KR101780826B1 - Telescopic fork - Google Patents

Abstract

The fork includes a lower base portion 10 and movable slides 20,30 that can be folded in a multi-fold fashion and each slide 20,30 is slid by each set of rollers 13,14 You can exercise. The lower base 10 has a pair of parallel vertical flanges 11 and 12 extending upwardly from the base plate 16 in respective vertical planes P11 and P12 and the flanges are connected to the lower base 10, a set of rollers 13 arranged transversely outside the flanges 11, 12 to hold the intermediate slide 20 in a sliding manner. The intermediate slide 20 has longitudinal grooves 26a and 26b which act as guiding portions of the chains and the chain inner grooves 26a and 26b are formed by flanges 11 and 12 of the lower base portion 10 And is formed at the intermediate positions in the transverse direction between the extending vertical planes P11 and P12. At least a first optical device F is fixed to the lower base 10 in an intermediate position between the flanges 11, A second optical device (C) is fixed to the lower surface of the upper slide (30).
Through openings 23 are formed in the intermediate slide 20 such that they are arranged between the first and second optical devices F, C in at least one working position of the fork.

Description

[0001] TELESCOPIC FORK [0002]

The present invention relates to a multi-stage folding fork. The multistage collapsible fork is used in automated manipulation and industrial automation applications and is typically used in conjunction with automated lift trucks to move pallets, for example, in an automated warehouse ).

As is known, a multi-fold folding fork is comprised of one or more elements that can move in a multi-folded fashion on both sides to move and overlap in order to move the fixed lower base and cargo. The number (two, three or four) of movable multi-stage folding elements is selected to match the size of the cargo to be processed and the desired total travel distance.

In order to understand the problems of the prior art and the prior art, the multi-stage folding fork of the known type shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings is first described. The fork includes a fixed lower base portion 10 having two centrally located vertical flanges 11 and 12, the flanges having a first set of rollers 13 with a horizontal axis. The rollers 13 slidably support the intermediate slide 20 or the moving element in a multi-fold collapsible manner. With the second set of rollers 14, the intermediate slide slidably supports the upper slide 30 or the moving element in a multi-fold collapsible manner, and in use, the upper slide directly supports the load to be conveyed.

The ends of the two chains 27 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 2) are fixed to the flanges 11, 12 in the lateral outer positions, and the intermediate slide < RTI ID = The longitudinal sliding movement transmitted to the upper slide 20 is provided to the upper slide 30 by the chains. The drive mechanism is moved centrally along the entire length of the lower portion of the intermediate slide 20 between the rotary gear wheel (not shown in the figure) and the flanges 11, 12 formed in the lower base portion 10 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 25 < / RTI > The chains 27 are guided by grooves 26a, 26b formed in the intermediate slide 20 and arranged in parallel.

To control the position of the slides, a plurality of forks according to the prior art have a control system with a mechanical or inductive position of a stroke switch D mounted outside the fork body. While the fork is being used, the outward position makes the end of the stroke switches particularly vulnerable and increases the overall lateral horizontal size of the fork by about 5 to 10 cm.

It is an object of the present invention to arrange the optical control unit in a protected position in order to optimize the space available in the multi-stage foldable fork and, in particular, to control the position of the top slide.

These and other objects and advantages, which are understood in the following description, are achieved in accordance with the present invention by a multi-stage folding fork having features defined in the appended claims.

A preferred but non-limiting embodiment of a multi-stage foldable fork according to the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a multi-stage telescopic fork according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a prior art multi-stage foldable fork;

1, a preferred embodiment of a multi-stage folding fork according to the present invention comprises a lower base 10, an intermediate slide 20 which is folded in a multi-fold manner with respect to the lower base 10, 20 and a top slide 30 or platform that moves in a multi-stage folding fashion.

The lower base portion 10 has a horizontal base plate 16 and a pair of flanges 11 and 12 vertically arranged laterally extend from the base plate and the flanges extend in a vertical center or intermediate plane P at the same distance in the transverse direction. Viewed in cross-section, the lower base 10 has a substantially inverted-π shape. In the following claims and the detailed description, terms and expressions indicating relative directions and positions, such as "longitudinal "," lateral ", & Shall be interpreted in relation to the "longitudinal direction" of the multi-fold folding motion of the vertical fork.

The flanges 11,12 are symmetrical about the middle plane P at an intermediate position between the longitudinal sides or edges 16a and 16b of the base plate 16 facing each other and the middle plane P And extends from the base plate (16). More specifically, the flanges 11, 12 are located approximately one-third and two-thirds of the path along the distance between the sides 16a, 16b. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the flanges 11, 12 are strongly connected to each other by a horizontal plate 17. The horizontal plate 17 is formed by a horizontal plate portion which is integrally formed with the flanges 11 and 12 and forms a single molded member having an H-shaped cross section together with the flanges 11 and 12 do.

A first set of rollers 13 having a horizontal axis are arranged transversely outside the flanges 11 and 12 so as to support the intermediate slide 20 on the lower base 10 in a multi- Position. The rollers 13 are connected in a rolling motion within two guides formed in the lateral longitudinal cavity 21 in the intermediate slide 20. The cavities (21) face the middle plane (P). The intermediate slide has a second pair of side longitudinal cavities 22 facing outwardly in a transverse direction. A second set of rollers 14 protruding from the vertical transverse outer flanges 36,37 formed in the upper slide 30 are connected in a rolling motion within the cavity 22 to a general structure of known type do.

The intermediate slide 20 includes a flat central portion 24 having a horizontal plate shape. The central portion extends like a bridge on the flange (11, 12). A vertical through opening 23 having a longitudinally elongated slot shape is formed at a position in the central region close to one of the longitudinal ends of the intermediate slide 20. A longitudinal rack 25 is centrally formed along the entire lower length of the intermediate slide 20 and protrudes from the lower side of the central portion 24 of the intermediate slide 20.

Parallel longitudinal grooves 26a, 26b act as guides for each chain (not shown) forming within the intermediate slide 20 and forming part of the transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism transfers the sliding movement transmitted to the intermediate slide 20 to the upper slide 30 by a rack mechanism. Each of the chains has a first end fixed to the lower base portion 10 and a second end fixed to the upper slide 30. [

The chain transfer mechanism formed in the fork according to the present invention is arranged closer to the intermediate plane P than arranged in the known fork shown in Fig. The vertical flanges 11, 12 are arranged further apart in the transverse direction so as not to interfere with the transmission chain (not shown in the figure). The grooves 26a and 26b of the chain guiding function at the intermediate position in the transverse direction between the vertical planes P11 and P12 from which the flanges 11 and 12 protrude from the lower base 10, Are formed close to the middle plane (P) of the fork.

According to the above configuration, the optical control unit for directly controlling the position of the upper slide can be arranged in the protection position close to the center of the fork. As the lateral distance between the flanges 11, 12 increases, the lateral spacing increases between at least one of the lateral flanges 11, 12 and the rack. In order to accommodate a first optical device, such as a photocell F mounted on one of the longitudinal ends of the lower base 10, in a side protective position between the flanges 11,12, There is sufficient space in the transverse direction between the flanges 11, 12. Since a free space is formed between the flanges 11 and 12 and the rack 25, a reflector fixed to the lower surface from one of the longitudinal ends of the upper slide 30, for example, The second optical device can be directly read by the first optical device when the through-hole 23 is aligned between the second optical device, which is a reflective element, such as the optical element C, and the photocell F. The photocell F, the through-opening 23 and the reflector C are located in the same plane in which the vertical plane is preferred. In the illustrated embodiment, when the fork reaches a prescribed working position, such as the end of the fully retracted stroke position, the two optics and the through opening 23 follow the ideal identical straight line .

It is clear that the optical system is protected from impact and does not increase the overall dimensions. Although the rack 25 extends along the entire length of the intermediate slide, the rack does not interfere with the passage of the light R emitted by the photocell F and reflected by the reflector C. The horizontal plate 17 may be selectively constructed and the provided horizontal plate is fixed to the photocell F and has a through opening 18 or other opening so that the light R is not blocked. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes 18 are aligned vertically with the photocells F. The vertical direction of the light beam R is not essential. The present invention can equally well be applied by orienting the light beam R obliquely to the vertical and, if necessary, tilting the reflector C in a consistent manner. Using the reflector is advantageous because the reflector effectively spreads the reflected light toward the receiver without absolute verticality conditions. When the light beam R is tilted with respect to the intermediate plane P, the light beam emitted from the end of the prescribed position of the fork, typically at the fully retracted position of the fork, The openings 23 are arranged or designed.

The present invention is not necessarily limited to optical devices including a single photocell that operates as a transmitter and a receiver. According to other embodiments of the invention that are not described herein and are relatively less preferred, one of the vertical planes (P11 or P12) in which one of the flanges 11 or 12 is arranged and a rack An acute angle can be formed between the incident light beam and the reflected light beam in the plane defined by the side surface. In this modification, a transmission optical apparatus and a separate reception optical apparatus are provided. In all cases, the opening 23 is designed to allow reflected light and incident light to pass at the end of the stroke position. Optionally, in the intermediate slide, there may be an opening for the incident light and an opening for the reflected light. In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and having a single transmitting and receiving optic (F), the opening 23 has a slotted shape to allow mechanical clearance in the longitudinal direction between the slides, It is preferable to have a slightly elongated shape in the direction of the arrow.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, which should be considered as an example only. Indeed, the invention may be modified in connection with the shape, dimensions, arrangement and construction of parts, and details of operation. For example, in some conditions of use, a specification in which only two moving slides are provided on the forks is preferred, but is not necessary for applying the present invention. In particular, the present invention may be applied in the form of a fork including three or more moving slides. In these variants, the intermediate slides between the top slide and the base should have openings so that the emitted light and the reflected light can pass at the prescribed position of the fork, typically at the end of the stroke position when the fork is fully retracted.

11, 12 .... flange,
13, 14 .... Rollers,
23 ..... through opening,
24 ..... medium plane,
25 ..... rack.

Claims (13)

A multi-step foldable fork comprising a lower base (10) and a plurality of moving slides (20,30) or elements capable of being multi-folded and foldable, characterized in that the fork is symmetrical about a vertical symmetry plane Each slide 20, 30 is slid by the rollers 13, 14 arranged in each set,
The lower base 10 has a pair of parallel vertical flanges 11 and 12 extending upwardly from the base plate 16 in respective vertical planes P11 and P12 and the flanges are connected to the lower base 10, a set of rollers 13 arranged transversely outside the flanges 11, 12 to hold the intermediate slide 20 in a sliding manner,
The intermediate slide (20) is a multi-step foldable fork having longitudinal grooves (26a, 26b) which act as guides of chains for conveying longitudinal sliding movement to the upper slide (30)
The chain inner grooves 26a and 26b are formed at intermediate positions transversely between the vertical planes P11 and P12 where the flanges 11 and 12 of the lower base 10 extend,
At least a first optical device (F) is fixed to the lower base (10) at an intermediate position located between the flanges (11, 12) and in a transverse direction,
A second optical device (C) is fixed to the lower surface of the upper slide (30)
Wherein at least one through opening (23) is formed in the intermediate slide (20) between the upper slide (30) and the lower base (10), wherein the through opening (23) 1 and the second optics (F, C). 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a rack (25) extending over the entire length of the intermediate slide (20), and an ideal vertical plane in which one of the flanges (11,12) Between the optical devices F and C and the openings 23 (see Fig. 23) between the other ideal vertical planes where the sides of the rack 25 facing the flange 12 extend at a position closest to the flange 12, Is constrained in the lateral direction or in the lateral direction. 3. The multi-step foldable fork according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the through-opening (23) is longitudinally elongated. The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, characterized in that the through openings (23) are formed in a central portion (24) extending like a bridge on the flanges (11, 12). The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, wherein the through openings (23), the first optical device (F) and the second optical device (C) are arranged in a vertical plane at the working position of the fork. The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 5, wherein the through-opening (23), the first optical device (F) and the second optical device (C) are arranged along a vertical straight line at the working position of the fork. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flanges (11,12) are arranged in the middle plane (P) between the opposed longitudinal sides (16a, 16b) of the base plate (16) Are arranged in a symmetrical configuration with respect to the pivot (P). 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the flanges (11,12) are connected strongly by a horizontal plate (17), the horizontal plate (17) is arranged on a first optics (F) And a through hole (18) arranged vertically. The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, wherein said first optical device (F) is an optical transmitter / receiver such as a photocell. The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, characterized in that said first optics (F) is mounted on one of the longitudinal ends of the lower base (10). The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, wherein said second optical device (C) is a reflective element such as a reflector. The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, characterized in that the second optics (C) is arranged in one of the longitudinal ends of the top slide (30). The multi-stage folding fork according to claim 1, wherein the working position of the fork is an end of the stroke position when the fork is contracted in a multi-fold folding manner.

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