JPH1119894A - Clamp device for heavy object - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily carry a gas tank in a mounting position in a mounting space. SOLUTION: This device comprises a main frame 31, a pair of cylinder units 50, 51 mounting a tip end of right/left piston rods 50a, 51a opposed in the main frame 31, a pair of clamp pins 53, 54 mounting a tip end so as to face mutually in reverse in the main frame 31 to be respectively connected to the piston rod 50a, 51a of the cylinder unit 50, 51, and a receiving seat 56 mounted in the main frame 31 in the rest of vertex position when the clamp pin 53, 54 serves as two vertexes of a triangle. In this way, the clamp pins 53, 54 are inserted in eye plate 23, 23 provided in a gas tank 20, and the gas tank 20 can be locked to the receiving seat 56 to be lifted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a gripping device for lifting a heavy object such as a gas tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Natural gas is used as energy for cleaning exhaust gas from automobiles.
(Compression Natural Gas "compressed liquid gas") and storing it in a gas tank to extend the traveling distance per filling of the gas tank has been put to practical use.

[0003] In order to store CNG, the gas tank needs to have a highly rigid body structure, so that it becomes heavy (for example, 120 kg). This gas tank is assembled, for example, in a narrow space below a bottom plate of a trunk room in order to maintain good appearance and comfort of the automobile.

[0004] When a gas tank is assembled on a production line of an automobile, the gas tank cannot be carried into a space below the trunk room from above the trunk room because the vehicle body already has a bottom plate for the trunk room. For this reason, when installing the gas tank, first, the gas tank is lifted by a plurality of workers, the gas tank is carried into the vehicle body from the opening for mounting the rear side door of the vehicle body, and then laterally pulled down to the lower side of the trunk room. Place the gas tank at the mounting location. Since this mounting operation is performed in a narrow space in the vehicle body, an excessive burden is imposed on the operator.

[0005] As a countermeasure to reduce the burden on the operator, it is conceivable to use a balance arm type assist device which can offset the weight of the gas tank. According to this balance arm type assist device, a claw for grasping the gas tank at the tip of the arm and a suction portion for adsorbing the gas tank are provided, and the gas tank can be lifted by these claws and the suction portion and carried into the mounting position. It is possible to reduce the burden on the worker.

[0006]

However, since the claws and the adsorbing portions protrude outwardly from the outer periphery of the gas tank, they may hit the bottom plate of the trunk room when carrying in. Therefore, it is difficult to carry the gas tank into a narrow space below the trunk room with the conventional assist device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of easily carrying a heavy object such as a gas tank into a narrow space and reducing the burden on an operator.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a rotary shaft disposed horizontally, an arm attached to the rotary shaft, and a grip provided at a tip end of the arm. And a main frame extending horizontally from an arm, comprising:
A pair of cylinder units mounted on the main frame so that the ends of the piston rods face each other; a pair of clamp pins mounted on the main frame so that the ends are opposite to each other and connected to the piston rods of the cylinder unit, respectively; The clamp is inserted into a pair of eye plates provided on the heavy object, and the swinging heavy object is stopped by the seat to lift the heavy object.

Since the cylinder units and the clamp pins are arranged along the main frame, the cylinder units and the clamp pins can be arranged near the main frame in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the main frame. And, since the pair of clamp pins are inserted into the eye plate from the inside, the pair of clamp pins naturally fit in the pair of eye plates, and the pair of clamp pins and the cylinder unit can be combined in the axial direction of the main frame. it can. For this reason, if this device is used in, for example, a balance arm type assist device, the gas tank can be moved to a narrow space.

Further, since the heavy object is supported by the pair of clamp pins and the receiving seat, the heavy object can be stably supported with a minimum number of fulcrums. For this reason, the gas tank can be moved to a narrow space.

Furthermore, the main frame is offset from the rotation axis by the arm. By using this offset, for example, after a heavy object is put in from the door opening, the heavy object can be easily turned into the shadow of the door opening. Further, by offsetting the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft can be arranged at a position where a heavy object inserted through the door opening can be rotated with a minimum radius. As a result, even if a heavy object inserted through the door opening is rotated while the rotating shaft is stationary, there is no danger that the heavy object will hit surrounding obstacles during rotation. The rotating operation of the object becomes easy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the clamp pin includes a tip pin inserted into a hole of the eye plate, and a step portion with respect to a side surface of the eye plate.

By providing the clamp pin with a step,
For example, if the piston rod is inserted into the eye plate while the gripping device is shifted to the left, the step of the left clamp pin hits the side of the eye plate during the operation of the left piston rod, and from this point on the left side The gripping device is moved to the right by the operation of the piston rod. As a result, the gripping device can be arranged at a regular position.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric balance arm type assist device according to the present invention. The electric balancer type assist device 1 is configured to offset the weight of a gas tank (described later) and transport the gas tank to a desired position with a small force of an operator.
A rotating body 4 rotatably mounted on the rotating body 4, an electric balance section 5 mounted on the rotating body 4, a first parallel link 7 mounted on the electric balancing section 5, and a second parallel link mounted on the first parallel link 7. It comprises a parallel link 9 and a heavy-weight holding device 25 attached to the second parallel link 9.

Heavy objects (hereinafter referred to as "gas tanks")
Reference numeral 20 denotes a tank body 20a for storing CNG, and a pair of tank bands 21 and 21 wound around the tank body 20a.
1, eye plates 23, 23 attached to the tank bands 21, 21, respectively, and attachment legs 24a, 24b fixed to the tank bands 21, 21.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an apparatus for gripping a heavy object according to the present invention. The heavy object gripping device 25 includes an operation unit 26 attached to the second parallel link 9, a case 27 attached to the operation unit 26, a rotation shaft 28 rotatably attached to the case 27, and a rotation shaft 28 A motor 29 is connected to the rotating shaft 28 via a connecting mechanism (not shown), an arm 30 is attached to the rotating shaft 28, and a gripping means 36 is attached to the tip 30a of the arm 30.

The gripper 36 is provided at the distal end 30 of the arm 30.
a main frame 31 mounted on the main frame 31, left and right cylinder units 50 and 51 mounted with the ends of piston rods 50a and 51a opposed to the main frame 31, and left and right clamp pins moved by the left and right piston rods 50a and 51a. 53, 54 and a receiving seat 56 attached to the main frame 31.

In this embodiment, the receiving seat 56 is disposed at the center between the left and right clamp pins 53 and 54, and
Although the clamp pins 53 and 54 are arranged at the vertices of a triangle, for example, the position of the receiving seat 56 may be shifted from the center between the left and right clamp pins 53 and 54.

The left and right cylinder units 50 and 51 are, for example, single-acting cylinders or return cylinders. In the case of a single-acting cylinder, the left and right piston rods 50a and 51a are advanced by pneumatic pressure and retracted by spring force. In the case of a dynamic cylinder, the left and right piston rods 50a, 51a are moved forward and backward by air pressure.

The main frame 31 has a cylindrical frame portion 32 extending horizontally by attaching a base portion 32a to a distal end portion 30a of the arm 30, and left and right side plates 33, which are attached to the frame portion 32 at regular intervals. 34, a cross plate 35 supported at both ends by the left and right side plates 33, 34, and left and right guide rails 37, 3 attached to the cross plate 35 so that the ends thereof face each other.
8, left and right moving bodies 40 and 41 movably hung on these guide rails 37 and 38, respectively, and these moving bodies 4
Left and right connecting plates 43, 44 attached to 0, 41, respectively.
And left and right support plates 46 and 47 raised from these connection plates 43 and 44, and left and right side plates 3
3 and 34, and a bottom plate 48 attached to the bottom.

The frame portion 32 is a member mounted on the arm 30 offset from the rotary shaft 28 by an L distance. As a result, the position of the rotating shaft 28 can be moved to an arbitrary position, so that the rotating shaft 28 can be set to a suitable position. The left and right support plates 46 and 47 are members to which the left and right clamp pins 53 and 54 projecting outward are attached to the tips. The bottom plate 48 is a member having a receiving seat 56 attached to the center of the lower surface.

The left clamp pin 53 has a tip pin 53a inserted into the hole 23a of the left eye plate 23, and a step 53b with respect to the side surface 23b of the eye plate 23.
Like the left clamp pin 53, the right clamp pin 54 includes a tip pin 54a inserted into the hole 23a of the right eye plate 23, and a step 54b with respect to the side surface 23b of the eye plate 23.

The receiving seat 56 includes a downward plate 57 attached to the center of the lower surface of the bottom plate 48 downward, a backup plate 58 attached to the downward plate 57, and an elastic pad 59 attached to the backup plate 58. Consists of The elastic pad is formed of an elastic member such as hard rubber.

That is, in the heavy object gripping device 25 according to the present invention, since the cylinder units 50 and 51 and the clamp pins 53 and 54 are arranged along the main frame 31, the cylinder units 50 and 51 and the clamp pins 53 and 54 are arranged. Can be gathered near the main frame 31 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the main frame 31. Since the left and right clamp pins 53, 54 are inserted into the eye plates 23, 23 from the inside, the clamp pins 53, 54 naturally fit in the eye plates 23, 23, and are clamped in the axial direction of the main frame 31. 53 and 54 and the cylinder units 50 and 51 can be put together. Therefore, if the gripping device 25 is used in, for example, the balance arm type assist device shown in FIG. 1, the gas tank 20 (see FIG. 1) can be moved to a narrow space. Further, since the gas tank 20 is supported by the three points of the left and right clamp pins 53 and 54 and the receiving seat 56, the gas tank 20 can be stably supported with the minimum number of fulcrums.

Reference numerals 60 and 60 denote pins.
Is for connecting the left and right piston rods 50a, 51a to the connecting portions 43a, 44a of the connecting plates 43, 44. Numerals 61 ... (... indicate a plurality, the same applies hereinafter) are cylinder mounting eye plates mounted on the left and right side plates 33, 34. 62, 62 are pins, and the pins 62, 62 connect the eye plates 61 to the left and right cylinder units 50, 51.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. A left guide rail 37 is mounted on the cross plate 35, and the left moving body 40 is movably hung on the guide rail 37.
The left connecting plate 43 is attached to the moving body 40, the left piston rod 50a is connected to the left connecting portion 43a of the connecting plate 43, and the left supporting plate 46 is raised from the connecting plate 43. 5 shows a state in which the left clamp pin 53 is attached to the outside and the receiving seat 56 is attached to the lower side of the bottom plate 48. Reference numeral 65 denotes a valve attached to the tip of the gas tank 20.

The operation of the above-described apparatus for gripping a heavy object according to the present invention will now be described. FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are explanatory views of a first operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.
In (a), the gas tank 20 is attached to the heavy object
The operator 70 operates the operation lever 26 a of the operation unit 26 in order to support the operation unit 5. In (b), the left and right piston rods 50a, 51a are advanced and the left and right clamp pins 53, 54 are moved backward as shown by arrows.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are views for explaining a second operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention. In (a),
By retracting the left and right piston rods 50a, 51a, the left and right clamp pins 53, 54 are advanced as shown by arrows, and the left and right tip pins 53a, 54a (only the right side is illustrated) are left and right eye plates 23, 23. Plug in. In (b), the step portions 53b, 54b of the left and right clamp pins 53, 54 come into contact with the side surfaces 23b, 23b of the left and right eye plates 23, 23, and the left and right clamp pins 5
3, 54 stand still.

Here, the heavy object gripping device 2 shown in FIG.
5 is slightly shifted to the left with respect to the left and right eye plates 23, 23, for example, and the clamp pins 53, 54
When the left end pins 53a, 54a are inserted into the eye plates 23, 23, the step portion 53b of the left clamp pin 53 hits the side surface of the eye plate 23 during the operation of the left piston rod 50a. The grip device 25 is moved to the right by the operation of the rod 50a. As a result, the gripping device 25 can be arranged at a regular position. Also, since the tips of the tip pins 53a and 54a are formed in a tapered shape, the left and right tip pins 53a and 54a are
3 and 23 can be easily inserted.

In (c), the elastic pad 59 of the receiving seat 56 is brought into contact with the side surface of the mounting leg portion 24a by lifting the heavy object gripping device 30 as shown by the arrow. As a result, the gas tank 20 can be supported and lifted by the left and right clamp pins 53, 54 and the receiving seat 56. At this time, the heavy object gripping device 25 is located on the left side of the gas tank 20, and there is nothing protruding outward from the gas tank 20 on the right side of the gas tank 20. Therefore, the gas tank 20
Can be brought closer to the mounting space.

FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are diagrams for explaining a third operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention. In (a),
By rotating the rotating shaft 28 by the motor 29, the arm 30 is rotated around the rotating shaft 28 by θ in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by an arrow. As a result, the main frame 31 rotates θ together with the arm 30 in the counterclockwise direction as shown by the arrow, and tilts the gas tank 20 by θ. In (b), the gas tank 20 is carried in from the space 72 for attaching the rear side door of the vehicle body 71 as shown by the arrow. Since the gas tank 20 is inclined by θ, it can be carried inside the vehicle body 71 without hitting the vehicle body frame.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views for explaining a fourth operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention. (A) shows the vehicle body 7
This shows a state in which the gas tank 20 is inserted into the space 72 for mounting the first rear side door at an angle of θ. In (b), the main frame 31 is rotated clockwise by θ around the rotation shaft 28 as shown by the arrow to return the gas tank 20 to the horizontal state (that is, the mounted state).

At this time, the rotating shaft 28 is offset from the frame portion 32 by an L interval (see FIG. 2), so that the rotating shaft 28 has a rectangular shape (a rectangular shape including the gas tank 20 and the gripping device 25) 75 shown by an imaginary line. It becomes possible to approach the center 75a. Therefore, even if the gas tank 20 is rotated by θ in the clockwise direction as shown by the arrow while the rotary shaft 28 is stationary at the position (a), there is no possibility that the gas tank 20 will interfere with the vehicle body. For this reason, the rotation operation of the gas tank 20 becomes easy.

On the other hand, when the gas tank 20 is rotated with the frame portion 32 as a fulcrum, the frame portion 32 is located below the rectangle 75 shown by the imaginary line.
When the gas tank 20 is rotated by θ as shown by the arrow while keeping the stand still at the position (a), the mounting leg 24 of the gas tank 20 is rotated.
a moves largely downward and hits the bottom of the vehicle body. In order to solve this problem, the gas tank 20 is moved clockwise as indicated by an arrow while moving the frame portion 32 upward.
Need to rotate. As a result, the operation becomes difficult and the operation time becomes longer.

FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b) are illustrations of a fifth operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 (b) is a plan view of FIG. 8 (a). In (a), the main frame 31 and the gas tank 20 are moved as shown by the arrows, and the gas tank 20 is carried into the vehicle mounting position. (B) shows a state in which the main frame 31 is mounted on the rotating shaft 28 with an offset of L intervals, so that the gas tank 20 is mounted on the rear side door mounting frame 71 a of the vehicle body 71 without interfering with the main frame 31. Shows the state of transported to

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the sixth operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention. After the gas tank 20 is carried to the mounting position, the heavy object gripping device 30 is returned as shown by the arrow, and the space of the vehicle body 71 is removed. 7 shows a state where it is taken out of the storage tank 72 and returned to the stock position of a new gas tank 20. At this time, by making the heavy object gripping device 30 compact in a side view, the heavy object
When taking it out of the space 72, the side door mounting frame 7
There is no risk of hitting 1a.

In the above-described embodiment, the state in which the receiving seat 56 is brought into contact with the mounting leg portion 24a to lift the gas tank 20 has been described. However, by extending the downward plate 57 of the receiving seat 56 further to the gas tank side, the elastic pad is provided. 59
The same effect can be obtained by directly contacting with the tank body 20a of the gas tank 20.

[0038]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. Since the cylinder unit and the clamp pin are arranged along the main frame, the cylinder unit and the clamp pin can be arranged near the main frame in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the main frame. And, since the pair of clamp pins are inserted into the eye plate from the inside, the pair of clamp pins naturally fit in the pair of eye plates, and the pair of clamp pins and the cylinder unit can be combined in the axial direction of the main frame. it can. For this reason, if this device is used in, for example, a balance arm type assist device, the gas tank can be moved to a narrow space.

Further, since the heavy object is supported by the pair of clamp pins and the receiving seat, the heavy object can be stably supported with the minimum number of supporting points. For this reason, the gas tank can be moved to a narrow space.

Furthermore, the main frame is offset from the rotation axis by the arm. By using this offset, for example, after a heavy object is put in from the door opening, the heavy object can be easily turned into the shadow of the door opening. Further, by offsetting the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft can be arranged at a position where a heavy object inserted through the door opening can be rotated with a minimum radius. As a result, even if a heavy object inserted through the door opening is rotated while the rotating shaft is stationary, there is no danger that the heavy object will hit surrounding obstacles during rotation. The rotating operation of the object becomes easy. As a result, the burden on the worker can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the clamp pin is provided with a stepped portion, for example, when the piston rod is inserted into the eye plate in a state where the gripping device is displaced to the left, the left side of the piston rod is operated during the operation of the left piston rod. The stepped portion of the clamp pin contacts the side of the eye plate, and from this point on, the gripping device is moved to the right by the operation of the left piston rod. As a result, the gripping device can be arranged at a regular position. As a result, the burden on the worker can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric balance arm type assist device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a second operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a third operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a fourth operation of the heavy object holding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a fifth operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a sixth operation of the heavy object gripping device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

23 ... eye plate, 23a ... hole, 23b ... side surface, 25
... Heavy object holding device, 28 ... Rotary shaft, 30 ... Arm, 3
0a: tip, 31: main frame, 32: frame, 32a: base, 36: gripping means, 50, 51: cylinder unit, 50a, 51a: piston rod, 5
3, 54 ... clamp pin, 53a, 54a ... tip pin,
53b, 54b: stepped portion, 56: receiving seat.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 9, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heavy-weight gripping device comprising: a horizontally arranged rotating shaft, an arm attached to the rotating shaft, and a gripping means provided at a tip end of the arm, wherein the gripping means includes an arm A main frame extending horizontally from the front end of the main frame, a pair of cylinder units mounted on the main frame so that the front ends of the piston rods face each other, and the cylinder unit mounted on the main frame so that the front ends are opposite to each other. A pair of clamp pins respectively connected to the piston rod and a receiving seat attached to the main frame. The clamp pins are inserted into a pair of eye plates provided on a heavy object, and the swinging heavy object is stopped by the receiving seat. A heavy object gripping device characterized in that it can lift a heavy object. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clamp pin includes a tip pin inserted into a hole of the eye plate, and a stepped portion with respect to a side surface of the eye plate. .