JPS633324Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a safety bumper for an unmanned vehicle, and more particularly to a safety bumper that is easily removable.

Generally, unmanned vehicles such as unmanned forklifts and automatic guided vehicles are equipped with safety bumpers that detect obstacles on the road and stop the vehicle. The safety bumper is designed to displace with respect to the vehicle body due to external force when it comes into contact with an obstacle, or to deform itself elastically, thereby activating a sensor for commanding a stop. In other words, if the object is movable, it will not only undergo displacement or elastic deformation within a predetermined allowable range, but will also cause damage or permanent deformation.Also, even if the obstacle is a fixed object, the direction in which the external force is applied upon contact will cause damage or permanent deformation. Depending on the situation, the above phenomenon may occur. In such cases, it is necessary to replace it with a new one, but since conventional safety bumpers are attached to the balance weight with multiple bolts, it is difficult to attach and detach, and moreover, when attaching the bumper, there is a possibility that the bumper will not connect with the sensor. Since position adjustment is required,
In addition to problems such as being troublesome and time-consuming to replace, in rare cases the mounting bolts may break and remain on the balance weight side, which is also troublesome to repair.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safety bumper for an unmanned vehicle that eliminates the above-mentioned conventional problems and can be easily replaced.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows an unmanned forklift capable of switching to manned operation, and a safety bumper 6 is attached to a coupler 2 formed at the lower rear of the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the coupler 2 consists of a pair of upper and lower drawbar brackets 3 integrally formed with a balance weight 5, and a drawbar 4 that can be inserted into and removed from above into a vertical hole 3a provided in the drawbar bracket 3. It is configured.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the safety bumper 6 consists of a bumper body 7 made of an elastically deformable strip-shaped steel plate and a bumper holder 8 that supports the bumper body 7.
It is assembled so that it can be displaced against. That is,
Box-shaped brackets 9 are fixed to both ends of the bumper holder 8, and connecting rods 11 are horizontally rotatably attached to each bracket 9 via support pins 10 and extend horizontally outward. On the other hand, the bumper body 7 arranged at a predetermined distance behind the bumper holder 8 is almost curved, and both ends thereof are folded back into a U-shape, and the folded ends 7a are as described above. It is fastened to the tip of the connecting rod 11. Thus, the bumper main body 7 is movable in the front and back directions relative to the bumper holder 8, and is normally held in a position that is biased rearward by the tension spring 12 and regulated by the stopper 13. A limit switch 14, which is a sensor for detecting contact with an obstacle, is housed in the bracket 9, and is turned on and off by the connecting rod 11.

Further, a mounting portion 15 having a vertical hole 15a is protruded from approximately the center of the front surface of the bumper holder 8, and the mounting portion 15 is inserted into the vertical hole when inserted between the upper and lower drawbar brackets 3. It is attached to the coupler 2 by inserting the draw bar 4 into the connector 15a. Note that it is preferable that the mounting portion 15 is configured such that its upper and lower surfaces are in contact with the drawbar bracket 3. Furthermore, a total of four set bolts 16 are attached to the bumper holder 8 at positions facing the upper and lower drawbar brackets 3 on both sides of the mounting portion 15, and these set bolts 16 are attached to the end faces of the drawbar brackets 3. After adjusting the attitude of the safety bumper 6 with respect to the vehicle body 1 by adjusting the lock nut 17
It is fixed at. Note that the drawbar 4 can be inserted or removed through an opening 5a formed in the balance weight 5.
It is done using.

This embodiment is configured as described above,
Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, that is, when reversing, the bumper body 7 of the safety bumper 6 comes into contact with an obstacle, and the bumper body 7 is elastically deformed by the external force at that time, and one or both of the connecting rods 11 are rotated around the support pin 10. When the rotational displacement is made against the tension spring 12, this is detected by the
It is possible to detect this and activate the brake system to stop the vehicle.

However, if the bumper body 7 or its supporting parts are permanently deformed or damaged because the obstacle is another moving vehicle or a fixed object that hits in the wrong direction, a new safety bumper is required. However, in this embodiment, the safety bumper 6 is attached using the coupler 2, so that it can be attached and detached with a one-touch operation of inserting and removing the drawbar 4. The replacement work is quick and easy. After attachment, by adjusting the posture using the set bolt 16, it is possible to maintain the vehicle body 1 in a stable state without rattling. Also,
Since the safety bumper 6 of this embodiment can adjust the position of the detection sensor when the bumper body 7 and bumper holder 8 are assembled at the factory, it is easier to adjust the position when replacing the bumper than when the bumper body 7 and the bumper holder 8 are installed in the vehicle body. There is no hassle.

As detailed above, the present invention allows a safety bumper to be attached to an unmanned vehicle using an existing coupler on the vehicle body, making it easier to attach and detach compared to conventional bumpers, making it easier to replace with a new one. This is a practically useful idea that can be easily carried out in a short period of time, does not require any special attachment parts, and does not cause a rise in cost.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can also be applied to a configuration in which the set bolt is provided only on one side as shown in FIG. good.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 1 being a side view schematically showing an unmanned forklift, Fig. 2 being a plan view showing a safety bumper, and Fig. 3 showing a connection between the bumper body and the bumper holder. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view, FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing how it is attached to a coupler, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment. 1...Vehicle body, 2...Coupler, 3...Drawbar bracket, 4...Drawbar, 6...Safety bumper, 7...Bumper body, 8...Bumper holder, 14...Limit switch, 15...Mounting part , 16...Set bolt.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model claims] A bumper holder that supports a bumper body in a movable manner for collision detection in an unmanned vehicle equipped with a coupler at the rear of the vehicle body consisting of a pair of upper and lower drawbar brackets and a drawbar that can be inserted into and removed from the drawbar brackets from above and below. A mounting part with a vertical hole, which can be connected to the coupler through the drawbar, is protrudingly provided at approximately the center of the front surface, and an appropriate number of mounting parts, which can come into contact with the rear end surface of the drawbar bracket, are provided at positions displaced from the mounting part. A safety bumper for unmanned vehicles characterized by the provision of set bolts.