A 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a 360° rotating inverted traffic cone straightening device, which relates to the field of special vehicles for the highway maintenance industry. Applicable to automatic cone retrieval vehicles, the device does not need to repeatedly correct the vehicle body to adapt to the direction of the inverted cone, nor does it need to rely on the vehicle body to move forward or backward to provide straightening power. The straightening device includes a mounting plate, a folding mechanism, a rotating mechanism and a swing arm. The folding mechanism includes a folding plate hinged on the mounting plate and a folding power source connected between the mounting plate and the folding plate; the rotating mechanism includes a rotating power source installed on the folding plate and a rotating disk connected to the rotating power source; the top of the swing arm is hinged on the rotating disk, and a swing arm power source is also connected to the rotating disk 2‑3‑3. Overall, it has the advantages of sophisticated structure, good use effect and high action efficiency, and can complete the recovery of inverted cones better and faster.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of special vehicles for highway maintenance industry, and in particular to a 360-degree rotating inverted cone barrel righting device for an automatic cone barrel retracting and unfolding vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards and the rapid development of the logistics industry, the use of motor vehicles is increasing, and with it the frequency of daily maintenance and repair of highway roads. Daily maintenance and repair of highway roads is complex, frequent, and dangerous. During construction, sections of road must be temporarily closed to protect construction equipment and the safety of workers. A common method is to manually place traffic cones to direct traffic. During the initial placement and final retrieval phases, construction workers and equipment are inevitably exposed to dangerous conditions, and long-distance placement is labor-intensive. In today's world of mechanization, intelligence, and informatization, as well as an aging population, it is difficult to attract young people to join the workforce. Considering labor costs and worker safety, designing an automatic cone retractor is necessary and urgent.

[0003] Because the speed on highways is fast and most of them are in wild environments, traffic cones are inevitably affected by wind speed or moving vehicles when roads are closed for construction, causing them to fall over, which will cause trouble for the automatic cone retracting vehicle to retract the cones. Therefore, when designing the automatic cone retracting vehicle, on the one hand, placement and collection should be considered, and at the same time, the function of righting the fallen cones should also be comprehensively considered. The cone righting devices currently designed by relevant units are all limited by working conditions or their own structures, and there are certain problems.

[0004] For example, a Chinese patent document (application number: 201920182524.5) discloses a device for retracting traffic cones with abnormal postures. The case involves a device for retracting traffic cones with abnormal postures, including a guide mechanism and a vertical cone mechanism arranged on either side of the guide mechanism, wherein the guide mechanism includes a guide mechanism frame, a cone blocking rod arranged on the top of the guide mechanism frame, a guide mechanism electric push rod and an electric push rod mounting frame, and the guide mechanism electric push rod is installed on the electric push rod mounting frame; the vertical cone mechanism includes a vertical cone mechanism frame, a vertical cone mechanism electric push rod installed on the vertical cone mechanism frame, and the end of the vertical cone mechanism electric push rod is connected to the vertical cone blocking rod. Its working process: the horizontal and vertical swing of the blocking cone rod is controlled by the electric push rod lever. When the inverted cone barrel seat is adjusted to the horizontal range of the blocking cone rod, the blocking cone rod is lowered, and at the same time, the whole vehicle is used to provide power by moving forward or backward to adjust the cone barrel, and then it is retracted normally. However, the following problems actually exist in this case:

[0005] 1) When the cones fall along the vehicle, it is relatively easy to right them. However, if they are at a certain angle or perpendicular to the vehicle, the vehicle must be repeatedly adjusted to accommodate the cones. Righting may even be impossible due to lane width limitations.

[0006] 2) The inverted cone barrel involved in this invention is a special plastic cone barrel with a hard regular polygonal base, while standard cone barrels are difficult to use due to their large mass, soft texture and high center of gravity.

[0007] For another example, a Chinese patent document (application number: 202211398878.6) discloses a device for straightening a fallen traffic cone. The device includes a straightening frame, a linear mechanism, two straightening links, and a double V-rod fixedly connected to the two straightening links. The linear mechanism is used to extend or retract the specially made double V-rod to the lower part of the vehicle body. The forward or backward movement of the entire vehicle is also used to provide power. The fallen cone is straightened by relying on the specially made arc-shaped guide rod at the bottom of the double V-rod. Although the mechanism can be used for standard cones, as in the above case, there is also the problem of repeatedly adjusting the vehicle body to adapt to the fallen cone, or even being unable to straighten it. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In response to the above problems, the present invention proposes a 360° rotating inverted traffic cone straightening device, which can be applied to automatic cone retrieval and deployment vehicles. The device does not require repeated correction of the vehicle body to adapt to the direction of the inverted cone, nor does it rely on the forward or backward movement of the vehicle body to provide straightening power. Moreover, after straightening, the position of the cone is at the cone retraction position, and the cone retraction action can be performed after straightening.

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the straightening device includes a mounting plate 2-1, a folding mechanism 2-2, a rotating mechanism 2-3 and a swing arm 2-4; the folding mechanism 2-2 includes a folding plate 2-2-4 hinged on the mounting plate 2-1 and a folding power source connected between the mounting plate 2-1 and the folding plate 2-2-4, and the folding plate 2-2-4 is driven to flip up and down by the folding power source; the rotating mechanism 2-3 includes a rotating power source installed on the folding plate 2-2-4 and a rotating disk 2-3-3 connected to the rotating power source;

[0010] The top end of the swing arm 2-4 is hinged on the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the bottom end of the swing arm 2-4 is a pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4; a swing arm power source is also connected to the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the swing arm power source is connected between the swing arm 2-4 and the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the swing arm 2-4 is driven to swing back and forth by the swing arm power source.

[0011] Furthermore, the swing arm 2-4 includes a long arm rod 2-4-2, a short arm rod 2-4-6, an opening plate 2-4-5 and a pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4. The top end of the long arm rod 2-4-2 is hinged at the center of the rotating disk 2-3-3. The opening plate 2-4-5 is fixedly connected to the long arm rod 2-4-2 through the short arm rod 2-4-6, and a cone barrel accommodating groove is opened in the opening plate 2-4-5. A pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4 are fixedly connected to the opening plate 2-4-5 and are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the cone barrel accommodating groove.

[0012] Furthermore, a reinforcing plate 2-4-7 is fixedly connected to the side of the short arm rod 2-4-6, one end of the reinforcing plate 2-4-7 is fixedly connected to the top end of the short arm rod 2-4-6, and the other end is fixedly connected to the opening plate 2-4-5.

[0013] Furthermore, the swing arm power source is a swing arm cylinder 2-4-8, one end of the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is hinged to the swing arm cylinder seat 2-4-9 fixedly connected to the disk surface of the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the other end of the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is hinged to the swing arm ear plate 2-4-3 fixedly connected to the middle part of the long arm rod 2-4-2.

[0014] Furthermore, the rotating power source is a servo motor 2-3-1, the housing of the servo motor 2-3-1 is fixedly connected to the folding plate 2-2-4 through a motor seat 2-3-4, and the output shaft of the servo motor 2-3-1 is connected to the center of the rotating disk 2-3-3 through a reducer 2-3-2.

[0015] Furthermore, the folding power source is a folding cylinder 2-2-2, one end of the folding cylinder 2-2-2 is hinged to a folding cylinder seat 2-2-1 fixedly connected to the mounting plate 2-1, and the other end of the folding cylinder 2-2-2 is hinged to the folding plate 2-2-4.

[0016] The mounting plate 2-1 is used to fix the entire device at the rear end of the cone-retracting frame 1 and serves as a fixed carrier for the folding mechanism 2-2.

[0017] The folding mechanism 2-2 is used to fold the swing arm 2-4 into the inside of the cone retracting frame 1. When the automatic cone retracting vehicle is transferred, the entire traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 needs to be flipped up and retracted into the vehicle compartment 5, and then the rear door is closed. If the swing arm 2-4 is not folded inward, the swing arm 2-4 will interfere with the roof when the traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 is flipped up.

[0018] The rotating mechanism 2-3 is designed to adjust the cone's tilting posture according to the desired position. The rotating mechanism 2-3 can be used to rotate the swing arm 2-4 to the position corresponding to the tilted cone. Furthermore, when the automatic cone retractor is moving or retrieving a cone in its normal upright position, the rotating mechanism 2-3 can automatically or manually adjust the swing arm 2-4 to the desired position.

[0019] The swing arm 2-4 is the actuator of the righting device, which is raised by the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8. When the swing arm 2-4 is adjusted to above the cone barrel, the swing arm 2-4 is swung down, and the arc guide rod 2-4-4 at the lower end of the swing arm 2-4 is in tangential contact with the plane on the base of the cone barrel. The inertia of the swing arm 2-4 is used to straighten the fallen cone barrel. The opening formed in the middle of the two arc guide rods 2-4-4 can support the cone barrel and prevent it from tipping over during the righting process.

[0020] The purpose of this solution is to adjust the falling direction of a cone without relying on the vehicle's forward or backward motion to provide the righting force, thus better adapting to the complex cone retrieval environment in real-world situations. When the fallen cone is within the swing arm's control range, the swing arm is first rotated so that the opening plate (i.e., the cone receiving slot) covers the cone. The swing arm cylinder is then activated, causing the arc guide rod to be tangent to the plane on the cone base. The swing arm cylinder then drives the swing arm to swing, causing the fallen cone to flip around its bottom edge in contact with the ground, thereby achieving reversal and righting of the fallen cone. Ultimately, even when facing a 360°-overturned cone, the cone can be reversibly righted without relying on the vehicle's forward or backward motion. Once the cone is righted, it is in the retraction position, allowing the retraction action to proceed. Overall, it offers the advantages of a compact structure, excellent performance, and high operational efficiency, enabling faster and more efficient recovery of fallen cones. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is the usage status reference for this case Figure 1 ,

[0022] Figure 2 This is the usage status reference for this case Figure 2 ,

[0023] Figure 3 This is the usage status reference for this case Figure 3 ,

[0024] Figure 4a This is the front view of this case.

[0025] Figure 4b This is a three-dimensional diagram of this case.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the mounting plate in this case.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the folding mechanism in this case.

[0028] Figure 7a This is the front view of the rotating mechanism in this case.

[0029] Figure 7b This is a three-dimensional diagram of the rotating mechanism in this case.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the swing arm in this case.

[0031] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the implementation method of this case;

[0032] In the figure, 1. Cone retracting frame; 2. Righting device; 3. Standard cone barrel; 4. Tail swing antenna; 5. Carriage compartment; 6. Traffic cone retracting and deploying mechanism;

[0033] 2-1, mounting plate; 2-2, folding mechanism; 2-3, rotating mechanism; 2-4, swing arm;

[0034] 2-2-1, folding cylinder base; 2-2-2, folding cylinder; 2-2-3, hinge; 2-2-4, folding plate;

[0035] 2-3-1, servo motor; 2-3-2, reducer; 2-3-3, rotating disk; 2-3-4, motor base; 2-3-5, articulated base; 2-3-6, pressure plate;

[0036] 2-4-1, articulated column; 2-4-2, long arm rod; 2-4-3, swing arm ear plate; 2-4-4, arc guide rod; 2-4-5, opening plate; 2-4-6, short arm rod; 2-4-7, reinforcement plate; 2-4-8, swing arm cylinder; 2-4-9, swing arm cylinder seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to clearly illustrate the technical features of this patent, this patent is described in detail below through specific implementation methods and in combination with its accompanying drawings.

[0038] The righting device recorded in this case can be installed at the tail end of the traffic cone retracting and releasing mechanism 6. For the cone barrel retracting and releasing mechanism, there are many in the prior art, such as the case named "An auxiliary traffic cone retracting and releasing mechanism" and the application number "202211397859.1". The purpose of this case is to adaptively adjust the cone barrel according to its falling direction, and then right the cone barrel. In the process, there is no need to rely on the vehicle body to move forward or backward to provide righting power, so as to better adapt to the complex cone retracting environment in actual conditions.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the straightening device includes a mounting plate 2-1, a folding mechanism 2-2, a rotating mechanism 2-3 and a swing arm 2-4. The mounting plate 2-1 is the load-bearing carrier of the entire straightening device. The mounting plate 2-1 can be fixedly mounted on the cone retracting frame 1 in the auxiliary traffic cone retracting mechanism, or a separate mounting frame can be made to fix the mounting plate 2-1 on the tail belt frame, so that the straightening device recorded in this case can be located as a whole behind the tail conveyor belt.

[0040] The folding mechanism 2-2 includes a folding plate 2-2-4 hinged to the mounting plate 2-1 by a hinge 2-2-3 and a folding power source connected between the mounting plate 2-1 and the folding plate 2-2-4, and the folding power source drives the folding plate 2-2-4 to flip up and down; the rotating mechanism 2-3 includes a rotating power source installed on the folding plate 2-2-4 and a rotating disk 2-3-3 connected to the rotating power source;

[0041] The top end of the swing arm 2-4 is hinged on the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the bottom end of the swing arm 2-4 is a pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4; a swing arm power source is also connected to the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the swing arm power source is connected between the swing arm 2-4 and the rotating disk 2-3-3, and the swing arm 2-4 is driven to swing back and forth by the swing arm power source.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, when the automatic cone bucket retracting and releasing vehicle reverses normally to retract the vertical cone, the straightening device is in idle state and is at the zero position. Each time the cone bucket is straightened, the swing arm 2-4 needs to be automatically or manually rotated to this position. At this time, the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is in the fully extended state.

[0043] When the automatic cone barrel retracting vehicle is reversing to retract cones, if it encounters a fallen cone barrel, it is necessary to reverse so that the straightening device is near the cone barrel, specifically until the tail swing feeler 4 is about to touch the cone barrel. When the fallen cone barrel is retracted, the traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 can swing left and right (the swinging or flipping driving structure of the traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 can be the same as the swinging driving mechanism and flipping driving mechanism recorded in the case named "A cone barrel retracting device" and application number "202210703367.4"). The traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 needs to be adjusted to make the fallen cone barrel within the control range of the swing arm 2-4, and then the rotation mechanism 2-3 is controlled to move so that the opening of the opening plate 2-4-5 can cover the cone barrel, and then the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is started to make the arc guide rod 2-4-4 tangent to the plane on the cone barrel base, and the swinging action of the swing arm 2-4 is used to make the fallen cone barrel flip with the bottom edge in contact with the ground as the axis, thereby achieving straightening. Figure 1 shown.

[0044] To ensure safety, when the automatic cone barrel retracting vehicle is transferred, the entire traffic cone retracting mechanism 6 at the rear end needs to be flipped up and retracted into the vehicle compartment 5, and the folding mechanism 2-2 must also be retracted into the vehicle compartment 5 together with the traffic cone retracting mechanism 6. In order to avoid interference between the righting device and the vehicle roof during the process of flipping up and retracting the traffic cone retracting mechanism 6, the swing arm 2-4 needs to be folded through the folding mechanism 2-2. The folded state is as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0045] The swing arm 2-4 includes a long arm 2-4-2, a short arm 2-4-6, a baffle plate 2-4-5, and a pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4. The top end of the long arm 2-4-2 is hinged to the center of the rotating disk 2-3-3. The baffle plate 2-4-5 is fixedly connected to the long arm 2-4-2 via the short arm 2-4-6. The baffle plate 2-4-5 is provided with a cone barrel accommodating groove. The pair of arc guide rods 2-4-4 are both fixedly connected to the baffle plate 2-4-5 and symmetrically arranged on either side of the cone barrel accommodating groove. The cone barrel accommodating groove is used to reserve space for the cone barrel to flip, and the arc guide rods are used to contact the outer wall of the cone barrel. When the arc guide rods and the inverted cone barrel are in the same direction, the inverted cone barrel can be flipped and reversed. When the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is fully retracted, the swing arm 2-4 is basically in the middle of the cone frame 1, which is convenient for the folding mechanism 2-2 to perform the folding action. It can also make the swing arm 2-4 tangentially contact with the cone barrel base as early as possible when swinging down, and extend the swing arc distance downward, thereby improving the success rate of cone barrel righting.

[0046] In addition, the two arc guide rods 2-4-4 symmetrically welded on the front of the opening plate 2-4-5 always keep tangential contact with the plane on the base of the cone barrel when the top surface of the arc swings down to support the cone. The opening formed on its side can be used as a positioning reference when the rotating mechanism 2-3 rotates to align the cone barrel, and can also play an auxiliary guiding role in the process of supporting the cone to prevent the cone barrel from tipping over.

[0047] A reinforcing plate 2-4-7 is fixedly connected to the short arm 2-4-6, one end of which is fixedly connected to the top of the short arm 2-4-6, and the other end is fixedly connected to the opening plate 2-4-5. This provides auxiliary support for the opening plate to ensure the stability of the connection between the opening plate and the short arm.

[0048] Regarding the swing arm's power source: It's powered by a swing arm cylinder 2-4-8, one end of which is hinged to a swing arm cylinder base 2-4-9 fixedly connected to the surface of the rotating disk 2-3-3. The other end of the swing arm cylinder 2-4-8 is hinged to a swing arm lug 2-4-3 fixedly connected to the middle of the long arm rod 2-4-2. This allows the entire swing arm to swing back and forth as the swing arm cylinder retracts and retracts, allowing the arm to contact the inverted cone.

[0049] Regarding the rotary power source: the rotary power source is a servo motor 2-3-1. The housing of the servo motor 2-3-1 is fixedly connected to the folding plate 2-2-4 via the motor base 2-3-4. The output shaft of the servo motor 2-3-1 is connected to the center of the rotating disk 2-3-3 via the speed reducer 2-3-2. The servo motor drives the rotating disk to rotate relative to the motor base 2-3-4, that is, relative to the folding plate 2-2-4, to facilitate alignment of the inverted cone barrel.

[0050] Regarding the folding power source: The folding power source is a folding cylinder 2-2-2. One end of the folding cylinder 2-2-2 is hinged to a folding cylinder base 2-2-1 fixedly connected to the mounting plate 2-1, and the other end of the folding cylinder 2-2-2 is hinged to the folding plate 2-2-4. The telescopic movement of the folding cylinder drives the folding plate to flip up and down, thereby achieving the overall folding or unfolding effect.

[0051] In addition, in order to reduce the rotational inertia of the folding mechanism 2-2, symmetrical holes are opened on the folding plate 2-2-4 to reduce weight, which can also reduce the wind resistance of the hem.

[0052] There are many specific implementation ways of the present invention. The above is only the preferred implementation method of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements should also be considered as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device, characterized in that: The straightening device comprises a mounting plate (2-1), a folding mechanism (2-2), a rotating mechanism (2-3) and a swing arm (2-4); the folding mechanism (2-2) comprises a folding plate (2-2-4) hinged on the mounting plate (2-1) and a folding power source connected between the mounting plate (2-1) and the folding plate (2-2-4); the folding plate (2-2-4) is driven to flip up and down by the folding power source; the rotating mechanism (2-3) comprises a rotating power source mounted on the folding plate (2-2-4) and a rotating disk (2-3-3) connected to the rotating power source; The top end of the swing arm (2-4) is hinged on the rotating disk (2-3-3), and the bottom end of the swing arm (2-4) is a pair of arc guide rods (2-4-4); a swing arm power source is also connected to the rotating disk (2-3-3), and the swing arm power source is connected between the swing arm (2-4) and the rotating disk (2-3-3), and drives the swing arm (2-4) to swing back and forth through the swing arm power source; The swing arm (2-4) comprises a long arm rod (2-4-2), a short arm rod (2-4-6), an opening plate (2-4-5) and a pair of circular arc guide rods (2-4-4); the top end of the long arm rod (2-4-2) is hinged to the center of the rotating disk (2-3-3); the opening plate (2-4-5) is fixedly connected to the long arm rod (2-4-2) via the short arm rod (2-4-6); a cone barrel accommodating groove is provided in the opening plate (2-4-5); and the pair of circular arc guide rods (2-4-4) are both fixedly connected to the opening plate (2-4-5) and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the cone barrel accommodating groove.

2. The 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reinforcing plate (2-4-7) is also fixedly connected to the side of the short arm rod (2-4-6); one end of the reinforcing plate (2-4-7) is fixedly connected to the top end of the short arm rod (2-4-6), and the other end is fixedly connected to the opening plate (2-4-5).

3. The 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swing arm power source is a swing arm cylinder (2-4-8), one end of the swing arm cylinder (2-4-8) is hinged to a swing arm cylinder seat (2-4-9) fixedly connected to the disk surface of the rotating disk (2-3-3), and the other end of the swing arm cylinder (2-4-8) is hinged to a swing arm ear plate (2-4-3) fixedly connected to the middle part of the long arm rod (2-4-2).

4. The 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating power source is a servo motor (2-3-1), the housing of the servo motor (2-3-1) is fixedly connected to the folding plate (2-2-4) via a motor base (2-3-4), and the output shaft of the servo motor (2-3-1) is connected to the center of the rotating disk (2-3-3) via a speed reducer (2-3-2).

5. The 360° rotating inverted traffic cone righting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folding power source is a folding cylinder (2-2-2), one end of the folding cylinder (2-2-2) is hinged to a folding cylinder seat (2-2-1) fixedly connected to the mounting plate (2-1), and the other end of the folding cylinder (2-2-2) is hinged to the folding plate (2-2-4).

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