Unloading auxiliary device

Abstract

To provide an unloading auxiliary device that can convey luggage using an extendable conveyor.SOLUTION: An unloading auxiliary device includes: a drive conveyor that can convey luggage; a housing that can move along the horizontal direction and on which the drive conveyor is provided; and an extendable conveyor that can convey luggage, is configured to be extendable and retractable along the conveying direction of the drive conveyor, and has one end in the extendable-retractable direction connected to a downstream end of the drive conveyor in the conveying direction. The extendable conveyor is configured as such that the other end in the extendable-retractable direction can be fixed to be irremovable and one end in the extendable-retractable direction can move in conjunction with the movement of the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a load unloading assistance device.

Background Art

[0002] Load unloading assistance devices that assist in manually unloading goods from the loading platform of a truck or a container are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The load unloading assistance devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not consider the conveyance of goods using a telescopic conveyor.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a load unloading assistance device capable of conveying goods using a telescopic conveyor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A load unloading assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a drive conveyor capable of conveying goods; a housing that is movable along a horizontal direction and on which the drive conveyor is provided; a telescopic conveyor that is capable of conveying the goods and is configured to be telescopic along the conveyance direction of the drive conveyor, and one end in the telescopic direction is connected to the downstream end of the drive conveyor in the conveyance direction; and The telescopic conveyor is configured such that the other end in the telescopic direction is fixable in a non-movable state, and one end in the telescopic direction is movable in conjunction with the movement of the housing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The unloading assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention can convey a load using a telescopic conveyor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description does not limit the present invention, but is essentially only illustrative and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. The drawings are schematic, and the ratios of each dimension etc. do not necessarily match the actual ones.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the unloading assistance device 1 according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing 2, a drive conveyor 7, and a telescopic conveyor 8. The unloading assistance device 1 of this aspect is provided in the housing 2 and includes moving means 3 having a driving force capable of moving the housing 2 in the horizontal direction. In this aspect, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the unloading assistance device 1 is used for manual unloading from the loading platform 101 of the truck 100 to the fixed platform 107 of the berth 102 (an example of an unloading location).

[0011] The housing 2 is movable along the horizontal direction and is provided with a drive conveyor 7. In this aspect, the housing 2 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed along the vertical direction (for example, the up-down direction in FIG. 1) and is configured to be positionable on the floor surface 101a.

[0012] The drive conveyor 7 is configured to be able to convey goods. In this aspect, the drive conveyor 7 is driven by a conveying motor 30 (see FIG. 8) and is located at the upper part in the vertical direction of the housing 2 in a state where it can convey the goods 200 along the horizontal direction (for example, the X direction). The drive conveyor 7 may be built in the housing 2.

[0013] The telescopic conveyor 8 is configured to be able to convey the load 200 and to be telescopic along the conveying direction of the driving conveyor 7 (for example, the X direction), and one end in the telescopic direction (for example, the X direction) is connected to the downstream end in the conveying direction of the driving conveyor 7. The other end of the telescopic conveyor 8 in the telescopic direction can be fixed immovably, and one end in the telescopic direction is configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the housing 2.

[0014] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the other end of the telescopic conveyor 8 is fixed to the fixing base 107. The driving conveyor 7 and the telescopic conveyor 8 are connected by a connecting means 10. The connecting means 10 may include a retention prevention plate. The retention prevention plate is located on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the driving conveyor 7 and is configured to be able to change the conveying angle of the load 200 conveyed from the driving conveyor 7 to the telescopic conveyor 8.

[0015] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, an example of unloading using the unloading assistance device 1 will be described.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, when the truck 100 arrives at the berth 102, the operator carries the unloading assistance device 1 and the telescopic conveyor 8 into the truck 100 (FIG. 7, step S1).

[0017] When the unloading assistance device 1 and the telescopic conveyor 8 are carried into the truck 100, the operator fixes the fixing base 107 on the berth 102 as shown in FIG. 2 (FIG. 7, step S2).

[0018] When the fixing base 107 is fixed on the berth 102, the operator operates the drive switch of the operation unit 34 to drive the driving conveyor 7 and conveys the load 200 toward the fixing base 107 via the telescopic conveyor 8 as shown in FIG. 3 (FIG. 7, step S3).

[0019] After a certain amount of luggage 200 has been transported, as shown in FIG. 4, the operator moves the unloading assistance device 1 close to the luggage 200 stacked on the loading platform 101 at the back of the truck 100 (FIG. 7, step S4). At this time, one end of the telescopic conveyor 8 moves in conjunction with the movement of the unloading assistance device 1, and the telescopic conveyor 8 extends toward the back of the truck 100.

[0020] When the unloading assistance device 1 moves close to the luggage 200 stacked on the loading platform 101 at the back of the truck 100, as shown in FIG. 5, the operator operates the drive switch of the operation unit 34 to drive the drive conveyor 7, and conveys the luggage 200 toward the fixed platform 107 via the telescopic conveyor 8 (FIG. 7, step S5).

[0021] When the luggage 200 is conveyed toward the fixed platform 107, the operator determines whether the conveyance of the luggage 200 in the truck 100 is completed (FIG. 7, step S6). If it is determined that the conveyance of the luggage 200 in the truck 100 is not completed, the operator returns to step S4 and moves the unloading assistance device 1 and conveys the luggage 200. On the other hand, if it is determined that the conveyance of the luggage 200 in the truck 100 is completed, as shown in FIG. 6, the operator moves the unloading assistance device 1 toward the fixed platform 107 (for example, in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6), retracts the telescopic conveyor 8, and carries the unloading assistance device 1 out of the truck 100 (FIG. 7, step S7), and the unloading is completed.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 8, the unloading assistance device 1 of this embodiment includes a control device 33, an operation unit 34, a drive motor 31, and a conveyance motor 30. The control device 33 is configured to be able to control the drive motor 31 and the conveyance motor 30 based on an operation command from the operation unit 34. The drive motor 31 constitutes a part of a moving means capable of moving the housing 2 in the horizontal direction. As the drive motor 31, an in-wheel motor in which an electromagnetic motor is incorporated in a wheel is used.

[0023] The control device 33 includes a processor 331, a storage device 332, and a communication device 333. The processor 331, the storage device 332, and the communication device 333 constitute, for example, a part of a processing circuit. The processor 331 includes, for example, a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, a DSP, an FPGA, an ASIC, or a combination thereof. The storage device 332 is composed of, for example, an internal recording medium or an external recording medium. The internal recording medium includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium composed of an internal recording medium or an external recording medium. The internal recording medium includes a non-volatile memory or the like. The external recording medium includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical disk device, or the like. The communication device 333 is composed of, for example, a communication circuit or a communication module for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device such as a server, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet, or an external input device such as a remote controller (remote operating device).

[0024] The control device 33 is connected to a power supply unit 32 provided in the housing 2. The power supply unit 32 includes a rechargeable battery 32a (for example, a lithium ion battery). Since the power supply unit 32 is a so-called cordless power supply, the unloading assistance device 1 can be easily moved to the back of the loading platform 101 of the truck 100.

[0025] The operation unit 34 has, for example, a plurality of switches. The plurality of switches include, for example, a drive switch for driving / stopping the drive conveyor 7, a speed switch for changing the conveyance speed of the drive conveyor 7, a travel switch for moving (for example, forward, backward, turning) the unloading assistance device 1, and an emergency stop switch for instantaneously stopping the unloading assistance device 1.

[0026] The unloading assistance device 1 has the following features.

[0027] The unloading assistance device 1 includes a driving conveyor 7 capable of conveying a load 200, a housing 2 that is movable along the horizontal direction and is provided with the driving conveyor 7, and a telescopic conveyor 8. The telescopic conveyor 8 is configured to be capable of conveying the load 200 and telescoping along the conveying direction of the driving conveyor 7, and one end in the telescoping direction is connected to the downstream end in the conveying direction of the driving conveyor 7. The other end in the telescoping direction of the telescopic conveyor 8 can be fixed so as not to move, and one end in the telescoping direction is configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the housing 2. With such a configuration, the unloading assistance device 1 capable of conveying the load 200 using the telescopic conveyor 8 can be realized.

[0028] The unloading assistance device 1 can adopt the following configuration.

[0029] The moving means may be configured to have a driving force greater than the total value of the horizontal frictional forces of the load 200 that can be placed on the telescopic conveyor 8. For example, when up to 10 loads 200 may be loaded on the telescopic conveyor 8, the drive motor 31 may be configured to be greater than the total value of the horizontal frictional forces of the 10 loads 200 on the telescopic conveyor 8. By configuring in this way, the telescopic conveyor 8 can be telescoped with the load 200 placed on the telescopic conveyor 8.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 9, assume that the telescopic conveyor 8 includes a plurality of rollers 80, and the load 200 is placed on the telescopic conveyor 8 in a state where the telescopic conveyor 8 is contracted and adjacent rollers 80 are in contact with each other. When the telescopic conveyor 8 in this state is extended in the direction of arrow B, a force acts on the load 200 in the direction R1 in which each roller 80 rotates. At this time, since the rollers 80 are in contact with each other, a frictional force is generated between adjacent rollers 80, and a frictional force in the direction of arrow B (for example, the horizontal direction) is generated between the load 200 and each roller 80.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 10, when the telescopic conveyor 8 in the contracted state is extended in the direction of arrow B, the adjacent rollers 80 are separated from each other. In this state, due to the movement of the luggage 200 and the extension movement of the telescopic conveyor 8, rotation stop and random changes in the rotation direction occur in each roller 80. Therefore, a frictional force in the direction of arrow B different from the state shown in Fig. 9 where the adjacent rollers 80 are in contact is generated between the luggage 200 and the roller 80.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 11, which is a view of the telescopic conveyor 8 seen from above, when the telescopic conveyor 8 is extended while being bent so that only one side in the width direction of the roller 80 extends along the direction of arrow C, a rolling difference of the luggage 200 occurs in the width direction of the roller 80. Therefore, a horizontal frictional force due to the slipping phenomenon of the luggage 200 is generated between the telescopic conveyor 8 and the luggage 200.

[0033] As described above, since various frictional forces act when the luggage 200 is placed on the telescopic conveyor 8, a force greater than these frictional forces is required to extend and contract the telescopic conveyor 8.

[0034] As shown in Figs. 12 to 15, the telescopic conveyor 8 may include a plurality of rollers 80, and each roller 80 may have a substantially cylindrical base portion 81 and a contact portion 82, and the contact portion 82 may have a first contact portion 821 and a second contact portion 822 having a smaller surface frictional force than the first contact portion 821. By configuring in this way, the above-mentioned frictional force can be reduced, and the telescopic conveyor 8 can be extended and contracted in a state where the luggage 200 is placed on the telescopic conveyor 8.

[0035] The first contact portion 821 is, for example, the outer surface of the base portion 81 and is made of the same material as the base portion 81 (for example, a metal material). The second contact portion 822 is formed, for example, by attaching a low-friction material (for example, a fluorine-based sheet) to the outer surface of the base portion 81 or by processing the outer surface of the base portion 81 (for example, fluorine coating). With such a configuration, the second contact portion 822 can be easily formed on the outer surface of the base portion 81.

[0036] In the telescopic conveyor 8 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the first contact portions 821 and the second contact portions 822 are alternately arranged along the width direction intersecting the conveying direction and the vertical direction. In the telescopic conveyor 8 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the rollers adjacent in the conveying direction are the first roller 80 and the second roller 80, the first contact portion 821 of the first roller 80 and the second contact portion 822 of the second roller 80 are alternately arranged along the conveying direction. By configuring in this way, the load 200 placed on the telescopic conveyor 8 is likely to slide on the telescopic conveyor 8, and in a state where the load 200 is placed on the telescopic conveyor 8, the telescopic conveyor 8 can be telescoped more easily.

[0037] The moving means 3 can be omitted. In this case, the movement of the housing 2 is manually performed by an operator, for example.

[0038] In the present disclosure, any of the various embodiments and modifications described above can be appropriately combined. The combinations of the embodiments and / or modifications include combinations of the configurations included in the embodiments and / or the configurations included in the examples.

[0039] Although the present disclosure has been fully described through the above-described embodiments and / or modifications with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above-described embodiments and / or modifications do not cover all of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the technical field of the present disclosure can make many modifications and variations. Such variations and modifications should be understood to be included in the present disclosure as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] As described above, various embodiments in the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. Finally, various aspects of the present disclosure will be described.

[0041] The unloading assisting device according to the first aspect is a driving conveyor capable of conveying a load, a housing that is movable along the horizontal direction and on which the driving conveyor is provided, A telescopic conveyor that is configured to be able to convey the load and to be telescopic along the conveying direction of the driving conveyor, with one end in the telescopic direction connected to the downstream end of the driving conveyor in the conveying direction and includes the telescopic conveyor is configured such that the other end in the telescopic direction can be fixed immovably, and one end in the telescopic direction is configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the housing.

[0042] The unloading assistance device according to the second aspect is the unloading assistance device according to the first aspect, wherein it includes moving means provided on the housing and having a driving force capable of moving the housing in the horizontal direction. The moving means has the driving force that is greater than the total value of the horizontal frictional forces of the load that can be placed on the telescopic conveyor.

[0043] The unloading assistance device according to the third aspect is the unloading assistance device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the telescopic conveyor includes a plurality of rollers, each of the plurality of rollers has a cylindrical base portion, and a contact portion provided on the outer surface of the base portion and capable of contacting the load and has the contact portion has a first contact portion and a second contact portion having a smaller surface frictional force than the first contact portion.

[0044] The unloading assistance device according to the fourth aspect is the unloading assistance device according to the third aspect, wherein the plurality of rollers are arranged side by side along the conveying direction, and the first contact portion and the second contact portion are arranged alternately side by side along the width direction intersecting the conveying direction and the vertical direction.

[0045] The unloading assistance device according to the fifth aspect is the unloading assistance device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the plurality of rollers are arranged side by side along the conveying direction, When the rollers adjacent to the conveying direction are the first roller and the second roller, the first contact portion of the first roller and the second contact portion of the second roller are alternately arranged along the conveying direction.

[0046] The unloading assisting device according to the sixth aspect is the unloading assisting device according to any one of the third aspect to the fifth aspect, The second contact portion is formed by attaching a low-friction material to the outer surface of the base portion.

[0047] The unloading assisting device according to the seventh aspect is the unloading assisting device according to any one of the third aspect to the fifth aspect, The second contact portion is formed by processing the outer surface of the base portion.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0048] 1 Unloading assisting device 2 Housing 3 Moving means 7 Driving conveyor 8 Telescopic conveyor 10 Connecting means 30 Conveying motor 31 Driving motor 32 Power supply unit 33 Control device 34 Operation unit 80 Roller 81 Base portion 82 Contact portion 100 Truck 101 Loading platform 102 Birth 107 Fixed platform 200 Goods 331 Processor 332 Storage device 333 Communication device 821 First contact portion 822 Second contact portion

Claims

1. A driving conveyor capable of conveying a load, a housing that is movable along a horizontal direction and on which the driving conveyor is provided, a telescopic conveyor that is capable of conveying the load and is configured to be telescopic along the conveying direction of the driving conveyor, and one end in the telescopic direction is connected to the downstream end of the driving conveyor in the conveying direction and comprising the telescopic conveyor, the other end in the telescopic direction is fixable so as not to be movable, and one end in the telescopic direction is configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the housing, a load unloading auxiliary device.

2. It is provided on the housing and comprises moving means having a driving force capable of moving the housing in a horizontal direction, the moving means has the driving force greater than the total value of the horizontal frictional forces of the loads that can be placed on the telescopic conveyor, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 1.

3. the telescopic conveyor includes a plurality of rollers, each of the plurality of rollers has a cylindrical base material portion, and a contact portion provided on the outer surface of the base material portion and capable of contacting the load and having the contact portion has a first contact portion and a second contact portion having a smaller surface frictional force than the first contact portion, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the plurality of rollers are arranged side by side along the conveying direction, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are arranged alternately side by side along a width direction intersecting the conveying direction and the vertical direction, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 3.

5. the plurality of rollers are arranged side by side along the conveying direction, assuming that the rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction are a first roller and a second roller, the first contact portion of the first roller and the second contact portion of the second roller are arranged alternately side by side along the conveying direction, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 4.

6. the second contact portion is formed by attaching a low-friction material to the outer surface of the base material portion, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 3.

7. the second contact portion is formed by processing the outer surface of the base material portion, the load unloading auxiliary device according to claim 3.

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