9a provided on the side surface of the machine base, and the opening 9a can be closed by an opening / closing door 11. Engagement holes 13 and 13 are formed in the frame 12, which is the lower side of the opening / closing door 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hook 8 has a plate-like shape that is cut out in a hook shape, and engages as an engaging portion that is cut out in a U shape on the lower side following the leading end 8a for introduction. A groove 8b is provided, and a projection 14 extending downward from the lower edge of the introduction tip portion 8a is integrally formed as a positioning means at a base end portion 8c behind the groove 8b. On the other hand, the engagement hole 13 formed in the frame 12 of the forklift 1 has a slit shape having a length that allows the introduction tip portion 8a of the hook 8 to be inserted therethrough and that the protrusion 14 cannot be inserted.

The hook 8 and the engaging hole 1 formed in this way
When the hook 8 is inserted into the engagement hole 13 in the coupling mechanism composed of 3 and 3, as shown in FIG.
The front end surface of No. 4 abuts on the outer surface of the frame 12 around the engaging hole 13, and the insertion depth is regulated. Therefore, if the front side of the battery replacement carrier 2 is pressed against the frame 12 of the forklift 1, the hook 8 can be accurately positioned with respect to the engagement hole 13. When the positioning is completed, the carriage 5 is slightly lifted down by operating the lever 4, and the engagement groove 8b is formed in the engagement hole 13 as shown in FIG.
The two are connected by engaging with the inner edge that is the engaging portion of. In the battery replacement carrier 2 connected to the forklift 1, the conveyor rollers 6 on the dolly 5 are aligned with the conveyor rollers 10 in the battery storage unit 9, and the battery M mounted on the battery replacement carrier 2 is transferred to the forklift 1. In the case of mounting the battery M on the vehicle, the stopper 7 is released and the battery M is pushed out, so that the battery M can be fed into the battery housing portion 9. Therefore, when replacing the battery, connect the battery replacement carrier without the battery to the forklift and perform the reverse operation to remove the battery.
Install a new battery. The connection mechanism of the present invention is not limited to a forklift in which a battery is mounted under the instrument panel and is taken in and out from the side of the machine base, as well as a forklift having a different battery mounting position and a different means for taking in and out, and a battery-driven industrial vehicle other than the forklift. Can also be applied to.

In the above embodiment, the base end portion 8c of the hook 8 having the plate-like projection 14 as the positioning means is formed.
Although it is a structure integrally formed on the lower side, the projection 14 serves to regulate the insertion depth of the hook 8 by abutting the tip of the projection 14 on the frame 12. Even if the projections 14 ', 14' are formed on both sides of the hook 8 '' formed by bending the tip of the plate in the shape of a hook as shown in FIG. A base end portion 8c of a block-shaped hook 8 having a cylindrical shape or a prismatic shape around which a groove 8b is provided.
The protrusion 14 ″ may be integrally formed around the periphery of the hook, and the protrusion may be provided not only integrally but also as a separate body. In that case, as shown in FIG. In addition, it can be provided at any position where it can contact the frame of the forklift, such as using a bolt 14a screwed with the head protruding to the inner edge of the rear side of the engagement groove. If it has a body structure, it can be dealt with by simply modifying the existing battery replacement carrier by attaching the protrusion.

Further, the positioning means is not provided on the battery replacement carrier, but as shown in FIG. 7 (a), for example, the stopper 15 is brought into contact with the tip of the hook inserted inside the engaging hole 13. When the hook 8'is inserted, the tip surface of the hook 8'abuts the stopper 15 to prevent the hook 8'from being inserted at a predetermined depth or more, so that the hook 8'can be accurately inserted. As shown in FIG. 8, the engaging hole 13 'itself has a bottomed structure with a predetermined depth, and the engaging protrusion 16 as an engaging portion is formed on the lower inner surface of the engaging hole 13'. It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the tip of the hook 8'abuts on the inner surface 13a of the bottom portion serving as a stopper and is positioned.

Since the protrusion height of the positioning means composed of a bolt provided separately from the hook can be changed by the screwing amount of the bolt, the insertion depth can be adjusted. Even when it is installed in
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the protrusion is composed of bolts 14a so that the height of the protrusion can be changed, and the hook 8 can be moved vertically (or left and right) by using the bolt fixing hole for fixing the hook as the long hole 17. It is possible to adjust the insertion depth and the position of the hook so that it can be used for different models, such as by making it slideable.

By adopting such a connecting mechanism, the battery replacement carrier can be easily and surely connected to the industrial vehicle, and the replacement work can be quickly handled.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the positioning means can eliminate connection failure and failure, so that the carriage does not suddenly shift or come off during the replacement work. If the hook is plate-shaped, it is easy to integrally form the protrusion as the positioning means with the hook, and if the protrusion as the positioning means is separate from the hook, the hook is changed to the existing battery exchange carrier. It can be carried out with only a slight improvement. Further, if a stopper as a positioning means is provided inside the engaging hole, the member is not exposed to the outside, and if a positioning position adjusting mechanism is provided in the positioning means, it can be used for a plurality of different models. Can handle it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a forklift having a connecting mechanism according to the present invention and a battery replacement carrier.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a connecting mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an engaging operation of a connecting mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the coupling mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Forklift, 1a ... Instrumental panel, 2 ... Battery replacement carrier, 3 ... Handle, 4 ... Lever, 5 ... Cart, 6 ... Roller conveyor, 7 ... Stopper, 8, 8 ' , 8 ″ ··· Hook, 8
a ... Introduction tip, 8b ... Engaging groove, 8c ... Base, 9
..Battery storage part, 9a..Opening part, 10 ... Roller conveyor, 11 ... Opening / closing door, 12 ... frame, 13,
13 '... Engagement hole, 14, 14', 14 '.. Projection body, 14a .. Bolt, 15 .. Stopper, 16 .. Engagement projection, 17 .. Long hole, M .. Battery

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hook provided on a battery exchange carrier is inserted into an engagement hole provided in a frame of an industrial vehicle, and the engagement portion of the hook is engaged with the engagement portion of the engagement hole. In the connection mechanism for connecting the both by means of the above, at least one of the industrial vehicle and the battery exchange carrier is provided with a positioning means for regulating the insertion depth of the hook, and the industrial vehicle and the battery exchange are characterized. Connection mechanism with carrier. 2. The connection mechanism between an industrial vehicle and a battery replacement carrier according to claim 1, wherein the hook is plate-shaped, and an engagement hole corresponding to the hook is formed in a slit shape. 3. The positioning means is a projection body that is provided integrally with or separately from the hook on the hook mounting surface of the battery replacement carrier and has a tip that abuts on a frame of an industrial vehicle. Of industrial vehicle and battery replacement carrier. 4. The positioning means is provided inside the engagement hole,
The connection mechanism between the industrial vehicle and the battery replacement carrier according to claim 1 or 2, which is a stopper arranged so as to come into contact with the tip of the hook. 5. The connection mechanism between an industrial vehicle and a battery replacement carrier according to claim 1, wherein the positioning means is capable of adjusting a hook insertion depth.