Device to assist in moving a trolley and corresponding movement method

Abstract

Device for assisting the movement of a trolley and corresponding movement method. The present invention relates to a device (1) for assisting the movement of a trolley equipped with free-spinning wheels, comprising: - a handlebar (2), - a gripping handle (22) mounted at one end of the handlebar, - a free-spinning wheel (26) mounted at a second end of the handlebar (24), opposite the first end, - attachment means (4) to the trolley, - an axle, - a frame (6) extending from the second end of the handlebar (2) to the axle, the frame (6) being configured to pass under the trolley, and - two drive wheels (8) with a fixed axis relative to the device (1), arranged on either side of the axle, the drive wheels (8) being dimensioned to pass under the trolley. (Figure 1)

Description

Title of the invention: Device for assisting the movement of a trolley and corresponding movement method

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of industrial production and more specifically concerns a device for assisting the movement of a trolley intended to transport parts from one workshop to another, within a factory.

[0002] To optimize the flow of parts in a factory, it is common to use automated guided vehicles, also known as AGVs (Automatic Guided Vehicles). These vehicles move from one station to another autonomously, following a predetermined path through the factory. The parts they transport are generally placed on trolleys that are configured to cooperate with these vehicles.

[0003] In the automotive industry, in particular, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used to move trolleys with a total weight of approximately 650 kg (kilograms), the parts to be transported often being made of steel. Each of these trolleys has an anchoring zone for an AGV, located underneath the trolley, and is equipped with four free-rolling wheels so as not to impede the movements of the AGV. When an automated guided vehicle (AGV) is out of service or unavailable in a workshop for transporting parts on a trolley, a human operator must push the trolley from that workshop to a destination workshop. This requires the operator to exert pushing forces of up to 25 kgf (kilogram-force), which exceeds occupational health and safety guidelines. Furthermore, the operator is subjected to back strain when moving the trolley due to its free-rolling wheels. This strain can lead to undesirable back problems.

[0004] Using a pallet jack or other handling equipment to move the trolley is unsuitable. In particular, it damages the interface located under the trolley, which is designed to cooperate with the additional guidance systems on the automated guided vehicle. This interface is, for example, a Maltese cross mechanism, which comprises a plurality of guide rails distributed radially around a central point. The guidance systems of the automated guided vehicle are inserted into one or another of the rails depending on the direction of travel required for the trolley. Furthermore, these handling systems are very bulky and poorly suited to transporting parts from one workshop to another. Finally, the trolley's free-spinning wheels make it impossible to move with some of these systems.

[0005] There is therefore a need for a device to assist in the movement of a trolley equipped with with free-spinning wheels, taken in hand by a human operator, the trolley being configured to normally be moved by an automated guided vehicle in order to transport a heavy load from one workshop to another within a factory and the movement assistance device being used by the operator when the automated guided vehicle is not available.

[0006] The present invention aims to remedy at least in part the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a device to assist in moving such a cart, and a method of moving such a cart using the device according to the invention, which in particular prevent a human operator from exerting excessively intense pushing movements and twisting his back when moving the cart.

[0007] To this end, the invention proposes a device to assist the movement of a cart equipped with free-spinning wheels, comprising: - a handlebar, - a gripping handle mounted at one end of the handlebar, - a free-spinning wheel mounted at a second end of the handlebars, opposite the first end, - means of attaching to the trolley, - an axle on which are mounted, on either side, two drive wheels with a fixed axis relative to the device, the drive wheels being sized to pass under the trolley, and - a chassis extending from the second end of the handlebar to the axle, the chassis being configured to pass under the trolley.

[0008] The mobility aid device according to the invention therefore has a generally L-shaped form, with the handlebar extending vertically from the free-spinning wheel of the device, in contact with the ground, and the chassis extending horizontally from the second end of the handlebar to the axle, the drive wheels also being in contact with the ground. The handlebar thus has a generally elongated shape, its main part being a rod, for example tubular or rail-shaped, one end of which corresponds to the second end of the handlebar and is connected to a fork for attaching the free-spinning wheel, the fork being rotatably mounted on this end. The other end of the main part of the handlebar corresponds to the first end of the handlebar, positioned at a higher elevation.Thus, the handle is positioned at least at the height of a human operator's waist, while the vertical dimension of the chassis and drive wheels does not exceed a corresponding vertical dimension of the free space under the cart to be moved. This vertical dimension corresponds, for example, to the height from the ground of the cart's undercarriage structure.

[0009] The invention therefore allows, thanks to the arrangement of a free-running wheel positioned in line with the handlebars and fixed drive wheels positioned under the trolley, opposite the handlebar, via an elongated chassis capable of being slid under the trolley, to move the trolley without being hindered by the trolley's free-roaming wheels, and, thanks to the adapted configuration of the chassis of the movement aid device according to the invention, to move the trolley without damaging a mechanical interface present under the trolley and allowing it to anchor itself to an automatically guided vehicle.

[0010] According to a feature of the movement aid device according to the invention, the hooking means comprise a stop and at least one movable locking element, the stop and the movable locking element being capable of gripping a structural element of the trolley.

[0011] The locking element comprises, for example, a central finger, or two fingers spaced apart. Preferably, the locking element comprises at least two fingers opposite the stop, movable vertically by means of a handle. The locking element is movable in the sense that it can be moved, for example, by means of the handle, to release the structural element of the trolley. The vertical orientation is, of course, defined as perpendicular to the ground, considering the movement aid device according to the invention resting on the ground on its wheels. Alternatively, the locking element comprises more than two movable fingers, or consists of a plate arranged parallel to the stop, movable using the handle.

[0012] According to optional features of the movement assistance device according to the invention, the attachment means are arranged on the handlebars or are fixed to the chassis by means of a foot arranged vertically on a portion of the chassis proximal to the idler wheel. This arrangement allows the stop of the attachment means to be positioned against the structural element of the trolley, simultaneously with a positioning step of the chassis of the movement assistance device according to the invention under the trolley, prior to a movement step of the trolley using the movement assistance device according to the invention.

[0013] Preferably, when the attachment means are fixed to the chassis, in order to ensure the maneuverability of these attachment means from the handlebar, the distance between the main part of the handlebar and the stop of the attachment means is very short, for example less than 30cm (centimeters), and preferably less than 20cm.

[0014] According to a preferred configuration, in the mobility aid device according to the invention, the handlebars include means for actuating the drive wheels. These means for actuating the drive wheels are, for example, control means such as an on / off button and / or at least one butterfly lever for forward or reverse movement. The mobility aid device according to the invention also includes, of course, other actuating means such as one or more electric motors, arranged, for example, at the axle of the mobility aid device. displacement according to the invention.

[0015] According to an optional feature of the invention, the chassis is equipped with a ballast weight suitable for keeping the drive wheels on the ground when the cart is moving. Indeed, given the weight of the cart to be moved, the drive wheels tend to lift when the cart is only in contact with the movement aid device via the attachment means, without ballast weights on the chassis, and consequently, the drive wheels tend to slip during the cart's movement. This ballast weight is, for example, on the order of one hundred kilograms, and is preferably greater than one hundred kilograms. It is positioned closer to the drive wheels than to the idler wheel.

[0016] According to an optional feature of the invention, the chassis includes a guide means adapted to be inserted at least partially into a guide rail arranged under the carriage. The guide means includes, for example, a guide finger. The guide rail is, for example, an entry rail in a Maltese cross mechanism used to make the carriage cooperate with an automatically guided vehicle. The guide finger of the device allows the entire chassis to be centered under the carriage, the guide rail itself being centered under the carriage, the guide finger being positioned orthogonally to the handlebars and parallel to the length of the chassis. This centering during the positioning of the chassis under the carriage then facilitates the movement of the carriage.

[0017] Advantageously, in this second embodiment of the invention, the chassis further comprises a wedge, a jack capable of vertically lifting the wedge, and a jack actuating mechanism. The wedge is capable of exerting a pushing force on the carriage when in the vertical position. Thanks to the centering of the chassis under the carriage made possible by the guide finger, the wedge, when placed in the vertical position, comes to rest against the carriage at a predefined space under the carriage, without damaging the mechanical interface under the carriage designed for its anchoring to an automatically guided vehicle. For example, the wedge is housed in a central space of a Maltese cross mechanism. The wedge thus makes it possible to exert a pushing force under the carriage and to press the drive wheels to the ground without damaging this mechanical interface. When this wedge is used, it is not necessary to use ballast weights to keep the drive wheels on the ground.

[0018] Preferably, the actuation mechanism is a pedal mechanism arranged on the frame near the handlebars. This improves the ergonomics of the mobility aid device according to the invention.

[0019] Alternatively, the guide finger and the wedge are replaced by two pins arranged vertically on the chassis and movable in the vertical direction. In this variant, the carriage includes, for example, a Maltese Cross mechanism located under a flat structure of the carriage facing the ground, the Maltese Cross mechanism comprising Four guide rails open into a hollow space at the center of the mechanism. Vertical pins are designed to engage with one of the guide rails and maintain the trolley's direction of travel. One of the two pins is positioned at the central hollow space of the Maltese Cross when the trolley reaches the stop of the locking means. This pin can be actuated vertically to abut against the flat structure of the trolley at the bottom wall of the central hollow space, thereby exerting a vertical thrust on the flat structure and pressing the drive wheels to the ground. At least one of the vertical pins is therefore vertically movable and actuated, for example, by a hydraulic cylinder, in a manner similar to lifting the chock.Preferably in this variant the two pawns are vertically movable, for example between a retracted position inside the chassis and a deployed position in which they are able to be inserted into the Maltese Cross mechanism.

[0020] The invention also relates to a method for moving a cart equipped with free-spinning wheels, the method comprising the steps of: - positioning under the trolley, of the chassis and axle of a movement aid device according to the invention, - attaching the mobility aid device to the trolley using the fastening means, - actuation of the drive wheels.

[0021] In the second embodiment using the wedge and the jack, during the positioning step, the human operator inserts the guide finger into the guide rail of the trolley. Following this positioning step, the operator attaches the trolley to the device during the fastening step, which is followed, in this embodiment, by a step of pressing the drive wheels to the ground by actuating the jack, which raises the wedge to exert a pushing force against the trolley at the level of the predefined space.

[0022] Similarly, in the embodiment using vertical pins on the chassis, during the positioning step, the human operator guides the device so as to insert the vertical pins into one of the guide rails of the Maltese Cross mechanism, and then attaches the carriage to the device by the attachment means during the fastening step. Finally, the operator actuates one of the vertical pins positioned at the level of the central hollow space of the Maltese Cross to bring it vertically against the carriage, at the level of a flat structure of the carriage supporting the Maltese Cross mechanism, this structure being left accessible to the pins entering the guide rails of the mechanism only at the level of the central hollow space. It should be noted that in this embodiment or variant, the fastening step using the attachment means can be carried out after the step of securing the drive wheels using the wedge or one of the vertical pins of the chassis, provided that another means other than the stop of the fastening means be used to position the jack or one of the pins at the level of the central space of the Maltese Cross mechanism.

[0023] The method of moving a cart equipped with free-roaming wheels according to the invention has advantages similar to those of the movement aid device according to the invention.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several illustrative and non-limiting examples of embodiments given by reference to the accompanying schematic drawings on the other hand, in which:

[0025] [Fig-1] illustrates a mobility aid device according to the invention, in a first method of embodiment of the invention,

[0026] [Fig.2] represents a trolley equipped with free-spinning wheels and intended for the transport of parts heavy from one workshop to another in a factory, attached to the device for assisting the movement of the [Fig.1],

[0027] [Fig.3] is an enlargement of part of [Fig.2], showing in a brought closer to the means of attaching the trolley to the device for assisting movement of the [Fig.1],

[0028] [Fig.4] illustrates a mobility aid device according to the invention, in a second embodiment of the invention, and

[0029] [Fig. 5] represents steps in a method of moving a trolley equipped with idle wheels according to the invention, using the device to assist the movement of the [Fig.4].

[0030] The embodiments of the invention shown in relation to Figures 1 to 5 relate to a device 1, 10 for assisting the movement of a trolley 5 (referenced in [Fig. 2]), used in particular when an automatically guided vehicle normally intended for moving the trolley 5 is not operational. In these embodiments, the term "vertical" refers to a direction perpendicular to the ground on which the movement assistance device 1, 10 rolls, and the term "horizontal" refers to a direction parallel to the ground plane.

[0031] According to a first embodiment shown [Fig. 1], the trolley 5 movement aid device 1 according to the invention constitutes a generally L-shaped rolling structure. The movement aid device 1 comprises a handlebar 2 having a tubular steel rod 24 with a rectangular cross-section, arranged substantially vertically when the movement aid device 1 rests on its wheels on the ground. By substantially, it is understood that a variation from the vertical direction is permitted, up to 20 degrees, for example. The rod 24 has, at its height, a first horizontally curved end on which two handles 22 are fixed on either side of this first curved end. The handles 22 are covered with a non-slip synthetic foam material. A second end of the rod 24, proximal to the ground, is connected to a fixing fork of an idler wheel 26, the fork being mounted in rotation on this second end.

[0032] The mobility aid device 1 further comprises a horizontally arranged chassis 6 extending from the second end of the rod 24 to an axle on which drive wheels 8 are mounted on either side, their axis of rotation fixed relative to the mobility aid device 1. Each drive wheel 8 incorporates an electric motor and a rechargeable battery, which can be charged by plugging it into a power outlet. Alternatively, the mobility aid device 1 comprises a battery located remotely from the drive wheels 8 and connected to them by power cables. This battery, located, for example, on the handlebar 2, is preferably interchangeable so that it can be replaced by another battery while it is charging. The electric motors of the drive wheels 8 are sized to be able to pull a weight of more than one ton.

[0033] The frame 6 is made from an assembly of steel bars and plates. Alternatively, other materials can be used for the frame and handlebars. The frame 6 has a generally elongated horizontal shape, one end of which is connected to the substantially vertical handlebar 2, giving the movement aid device 1 its overall L-shape.

[0034] More specifically, the chassis 6 comprises two horizontal steel arms 64, each connected on one side to the second end of the rod 24, and on the other side to a steel plate 66, a portion of which distal to the handlebar 2 covers the axle of the movement aid device 1. The plate 66 is covered with a ballast weight 7 of approximately 125 kg.

[0035] Indeed, the movement aid device 1 is used to move the trolley 5 shown [Fig. 2], equipped with four free-spinning wheels, of which only two wheels 52 and 54 are visible in [Fig. 2]. Since this trolley can have a total weight of approximately 650 kg when loaded, the ballast weight 7 of the movement aid device 1 prevents the drive wheels 8 from lifting off the ground during the movement of the trolley 5. One of the structural elements of the trolley 5 is attached to the movement aid device 1 by means of attachments 4 thereof. The trolley 5 is mainly composed of a flat structure made of rectangular metal tubes, and connected to the ground by four legs, each equipped with one of the free-spinning wheels of the trolley 5. This structural element, visible in [Fig. 2], is here an edge of this flat structure.

[0036] As shown in [Fig. 3], the fastening means 4 comprise a handle 48 for lifting two vertical fingers 44, 46, which lock the structural element positioned against a stop 42 (visible in [Fig. 1]) on the side opposite the fingers 44, 46 relative to the structural element. The vertical fingers 44, 46 thus form a movable locking element of the fastening means 4. In order to center the carriage 5 by In relation to the movement aid device 1, the attachment means 4 further include a plate 45 whose contour forms an imprint of a central portion of the structural element.

[0037] In order to allow good maneuverability of the trolley and good ergonomics of the movement aid device 1, the attachment means 4 are arranged on a foot 62 positioned vertically at one end of the chassis 6 positioned against the handlebar 2. In this embodiment of the invention, the foot 62 is located vertically above the idler wheel 26 of the movement aid device 1.

[0038] As shown in [Fig. 1], the mobility aid device 1 has two control buttons located on the handle 22. These control buttons are butterfly levers. When activated, they start the electric motors of the drive wheels 8, via a wired or wireless connection, for example, a Wi-Fi connection conforming to the IEEE (Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers) 802.11 standard. A wired connection is preferred, however, for optimal response from the electric motors. In one embodiment, one of the butterfly levers, when activated, starts the mobility aid device 1 via an electric motor, preferably via the electric motors, and stops it when released.Similarly, the other butterfly lever, when actuated, reverses the propulsion assistance device 1 via at least one electric motor, preferably via the electric motors, and stops it when released. According to an alternative embodiment, each butterfly lever, when actuated in one direction, forwards the propulsion assistance device 1 via the electric motors and stops it when released. Since each butterfly lever can be rotated in the opposite direction to the forward direction, each butterfly lever, when actuated in the opposite direction, reverses the propulsion assistance device 1 via the electric motors and stops it when released.

[0039] The drive wheels 8 nevertheless move freely when the electric motors are switched off.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in this first embodiment of the invention, the chassis 6 and the drive wheels 8 are configured to pass under the trolley 5 without damaging the mechanical interface present under the trolley 5 and configured to allow the cooperation of this trolley and an automatically guided vehicle.

[0041] This interface 55, visible from below [Fig. 2], is a Maltese Cross mechanism centered under the flat structure of the carriage 5. It consists of four guide rails 552, 554, 556, 558 with flared entry points, each capable of receiving at least one first vertical protruding pin of the self-guided vehicle. These four guide rails 552, 554, 556, 558 are regularly arranged around a central space 550 of the The mechanism involves a central space forming a hollow area that allows a second projecting vertical pin of the automated guided vehicle (AGV) to press against the flat structure, anchoring the AGV to the carriage 5. The AGV actuates its two vertical pins, raising or lowering them vertically when it anchors to or guides the carriage 5. Specifically, the second vertical pin mentioned above anchors the AGV to the carriage 5, while the first vertical pin, inserted into one of the guide rails 552, 554, 556, or 558, guides the carriage 5 in a fixed direction. The AGV can insert the first vertical pin into another of the guide rails 552, 554, 556, or 558 to change the direction of the carriage 5.The guide rails 552, 554, 556, 558, extending radially from the central space 550 and having a flared free end, form a Maltese cross, hence the name of the mechanism.

[0042] The chassis 6 therefore has a height above the ground, so as not to damage the Maltese cross mechanism 55, that is less than the vertical position of this mechanism relative to the ground, i.e., less than the vertical dimension between this mechanism and the ground. Similarly, the height of the drive wheels 8 relative to the ground is less than the vertical position of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 relative to the ground. The movement aid device 1 is configured so that the drive wheels 8 are located at the front relative to the trolley 5, when the latter is attached to the movement aid device 1 by the attachment means 4. In this embodiment, the attachment means 4 are located on the chassis 6 on the side opposite the drive wheels 8.

[0043] According to a second embodiment shown in [Fig. 4], a device 10 for assisting the movement of the trolley 5 also constitutes an L-shaped rolling structure and shares many common features with the first embodiment of the invention. These common features are therefore not described in detail in this second embodiment of the invention.

[0044] In particular, the mobility aid device 10 comprises a handlebar 20 having a steel rod 240, arranged substantially vertically, the mobility aid device 10 being described when it rests on its wheels on the ground. A first upper end of the rod 240 is attached to a handle 220 equipped with butterfly levers allowing the on / off and forward / reverse control of electric motors of the mobility aid device 10, capable of rotating two drive wheels 80 with a fixed axis of rotation, of the mobility aid device 10, as in the first embodiment of the invention. The butterfly levers are connected by connecting cables, visible in [Fig. 4], to the electric motors, the power supply battery of which is located on the handlebar 2.

[0045] A second end of the rod 240, proximal to the ground, is connected to a fork of fixing a 260 idler wheel, the fork being mounted to rotate on this second end.

[0046] The movement aid device 10 further comprises a horizontally arranged frame 60 extending from the second end of the rod 240 to an axle 82 on which the drive wheels 80 are mounted on either side. This frame 60 is made of an assembly of steel bars and plates. In particular, it comprises two horizontal steel arms 640, each connected on one side to the second end of the rod 240, and on the other side to a rectangular steel plate 660, located on a central portion of the frame 60. Each arm 640 has an end distal to the rod 240, these ends extending beyond the plate 660 towards the axle 82, and being fixed by a triangular steel plate to a steel bar 680 connecting the axle 82 to this triangular plate.The rectangular plate 660 forms a platform located vertically above the triangular plate, therefore above the connecting structure between the arms 640 of the chassis 60 and the bar 680 connecting these arms 640 to the chassis 60. As will be seen later, this vertical arrangement in height allows an anchoring mechanism of the device 10 to be mounted on the carriage 5.

[0047] The chassis 60, axle 82, and drive wheels 80 are configured to pass under the trolley 5 without vertically interfering with the Maltese cross mechanism 55. At its proximal end to the handlebar 20, the chassis 60 has a vertical leg 620 on which are arranged attachment means 40 identical to the attachment means 4 of the first embodiment of the invention. The drive wheels 80 are configured on the chassis 60 so as to be located at the front of the trolley 5 when the latter is attached to the movement aid device 10 by the attachment means 40. The attachment means 40 are located on the device 10 on the side opposite the drive wheels 80 with respect to the chassis 60.

[0048] In this second embodiment, the movement aid device 10 includes a specific guiding means to facilitate centering the device 10 relative to the carriage 5 and also to facilitate driving the carriage 5 during a change of direction. In the illustrated example, this guiding means is a guide finger 90 attached to the foot 620 and arranged horizontally in the direction of the rectangular plate 660. This guide finger 90 has a comb-like tooth shape, the tip of which is shaped to enter one of the guide rails 552, 554, 556, or 558 of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 of the carriage 5, this entry being facilitated by the flared shape at the entrance of this rail 552, 554, 556, or 558.It allows a transverse position of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 to be fixed relative to the movement aid device 10, so that the central space 550 of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 is above a wedge 74 fixed by one of its ends to the rectangular plate 660. By "transverse position" is meant along an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal position of the device is in a horizontal plane. A longitudinal position of the Maltese cross mechanism is adjusted by means of the stop of the fastening means 40.

[0049] A jack 70, actuated by means of a handle 72, allows, when actuated, the other end of the wedge 74, initially positioned horizontally, to be raised vertically so that this other end is found in the central space 550 of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 and exerts a pushing force on the flat structure of the trolley 5 without damaging the guide rails 552, 554, 556 or 558, by bearing against descending ramp ends in each of the guide rails 552, 554, 556 or 558, these ramp ends bordering the central space 550 located under the trolley 5. Actuating the jack 70 thus allows the drive wheels 80 to be pressed against the ground, slightly counterbalancing the weight of the trolley 5, which avoids the use of ballast weights to prevent the wheels from 80 motors to slip during the movement of the trolley 5 with the movement aid device 10.

[0050] We now describe in relation to [Fig.5], a method 100 of moving the cart 5 using the device 10 for assisting movement, implemented by a human operator.

[0051] A first step 110 of the movement method 100 is the positioning of the chassis 60 and axle 82 under the carriage 5, while inserting the guide finger 90 into one of the rails 552, 554, 556 or 558 of the Maltese cross mechanism 55 and pressing the stop of the attachment means 40 against the structural element of the carriage 5. In this step, the operator moves the movement aid device 10 forward or backward so as to get closer to the carriage 5 to perform this positioning, without activating the electric motors of the drive wheels 80. It should be noted that when the movement aid device 10 is not attached to the carriage 5, the movement aid device 10, weighing no more than fifty kilograms, is easily moved without electric assistance. The next step 120 of the movement method 100 is the attachment to the trolley 5 of the movement aid device 10 by actuating the handle of the hooking means 40, so as to lock the structural element of the trolley 5 between the vertical fingers of the hooking means 40 and the stop of the hooking means 40.

[0052] The next step 130 of the movement method 100 is the pressing of the drive wheels 80 to the ground, by actuating the cylinder 70. In this step 40, two actuations of the handle 72 are sufficient for the operator to lift the wedge 74 so that it exerts sufficient pressure against the trolley 5.

[0053] Finally, the last step 140 of the movement method 100 is the starting of the electric motors of the drive wheels 80, which sets them in forward or reverse, so as to bring the trolley 5, with the help of the movement aid device 10, to its des- destination.

[0054] Thanks to the movement aid device 10, the operator exerts a pushing motion on the movement aid device 10 to push the trolley 5, which does not exceed 10 kgf. Furthermore, the operator does not need to bend their back since the drive wheels 80 and the idler wheel 260 allow them to easily guide the movement aid device 10 in one direction or another.

[0055] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described, and many modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the characteristics of the different embodiments or variants of the invention envisaged in this application can be combined to carry out the invention, provided that these embodiments or variants are not incompatible with each other.

Claims

Demands

1. Device (1, 10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with free-spinning wheels (52, 54), comprising: - a handlebar (2, 20), - a gripping handle (22, 220) mounted at one end of the handlebar, - a free-spinning wheel (26, 260) mounted at a second end of the handlebar (24, 240), opposite the first end, - attachment means (4, 40) to the trolley (5), - an axle (82), on which are mounted on either side two drive wheels (8, 80) with an axis fixed relative to the device (1, 10), the drive wheels (8, 80) being dimensioned to pass under the trolley (5), and - a frame (6, 60) extending from the second end of the handlebar (2, 20) to the axle (82), the frame (6, 60) being configured to pass under the trolley (5), the device (1, 10) being characterized in that the hooking means (4, 40) comprise a stop (42) and at least one movable locking element (44, 46), the stop (42) and the locking element (44,46) mobile being capable of gripping a structural element of the trolley (5).

2. Device (1, 10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to claim 1, in which the locking element (44, 46) comprises at least two fingers opposite the stop (42), which can be moved vertically using a handle (48).

3. Device (1, 10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with free-roaming wheels (52, 54) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the attachment means (4, 40) are arranged on the handlebar (2, 20) or are secured to the chassis (6, 60) by means of a foot arranged vertically on a portion of the chassis proximal to the free-roaming wheel (26, 260).

4. Device (1, 10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the handlebar (2, 20) includes means for actuating the drive wheels (8, 80).

5. Device (10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the chassis (60) includes a guide means capable of fitting at least partially into a guide rail (552, 554, 556, 558) arranged under the trolley (5).

6. Device (10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to the preceding claim, in which the guiding means comprises a guide finger (90).

7. Device (10) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the chassis (60) further comprises a wedge (74), a jack (70) capable of vertically lifting the wedge (74) and an actuation mechanism (72) for the jack (70), the wedge (74) being capable of exerting a pushing force on the trolley when it is in a vertical position.

8. Device (1) for assisting the movement of a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the chassis is equipped with a ballast weight (7) suitable for keeping the drive wheels (8) on the ground when moving the trolley (5).

9. Method (100) of moving a trolley (5) equipped with idler wheels (52, 54), the method comprising steps of: - positioning (120) under the trolley (5), of the chassis (60) and of the axle (82) of a device (1, 10) for assisting movement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, - fixing (130) to the trolley (5) of the device (1, 10) for assisting movement using the attachment means (4, 40), - actuation (150) of the drive wheels (80).

Images