JPS6131891Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention is equipped with a liftable load platform, a master cylinder for raising the platform, a plunger pump for driving the master cylinder, and a pumping handle for operating the same, and performs cargo handling work. It relates to cargo handling machines such as hand lift trucks and forklift trucks.

Conventionally, in such cargo handling machines,
As shown in Publication No. 75564, a truncated conical spool valve is installed between a cylinder port that communicates with the cylinder and a plunger pump port that communicates with the plunger pump, and the large diameter body of the spool valve opens and closes the cylinder port. At the same time, we developed a technology to adjust the flow rate using the gap between the tapered surface of the spool valve and the valve seat.

In this way, when using a spool valve that doubles as a cylinder port opening/closing valve and a hydraulic oil flow rate adjustment valve,
Although we were able to reduce the number of parts and simplify the structure, we were also able to finish the processing and forming of the spool valve and the oil passage with extremely high precision, and also reduced the amount of dust in the hydraulic oil that adhered to these spool valves and oil passages. High-pressure oil leaks will occur unless regularly eliminated.
The valve structure has been such that it is difficult to maintain the pressure in the cylinder, and it is difficult to adjust the flow rate appropriately, requiring frequent maintenance work that is costly and troublesome.

In addition, by reciprocating the spool valve, the cylinder port is opened and closed in conjunction with the press-in and pressure-feeding operation of hydraulic oil by the plunger pump, but at this time, the body of the spool valve comes into sliding contact with the oil passage. In order to properly operate the spool valve while ignoring the frictional resistance, a relatively large back pressure of the spool valve, such as a spring force, is required. However, due to the large back pressure of the spool valve, the load when operating the plunger pump by the pumping handle to forcefully send hydraulic oil to the cylinder increases, making it difficult to pump the handle easily, and causing friction between the spool valve and the oil passage. Due to this, it is difficult to obtain a long service life.

However, in the present invention, a throttle valve seat is separately installed in the middle of the oil path between the cylinder port of the master cylinder and the plunger pump port of the plunger pump to form a throttle passage, and a throttle ball is loosely inserted into the throttle passage. , a pressure ball is loosely inserted into the oil passage on the plunger pump port side of the throttle valve seat, and the throttle ball and the pressure ball are moved while in contact with each other, and the flow rate is caused by the gap between the throttle ball and the throttle passage. The cylinder port and the plunger pump port are configured to be able to communicate with each other and be closed by a pressure bulb, and the functions of a conventional spool valve are shared between the throttle bulb and the pressure bulb, and a throttle passage is formed. By providing the throttle valve seat separately, only the throttle passage requires expensive machining, making the machining and assembly of each element cheaper and easier than in the past, and reducing the amount of dust in the hydraulic fluid. The rolling action of the throttle balls and pressure balls prevents the throttle balls and pressure balls from adhering and accumulating in oil passages such as the throttle passages. While sliding in contact with each other, it is possible to extend the life of the aperture ball and pressure ball, maintain a constant gap between the aperture passage and the aperture ball, and reduce the back pressure, such as spring force, of the aperture ball and pressure ball. The reactivity can be improved, and the plunger pump drive operation using the pumping handle to pump hydraulic oil to the cylinder can be performed with a small operating force.In particular, the pressure is reduced by the throttle ball at the same time as the hydraulic oil is pumped from the plunger pump to the cylinder. The ball can be closed quickly, eliminating the inconvenience of high-pressure oil from the cylinder flowing into the pump and pushing back the pumping handle, allowing the pumping handle to smoothly drive the plunger pump, and properly controlling the cylinder. It is an object of the present invention to provide a load handling machine which can be operated safely and appropriately to raise and lower a load platform.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the hand lift truck, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. , 3 is a jacking device which supports the rear wheels 4, 4 for running at the lower part thereof, and supports the rear end of the platform 1 and raises and lowers it; 5, the rear wheels 4, 4 are supported at the lower end via an axle 6; A master cylinder to be attached, 7, a ram piston, 10, which brings a semicircular spherical tip 9 into contact with the chevron-shaped support part 8 of the load platform 1;
11 is a hydraulic base that fixedly supports the master cylinder 5 in the middle, and 11 is a cylinder 5 below the base 10.
A bearing plate 14 is fixed to the circumferential side of the cylinder 5 on the upper surface of the base 10 and connects the arm 12 and the rod 13, which are rotatably provided on the circumferential side and protrude the front wheel 2 in the same way as the piston 7 moves upward. 15 is a plunger pump for supplying pressure oil to the cylinder 5; 16 is a handle base bracket fixed above the back of the tank 14; 17 is supported by the bracket 16 via a rotation fulcrum pin 18; A handle base 21 is formed by pivotally supporting a pressure roll 20 which is brought into contact with the plunger piston 19 of the pump 15, and the handle base 21 is provided with a loop-shaped grip portion 22 at the upper end, and the base end is connected to the handle base 17 for lifting and lowering operations. This is a pumping handle for push/pull operation.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 10, the base 1
0 is provided with a hydraulically operated valve 23 and an overload prevention valve 24. Suction bulb 25 of the operation valve 23
The tank port 26 is connected to the plunger pump port 27 through the valve 23, and the port 27 is connected to the cylinder port 30 through the pressure bulb 28 and the throttle bulb 29 of the valve 23, and is formed in the cylindrical throttle valve seat 31. The aperture ball 2 is placed in the aperture passage 32.
9 is loosely inserted. Furthermore, a plug 3 that connects the throttle valve seat 33 enclosing the throttle valve seat 31 to the cylinder port 30 and closes the chamber 33
A spring 35 is stretched between 4 and the throttle valve seat 31,
The throttle valve seat 31 is brought into pressure contact with the inner end surface 36 of the throttle valve chamber 33.

Further, a pressure ball 28 is disposed on the low pressure side of the throttle valve seat 31 that reduces the pressure in the gap (for example, 5/500 mm) between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32, and a tapered communication passage is provided on the high pressure side of the throttle passage 32. 37 are provided in series, and a counterbore hole 38 is provided at the low pressure side opening edge of the throttle passage 32. A spring 39 is stretched between the aperture ball 29 and the plug 34, and the spring 3
A stopper 40 that comes into contact with the throttle ball 29 that moves against the throttle valve 9 is integrally formed inside the plug 34, and the stopper 40 is connected to the throttle valve seat 3 via an oil leakage prevention O-ring 41.
A nut 42 is screwed onto the plug 34 screwed into the plug 34, and the plug 34 is fixed to the hydraulic base 10 so that the stopper 40 can be freely adjusted forward and backward. When the plunger pump 15 is operated, the suction bulb 25 is opened and the tank is closed. 14 into the pump 15, while opening the pressure bulb 28 and throttle bulb 29 to force-feed the high-pressure oil from the pump 15 to the cylinder 5,
At this time, the throttle ball 29 moves while attached to the pressure ball 28 due to the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5 and the pushing force of the spring 39, and the throttle ball 29 moves from the pump 15 to the cylinder 5.
When the high-pressure oil has been pumped, the pressure bulb 28 is quickly closed to eliminate the push-back effect on the handle 21 due to the return of high-pressure oil from the cylinder 5, and the handle 2
While preventing a pumping impact from occurring in the cylinder 5, the piston 7 is lowered to the lowest limit.
When the oil pressures of the pump 15 and the oil pressure of the pump 15 become approximately the same pressure, the free movement of the pressure ball 28 is prevented by the pressure of the throttle ball 29 of the spring 39, and the pressure ball 28 is always supported in closed motion regardless of the hydraulic pressure of the cylinder 5. However, the plunger pump 15 is configured to prevent idle operation of the plunger pump 15 when the cylinder 5 is initially activated.

Next, a push rod 43, which is a pressure relief rod, is provided on the operation valve 23, and by pushing the push rod 43 against the return spring 44, only the suction bulb 25 is opened as shown in FIG. The switching valve 23 is switched to the neutral operation state in order to operate the valve idly, and the push rod 43 is further pushed in to bring the suction bulb 25 into contact with the pressure bulb 28 as shown in FIG. 7, thereby opening the pressure bulb 28. Then, the high-pressure oil in the cylinder 5 whose pressure has been reduced through the gap (5/100 mm) between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32 is gradually returned to the tank 14, and the pressure in the cylinder 5 is slowly relieved.
By further pushing the push rod 43,
As shown in FIG.
8 and move the throttle ball 29 to the tapered communication passage 37 to release the throttle action due to the gap between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32, and drain the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5 through the counterbore hole 38 etc. 14, and the pressure of the cylinder 5 is quickly released.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, a cap 45 is attached to the upper end of the pumping handle 21 for push/pull operation.
The base end of the hydraulic operation switching lever 46 is inserted into the internal space of the cap 45, and the base end of the lever 46 is loosely fitted and pivotally supported on a pin 47 fixed to the cap 45. Handle 2
The suspension rod 48 is loosely inserted into the internal space of 1,
The rod 4 is inserted into the upper edge recess 46a of the lever 46.
8. Hook the hook part 48a at the upper end. One end of an L-shaped hydraulic operating arm 49 is brought into contact with the outer end of the push rod 43 protruding from the side surface of the base 10, and the middle of the arm 49 is pivotally supported on the flange 50 of the base 10 via a pin 51. The other end of the arm 49 is extended on the upper surface of the base 10 between the oil tank 14 and the plunger pump 15, and a suspension bolt 52 is fixed to the other end of the arm 49 so that its length can be adjusted. The lower end of the rod 48 and the upper end of the bolt 52 are connected by a chain 53, and the chain 53 is stretched so as to be bendable in the swing direction of the handle 21, and the left and right pivot pins 18, 1
A chain guide pin 54 is installed on the rear side of the bearing parts 16a, 16b of the handle base bracket 16 into which the inner end of the handle 21 is inserted, and when the handle 21 is rocked and rotated using the pins 18, 18 as a fulcrum,
The intermediate part of the chain 53 is brought into contact with the pin 54 to bend the chain 53, preventing the chain 53 from contacting the plunger pump 15, and the axes of the pins 18, 18 and the chain 53 are bent. The plunger pump 15 can be operated by bending the chain 53 and swinging the handle 21 with the valve 23 and arm 49 stationary at a fixed position.

Further, a raising operation notch 55 and a neutral operation notch 56 for engaging the intermediate lower edge of the lever 46 are formed in the opening 57 of the cap 45, and a lowering operation notch 58 is formed above the raising operation notch 55, and a neutral operation notch 56 is formed above the raising operation notch 55. 56 Upward and downward operation notches 58
By forming an arcuate guide 59 in the aperture 57 and engaging the lever 46 with the lifting operation notch 55, the suction ball 25 of the operation valve 23 can be operated as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Close the tank port 26 and plunger pump port 27,
By switching the valve 23 to the upward operation state to perform the pump action, and engaging the lever 46 with the neutral operation notch 56 as shown in FIG. 10, the push rod 4 is activated as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9.
3 to open the suction bulb 25 and open each port 26.
and 27 are made conductive, the valve 23 is switched to the neutral operating state, the plunger pump 15 is operated idly, and the lever 46 is then lifted to open the guide 59.
By moving the push rod 43 to the lowering operation notch 58 under the guidance of 29 and the throttle passage 32, and by pulling up the lever 46 to the upper end of the lowering operation notch 58 when the load is light, the pressure bulb is released as shown in FIG. 28 moves the throttle ball 29 to the tapered communication passage 37 of the throttle valve seat 31, cancels the throttle action of the throttle ball 29, and rapidly draws out the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5, thereby draining the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5 in multiple stages. It is formed so that the flow returns to the tank 14 at a desired flow rate.

The present invention is constructed as described above, and when loading cargo on a pallet (not shown) or the like on the platform 1, the hydraulic operation switching lever 46 is engaged with the lifting operation notch 55 and the lifting operation notch 55 is erected. When the pumping handle 21 for push/pull operation is swung around the fulcrum pin 18, the hydraulic oil in the tank 14 is sucked into the plunger pump 15 via the suction bulb 25, and the pressure bulb 2
8 and the plunger pump 15 via the throttle ball 29
Pressure oil is sent to the cylinder 5, and the ram piston 7
protrudes and moves the platform 1 upward. At this time, only the hydraulic pressure is applied to the suction bulb 25, the pressure bulb 28, and the throttle bulb 29, so the suction bulb 25 and the pressure bulb 28 quickly open and close in conjunction with the plunger pump 15, and the handle 21 Pump 15 by
The operation can be performed with a relatively small force, and since the throttle ball 29 is pressed against the pressure ball 28 by the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5 and the spring 39, the high pressure oil in the cylinder 5 is pressed against the pressure ball 28 due to the delay in closing the pressure ball 28.
5 and prevents the handle 21 from being suddenly moved upward, and allows the pumping operation of the handle 21 to be performed smoothly.

In addition, when moving the luggage platform 1 with it raised to an appropriate height as described above, the switching lever 46 is engaged with the neutral operation notch 56 as shown in FIG. 4
3, the suction bulb 25 is opened and supported as shown in FIG. 6, and the valve 23 is switched to the neutral operation state as shown in FIG. The port 30 is closed by the pressure bulb 28, the ram piston 7 and the load platform 1 are fixedly supported, and in this state, the handle 21 is pushed or pulled to transport the load.

As shown above, the handle 2 is centered around the fulcrum pin 18.
When folding down 1 and performing lifting and lowering operations and push/pull operations,
The middle part of the chain 53 connecting the suspension rod 48 and the bolt 52 contacts the guide pin 54, and the middle part of the chain 53 located on the axis of the fulcrum pin 18 is bent, and the handle 2 is centered on the fulcrum pin 18.
1, the operating arm 49 and push rod 43 are kept stationary at a constant position.

Further, when lowering the cargo platform 1 to unload cargo loaded on a pallet, etc., when the switching lever 46 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is pulled up, the lever 4
6 upper edge is in contact with the arcuate guide 59, and the guide 5
9, the lever 46 is moved to the lowering operation notch 5.
Move to 8.

Then, the operating arm 49 is displaced via the suspension rod 48, etc., and the push rod 43 is pushed in.
As shown in FIG. 7, the suction bulb 25 is brought into contact with the pressure bulb 28 to open the pressure bulb 28, and the high-pressure oil in the cylinder 5 is gradually transferred to the tank 14 by the throttle action of the gap between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32. direction, and the load platform 1 is gently lowered. When the platform 1 is empty and under a light load, the push rod 43 is pushed further by operating the lever 46, and the pressure ball 28 moves the throttle ball 29 into the tapered communication path of the throttle valve seat 31, as shown in FIG. 37 and the aperture ball 29
The throttle action of the cylinder 5 is released, the high-pressure oil in the cylinder 5 is rapidly flowed out toward the tank 14, and the cargo platform 1 is suddenly lowered. 55, the lever 46 automatically engages and switches the valve 23 to the upward operating state as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the aperture ball 29 is moved to the communication path 37 as described above, the aperture ball 29 moves to the stopper 40.
, a gap is formed between the counterbore hole 38 of the throttle valve seat 31 and the pressure bulb 28 for the high pressure oil of the cylinder 5 to return, and the ram piston 7 descends to the lowest position and the cylinder 5 and Even if the hydraulic pressure of the plunger pump 15 becomes approximately zero and the pressure ball 28 and the throttle ball 29 are in a state where they are loose, the spring 39
This pushes the throttle ball 29 to hold the pressure ball 28 in the closed position, thereby ensuring that the plunger pump 15 sucks in the hydraulic oil from the oil tank 14 when the cylinder 5 is initially activated, thereby preventing the plunger pump 15 from running idle.

Furthermore, FIGS. 12 to 15 show other embodiments, FIG. 12 is a side view of the forklift, and FIG. 13 is a side view of the forklift.
The figure is a rear view of the same, and 61 in the figure is the front wheel 62, 62.
and a movable base on which the rear wheels 63, 63 are mounted,
Reference numerals 64 and 64 refer to masts erected substantially parallel to both rear sides of the base 61; 65 refers to the masts 64 and 64;
Luggage platform supported so that it can be raised and lowered, 66, 66
67 is a master cylinder erected on the base 61 between the masts 64, 64 via an oil passage base 68; 69 is the cylinder 67; A load chain 72 is stretched between the load platform 65 and the cylinder 67 via a chain wheel 71 supported by a ram piston 70, and a road chain 72 controls the rolling and direction of the rear wheel 63, which is attached to the base 61 via a bracket 73. A brake pedal for braking the conversion, 74 is the base 6
8 An oil tank fixed on the same side of the cylinder 67 on the top surface,
75 is a plunger pump that sends pressure oil to the cylinder 67, 76 is a handle base bracket fixed to the tank 74, and 77 is the bracket 76.
A handle base 81 includes a pressure roll 80 which is supported via a rotation fulcrum pin 78 and is brought into contact with the plunger piston 79 of the pump 75. This is a pumping handle for lifting/lowering operations whose end is connected and fixed to the handle base 77. The base 68 is provided with a hydraulically operated valve 83 and an overload prevention valve 84. The tank port 86 is communicated with the plunger pump port 87 via the suction bulb 85 of the operating valve 83, and the port 87 is communicated with the cylinder port 90 via the floating bulb 88 and throttle bulb 89 of the valve 83, and the hydraulic pressure is The throttle ball 89 is loosely fitted and inserted into a throttle passage 92 formed at the tip of an embedded bolt 91 that is screwed and fixed to the base 68. Further, a plug 94 that communicates the throttle valve chamber 93 formed in the bolt 91 with the cylinder port 90 and closes the chamber 93
A spring 95 is stretched between the aperture ball 89 and a communication hole 96 into which the suction ball 85 and floating ball 88 are inserted.
The throttle ball 89 is pressed against the side end valve seat 97 by the pushing force of the spring 95.

Next, a push rod 98, which is a pressure release rod, is provided on the operation valve 83, and the push rod 98 is formed to be able to be freely pushed in against a return spring 99, and a hydraulic operation switching lever 101 is attached to the upper end of the pumping handle 81 via a cap 100. Install. a lower end of a suspension rod 102 inserted into the handle 81 and connected to the lever 101;
An L-shaped hydraulic operating arm 103 that is brought into contact with the outer end of the push rod 98 is connected to a suspension bolt 104.
and a chain 105, and the chain 105 is stretched so as to be bendable in the swinging direction of the handle 81. A chain guide pin 106 is installed on the handle base bracket 77, and the rotation fulcrum pin 78 is used as a fulcrum. When the handle 81 is rocked and rotated, the middle of the chain 105 is brought into contact with the pin 78 and the chain 105 is bent;
The chain 105 is prevented from coming into contact with the plunger pump 75, the axis of the pin 78 is aligned with the bent part of the chain 105, and the chain 105 is moved while the valve 83 and arm 103 are stationary at a certain position. It is formed so that the plunger pump 75 can be operated by bending the handle 81 and swinging the handle 81. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, a pressure relief port 107 is formed in the upper part of the master cylinder 67 and short-circuited to the oil tank 74, and a "shaped pressure relief oil passage 108 is formed in the lower end of the ram piston 70.
It is formed so that when the ram piston 70 is moved upward, the oil sent into the cylinder 67 at this upper limit position is sent to the oil tank 74 via the pressure relief oil passage 108 and the pressure relief port 107.

As in the above embodiment, the hydraulic operation switching lever 101 is operated, and as shown in FIG. and close the valve 83.
is switched to the upward operation state to perform the pumping action, while the lever 101 is operated to push the push rod 98 to open the suction bulb 85 and conduct each port 86 and 87, and the valve 83 is placed in the neutral operation state. The plunger pump 75 is operated idly, and then the lever 101 is lifted and the push rod 98 is pushed further to bring the suction ball 85 into contact with the aperture ball 89 via the floating ball 88, and the aperture ball 89 is opened and the aperture is stopped. The high pressure oil in the cylinder 67 is gradually drawn out through the gap between the ball 89 and the throttle passage 92, and when the load is light, the lever 10 is
1 to move the throttle ball 89 to the throttle valve chamber 93, release the throttle action of the throttle ball 89, and open the cylinder 6.
It rapidly removes high pressure oil from cylinder 67.
The high-pressure oil is returned to the tank 74 at a desired flow rate in multiple stages.

As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention includes a liftable load platform 1, 65, a master cylinder 5, 67 for raising the platform, and a plunger pump 1 for driving the master cylinder 5, 67.
5, 75 and pumping handles 21, 81 for operating the cylinder port 30 of the master cylinder 5 and the plunger pump port 27 of the plunger pump 15.
A throttling passage 32 is formed in a throttling valve seat 31 that is separately assembled in the middle of the oil passage between
At the same time, the pressure bulb 2 is loosely inserted into the oil passage on the plunger pump port 27 side of the throttle valve seat 31.
8 is loosely inserted and moved with the throttle ball 29 and pressure ball 28 in contact with each other, and the flow rate is adjusted in the gap between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32.
8, the cylinder port 30 and the plunger pump port 27 are configured to be able to communicate with each other and to be closed.
By separately providing the throttle valve seat 31 that forms the
The number of elements 28, 29, 3 compared to the conventional
1 and 32 can be formed and assembled easily at low cost.
9 and the pressure ball 28 and oil passages such as the throttle passage 32 can be eliminated by the rolling action of the throttle ball 29 and the pressure ball 28.
9 and the pressure ball 28 slide against the throttle passage 32 and the oil passage, while the throttle ball 29 and the pressure ball 28
It is possible to obtain a long service life, and to maintain a constant gap between the throttle passage 32 and the throttle ball 29,
In addition, the back pressure, such as spring force, of these throttle balls 29 and pressure balls 28 can be reduced to improve reactivity, and the driving operation of the plunger pump 15 by the pumping handle 21 for pumping hydraulic oil to the cylinder 5 can be performed with a small operating force. In particular, the pressure bulb 28 can be quickly closed by the throttle bulb 29 at the same time as the hydraulic oil is pumped from the plunger pump 15 to the cylinder 5, and the high pressure oil from the cylinder 5 can be transferred to the pump 15. This eliminates the inconvenience of inflow and pushing back the pumping handle 21, allows the pumping handle 21 to smoothly drive the plunger pump 15, properly operates the cylinder 5, and safely and properly loads the cargo platform 1. It has remarkable effects such as being able to be raised and lowered and being extremely practical.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a hand lift truck showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional side view of the jacking device, Figure 4 is a plan view of the hydraulic base, Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the jacking device.
Figures 8 to 8 are operational explanatory diagrams of the main parts, Figures 9 to 11 are enlarged sectional views of the handle, Figure 12 is a side view of the forklift showing another embodiment, and Figure 13 is its rear view. , Figure 14 is an enlarged view of the part, 1st
Figure 5 is a plan view of the main parts. 1,65...Luggage platform, 5,67...Master cylinder, 14,74...Oil tank, 15,75
... Plunger pump, 21, 81 ... Pumping handle, 23, 83 ... Hydraulic operation valve, 2
5,85... Suction ball, 29,89... Squeezing ball, 3
2, 92... Throttle passage, 43, 98... Push rod (pressure release rod).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a structure including a liftable load platform 1, a master cylinder 5 for raising the same, a plunger pump 15 for driving the master cylinder 5, and a pumping handle 21 for operating the same, the cylinder of the master cylinder 5 A throttle passage 32 is formed in a throttle valve seat 31 that is separately installed in the middle of the oil path between the port 30 and the plunger pump port 27 of the plunger pump 15, and a throttle ball 29 is loosely inserted into the throttle passage 32, and
Plunger pump port 27 of the throttle valve seat 31
The pressure ball 28 is loosely inserted into the oil passage on the side, and the throttle ball 29 and the pressure ball 28 are moved in contact with each other, and the flow rate is adjusted by the gap between the throttle ball 29 and the throttle passage 32. Pressure bulb 28 connects said cylinder port 3
A cargo handling machine characterized in that a plunger pump port 27 and a plunger pump port 27 are configured to be able to communicate with each other and to be closed.