Vehicle dollies

Abstract

maneuvering roller (1) for vehicles, comprising a chassis (2); at least three rollers (4) arranged on an edge region (2b) of the chassis (2); and a star holder (3) arranged on a lower region (2a) of the chassis (2), wherein the star holder (3) has a support tube (3a) at the upper end of which a plurality of projecting teeth (3b) are arranged.

Description

Field of the InventionThe invention relates to a maneuvering scooter for vehicles, to a use of a maneuvering scooter for maneuvering vehicles and to a star holder for a maneuvering scooter.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe laid-open specification DE 4219868 A1 discloses a steerable wheel scooter for towing vehicles, in which the wheels are mounted in a steerable manner with the respective associated axle and the two axle bearings of each axle are connected to one another by a track rod.Object of the InventionThe object of the invention is to provide a maneuvering scooter for vehicles which is improved in comparison with the prior art. In particular, a maneuvering scooter is to be provided which enables the maneuvering of damaged vehicles in a safe and reliable manner.Solution according to the inventionThe solution of the stated object is achieved by a maneuvering roller according to claim 1. a maneuvering roller according to the invention can have a chassis, at least three rollers arranged on an edge region of the chassis and / or a star holder arranged on a lower region of the chassis. According to the invention, the star holder can have a carrier tube, at the upper end of which a plurality of projecting serrations can be arranged.A maneuvering scooter according to the invention is provided in particular for making a vehicle that, for example, lacks a wheel, for example, due to an accident or due to maintenance or repair work, or has an accident-related wheel position, for example, maneuverable by a part of the vehicle resting on the maneuvering scooter. The star holder serves as an interface or support for the vehicle. A major part of the load can rest on the carrier tube, wherein the prongs of the star holder can prevent the vehicle from slipping.According to the present invention, a chassis is an element which connects a star holder disposed on the chassis to at least three rollers disposed on the chassis, and distributes a load acting on the star holder to the rollers. A region of the chassis to which the rollers are fastened is referred to below as the upper region or edge region, and a region of the chassis in which the star holder is arranged is referred to below as the lower region or load region. A transition region can also be arranged between the lower and the upper region.The maneuvering scooter is designed, for example, to be moved on a substantially planar underlying surface, for example a workshop floor or a road or a parking lot. If reference is made below to the underlying surface, this is assumed to be a flat plane. Heights or distances from the base are to be measured perpendicular to the base, wherein the height 0 mm (millimeter) is emphasized to the base.The solution to the problem set is also achieved by indicating use of a maneuvering scooter for maneuvering a vehicle.The solution to the problem set is furthermore achieved by a star holder for a maneuvering roller.Preferred Embodiments of the InventionAdvantageous embodiments and refinements, which can be used individually or in combination with one another, are the subject matter of the dependent claims.A preferred maneuvering roller can have four rollers. This advantageously allows the maneuvering roller to stand particularly stably on the underlying surface and minimizes a possible risk of tilting. Furthermore, it is advantageously possible for the load acting on the maneuvering roller to be distributed uniformly over four rollers, as a result of which the load per roller is lower.The diameter of the rollers can be, for example, preferably 50 mm, particularly preferably 100 mm, even particularly preferably 150 mm or 200 mm. Preferably, the load per roll can be at least 100 kg, particularly preferably at least 200 kg, further particularly preferably at least 300 kg, at least 400 kg, at least 500 kg, at least 600 kg or at least 1000 kg. Of course, any intermediate values are also conceivable in a suitable manner.Preferably, the star holder may be configured to bear a load of at least 300 kg, 400 kg, 500 kg, 600 kg, 800 kg, 1000 kg or 2000 kg. Of course, any intermediate values are also conceivable in a suitable manner.A preferred chassis is accordingly designed to distribute the load absorbed by the star holder to the rollers. In addition, at least one, and even more preferably at least two of the rollers preferably have a front stop and / or a rear stop, so that the at least one or two rollers can be locked and the maneuvering roller can thus be secured against unintentional rolling away. Preferably, the rollers each comprise a tyre of an elastic material, e.g. rubber. It is thereby advantageously possible for the maneuvering roller to be moved on a substrate in a particularly low-noise and / or low-vibration manner. In addition, it is preferred that the rollers comprise a rim made of a particularly light metal or a metal alloy, e.g. aluminum or an aluminum alloy.Alternative embodiments of the maneuvering roller can have more than four rollers, preferably at least five, six, seven or at least eight rollers, wherein the rollers are also designed as double rollers. As a result, the load acting on the rollers can be particularly high, for example when the vehicle to be maneuvered has a particularly high mass, such as a truck or an omnibus. The rollers are preferably fastened to the chassis by means of screws, particularly preferably four pieces.It is preferred that the star holder has four serrations. This can achieve the advantage that gripping around and / or holding a part of a vehicle is particularly successful. In the case of four prongs, for example, an axle, a strut and / or a frame part of a vehicle can be accommodated particularly favorably between the prongs, since four prongs can be arranged in such a way that a gripping receptacle for an elongate structure is always produced. In an embodiment with five regularly arranged serrations, however, one serrations could always make it difficult to engage around an elongate structure.Alternative embodiments of the star holder include more than four prongs, for example five, six, seven, eight or more prongs. Embodiments with more than four serrations can be advantageous, for example, when engaging around a wheel suspension or other rather round-shaped vehicle parts. The serrations can preferably protrude radially outwards from the carrier tube and / or preferably upwards, so that a gripping trough which simulates an open hand with fingers spread upwards can advantageously be formed. Particularly preferably, the serrations are arranged regularly, preferably circumferentially, on the carrier tube.In a preferred maneuvering roller, a first distance between the lower region (loading region) and a subgrade is smaller than a second distance between the upper region (edge region) and the subgrade. The second distance is preferably at least as large as the diameter of the rollers. A loading area lying lower relative to the edge area can achieve the advantage that the center of gravity lies closer to the underlying surface, whereby the stability of the maneuvering scooter can be increased. Furthermore, the advantage can be achieved that vehicle parts in the vicinity of the region of the vehicle resting on the star holder have more free space than in the case of an embodiment of the maneuvering scooter with a planar chassis-that is to say with the same first and second distance.A preferred maneuvering roller has a star holder which is rotatable. Particularly preferably, the star holder is rotatable about a vertical axis which runs perpendicular to the load region. For this purpose, the support tube preferably has a circular cross section, so that the support tube preferably has a cylindrical shape. It is further preferred that the chassis has a circular receptacle for the support tube, which receptacle is dimensioned such that the support tube can be rotated in the receptacle about its longitudinal axis (cylinder axis). This advantageously makes it possible to continuously adjust the orientation of the star holder relative to the chassis.The maneuvering roller can preferably have a locking mechanism which makes it possible to prevent undesired rotation of the carrier tube in the receptacle. In alternative embodiments of the star holder, the carrier tube has an angular cross section, preferably that of a regular polygon, for example that of a square, a pentagonal, a hexagon, a heptagon or an octagonal. Preferably, the receptacle in the chassis has a cross section adapted accordingly thereto. This advantageously makes it possible to set the orientation of the star holder stepwise relative to the chassis, rotation of the star holder being prevented by the angular cross section. According to the above geometric cross-sectional shapes, rotations may be made at intervals of 90 degrees, 72 degrees, 60 degrees, 360 / 7 degrees, or 45 degrees. Any angular indications always relate here to a full circle of 360 degrees.In a maneuvering roller with three rollers, it is preferred that at least one roller is designed as a rotary roller that is rotatably mounted in a rotary bearing. In a preferred maneuvering roller, in particular in a maneuvering roller having four rollers, at least two of the rollers are designed as rotary rollers, which are each rotatably mounted in a rotary bearing. The pivot bearing permits rotation of the roller about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller itself. As a result, a particularly maneuverable range roller can be realized.In a preferred maneuvering roller, the star holder is height-adjustable. It is preferred that the height of the star holder can be adjusted by, for example, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 50 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm and / or 200 mm. Of course, any intermediate values are also conceivable in a suitable manner.Preferably, the height can be adjusted in the vertical direction, i.e. perpendicular to the ground or perpendicular to the load area. This achieves the advantage that the height of the star holder can be adapted to the respective requirements. Particularly preferably, the maneuvering roller has a locking mechanism which permits a continuous height adjustment. It is further preferred that the height adjustment and / or rotation of the star holder can be fixed with the same locking mechanism.Alternatively, a stepwise height adjustment can be carried out, for example by arranging bores or slots in the carrier tube, which correspond to corresponding bores or slots in the locking mechanism and allow fixing by means of a bolt. Alternatively, a height adjustment of the star holder can be achieved by storing a plurality of star holders with carrier tubes of different lengths, which can be exchanged. This makes it possible to achieve a particularly simple construction of the maneuvering roller, which in particular dispenses with a locking mechanism for the height adjustment. Thus, it is preferred that the star holder is detachably mounted on the chassis.In a preferred maneuvering roller, the star holder can have supporting means. Support means can advantageously define how deeply the carrier tube of the star holder penetrates into the corresponding receptacle in the chassis. In addition, the support means can advantageously increase the stability of the star holder. In particular, a smooth rotation or extraction and / or insertion of the star holder can thus be achieved by a sufficiently wide play (as a production- and / or application-dependent freedom of movement between the components) with high tilting stability.A particularly preferred support means is a support collar. A preferred support collar can be designed as a projection running circumferentially on and / or perpendicular to the carrier tube. Particularly preferably, the support collar can run around the entire circumference or only in sections on the circumference of the carrier tube. The support collar can preferably have at least twice the diameter of the carrier tube. The stability of the star holder can thereby be ensured in a particularly advantageous manner.Particularly preferably, a support means can have a coating, for example made of Teflon and / or other friction-reducing and / or surface-protecting materials, on the side facing the chassis, which can advantageously reduce the friction between the support means and the chassis. A coating may also be provided in the receptacle or the surface of the load area.Particularly preferably, the carrier tube can also have a coating which reduces the friction between the carrier tube and the inner walls of the receptacle. It is preferred that the diameter of a preferably circular support collar is twice as large as the diameter of the support tube.In a preferred maneuvering roller, the chassis can be manufactured in one piece. Particularly preferably, the chassis can be manufactured in one piece from a metal, for example aluminum, or a metal alloy, for example an aluminum alloy. This advantageously makes it possible for the maneuvering roller to become particularly stable, durable and / or light. In a particularly advantageous manner, a chassis can be milled in one piece from a block of metal or metal alloy, for example with a CNC milling machine.Alternative embodiments of the chassis can be produced from a plastic, for example in an injection molding process. This advantageously allows a particularly economical mass production of a chassis according to the invention to be achieved. Alternatively, the chassis can also be manufactured as a tubular frame and / or from steel profiles. Further, the chassis may be formed as a simple planar plate, whereby the construction can be simplified.Brief Description of the DrawingsFurther advantageous embodiments are described in greater detail below by way of example with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, to which the invention is, however, not restricted.They show schematically: FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a maneuvering scooter according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the exemplary embodiment of a maneuvering roller according to the invention. FIG. 3 shows a front view of the exemplary embodiment of a maneuvering scooter according to the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO AN EMBODIMENTIn the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, like reference numerals designate like or comparable components.FIGS. 1 to 3 show an exemplary embodiment of the maneuvering scooter 1 according to the invention with a star holder 3 according to the invention. The maneuvering scooter 1 according to the invention has a chassis 2 which comprises a planar loading region 2 awhich is connected to two edge regions 2 bvia two oblique transition regions 2 c. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 3, the loading region 2a has a distance D1 from the base 6, which is smaller than the distance D2 of the edge regions 2b. In the embodiment shown, the distance D1 is 41 mm and the distance D2 is 108 mm. The edge areas 2b and loading areas 2a are aligned parallel to the base 6.The transition regions 2 care angled by 45 degrees, for example, so that a cross section is produced, as shown in FIG. 3. Other angles, for example, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, or 90 degrees may also be useful in alternative embodiments. The center of gravity of the maneuvering scooter 1 can be displaced closer to the underlying surface 6 by the lower loading region 2 a, whereby a particularly stable position of the maneuvering scooter 1 on the underlying surface 6 is achieved and tilting under load can be largely prevented. The chassis 2 is milled in one piece from a solid block of aluminium, so that a particularly rigid and light construction is achieved.The maneuvering scooter 1 according to the exemplary embodiment has four heavy-duty steering scooters 4 from Wicke of the type Elastic with a roller diameter of, for example, 100 mm, which are respectively fastened to the four corners of the substantially rectangular chassis 2 with, for example, four M8 screws 5 and four M8 nuts, wherein the chassis 2 has corresponding bores for the screws 5. Of course, in further embodiments other screw sizes or fastening means can also be used in a suitable manner. The chassis 2 has a width (view of FIG. 3 ) of, for example, 703 mm and a length (view of FIG. 2 ) of, for example, 350 mm. In the position shown in FIG. 2, the maximum width of the maneuvering roller determined by the diameter of the rollers 4 is, for example, 398 mm. The rollers each have elastic rubber tires 4a which are drawn on aluminum rims 4b. The rubber tires 4 aallow low-noise and low-vibration running of the maneuvering roller 1 on the underlying surface 6. the rollers 4 each have an axis 4 carranged parallel to the underlying surface 6 and are also mounted with a pivot bearing 4 dthat allows rotations about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the underlying surface 6.Centrally on the load surface of the chassis 2 there is arranged a star holder 3 which is detachably fastened in a receptacle in the chassis 2. The fastening mechanism is not shown in the figures. The height of the star holder 3, measured from the base 6 to the highest edge of the serrations 3 b, is, for example, 190 mm. The star holder 3 comprises a cylindrical carrier tube 3 awith a circular cross section and four circumferentially and regularly arranged serrations 3 bat the upper end of the carrier tube 3 a.At a lower end of the support tube 3a, a support collar 3c projecting perpendicularly to the outer surface of the support tube 3a is arranged, which support collar prevents the star holder 3 from slipping through in the receptacle of the chassis 2 and can improve the stability of the star holder 3, in particular when the weight of a vehicle loads it. The diameter of the support tube 3 acan be, for example, 56 mm. The diameter of the supporting collar 3 cmay be 112 mm, for example. The support tube 3a has, for example, a length of 120 mm, a part of which can protrude below the loading region 2a.The star holder 3 can be made of steel, wherein the prongs 3 band the supporting collar 3 care welded circumferentially to the carrier tube 3 a. According to the invention, however, other materials such as plastics, for example, can also be used, which can be reinforced with glass and / or carbon fibers, for example.The star holder 3 is also rotatable, so that the orientation of the prongs 3 bcan be selected such that an optimum gripping effect with the part of a vehicle to be held can be ensured. The orientation can be fixed by means of an optional locking mechanism, not shown.The exemplary maneuvering scooter 1 is provided in particular for making a vehicle maneuverable, which for example fails or has a failure of a wheel due to an accident or due to maintenance. For this purpose, the vehicle is raised, for example, with a lifting device, and the maneuvering scooter 1 is brought, for example, under an axle, a wheel suspension or a strut. Then, the vehicle is lowered so that the vehicle is placed on the star holder 3.The maneuvering scooter 1 can thus replace a missing or missing wheel and thus make the vehicle maneuverable in the workshop, so that it can advantageously be moved and maneuvered solely by muscle power of one or more persons. The connection between the vehicle and the maneuvering roller 1 is ensured by gravity. The prongs 3 bof the star holder 3 prevent the vehicle from slipping during maneuvering, for example by engaging around part of an axle.If a different height of the star holder 3 than the above-mentioned one is required, the star holder 3 can be replaced in few handles by a star holder 3 with, for example, a longer or shorter carrier tube 3 a. The serrations 3 bof the star holder 3 have a maximum span of 180 mm measured parallel to the base 6. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the carrier tube 3 aof the star holder 3 has cross braces in the interior, which further increase the stability of the carrier tube 3 a.The exemplary embodiment of the maneuvering roller 1 can, for example, bear a maximum load of approximately 600 kg. The maneuvering scooter 1 is thus suitable in particular for passenger cars. Other embodiments (not shown) may carry higher loads of, for example, 1000 kg or 2000 kg or more and are thus also suitable for trucks or buses, among other things.The features disclosed in the above description, the claims and the drawings can be important for the realization of the invention in its various configurations both individually and in any combination.List of reference characters1 Maneuvering roller 2 Chassis 2 aLoading region (lower region) 2 b Edge region (upper region) 2 cTransition region 3 Star holder 3 a Träger tube 3 b Zacken 3 c Abstütz collar (support means) 4 Roller 4 a Reifen 4 b Rim 4 c Achse 4 d Drehlager bearing 5 Bolts (fastening means) 6 Base D 1 Distance Base - lower region D 2 Distance Base - upper region

Claims

A maneuvering roller (1) for vehicles, comprising a chassis (2); at least three rollers (4) arranged on an edge region (2b) of the chassis (2); and a star holder (3) arranged on a lower region (2a) of the chassis (2), wherein the star holder (3) comprises a carrier tube (3a), at the upper end of which a plurality of projecting serrations (3b) is arranged.The maneuvering roller (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the maneuvering roller (1) has four rollers (4).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the star holder (3) has four serrations (3b).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first distance (D1) between the lower region (2a) and a base (6) is smaller than a second distance (D2) between the edge region (2b) and the base (6).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the star holder (3) is rotatable.The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two of the rollers (4) are designed as rotary rollers, which are each rotatably mounted in a rotary bearing (4d).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the star holder (3) is detachably fastened on the chassis (2).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the star holder (3) is height-adjustable.The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the star holder (3) has support means (3c).The maneuvering roller (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chassis (2) is manufactured in one piece.Use of a maneuvering scooter (1) according to at least one of claims 1 to 10 for maneuvering a vehicle in which at least one wheel is missing, wherein the maneuvering scooter (1) serves for supporting instead of the missing wheel.Star holder (3) for a maneuvering scooter (1) for maneuvering a vehicle, in which at least one wheel is missing or missing.

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