Support mechanism for long object

Abstract

To provide a support mechanism for a long object capable of appropriately supporting a long object such as a duct.SOLUTION: A support mechanism for a long object comprises support rollers 34 that are configured such that their rotation axes form an angle along a circumferential direction of a long object D that is an object to be supported, and some of their outer peripheral surfaces are in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the long object D, and some portions in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the long object D rotate in only one direction with respect to an axial direction of the long object D. A distance between the plurality of support rollers 34 is configured to be adjustable with respect to a radial direction of the long object D. A portion forming a rotation surface of the support roller 34 may be made of a flexible material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mechanism for supporting elongated items, such as ducts for use in air conditioning systems and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Ducts are often installed in buildings and other structures for the purposes of air conditioning, ventilation, exhaust, etc. A tube called a flexible duct (also called a flexible duct, flexible pipe, flexible tube, etc.) is often used for such ducts. Flexible ducts are flexible and can be bent, which makes them convenient for layout and can easily accommodate the conditions of the installation location and the required duct branching structure.

[0003] A flexible duct is installed by suspending it from a structure such as a ceiling using a hoist such as a wire. When installing such a flexible duct, a worker climbs to a height near the ceiling using, for example, a lifting cart, a high-altitude work vehicle, or a stepladder, and lifts the duct with the hoist attached to it up to that height. A plate for fixing to the ceiling is attached to the hoist, and the worker places the plate at a desired position on the ceiling and drives fasteners (nails) from below using a tacker (also called a nail driver or nail gun). In this way, the duct is installed by suspending it from the plate fixed to the ceiling via the hoist such as a wire.

[0004] Incidentally, examples of prior art documents disclosing techniques related to this type of duct mounting structure and associated work include the following Patent Documents 1 and 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-29749 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-125504 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The installation work of the above-mentioned duct is performed, for example, by one worker holding the duct and ascending to a height near the ceiling on a lifting cart to support the duct at that height, and another worker ascends to a nearby position on the lifting cart and riveted the plate of the hanging device attached to the duct. In such work, the worker ascends and descends for one or several locations where riveting is to be performed, and each time it is necessary to lift heavy objects such as the duct and the riveting machine, which is very cumbersome and requires a lot of effort. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of a technology that makes it easier to install ducts.

[0007] If such work could be replaced by machines, it is expected that labor and work time would be greatly reduced, but if the series of processes involved in installing a duct are broken down into smaller steps, there are several tasks that must be performed (for example, raising and lowering the nail driver and the duct, holding them at the appropriate height, feeding the installation parts (plates) to the nail driver and the ceiling to which the nail will be attached and holding them in the appropriate position, operating the nail driver, etc.). Therefore, when considering automation, it is necessary to prepare appropriate mechanisms for each of these multiple tasks.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a support mechanism for a long object that can suitably support a long object such as a duct. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to a support mechanism for elongated objects, characterized in that it comprises a support roller whose rotation axis forms an angle with the circumferential direction of the elongated object to be supported, and whose outer peripheral surface is arranged to contact the outer peripheral surface of the elongated object, and whose portion in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the elongated object is configured to rotate in only one direction, the same with respect to the axial direction of the elongated object.

[0010] In the support mechanism for the elongated object of the present invention, a plurality of the support rollers may be disposed so as to surround the elongated object in the circumferential direction.

[0011] The support mechanism for an elongated object of the present invention can be configured to support the elongated object in a vertical orientation.

[0012] In the support mechanism for an elongated object of the present invention, the distance between the plurality of support rollers can be adjusted in the radial direction of the elongated object.

[0013] In the support mechanism for an elongated object of the present invention, the portion forming the rotation surface of the support roller may be made of a flexible material. Effect of the Invention

[0014] The support mechanism for a long object of the present invention has the excellent effect of suitably supporting a long object such as a duct. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of a configuration of a duct suspension work device to which the present invention is applied. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a structure for suspending a duct from a structure such as a ceiling. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the periphery of a duct support part of the suspension work device in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of a configuration of a duct support portion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a component holder attached to a feed rope and holding a mounting tool; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the component holder of FIG. 5 in a state where it has been detached from the feed rope and the mounting fixture has also been removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the component holder of FIGS. 5 and 6. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for suspending a duct. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one stage in the duct hanging work. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one stage in the duct hanging work. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another stage in the duct hanging work. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing yet another stage in the duct hanging work. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing yet another stage in the duct hanging work. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another example (second embodiment) of a support mechanism for an elongated object according to the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a front sectional view showing still another example (third embodiment) of a support mechanism for an elongated object according to the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example (fourth embodiment) of a support mechanism for an elongated object according to the present invention. [Figure 18] A conceptual diagram illustrating the relationship between the dimensions of the support rollers and the spacing of the framework in the supported flexible duct. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a side view showing another example of the configuration of the duct support portion. [Figure 20] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing another example of the form of a suspender attached to a duct and the state in which the suspender is attached to the duct. [Figure 21] 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a form of a guide attached to a duct support portion. FIG. [Figure 22] 10A and 10B are plan views showing an example of a form of a guide attached to a duct support portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a duct suspension work device to which the long object feed mechanism of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 2 shows the configuration of a duct that is attached to a target structure (assumed to be a ceiling here) using the suspension work device. For convenience of explanation, Fig. 1 shows the suspension work device and the main configuration of each part thereof in a schematic manner, and details are omitted as necessary. The same applies to Figs. 3, 4, and 10 to 14 described later.

[0018] Before describing the suspension work device, the mounting structure of the duct will be described. Duct D, which is a flexible duct (also called a flexible duct, flexible pipe, flexible tube, hose, etc., but hereinafter referred to simply as "duct" in this specification), is a flexible pipe formed by wrapping a heat insulating material or a coating material around a spiral framework, as shown in Fig. 2, for example. A flap extending in the longitudinal direction is provided at one point in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of duct D, and holes H are provided at regular intervals in the flap. By passing a hanging device W, which is a wire, through this hole H, the duct D can be supported or fixed to an appropriate object via the hanging device W. (Note that although a wire is used as an example of a hanging device here, the hanging device can be any part that can support and fix the duct D appropriately. For example, the hanging device can be constructed as a thin, plate-shaped metal component. Also, when using a hanging device to support and fix the duct D, it is not necessarily necessary to use hole H; for example, the duct D can be supported by wrapping the hanging device around the outer periphery of the duct D.)

[0019] The hanging tool W, which is a wire, has rings on both ends, one of which is passed through hole H and the other to which a mounting tool P is attached. The mounting tool P is, for example, a metal plate, which is pierced by fasteners S, such as nails, and nailed to a structure C, such as a ceiling, that will support the duct D. In this way, the mounting tool P is fixed to the structure C by the fasteners S, and the duct D is suspended from the mounting tool P by the hanging tool W, thereby supporting the duct D with respect to the structure C.

[0020] The operation of suspending a duct D from a structure C using such various parts can be performed using a suspension work device 100 shown in Fig. 1. The suspension work device 100 is configured to include a base unit 10, a lifting unit 20, a duct support unit 30, a part feed unit 40, and a fastener ejection unit 50.

[0021] The base unit 10 is the main body of the suspension work device 100 to which all of these components are assembled and which is configured to be movable while supporting them. The base unit 10 is configured with a metal framework such as stainless steel, and is provided with moving parts 11 such as wheels at the bottom so that it can move on the ground or floor.

[0022] In addition, a moving handle 12 is attached to the base unit 10 for moving the entire suspension work device 100 including the base unit 10. The moving handle 12 is a rod-shaped handle extending upward from a wheel serving as the moving unit 11 attached to the lower part of the front (left side in FIG. 1) of the base unit 10, and the base unit 10 can be moved on the floor by gripping a T-shaped handle at the tip and moving it back and forth and left and right. In addition, the wheel at the bottom of the moving handle 12 rotates together with the moving handle 12, and when the moving handle 12 is rotated in a direction centered on its axis, the wheel also rotates together with the moving handle 12, thereby making it possible to manipulate the direction of movement of the base unit 10 by the moving unit 11. In addition, a display unit 62 and an operation unit 63, which will be described later, are attached near the top of the moving handle 12, so that the worker operating the suspension work apparatus 100 can refer to the display on the display unit 62 at a position where he or she can operate the moving handle 12, and can perform movement operations of the suspension work apparatus 100 using the moving handle 12 and input operations to the operation unit 63 in nearby locations.

[0023] The lifting unit 20 is a mechanism that supports the duct support unit 30 and the fastener injection unit 50 and raises and lowers them to a height where the installation work of the duct D is performed. The lifting unit 20 includes a pillar 21 provided on the upper surface of the base unit 10 along the vertical direction, and a support frame 22 attached to the pillar 21. The pillar 21 is configured to be expandable and contractible by a mechanism such as a rack and pinion (not shown), and the support frame 22 is configured to rise and lower vertically as the pillar 21 expands and contracts. The support frame 22 supports the duct support unit 30, the fastener injection unit 50, and a part of the part feed unit 40, and these are configured to be raised and lowered together with the support frame 22. The mechanism for raising and lowering these components may be any mechanism as long as it can raise and lower them appropriately to the desired height, and for example, a mechanism using a winch and a wire rope, a hydraulic lifting device, etc. may be used.

[0024] The duct support part 30 is a part of the suspension work apparatus 100 of this embodiment that functions as a support mechanism for a long object, and is configured to support the duct D as the long object to be supported. The duct support part 30 is attached to the support frame 22 of the lifting part 20, and supports the duct D, which is the object of the suspension work, and lifts it up as the support frame 22 rises.

[0025] 3 and 4, the duct support part 30 is configured by combining rod-shaped frameworks to form a roughly rectangular prism shape overall, and the center part is designed to allow the duct D to pass in the vertical direction. The roughly rectangular prism-shaped duct support part 30 is roughly rectangular in plan view, and one side of it (fixed part 31) is fixed to the support frame 22 of the lifting part 20.

[0026] Of the duct support part 30, two sides (referred to as expandable parts 32) adjacent to the fixed part 31 in plan view are configured to expand and contract in a direction perpendicular to the fixed part 31 as a result of the components thereof sliding relative to one another. As a result, the part (referred to as movable part 33) forming the side facing the fixed part 31 in plan view is configured so that the distance from the fixed part 31 can be adjusted.

[0027] The mechanism of the telescopic part 32 that adjusts the distance between the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33 is as follows, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, on the fixed part 31 side, a feed screw 32a is attached so as to extend in a direction along the telescopic part 32 (the direction in which the side forming the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33 face each other, that is, the direction orthogonal to these). The base part and the tip part of the feed screw 32a are fixed to the fixed part 31 side. A nut (not shown) as a member on the movable part 33 side is rotatably attached to the intermediate part, and a manual telescopic handle 32b is attached to the fixed part 31 side at the tip side position. The nut is configured to rotate in conjunction with the operation of the telescopic handle 32b. When the telescopic handle 32b is rotated, the position of the nut with respect to the feed screw 32a moves along the axial direction of the feed screw 32a, and at the same time, the movable part 33 to which the nut is attached moves along the axial direction of the feed screw 32a. Thereby, the distance between the movable part 33 to which the nut is attached and the fixed part 31 can be adjusted. In FIG. 4, the illustration of the telescopic mechanism by the feed screw 32a and the telescopic handle 32b is omitted.

[0028] Inside the substantially quadrangular prism-shaped frame constituting the duct support part 30, support rollers 34 are provided in contact with the duct D and supporting it while partially allowing its movement. In the case of this embodiment, a total of 8 support rollers 34 are attached to the duct support part 30 in two upper and lower stages of 4 each. Among the 4 located on the upper side, 2 are attached to the fixed part 31 side and 2 are attached to the movable part 33 side, respectively. Similarly, among the 4 support rollers 34 located on the lower side, 2 are attached to the fixed part 31 side and 2 are attached to the movable part 33 side, respectively. Assuming a quadrangular prism with a rectangle as the bottom surface inside the duct support part 30, the support rollers 34 are located at a total of 8 positions corresponding to the vertices. In this way, with respect to the circumferential direction of the duct D to be supported, a plurality of support rollers 34 (4 each in the example shown here) are arranged so as to surround it, and the long object D is supported well in balance by the plurality of support rollers 34.

[0029] Each support roller 34 is rotatably attached to the tip of a support member 34a provided to protrude from the fixed part 31 or the movable part 33 to the inside of the duct support part 30. Each support member 34a is a member formed in a Y-shape in a plan view, and has a base fixed to the fixed part 31 or the movable part 33, and supports one support roller 34 at each of the bifurcated tips. The rotation axis of each support roller 34 is set at an angle along the circumferential direction of the duct D passed through the duct support part 30. Inside the duct support part 30, four support rollers 34 are provided in two rows, upper and lower, and each surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the duct D and protrudes toward the duct D, and a part of the outer circumferential surface of each support roller 34 contacts the outer circumferential surface of the duct D (Note that "along" in this specification does not only mean that the positions and angles of the two are completely the same, but also includes cases where the support rollers extend in roughly the same direction next to each other or form roughly the same angle).

[0030] Each support roller 34 rotates in only one direction with respect to the axis of the duct D supported inside the duct support part 30. In this embodiment, as described above, the duct D is supported inside the duct support part 30 so that the axis is aligned in the vertical direction. For the duct D in this position, the support roller 34 is attached to the duct support part 30 at an angle such that the rotation axis is aligned in the horizontal direction and the rotation direction is aligned in the vertical direction. Each support roller 34 rotates only in a direction in which the part of the outer circumferential surface that contacts the outer circumferential surface of the duct D moves upward, and is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction (by an appropriate mechanism not shown). An example of such a mechanism that allows rotation in only one direction and restricts rotation in the other direction is a ratchet mechanism.

[0031] In addition, each support roller 34 is made of a flexible material (e.g., soft urethane resin) at the portion forming the rotating surface. The portion in contact with the duct D is deformed, so that the rotating surface of the support roller 34 follows the surface of the duct D, and the frictional force is maintained by contacting over a wide area, so that the duct D can be supported suitably. As described above, a flexible duct used as a duct for an air conditioning system has a structure in which, for example, a thin spiral metal framework is wrapped with insulation material, and when viewed from the outside, the insulation material located between the framework is flexible, but the framework is hard. When the duct D, which is such a flexible duct, is supported by the support roller 34, when the support roller 34 contacts the insulation material part, the insulation material on the duct D side is mainly deformed, so that the two fit together, and when the support roller 34 contacts the framework part, the flexible material on the support roller 34 side is deformed, so that the two fit together. When the duct D moves in the axial direction while being supported by the support rollers 34, the material of the support rollers 34 deforms as necessary, allowing the duct D to overcome the hard parts of the duct D's framework, enabling smooth movement. In this way, the material of the support rollers 34 deforms, allowing the support rollers 34 to follow the outer circumferential surface of the duct D to be supported in accordance with its shape, structure, movement, etc., enabling stable support and smooth feeding. In addition, while a typical urethane roller often has a shape in which the middle part is convex outward in the axial direction (the diameter is larger in the central part than in both axial ends), the support rollers 34 in this embodiment are cylindrical in shape with the same diameter at any position in the axial direction. This shape makes it easier for the flexible material to deform to fit the shape of the duct D. In addition, as a mechanism for making the support rollers 34 follow the duct D, other than using such a flexible material, a similar effect (the ability of the support rollers 34 to follow the duct D) can be obtained by, for example, a mechanism in which the support rollers 34 are biased against the duct D from the support member 34a by an elastic body such as a helical spring.

[0032] As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the duct D is passed through the center of the duct support part 30 in the vertical direction, and the duct D is supported by four support rollers 34 in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the duct support part 30. The support rollers 34 are in contact with the duct D in a part of their outer circumferential surface that protrudes toward the center of the duct support part 30. The support rollers 34 are adapted to rotate only in a direction in which the part in contact with the duct D moves upward. Therefore, when the support rollers 34 are in contact with the duct D as shown in the figures, the movement of the duct D is permitted only in the upward direction by the rotation of the support rollers 34, and the downward movement is restricted by the frictional force with the outer circumferential surface of the support rollers 34. As a result, when the duct D is passed inside the duct support part 30 in a vertical direction, the duct D does not slip out of the duct support part 30 in the downward direction by its own weight, and is supported by the duct support part 30. On the other hand, the upward movement of the duct D is permitted, so that the duct D can be sent upward. Furthermore, when it is desired to set the duct D on the duct support part 30, by passing the end of the duct D through the duct support part 30 from bottom to top, the duct D can be smoothly passed through the duct support part 30 by the rotation of the support rollers 34, and supported as it is.

[0033] As described above, the duct support unit 30 has the expandable portion 32 that expands and contracts, which allows the distance between the support rollers 34 attached to the fixed portion 31 and the support rollers 34 attached to the movable portion 33 to be adjusted in the radial direction of the duct D to be supported. When the distance between these support rollers 34 changes, the diameter of an imaginary cylinder determined by the points (contact points with the duct D) on the outer circumferential surface of each support roller 34 on the central side of the duct support unit 30 changes. The diameter of this imaginary cylinder is, in other words, the outer diameter of the duct D that can be supported by a total of eight support rollers 34. With this mechanism, the duct support unit 30 can adjust the distance between the support rollers 34 in accordance with the outer diameter of the duct D to be supported, and can support ducts D of various diameters.

[0034] Here, the duct D is basically supported by the support rollers 34 mainly by frictional force as described above, but in particular, when a flexible duct in the form of a spiral framework wrapped with insulation material or the like is assumed as the duct D, the duct D is supported by the support rollers 34 not only by frictional force but also by a part of the wire-like framework riding on the support rollers 34 (when viewed from the support rollers 34 side, the support rollers 34 bite into the flexible material between the framework). In this case, as shown in FIG. 18, when the support rollers 34 are fitted between adjacent framework members (indicated by the symbol F in the figure) and the framework members F are positioned so as to sandwich the support rollers 34 from above and below, the duct D, which is a flexible duct, is easily supported by the support rollers 34. The relationship between the diameter of the support rollers 34 and the arrangement of the framework members F that can realize such a positional relationship is 2R>d, where R is the radius of the support rollers 34 and d is the distance between adjacent framework members F when the duct D is stretched.

[0035] However, if the radius R of the support roller 34 is too large, the amount of penetration of the support roller 34 between the framework members F will be small, and the supporting force of the duct D will be small, whereas if the radius R is too small (too close to d / 2), the amount of penetration when the support roller 34 is in contact with the framework members F at two points, top and bottom, will be too large, as shown in Fig. 18, and it is considered that the axial movement of the duct D will be hindered (the framework members F will have difficulty climbing over the support roller 34 during movement). Therefore, the relationship between the ratio of the radius R of the support roller 34 and the ratio of the pitch d between the framework members F of the duct D is preferably such that the radius R is approximately the same as the pitch d or slightly larger than the pitch d (for example, approximately R = 1.1d), and if the range is expressed by an inequality together with the numerical value, it is preferably set to the range of 1.0d ≦ R ≦ 1.3d.

[0036] Defining this relationship from another perspective is as follows. As shown in Fig. 18, when the support roller 34 is in contact with the member F of the framework of the duct D at two points, upper and lower, if the angle formed by the contacts of the upper and lower members F on the support roller 34 with respect to the central axis of the support roller 34 is θ, the value of the angle θ is preferably about 54°, for example. If the range is shown by an inequality together with the numerical value, it is preferably set in the range of 44° or more and 60° or less.

[0037] Incidentally, here, the case where only one set of the duct support portion 30 is provided on the support frame 22 of the elevating portion 20 has been illustrated, but two or more sets of the duct support portion 30 may be provided for one suspension working device 100. For example, although not shown, a total of two sets of the duct support portion 30, one set on the support frame 22 side and one set on the column member 21 side in the elevating portion 20, may be provided to increase the supporting force of the duct D by the duct support portion 30 or to suppress the displacement of the duct D. Alternatively, it is also possible to change the direction of the duct D in the duct support portion 30 to another direction (for example, configure the support roller 34 and the surrounding frame so as to support the duct D horizontally).

[0038] Furthermore, the configuration of the telescopic mechanism for adjusting the distance between the support rollers 34 in accordance with the diameter of the duct D is not limited to the example shown here. For example, instead of a telescopic mechanism using a feed screw 32a or the like, it is also possible to provide the telescopic part 32 with a mechanism for biasing the movable part 33 against the fixed part 31 with an appropriate force using an elastic body such as a helical spring or a mechanism such as a fluid pressure cylinder.

[0039] FIG. 19 shows an example of another support structure for such a duct D. In the example shown here, the duct support part 30 includes a fixed part 31, which is a framework assembled into a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a movable part 33 provided inside the fixed part 31. The movable part 33 is a member assembled into a square shape and forming a surface along the vertical direction inside the fixed part 31, and is supported on one side surface inside the fixed part 31, which is a rectangular parallelepiped frame, and is biased toward another side surface opposite to the one side surface. The movable part 33 and the fixed part 31 that supports the movable part 33 are connected by an expandable part 32 that is provided so as to be expandable along the horizontal direction, and the expandable part 32 is biased by a biasing body 32c in a direction extending from the one side surface toward the other side surface.

[0040] The telescopic section 32 is configured by combining a plurality of rod-shaped members so as to form an X-shape between the fixed section 31 and the movable section 33 in a side view, and the rod-shaped members are connected to each other so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis at the intersection point at the center of the X-shape. In addition, each end of the rod-shaped member at the four corners of the X-shape is attached to the fixed section 31 or the movable section 33 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis, and the two ends located on the upper side are adapted to slide along the members of the fixed section 31 or the movable section 33 that extend along the vertical direction. As a result, the telescopic section 32 supports the movable section 33 on the fixed section 31 while telescopically telescopically telescopically as a whole due to the inclination of the rod-shaped members.

[0041] The biasing body 32c is configured as a pneumatic cylinder, and both ends are rotatably connected to the fixed part 31 or the movable part 33. The biasing body 32c biases the movable part 33 in the direction in which the telescopic part 32 extends, and the duct D located between the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33 is sandwiched and supported by this biasing force.

[0042] When such a support structure is adopted, when supporting the duct D on the duct support part 30, the movable part 33 is temporarily separated from the fixed part 31 against the biasing force, the distance between the support rollers 34 is widened, the duct D is passed between the support rollers 34, and then the resistance to the biasing force is released, and the distance between the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33 is shortened again by the biasing force, so that the duct D is sandwiched between the support rollers 34.

[0043] The component feeding portion 40 is a mechanism for feeding the fixture P attached to the duct D via the suspension tool W to an appropriate position with respect to the fixture injection portion 50 (injection position; a position where if the fixture S is injected from the fixture injection portion 50, the fixture P can be attached to the object (structure C) by the fixture S), and includes a feed cable 41 and a component holder 42 attached to the feed cable 41.

[0044] The feed cable 41 is, for example, an endless metal chain, and is wound around pulleys 43 provided at various locations of the suspension working device 100. The pulleys 43 are respectively provided on the base portion 10 of the suspension working device 100 and the support frame 22 of the lifting and lowering portion 20. That is, the feed cable 41 wound around these pulleys 43 is routed from the base portion 10 to the support frame 22 in the suspension working device 100. Along with the lifting and lowering operation of the support frame 22 in the lifting and lowering portion 20, among the pulleys 43 provided in the suspension working device 100, the pulley 43 disposed on the support frame 22 side moves up and down with respect to the pulley 43 disposed on the base portion 10 side. Along with this, the feed cable 41 as a whole extends and contracts up and down (among the feed cable 41, the portion wound around the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side moves up and down with respect to the portion wound around the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side).

[0045] Here, the expression "extends and contracts" is used for the feed cable 41, but this does not mean that the overall length of the feed cable 41 itself changes. Instead, it means that the routing state of the feed cable 41 changes due to the change in the positional relationship between the pulleys 43. A mechanism that allows relative movement is provided for the plurality of pulleys 43 arranged on the base portion 10 side. When the distance between the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side and the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side changes as the support frame 22 moves up and down, some of the pulleys 43 on the base portion 10 side are displaced accordingly, thereby absorbing the change in the distance between the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side and the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side. Specifically, for example, it is a mechanism as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, in the base portion 10, the feed cable 41 is wound around a plurality of vertically arranged pulleys 43 so as to be folded back. The upper pulley 43 is fixed to the base portion 10, while the lower pulley 43 is configured to slide vertically. Further, the lower pulley 43 is biased downward by a weight 43a. When the support frame 22 rises, a part of the feed cable 41 is pulled upward and lifted by this. Due to the tension of the feed cable 41, the lower pulley 43 in the base portion 10 is lifted against the weight of the weight 43a attached to the pulley 43. In this way, the increase in the distance between the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side and the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side caused by the rise of the support frame 22 is absorbed by the approach of the upper and lower pulleys 43 in the base portion 10, and an appropriate routing state of the feed cable 41 with a certain length is maintained. When the support frame 22 descends, the distance between the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side and the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side decreases. However, on the base portion 10 side, the lower pulley 43 in the base portion 10 descends due to the biasing force of the weight 43a, and the increase in the distance between the upper and lower pulleys 43 in the base portion 10 side absorbs the decrease in the distance between the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side and the pulley 43 on the base portion 10 side. According to such a mechanism, even if the routing state of the feed cable 41 in the suspension working device 100 changes as the support frame 22 expands and contracts, an appropriate tension is maintained, and loosening does not occur and the cable does not deviate from the pulley 43.As a mechanism for allowing the arrangement state of the feed cable 41 to vary as the support frame 22 expands and contracts, not limited to the example described here, an appropriate mechanism can be adopted. For example, instead of biasing by the weight of the weight 43a, the pulley 43 may be biased by an elastic body such as a coil spring, or a mechanism for adjusting the position of the pulley 43 by power from a motor or the like can also be considered. Incidentally, apart from this mechanism, a part of the pulley 43 is biased with respect to the suspension working device 100 by an elastic body (not shown) or the like, and thus functions as a tensioner for applying an appropriate tension to the feed cable 41 wound around the pulley 43.

[0046] Also, a part of the pulley 43 is configured as a driving pulley provided with a power mechanism by a motor or gears (not shown), and by the rotation of this driving pulley, the endless feed cable 41 can be fed along the longitudinal direction. At that time, the remaining pulleys 43 function as driven pulleys and are interlocked with the operation of the feed cable 41.

[0047] Further, a locking mechanism 44 for locking the feeding operation of the feed cable 41 is provided on the feed cable 41. In the case of this embodiment, the locking mechanism 44 includes an upper locking mechanism 44a provided on the support frame 22 side for restricting the movement of the feed cable 41 with respect to the support frame 22, and a lower locking mechanism 44b provided on the base portion 10 side for restricting the movement of the feed cable 41 with respect to the base portion 10. The upper locking mechanism 44a is located upstream of the injection position with respect to the forward direction of the operation of the feed cable 41 due to the rotation of the pulley 43, and locks the feed cable 41 with respect to the support frame 22 here. The lower locking mechanism 44b is located downstream of the support frame 22 with respect to the forward direction of the operation of the feed cable 41 due to the rotation of the pulley 43, and locks the feed cable 41 with respect to the base portion 10 here.

[0048] The component holder 42 and the fixture P will be described. The fixture P may have any configuration as long as it is a component that is struck against a structure C such as a ceiling by a fastener S such as a nail. In the case of this embodiment, however, it is configured as a metal plate having an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. Of the two surfaces formed by the fixture P, one surface (referred to as the striking portion P1) is configured to be struck against the structure C by the fastener S, and a hole P3 is provided in the other surface (referred to as the hanging portion P2) so as to penetrate the surface formed by the hanging portion P2, and the end of the hanging tool W is attached thereto. The position of the hole P3 in the hanging portion P2 is in the vicinity of the bending line that forms the boundary between the striking portion P1 and the hanging portion P2, and is a position shifted to one side (a position close to the edge of the hanging portion P2) with respect to the extending direction of the bending line. Further, at an appropriate position of the hanging portion P2 (a position corresponding to the pressing portion 42k of the component holder 42 described later), a hole P4 is provided as an engaging portion for engaging with the pressing portion 42k separately from the hole P3. The configuration and function of the hole P4 and the pressing portion 42k will be described again later.

[0049] The component holder 42 holds the fixture P by holding the hanging portion P2 of the fixture P having the above-described configuration. The component holder 42 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped resin main body portion 42a, a holding portion 42b for supporting the fixture P, and an attachment portion 42c for attaching to the feed cable 41.

[0050] The component holder 42 is attached to the feed cable 41 and moves together with the feeding operation of the feed cable 41, and its posture changes according to the position on the feed cable 41. However, at least at the injection position near the injection port of the fastener injection unit 50 described later, it is held by the feed cable 41 at an angle that raises the striking portion P1 of the fixture P upward. In this specification, based on this state, each surface of the main body portion 42a is defined. That is, of the six surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 42a, the surface located on the upper side at an angle that raises the striking portion P1 of the fixture P upward is defined as the upper surface 42d, and the surface located on the lower side is defined as the lower surface 42e. Further, of the remaining four surfaces, the surface provided with the holding portion 42b is defined as the front surface 42f, the opposite side is defined as the rear surface 42g, and the other surfaces are referred to as the first side surface 42h and the second side surface 42i.

[0051] The holding part 42b is provided on the front surface 42f of the main body part 42a, and is a part that supports by sandwiching a part (hanging part P2) of the mounting tool P which is a plate-shaped part. The sheath part 42j constituting the holding part 42b is formed in a C-shaped cross-section by bending a plate-shaped member made of metal, and is provided so as to cover from the first side surface 42h to the front surface 42f and the second side surface 42i of the main body part 42a. Both ends of the sheath part 42j are fixed to the first side surface 42h and the second side surface 42i respectively by fastening tools 42n such as bolts, and the central part is installed at a distance slightly larger than the thickness of the hanging part P2 of the mounting tool P with respect to the front surface 42f of the main body part 42a. In the case of this embodiment, two fastening tools 42n are provided vertically on the first side surface 42h, and one is provided on the second side surface 42i. At these three points in total, the sheath part 42j is fixed to the main body part 42a. The positions of the three fastening tools 42n in the main body part 42a are not aligned in a straight line with each other, and form the vertices of a virtual substantially right triangle. It is assumed that external forces are applied to the sheath part 42j from various directions from the mounting tool P and the like held by the holding part 42b, and such external forces may act in such a way that the sheath part 42j is displaced with respect to the main body part 42a or the sheath part 42j comes off from the main body part 42a. Therefore, if the fastening tools 42n forming the mounting part of the sheath part 42j in the main body part 42a are arranged so as to form the vertices of a polygon in this way, it becomes easier to maintain the fixed state of the sheath part 42j with respect to the main body part 42a against such external forces.

[0052] In this way, the sheath part 42j is fixed to the main body part 42a, and the holding part 42b is formed between itself and the front surface 42f of the component holder 42. At the same time, the sheath part 42j also serves to reinforce the component holder 42 by being attached to the main body part 42 in a form surrounding three sides of the main body part 42 by the metal sheath part 42j. a of the main body part 42 a by being attached to,

[0053] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, on the front surface 42f of the main body portion 42a, a pressing portion 42k protrudes toward the back surface of the sheath portion 42j. The pressing portion 42k is, for example, the tip of a ball plunger. A ball plunger is a component configured such that a sphere is provided at the tip of an elastic body housed inside an outer cylinder and the sphere is biased outward of the outer cylinder by the elastic body. In the main body portion 42a, this ball plunger is embedded from the back surface 42g toward the front surface 42f so that the sphere at the tip portion is exposed on the front surface 42f, and the tip portion exposed on the front surface 42f forms the pressing portion 42k.

[0054] When supporting the fixture P on the holding portion 42b of the component holder 42, among the fixtures P having an L-shaped cross section with two surfaces, the striking portion P1 and the hanging portion P2, the hanging portion P2 is inserted between the sheath portion 42j and the front surface 42f of the main body portion 42a. At this time, the striking portion P1 is positioned on the upper surface 42d side with respect to the main body portion 42a, and is oriented to protrude on the side opposite to the main body portion 42a with respect to the hanging portion P2 in plan view.

[0055] A hole P3 is provided near the edge in the vicinity of the boundary with the striking portion P1 in the hanging portion P2, and a suspension tool W is attached here. In the sheath portion 42j, a notch 42l is provided at a position corresponding to the hole P3 in a state where the hanging portion P2 is inserted between the main body portion 42a. This notch 42l is provided so as to notch the upper edge (the edge close to the upper surface 42d of the main body portion 42a) of the sheath portion 42j, reducing the weight of the component holder 42 and preventing the suspension tool W attached to the hole P3 from interfering with the insertion of the hanging portion P2 into the holding portion 42b and the escape from the holding portion 42b when the fixture P is attached to and detached from the holding portion 42b.

[0056] On the other hand, also in the main body portion 42a, when the hanging portion P2 is inserted between the sheath portion 42j, a notch portion 42m is provided at a position corresponding to the hole P3. The notch portion 42m is provided so as to notch the upper surface 42d of the main body portion 42a, and further, the portion closer to the front surface 42f forms an inclined surface that descends toward the lower surface 42e side as it approaches the front surface 42f. In the portion where this inclined surface is provided, the main body portion 42a avoids interference with the hanging tool W attached to the hanging portion P2, and the hanging tool W does not prevent the attachment and detachment of the hanging portion P2 to the holding portion 42b by coming into contact with the main body portion 42a.

[0057] Also, in the hanging portion P2, in a state of being held by the holding portion 42b of the component holder 42 (a state of being inserted between the main body portion 42a and the sheath portion 42j), holes P4 as engaging portions are provided at two positions corresponding to the position of the pressing portion 42k. As described above, the pressing portion 42k, which is the tip of the ball plunger, is exposed in the gap between the main body portion 42a and the sheath portion 42j. When the hanging portion P2 of the fixture P is inserted here, due to the biasing force generated in the pressing portion 42k by the mechanism of the ball plunger, the hanging portion P2 is pressed against the back surface of the sheath portion 42j, and a frictional force is generated between the hanging portion P2 and the sheath portion 42j. Further, the pressing portion 42k fits into the hole P4 of the hanging portion P2, and the hanging portion P2 and the pressing portion 42k are engaged. Thereby, the hanging portion P2 is held with an appropriate force (the fixture P does not fall off from the holding portion 42b even if the angle of the component holder 42 changes as the wire rope 41 operates, but the fixture P can be pulled out from the holding portion 42b by sliding the hanging portion P2 with a certain amount of force).

[0058] In the ball plunger that constitutes the pressing portion 42k, at least a hemisphere of the sphere at the tip is accommodated in the outer cylinder, and only the portion below the remaining hemisphere or less is exposed from the tip. Therefore, even when a force is applied from the side to the portion of the sphere exposed at this tip, the sphere is pushed into the outer cylinder. When inserting the suspension portion P2 into the holding portion 42b, the edge of the suspension portion P2 comes into contact with the sphere in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the ball plunger that constitutes the pressing portion 42k. At this time, the pressing portion 42k does not interfere with the movement of the suspension portion P2, and the sphere is pushed toward the main body portion 42a by the suspension portion P2 that contacts from the side, and the suspension portion P2 can be smoothly inserted between the pressing portion 42k and the sheath portion 42j. Also, even after the pressing portion 42k fits into and engages with the hole P4, if the fixture P is pulled along the direction of the suspension portion P2, the pressing portion 42k is pushed into the outer cylinder and comes out of the hole P4, and the fixture P can be smoothly removed from the component holder 42.

[0059] Here, in the main body portion 42a of the component holder 42, as described above, the first side surface 42h and the second side surface 42 iThe fastener 42n attached thereto forms the vertices of a virtual triangle, and preferably, the position of the pressing portion 42k as viewed from the front surface 42f of the main body portion 42a is within the region of the virtual triangle surrounded by the fastener 42n. With respect to the sheath portion 42j, various external forces are assumed due to factors such as the fitting P inserted between the sheath portion 42j and the main body portion 42a being pulled by the suspension tool W and twisted. In such a case, of course, it is desirable that the sheath portion 42j does not displace with respect to the main body portion 42a against the external force as much as possible. It is needless to say that situations such as deformation or detachment of the member should be avoided, because if the sheath portion 42j displaces with respect to the main body portion 42a, it may also affect the holding state of the fitting P. That is, in the sheath portion 42j, it is necessary to maintain a correct posture with respect to the main body portion 42a and always form an appropriate gap. Considering from such a viewpoint, since the external force applied to the component holder 42 from the fitting P generally acts around the position of the pressing portion 42k, it is preferable that the position of the pressing portion 42k serving as the point of force is within the region of the virtual triangle surrounded by the fastener 42n. If the position of the pressing portion 42k is within the region, the external force with the position of the pressing portion 42k as the point of force is preferably shared among the plurality of fasteners 42n forming the vertices of the region. However, if the position of the pressing portion 42k is outside the region, the external force applied from the pressing portion 42k will be biased toward some of the fasteners 42n.

[0060] In the case of the example shown here, a total of two fasteners 42n are attached vertically to the first side surface 42h, while one fastener 42n is attached to the second side surface 42i. The position of the pressing portion 42k as viewed from the front surface 42f of the main body portion 42a is on the straight line connecting the lower fastener 42n on the first side surface 42h and the fastener 42n on the second side surface 42i, and is located within the region of a virtual polygon (triangle) surrounded by the three fasteners 42n.

[0061] Note that the pressing portion is not limited to a ball plunger, and an appropriate configuration can be adopted as long as the fitting P can be preferably held by the holding portion 42b. Further, as the engaging portion provided on the fitting P side for engaging with the pressing portion 42k, although the hole P4 is exemplified here, it is not limited to a hole. For example, an engaging portion may be provided as a recess into which the pressing portion 42k fits.

[0062] As the attachment part 42c, any configuration may be adopted as long as it can be suitably attached to the side of the feed cable 41. In the case of this embodiment, the attachment part 42c is a hole provided at a position near the back surface 42g on the upper surface 42d of the main body part 42a. On the other hand, on the side of the feed cable 41, a fixture 41a for fixing the component holder 42 by the attachment part 42c is attached. The fixture 41a is, for example, a bracket formed by bending a metal plate into an L shape, has an attachment surface along the extending direction of the feed cable 41, and here, by passing a fastener 41b such as a bolt through it and tightening it into the attachment part (hole) 42c of the main body part 42a, the component holder 42 can be fixed. The fixtures 41a are provided at equal intervals, for example, at intervals of about several centimeters on the feed cable 41. By selecting a fixture 41a at an appropriate position and attaching the component holder 42 there, the attachment tool P can be supported at an appropriate position with respect to the feed cable 41 via the component holder 42. Further, the fixture 41a, which is a metal plate, also serves to reinforce the component holder 42 by being attached so as to cover a part of the upper surface 42d and the back surface 42g of the main body part 42a.

[0063] In this way, the component feeding part 40 can suitably feed the attachment tool P held by the component holder 42 to the injection position by a simple mechanism using a feed cable 41 such as a chain.

[0064] The fastener injection part 50 is a device that injects a fastener S such as a rivet and strikes the attachment tool P against the structure C. For example, a commercially available riveting machine (nail gun, nail gun) can be diverted to be the fastener injection part 50. In the case of this embodiment, assuming the structure C to be riveted is a ceiling or the like, the fastener injection part 50, which is a riveting machine, is supported by the support frame 22 of the elevating part 20 with the injection port 50a facing upward.

[0065] At the fixture ejecting part 50, an ejection operation part 51 is attached so that the ejection operation of the fixture ejecting part 50 can be performed from a position away from the ejection operation of the fixture ejecting part 50 (a position below the fixture ejecting part 50 lifted upward by the elevating part 20). The ejection operation part 51 is provided with an operation lever interlocked with a trigger at the end (the end on the side opposite to the fixture ejecting part 50, the lower end) of a rod extending downward (rearward for the fixture ejecting part 50 which is a riveting machine) from the fixture ejecting part 50 attached upward to the support frame 22. By performing the operation of gripping this operation lever, the fixture S is ejected from the ejection port 50a of the fixture ejecting part 50. Note that, as for some riveting machines, the fixture is configured to be fired only when the ejection port is pressed against an object as part of a safety mechanism. When such a riveting machine is adopted as the fixture ejecting part 50, the ejection operation part 51 can be used to press the ejection port 50a of the fixture ejecting part 50 against the structure C, or the ejection port 50a can be pressed against the structure C by the upward operation of the support frame 22, and the ejection operation part 51 can be operated in that state.

[0066] Near the ejection port 50a of the fixture ejecting part 50, a part of the feed rope 41 of the component feeding part 40 is arranged so that the fixture P supported by the component holder 42 can be fed to an appropriate position (ejection position) with respect to the ejection port 50a. At this time, the component holder 42 supports the fixture P at an appropriate angle with respect to the ejection port 50a. The "appropriate position" and "appropriate angle" mentioned here refer to a position and an angle appropriate for ejecting the fixture S by the fixture ejecting part 50 and fixing the fixture P to an object (structure C). That is, the striking part P1 of the fixture P is located forward when viewed from the ejection port 50a, and the plane formed by the striking part P1 is orthogonal to the ejection direction of the fixture S from the ejection port 50a. In the case of this embodiment, since the ejection port 50a is installed facing upward so that the ejection direction is along the vertical direction, the fixture P is supported so that the striking part P1 forms a plane along the horizontal direction. The fixture 41a of the feed rope 41 is attached to the feed rope 41 so as to support the component holder 42 and the fixture P in such a direction near the ejection port 50a.

[0067] In addition, near the injection port 50a, an injection sensor 52 is provided to detect that the component holder 42 is at the injection position with respect to the fastener injection unit 50. The injection sensor 52 is a proximity sensor (or object sensor, distance measuring sensor, range measuring sensor) that detects the presence or absence of an object and its distance by irradiating, for example, ultrasonic waves or a laser. Also, at appropriate positions of the suspension working device 100, a warning lamp 53 linked to the detection by the injection sensor 52 is provided. The warning lamp 53 is configured to light up when the injection sensor 52 detects that the component holder 42 is at the injection position.

[0068] Furthermore, at various locations of the suspension working device 100, light irradiation devices 60a to 60c are provided as alignment parts for alignment when attaching the fixture P. Each of the light irradiation devices 60a to 60c is, for example, a laser device that oscillates laser light. Among these, the light irradiation devices 60a and 60b are line laser devices that irradiate laser light in a fan-shaped planar manner, and are respectively installed upward at two locations on the side surface of the elevating part 20. The laser light oscillated by the light irradiation device 60a and the laser light oscillated by the light irradiation device 60b have different directions, but the planes formed by their respective irradiation lights each include the ray from the injection port 50a of the fastener injection unit 50. As a result, the intersection line of the lights irradiated from the light irradiation devices 60a and 60b coincides with the ray of the injection port 50a. On the other hand, the light irradiation device 60c is attached downward to the lower surface of the base part 10 and irradiates a cross line laser downward. The intersection line of the cross laser coincides with the extension line of the ray from the injection port 50a of the fastener injection unit 50.

[0069] The operations of the above-described respective parts are controlled by the control unit 61. The control unit 61 is a control device that controls the operations of the respective parts of the suspension working device 100 and monitors the operating state. It performs operations such as the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting part 20, the operation of the pulley (drive pulley) 43 around which the feed rope 41 of the component feed part 40 is wound, the operation of the locking mechanism 44, the on / off of the notification lamp 53 linked to the detection by the injection sensor 52 (turning on the notification lamp 53 when a detection signal is input from the injection sensor 52 and turning it off otherwise), and the on / off of the light irradiation devices 60a to 60c. Note that at least a part of these operations may be directly performed manually by the operator. In addition, theoretically, it is also possible to configure, for example, the injection operation in the fastener injection part 50 and the operation of the telescopic part 32 in the duct support part 30 to be performed by the input of an operation signal from the control unit 61.

[0070] A display unit 62 and an operation unit 63 are further connected to the control unit 61. The display unit 62 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and visually displays the operating status of the above-described respective parts. The operation unit 63 is a controller for the operator to input an operation command for the above-described respective parts. Note that, for example, the display unit 62 may be configured integrally with the operation unit 63 as a touch panel type display.

[0071] The configuration of the hoisting device 100 described here is merely an example, and the overall shape, specifications of each part, operating principle, etc. can be changed as appropriate. For example, in this embodiment, the form in which the duct support portion 30 and the fastener injection portion 50 are supported by the same support frame 22 in the lifting portion 20 has been described. However, for example, the duct support portion 30 and the fastener injection portion 50 can also be lifted separately. Further, the duct support portion 30 may not include the support rollers 34 as described above, but may include a frame that holds the duct D so as to clamp the outer peripheral surface of the duct D. When it is necessary to move the duct D with respect to the frame, the clamping by the frame may be loosened each time. Alternatively, instead of the support rollers that rotate only in one direction, for example, a form in which the duct D is supported while being biased upward by an elastic body is also conceivable. In addition, as long as the hoisting operation of the duct D can be suitably performed, an appropriate form can be adopted as the hoisting device.

[0072] Next, the procedure of the hoisting operation of the duct D using the above-described hoisting device 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9.

[0073] First, the duct D for which the hoisting operation is to be performed is set (step S1; see FIG. 10). A suspension tool W with a fixture P attached is attached to the target hole H among the holes H provided in the flap of the duct D. The suspension tool W has an appropriate length corresponding to the hoisting height of the duct D from the structure C.

[0074] The duct D is passed through the duct support portion 30 attached to the support frame 22 of the lifting portion 20 and held here. After operating the telescopic portion 32 of the duct support portion 30 and adjusting the distance between the support rollers 34 to match the outer diameter of the duct D, the duct D is inserted from below into the space between the support rollers 34. The upward movement of the duct D in contact with the support rollers 34 is allowed by the support rollers 34 that rotate only upward, and the downward movement is restricted by the frictional force. As a result, just by inserting the duct D into the duct support portion 30 from below, the duct D is held in a form in which a part of the duct D (the region including the portion where the subsequent hoisting operation is performed by the suspension tool W) is located above the duct support portion 30.

[0075] The fixture P of the suspension tool W attached to the duct D is held by the component holder 42. The component holder 42 is attached to the feed rope 41 constituting the component feed section 40 via a fixture 41a, and the hanging portion P2 of the fixture P is inserted into the holding portion 42b (the gap between the main body portion 42a and the sheath portion 42j) of the component holder 42. The position of the component holder 42 on the feed rope 41 that holds the fixture P is on the upstream side of the support frame 22 with respect to the forward direction of the feeding operation of the feed rope 41. At this point, one or more appropriate numbers of the fixture P and the suspension tool W are attached to the duct D at appropriate positions.

[0076]

[0077] ​Operate the elevating section 20 to move the support frame 22 to which the duct support section 30 is attached upward, and lift it to a height near the structure C where the duct D is to be suspended (step S2; see FIG. 11). By this operation, the fastener injection section 50 supported by the support frame 22, like the duct support section 30, also moves upward together. Also, among the feed ropes 41 that make up the component feed section 40, the portion wound around the pulley 43 on the support frame 22 side also moves upward together with the support frame 22. In this process, the upper locking mechanism 44a is in a locked state, and the portion of the feed rope 41 wound around the pulley 43 of the support frame 22 is locked to the support frame 22, so the feed rope 41 does not unexpectedly move relative to the support frame 22 and cause the fixture P and the component holder 42 to deviate from the injection position.

[0078] With the support frame 22 lifted, align the position of the suspension working device 100 (step S3). At the site where the suspension work of the duct D is to be performed, in many cases, at least one of the upper target position (ceiling) or the lower target position (floor) where the fixture P is to be struck is marked. When aligning with the upper mark, turn on the upward light irradiation devices 60a, 60b, and align the intersection of the light irradiated from these light irradiation devices 60a, 60b with the said position. Since the light irradiated from the light irradiation devices 60a, 60b appears as a cross on the surface of the target structure C such as the ceiling, align the intersection point with the mark attached to the structure C. Since the intersection of the said light is set to coincide with the radiation line of the fastener S ejected from the fastener injection section 50 as described above, if the fastener S is ejected with the intersection of the said light aligned with the mark, the fastener S will be ejected toward the position of the mark. Incidentally, regarding the movement and alignment of the suspension working device 100, for example, it is also possible to equip the suspension working device 100 with an autonomous driving function and have the suspension working device 100 automatically perform it in combination with map data.

[0079] From this state, further operate the elevating part 20 to lift the support frame 22, and the injection port 50a of the fastener injection part 50 supported by the support frame 22 is positioned in the immediate vicinity (directly below in the example shown here) of the target structure C, and with the striking part P1 of the fixture P sandwiched between the injection port 50a and the structure C, inject the fastener S from the fastener injection part 50 (step S4). At this time, by operating the injection operation part 51, the injection operation can be performed at a position below the fastener injection part 50 supported by the support frame 22 of the elevating part 20. Here, if the fastener injection part 50 is provided with a safety mechanism such that the fastener S cannot be injected unless the injection port 50a is in contact with the object, then the injection operation can be performed by lifting the fastener injection part 50 with the injection operation part 51 or by lifting the fastener injection part 50 by operating the elevating part 20 and pressing the injection port 50a against the structure C. When the fastener S is injected, the fastener S penetrates the striking part P1 of the fixture P and is driven into the structure C, and the fixture P is fixed to the structure C.

[0080] After the fixture P has been struck, operate the elevating part 20 to lower the support frame 22 (step S5; see FIG. 12). The fixture P is supported by the component holder 42 with the hanging part P2 inserted into the holding part 42b of the component holder 42 from above, and the striking part P1 struck into the structure C forms a plane orthogonal to the hanging part P2 and is located above the hanging part P2. Therefore, when the component holder 42 descends together with the feed rope 41 due to the operation of lowering the support frame 22, the fixture P fixed to the structure C, which is the ceiling, escapes from the holding part 42b of the component holder 42. The fixture P is housed in the sheath part 42j by the frictional force generated by the pressing part 42k, which is a ball plunger, while being held by the component holder 42. However, this frictional force is, of course, sufficiently weaker than the frictional force of the fastener S that fixes the fixture P to the structure C and does not prevent the escape of the fixture P. Depending on the position of the fixture P at the time of injection of the fastener S, the fixture P may escape from the component holder 42 due to the collision of the fastener S against the striking part P1 not in this step S5 (when the support frame 22 is lowered) but in step S4 (when the fastener S is injected).

[0081] When the support frame 22 is lowered to a height corresponding to the hanging length of the duct D from the structure C by the lifting tool W, the lifting tool W is stretched up and down by the dead weight of the duct D, and the duct D is suspended from the structure C via the lifting tool W to the hanging portion P2 of the fixture P as shown in FIG. 12.

[0082] During the downward movement of the support frame 22 in step S5, regarding the locking mechanism 44 of the component feeder 40, both the upper locking mechanism 44a and the lower locking mechanism 44b are released from the locked state. As the support frame 22 descends, the feed cable 41 located in the vicinity of the support frame 22 side descends toward the base portion 10 side and is folded between the pulleys 43 provided on the base portion 10 side.

[0083] From here, the support frame 22 is further lowered (step S6; see FIG. 13). The duct D is supported by the support frame 22 via the duct support portion 30. However, in the duct D, the portion constrained by the structure C by the lifting tool W and the fixture P will not descend any further. Therefore, in step S6, the duct support portion 30 moves downward with respect to the duct D suspended from the structure C. When viewed from the duct support portion 30, the duct D is pulled upward. The movement of the duct D with respect to the duct support portion 30 is allowed by the rotation of the support roller 34.

[0084] In step S6, from the state where the duct D is suspended from the structure C with the lifting tool W stretched (Fig. 12), the support frame 22 is further lowered by an appropriate height (Fig. 13). Here, the "appropriate height" is, for example, a height corresponding to the distance from the position where the fixture P was struck against the structure C in the previous step S4 to the position where the next fixture P will be struck against the structure C, or a height greater than that. As described above, in step S6, as the duct support portion 30 is lowered, the duct D is pulled upward by that amount. The upper part of the duct D is constrained by the structure C by the lifting tool W attached to the structure C via the fixture P, and the suspension working device 100 that supports the duct D at the duct support portion 30 can move on the floor only within a certain range with respect to the position of the fixture P fixed to the structure C. Then, after fixing the fixture P to the structure C, the suspension working device 100 needs to move to the position where the next fixture P will be attached. The length of the duct D pulled upward from the duct support portion 30 in step S6, that is, corresponds to the distance within which the suspension working device 100 can move with the position of the fixture P fixed to the structure C as the center. If the length of the duct D pulled out from the duct support portion 30 in step S6, that is, the lowering height of the duct support portion 30, is set to be equal to or greater than the striking distance of the fixture P in the structure C, the suspension working device 100 can move to the next striking position without any trouble.

[0085] Alternatively, the lowering height of the support frame 22 in step S6 may be, for example, a height convenient for an operator at a height near the base portion 10 to perform some work (such as attaching the lifting tool W to the duct D) on the duct D or the duct support portion 30. Thus, in step S6, the lowering operation of the support frame 22 is performed to such an extent that the length of the duct D pulled out from the duct support portion 30 becomes sufficient or the positions of the duct support portion 30 and the duct D become sufficiently low. Incidentally, the operation of pulling out the duct D with respect to the duct support portion 30 can also be performed by an operation of sending the duct D from the bottom upward in addition to the lowering of the duct support portion 30.

[0086] When the support frame 22 descends in step S6, if the hanger W and the fixture P related to the next hanging operation are attached to the duct D, as the duct D is pulled upward with respect to the duct support portion 30, the hanger W and the fixture P attached to the duct D are both pulled upward with respect to the duct support portion 30.

[0087] During the descending operation of the support frame 22 in step S6, the locking mechanism 44 of the component feeding portion 40 keeps the upper locking mechanism 44a in the unlocked state and the lower locking mechanism 44b in the locked state. From the end point of step S5 (the duct support portion 30 has descended to the height corresponding to the hanging length by the hanger W, and the hanger W is stretched up and down by the dead weight of the duct D), while further descending the duct support portion 30 in step S6, the hanging position of the duct D by the hanger W is fixed with respect to the structure (ceiling) C (regardless of some sway). That is, during the descent in step S5, the duct D descends together with the support frame 22 and the duct support portion 30, but during the descent in step S6, the support frame 22 and the duct support portion 30 move relatively with respect to the duct D. In addition to the hanger W attached to the structure C in the previous step S4, there may be a case where a hanger W is attached to the duct D and the fixture P of the hanger W is held by the component holder 42 of the feed rope 41. If the support frame 22 moves with respect to the duct D, the feed rope 41 arranged on the support frame 22 and the component holder 42 attached thereto may be pulled via the hanger W, or the fixture P may come off from the component holder 42. Therefore, during this period, if the lower locking mechanism 44b is locked, the position of the feed rope 41 with respect to the support frame 22 is fixed, so that the feed rope 41 does not unexpectedly operate as the support frame 22 descends, and the movement that the position of the component holder 42 changes can be suppressed. After the descending operation of the support frame 22 is completed, the lock of the lower locking mechanism 44b is released.

[0088] With the support frame 22 lowered in step S6, if necessary, the duct D is set for the next lifting operation. If the fixture P and the sling W to be used in the next lifting operation are not attached to the duct D, they may be attached here. Also, a new duct D may be connected to the duct D supported by the duct support portion 30. To the new duct D as well, a sling W with a fixture P is attached at an appropriate position as necessary. The fixture P is held by a component holder 42 at an appropriate position on the feed rope 41.

[0089] Operate the feed rope 41 to send the fixture P related to the next lifting operation to the injection position (step S7). With the upper locking mechanism 44a in the locked state, the support frame 22 with the duct support portion 30 and the retainer injection portion 50 attached is raised again (step S8; see FIG. 14). In the previous step S6, the duct D was pulled upward from the duct support portion 30 due to the lowering of the support frame 22, and in the subsequent step S8, the duct D pulled upward in the previous step S6 is further lifted upward due to the raising of the support frame 22. In this way, by a simple operation of moving the duct support portion 30 up and down with respect to the duct D, the extra length of the duct D required for movement to the next lifting operation is ensured.

[0090] Move the lifting work device 100 below the position where the next lifting operation is to be performed and perform alignment (step S3) at the new position. Thereafter, steps S3 to S8 are repeated the necessary number of times (step S9). When the scheduled series of lifting operations is completed, lower the support frame 22 and remove the duct support portion 30 from the duct D (step S10). The duct D suspended at an appropriate position and height by the fixture P and the sling W remains on the structure C. Depending on the length of the duct D, the duct support portion 30 may come off the duct D as it descends in steps S5 to S6 without having to remove the duct support portion 30 in step S10.

[0091] Here, for the sake of explanation, steps S1 to S8 have been described in order. However, when implementing the duct suspension work method of the present invention, it is not necessary to execute each step in this exact order and content. For example, regarding the order of step S2 and step S3, step S3 may be executed prior to step S2, or steps S2 and S3 may proceed simultaneously or alternately. Also, for example, after the raising of the support frame 22 in step S8 or step S2, it is also possible to perform the feeding operation of the fixture P in step S7 or step S1. Further, in some cases, it is of course possible to omit some steps or add other steps not described herein.

[0092] In the above series of operations, the worker who performs the hanging operation of the duct D does not need to move up and down to the height near the structure C that is the object of hanging. When attempting to hang the duct D using the fixture S on a structure C such as a ceiling, it is necessary to lift the fixture injection unit 50, the duct D, and the fixture P attached thereto via the hanging tool W to the height near the structure C, and to operate the fixture injection unit 50 while maintaining these in an appropriate positional relationship with respect to the structure C. In conventional hanging operations, since these were performed manually, about two workers moved up and down to the height near the ceiling using a lift or the like, and this was repeated for each location where riveting was to be performed, resulting in a great deal of time and labor. According to the hanging operation device and method of the present embodiment, the lifting and support of the fixture injection unit 50 and the duct D are performed by the support frame 22 of the lifting unit 20 and the duct support unit 30. Further, the duct D can be easily fed to the required length and held there by a feeding mechanism using a support roller 34 that rotates only in one direction with respect to the duct support unit 30. When driving the fixture P with the fixture S, it is necessary to hold the fixture P in an appropriate position with respect to the fixture injection unit 50, but the fixture P is fed to the injection position by the component feeding unit 40 with respect to the fixture injection unit 50 supported by the support frame 22. Also, the injection operation of the fixture S by the fixture injection unit 50 can be executed from a position separated below by the injection operation unit 51. That is, operations such as holding the fixture injection unit 50 or the duct D at the height near the structure C, feeding the duct D thereto, and operating the fixture injection unit 50 while holding the fixture P can be performed by the worker himself / herself while remaining at the height near the base unit 10 without moving up and down to the height near the structure C.

[0093] Incidentally, here, as an example, a case where a duct hanging operation device 100 having a duct support unit 30 and a duct D which is a flexible duct for air conditioning are assumed as the support mechanism for a long object and the long object to be supported has been exemplified. However, a similar support mechanism for a long object can be appropriately used when it is necessary to support some long object and feed it in one direction. The support mechanism using the support roller as described above can be appropriately designed according to the shape, weight, purpose of use, etc. of the long object to be supported.

[0094] Figs. 15 to 17 relate to the support mechanism for a long object described as the duct support portion 30 in the above-described embodiment, and are diagrams for explaining another form as the second to fourth embodiments, respectively.

[0095] The duct support portion 30 of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 15 is configured by combining rod-shaped frameworks so as to have a substantially quadrangular prism shape as a whole, and a duct D can be passed through the center portion along the vertical direction. The substantially quadrangular prism-shaped duct support portion 30 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and a portion corresponding to one side (referred to as the fixed portion 31) is fixed to the support frame 22 of the elevating portion 20.

[0096] Of the duct support portion 30, two sides adjacent to the fixed portion 31 in plan view (referred to as the telescopic portions 32) are configured to expand and contract in a direction orthogonal to the fixed portion 31 by sliding their constituent members relative to each other. As a result, a portion forming a side facing the fixed portion 31 in plan view (referred to as the movable portion 33) is configured to be able to adjust the distance from the fixed portion 31.

[0097] Inside the substantially quadrangular prism-shaped frame constituting the duct support portion 30, support rollers 34 are provided for contacting the duct D and supporting it while partially allowing its movement. In the case of this second embodiment, four support rollers 34 are attached on the same plane in the duct support portion 30, and two of them are attached to the fixed portion 31 side and two of them are attached to the movable portion 33 side, respectively.

[0098] Each support roller 34 is rotatably attached to the tip of a support member 34a provided so as to project from each position into the inside of the duct support portion 30. The rotation axis of each support roller 34 is set at an angle along the circumferential direction of the duct D passed through the duct support portion 30. Inside the duct support portion 30, four support rollers 34 provided in two upper and lower rows respectively surround the outer peripheral surface of the duct D and project toward the duct D, and a part of the outer peripheral surface of each support roller 34 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the duct D.

[0099] Each support roller 34 is configured to rotate only in the same one direction with respect to the axis of the duct D supported inside the duct support portion 30. In the case of this embodiment, as described above, the duct D is supported inside the duct support portion 30 such that its axis extends in the vertical direction. For the duct D in such a posture, the support roller 34 is attached to the duct support portion 30 at an angle such that the rotation axis extends in the horizontal direction and the rotation direction extends in the vertical direction. And each support roller 34 is configured to rotate only in the direction in which the portion of the outer peripheral surface that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the duct D moves upward, and not to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0100] Thus, the long object support mechanism shown as the duct support portion 30 in this second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of features such as the form and mounting position of the support member 34a of the support roller 34 and the telescopic mechanism of the frame. However, similar to the first embodiment, it can hold the duct D, which is a long object, and send it in one direction (upward).

[0101] The support mechanism of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16 includes only one support roller 34 with respect to the circumferential direction of the duct D to be supported, and the duct D is supported by the one support roller 34. Therefore, in the support mechanism of this third embodiment, unlike the first and second embodiments, the duct D is supported horizontally on the single support roller 34 (therefore, the cross-sectional view in the plane orthogonal to the axis of the duct D is a flat cross-sectional view in the first and second embodiments (FIGS. 4 and 15), but is a front cross-sectional view in this third embodiment (FIG. 16)). Also, in order to stably support the cylindrical duct D by the one support roller 34, the support roller 34 has a shape in which the diameter of the middle portion is set to be smaller than the diameters of both end portions with respect to the axial direction of the support roller 34. Also in this third embodiment, the support roller 34 is configured to rotate only in one direction, and the duct D supported on the support roller 34 can be smoothly sent only in one direction with respect to the axial direction of the duct D by the rotation of the support roller 34.

[0102] Thus, in the long object support mechanism of the present invention, when supporting a long object, it is not necessary to support it with the axial direction along the vertical direction, and it is also possible to support it horizontally or obliquely. Further, the number of support rollers in the circumferential direction of the long object may be appropriately changed. For example, in the case of a horizontally placed long object, a configuration in which two support rollers are provided to support it from below is also conceivable. Further, while surrounding the circumference of the long object with a plurality of support rollers as in the first and second embodiments, the support mechanism may be configured in a form that supports the long object horizontally.

[0103] In the support mechanism of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 17, a prismatic bar or the like is assumed as the long object D to be supported, rather than a cylindrical duct. Thus, the object to be supported by the long object support mechanism of the present invention may be any long object that can assume an axial direction or a longitudinal direction, and is not limited to a duct, nor is the outer shape limited to a cylindrical shape.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the duct D is suspended by passing the wire hanging tool W through the hole H provided in the flap, with the duct D having a flap as shown in FIG. 2 in mind, but the duct and the hanging tool are not limited to this. As long as the duct has a structure in which a mounting tool is attached to the duct via some kind of hanging tool, the duct can be appropriately suspended by the above-mentioned suspension work device and method. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, a duct D having no flap can be suspended by using the above-mentioned suspension work device 100, even if the duct D has a structure in which a band-shaped hanging tool B is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the duct D by tightening the outer circumferential surface of the duct D, and a wire-shaped hanging tool W is attached to the part of the hanging tool B that protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the duct D.

[0105] The suspender B shown here is, for example, a resin band. A plurality of holes are provided in the width direction center of the band along the longitudinal direction, and two of these holes at appropriate positions are selected and connected using a fastener such as a bolt to make a portion of the band into a ring-shaped portion of appropriate dimensions, which can be hung through the ring-shaped portion as shown in FIG. 20. If the suspender B is used to firmly fasten the outer peripheral surface of the duct D so that the suspender B does not easily move in the longitudinal direction relative to the duct D, and a portion of the suspender B (a portion other than the ring-shaped portion that is not involved in fastening the duct D) is made to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the duct D, the suspender B can be used as a member having the same function as the flap portion in the duct D shown in FIG. 2. That is, a suspender W, which is a wire, can be attached to the portion of the suspender B protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the duct D. A mounting fixture P (see FIG. 2) is further attached to the suspender W, and the duct D is thereby suspended from the structure C.

[0106] In particular, when using a hoisting tool B of this shape, it is conceivable that the hoisting tool B may protrude significantly radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the duct D, so in order to prevent unintended interference between the protrusion and each part of the suspension work device 100, it is advisable to provide a guide (protrusion guide) 35 on the duct support part 30, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, for example. In the example shown in Figures 21 and 22, devices (for example, the feed rope 41 and fastener ejection part 50, although specific illustrations are omitted) are located in an area adjacent to the outside (the right side in the plan view of Figure 22) of the frame constituting the duct support part 30, and a plate-shaped protrusion guide 35 is provided to separate the devices from the duct D supported inside the duct support part 30. In the example shown here, the protrusion guide 35 is attached to the inside of the frame-shaped duct support part 30 when viewed in a plan view (Figure 22), with its upper end protruding upward from the duct support part 30 as shown in Figure 21, and its lower end being located within the space formed by the frame of the duct support part 30.

[0107] When the suspending work of the duct D is performed using the suspension work device 100 according to the above-mentioned procedure, it is preferable that the duct D is supported in the duct support part 30 in such an orientation that the suspending tool B, suspending tool W and mounting tool P attached to the duct D are located on the same side as the feeding rope 41 and the fastener ejection part 50 when viewed from the duct D. However, at that time, if a part of the suspending tool B protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the duct D as shown in Fig. 20, there is a risk that this will interfere with the above-mentioned devices. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 21 and 22, if a protrusion guide 35 is provided to separate the main body of the duct D from the above-mentioned devices, the protrusion guide 35 prevents a part of the suspending tool B provided on the duct D side from protruding outward beyond the protrusion guide 35, so that the suspending tool B and the suspending tool W attached thereto are prevented from interfering with the above-mentioned devices.

[0108] The plate-like protrusion guide 35 is installed forming a surface along the vertical direction, and one end side in the horizontal direction (one of two sides extending in the up-down direction) is attached to the fixed part 31 constituting the duct support part 30. The lower end of the protrusion guide 35 is formed in a downwardly convex curve so as to rise from one end side in the horizontal direction (the base end attached to the fixed part 31) to the other end side (the tip end on the opposite side, assuming that the part attached to the fixed part 31 is the base end).

[0109] When the duct D with the suspender B attached as shown in Fig. 20 is fed from below relative to the duct support part 30, a part of the suspender B protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the duct D comes into contact with the lower edge of the obliquely curved projection guide 35 from below, and then moves upward along the edge. This allows the suspender B to bypass the devices (the feed rope 41 and the fastener ejection part 50) located on the opposite side of the body of the duct D across the projection guide 35, and to pass through upward without risk of interference with them.

[0110] The duct support part 30 in Figs. 21 and 22 further includes another guide (main body guide) 36. The duct support part 30 shown here includes a fixed part 31 and a movable part 33 that moves relative to the fixed part 31, each of which has four support rollers 34 facing each other. The main body guides 36 are two pairs of metal pipe-like members, totaling four, that are provided to extend above and below the installation positions of the four support rollers 34. Each member has a circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. For convenience of drawing, only the main body guide 36 on the fixed part 31 side is shown in Fig. 21.

[0111] The shapes of the members constituting the main body guide 36 will be described. Here, the positional relationship between the duct D supported by the duct support part 30 and the support member 34a attached to the members (fixed part 31 and movable part 33) surrounding the duct D is used as a reference, and the direction toward the duct D as viewed from the support member 34a is referred to as the "front," and the direction toward the member to which the base end of the support member 34a is attached is referred to as the "rear." In addition, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is referred to as the left-to-right direction.

[0112] In the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33, two pairs of support rollers 34 are attached to the tips of Y-shaped support members 34a, and are provided at positions forming the vertices of an imaginary rectangle (see Figs. 3 and 4). In each of the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33, support members 34a are provided above and below, and a pair of support rollers 34 on the left and right are supported by these support members 34a. As shown in Figs. 21 and 22, each pipe-shaped member constituting the main body guide 36 extends from the upper side to the lower side of the support members 34a provided above and below.

[0113] Of the support members 34a provided above and below the fixed part 31, directly above the upper support member 34a, two pipe-shaped members that constitute the main body guide 36 extend forward from the member that constitutes the fixed part 31. These members bend slightly behind the front ends of the support rollers 34 in the vicinity of the position where the support rollers 34 are provided, and extend so as to branch to the left and right. Furthermore, the pair of members bend at a position that is outward in the left-right direction from the left and right support rollers 34 and extend downward. The member that extends downward bends inward in the left-right direction at a position that reaches below the lower pair of support rollers 34, and joins below the lower support rollers 34. The pair of members that join together bend backward there and are connected again to the fixed part 31 below the lower support member 34a. In this way, a rectangular shape is formed by the main body guide 36 at a position slightly behind the imaginary plane formed by the front ends of the four support rollers 34. The rectangle formed by the main body guide 36 is one size larger than the imaginary rectangle having the four support rollers 34 as vertices.

[0114] Similarly, a main body guide 36 is provided around the support roller 34 provided on the movable portion 33 .

[0115] In this way, main body guides 36 are arranged in a square behind a total of four pairs of support rollers 34 provided to face each of the fixed part 31 and the movable part 33. These main body guides 36 guide the duct D relative to the support rollers 34, and also function to control the posture of the duct D so that the duct D does not deviate too far from the duct support part 30 even in the part away from the support rollers 34.

[0116] When the duct D is supported on the duct support part 30, each support roller 34 is brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the duct D so that the diameter of an imaginary cylinder formed by the contact points of the support rollers 34 with the duct D is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the duct D. However, when the duct D is passed between the support rollers 34 in such a positional relationship, if the peripheral part of the upper end of the duct D approaching from below is located outside the support rollers 34, the duct D may get caught by the support rollers 34 and be prevented from moving further up. The lower part of the main body guide 36 described above (the part forming the lower side of the rectangle) extends left and right below the support rollers 34 and slightly behind the front end of the support rollers 34 (radially outward as viewed from the duct D). Therefore, when the duct D approaches the support rollers 34 from below while shifting radially outward, the upper end of the duct D contacts the lower side of the main body guide 36 before the support rollers 34. Since the material constituting the main body guide 36 is shaped like a pipe with a circular cross section, when the outer edge of the upper end of the duct D comes into contact with the support roller 34, the duct D is guided along the curved surface of the material surface of the main body guide 36 into the inside of the space surrounded by the support roller 34.

[0117] In addition, when the upper end of the flexible duct D comes out of the duct support part 30 to the upper side, the part of the duct D above the duct support part 30 will bend due to its own weight, etc., and depending on the degree and direction of bending, it may interfere with the devices and other objects provided around the duct support part 30, or may hinder the rotation of the upper support roller 34. The part of the main body guide 36 located above the upper support roller 34 (the part forming the upper side of the rectangle) extends to the left and right above the support roller 34 and slightly behind the front end of the support roller 34 (diametrically outward as seen from the duct D). Therefore, when the duct D tries to bend at a position just above the support roller 34, the bending duct D is supported by the member of the main body guide 36, and the bending is gently suppressed. In this way, the duct D is suitably guided and supported by the main body guide 36 above and below the support roller 34.

[0118] As described above, the feeding mechanism of the long object in each of the above embodiments forms an angle along the circumferential direction of the long object (duct) D whose rotation axis is the object to be supported, and a part of the outer peripheral surface is arranged so as to contact the outer peripheral surface of the long object D. The portion in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the long object D is provided with a support roller 34 configured to rotate only in the same one direction with respect to the axial direction of the long object D. In this way, while holding the long object D with the support roller 34, if necessary, the long object D can be easily fed by a necessary length and held there.

[0119] In addition, in the support mechanism of the long object in some embodiments, a plurality of support rollers 34 are arranged so as to surround the long object D in the circumferential direction. In this way, the long object D can be supported in a well-balanced manner by the plurality of support rollers 34.

[0120] In addition, the support mechanism of the long object in some embodiments is configured to support the long object D in a posture along the vertical direction. In this way, while supporting the long object D in a posture along the vertical direction, the long object D can be fed upward.

[0121] In addition, the support mechanism of the long object in some embodiments is configured such that the distance between the plurality of support rollers 34 can be adjusted with respect to the radial direction of the long object D. In this way, by adjusting the distance between the support rollers 34 according to the outer diameter of the long object D to be supported, it is possible to cope with the support of long objects D of various diameters.

[0122] Also, in the long object support mechanism of each embodiment, the portion forming the rotating surface of the support roller 34 can be made of a flexible material. By doing so, when the material of the support roller 34 deforms, the support roller 34 follows the outer peripheral surface of the long object D to be supported according to the shape, structure, movement, etc. of the long object D, enabling stable support and smooth feeding operation.

[0123] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a long object such as a duct can be suitably supported.

[0124] Note that the long object support mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0125] 34 Support roller D Long object (duct)

Claims

1. The support roller has a rotation axis that forms an angle with the circumferential direction of the long object to be supported, and is arranged so that a part of the outer circumferential surface is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the long object, and the part in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the long object is configured to rotate in only one direction with respect to the axial direction of the long object. A support mechanism for long objects characterized by the above.

2. A plurality of the support rollers are arranged to surround the long object in the circumferential direction.

2. A support mechanism for a long object according to claim 1,

3. The device is configured to support the long object in a vertical orientation.

3. A support mechanism for a long object according to claim 2.

4. The distance between the plurality of support rollers is adjustable in the radial direction of the elongated object.

4. A support mechanism for a long object according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The portion of the support roller that forms the rotating surface is made of a flexible material.

2. A support mechanism for a long object according to claim 1.

Images