Carriage for freshly mixed concrete

Abstract

To provide a carriage for freshly mixed concrete which enables smooth and easy switching between discharging and stopping the discharge of freshly mixed concrete, and is excellent in usability.SOLUTION: A carriage for freshly mixed concrete includes: a truck body having wheels for travel; a bucket which is fixed to the truck body and can store freshly mixed concrete inside; a chute for discharge having a discharge port which projects to the wall surface of the bucket, and discharges freshly mixed concrete in the bucket to outside, on its tip side; and an opening / closing lid which is attached on the chute for discharge so as to be slidable along a predetermined slide shaft extending in a vertical direction, closes the discharge port when being positioned at a closing position on the lower side along the slide shaft, and opens the discharge port when being positioned at an open position on the upper side along the slide shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ready-mixed concrete transport cart for transporting ready-mixed concrete (fresh concrete). [Background technology]

[0002] At construction sites such as building construction sites, when it is difficult to pour ready-mixed concrete using a pressure hose, the ready-mixed concrete may be manually transported to the pouring location using a ready-mixed concrete transport cart. A single-wheeled cart with a bucket, known as a "cat cart," has traditionally been used as such a ready-mixed concrete transport cart. However, the cat cart cannot transport a large amount of ready-mixed concrete at one time and requires skilled operation, so it cannot be said to be efficient at transporting ready-mixed concrete.

[0003] In contrast to this, a ready-mixed concrete transport cart has also been proposed that includes a cart body with wheels, a bucket mounted on the cart body and capable of containing ready-mixed concrete, and the bucket can be tilted relative to the cart body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-25068 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the ready-mixed concrete transport vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, ready-mixed concrete can be discharged from the bucket by tilting the entire bucket relative to the vehicle body. Furthermore, the discharge of ready-mixed concrete can be stopped by returning the bucket to its original position relative to the vehicle body. However, in a specification where the discharge of ready-mixed concrete can be switched between being stopped and being discharged in response to a change in the bucket's position relative to the vehicle body, it can be difficult to precisely switch between being stopped and being discharged, or the effort required to change the bucket's position can be large, leaving room for improvement in terms of usability.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a ready-mixed concrete transport cart that is easy to use and allows for smooth and easy switching between discharging ready-mixed concrete and stopping the discharge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The technology disclosed herein is a ready-mixed concrete transport cart for transporting ready-mixed concrete, a carriage body having running wheels; a bucket fixed to the carriage body and capable of containing ready-mixed concrete therein; a discharge chute that protrudes from the wall surface of the bucket and has a discharge port at its tip end for discharging the ready-mixed concrete in the bucket to the outside; The discharge chute is provided with an opening / closing lid that is slidably attached to the discharge chute along a predetermined slide axis that extends in the vertical direction, and that closes the discharge outlet when positioned in a closing position on the lower side along the slide axis, and opens the discharge outlet when positioned in an opening position on the upper side along the slide axis.

[0008] When the cover is in the open position, the cover rotates about a horizontally extending rotation axis. and may be switchable, through the rotational movement, between a downward sliding allowing position in which downward sliding movement along the slide axis is allowed and an open state holding position in which the downward sliding movement is restricted.

[0009] When the opening / closing lid is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position, the lower end surface of the opening / closing lid may be supported by abutting against the top wall of the discharge chute, thereby maintaining the open state maintaining position.

[0010] The opening / closing cover is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position by rotating in a first rotation direction around the rotation shaft, The first rotation direction may coincide with a direction in which an upper end side of the opening / closing cover is tilted toward the discharge port around the rotation axis.

[0011] The opening / closing cover is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position by rotating in a first rotation direction around the rotation shaft, The device may further include a stopper for preventing the opening / closing cover from moving out of the downward sliding-allowing position by restricting the opening / closing cover from rotating in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

[0012] The cover may be configured to rotate about a lower end of the cover when the cover is switched between the downward sliding permitting position and the open state maintaining position.

[0013] The discharge chute has a slide guide portion extending in the vertical direction along the side wall of the discharge chute, and the opening / closing lid has a guided portion extending in the vertical direction and guided by the slide guide portion, and when the opening / closing lid slides upward from the closed position side and reaches the open position, the guide of the guided portion by the slide guide portion is released, and the release of the guide triggers the opening / closing lid to be allowed to rotate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly and easily switch between discharging and stopping the discharge of ready-mixed concrete, and it is possible to provide a ready-mixed concrete transport cart that is easy to use. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part A shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part B shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view of the tip end side of the discharge chute according to the first embodiment as viewed from the left side. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the state in which the opening / closing cover has been switched from the closed position to the open position. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the cover has been switched from the downward sliding permitting position to the open state maintaining position. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotation of the opening / closing cover in the second rotation direction is restricted by the stopper. [Figure 13]FIG. 13 is a front view of the discharge chute when the open / close cover is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a side view of the discharge chute when the open / close cover is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a top view of the discharge chute when the open / close cover is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the discharge chute after the open / close cover has been switched to the closed position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each configuration and combination thereof in the embodiments are merely examples, and addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of the configurations are possible as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited by the embodiments.

[0017] <Embodiment 1> Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a side view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 5 is a front view of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to embodiment 1. The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is a cart for transporting mixed ready-mixed concrete (fresh concrete) at construction sites and the like.

[0018] The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 comprises a cart body 2 with running wheels, a bucket 3 fixed to the cart body 2, a discharge chute 4 protruding from the wall of the bucket 3, and a movable open / close lid 5 attached to the discharge chute 4. The bucket 3 is a container that can store (reserve) ready-mixed concrete in a ready-mixed concrete storage section 30 formed inside. The discharge chute 4 is a cylindrical member with a discharge port at its tip for discharging the ready-mixed concrete in the bucket 3 to the outside. The cart body 2 supports the bucket 3 and is configured as a self-propelled platform.

[0019] The bogie body 2 includes a base frame 21 having a rectangular shape in a plan view, corner supports 22 erected at the four corners of the base frame 21, an upper frame 23 located on the upper side of the bogie body 2, and intermediate supports 24 connecting the intermediate portions of the base frame 21 and the upper frame 23. The upper frame 23 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, roughly the same as the base frame 21. The base frame 21, corner supports 22, upper frame 23, intermediate supports 24, etc. of the bogie body 2 are made of steel, such as general structural square steel pipes. These components are joined together by, for example, welding. In the following, the long side (lengthwise) direction of the trolley body 2 will be described as the "front-to-back direction" (X direction in Figure 1) of the ready-mixed concrete transport trolley 1, the short side (short side) direction of the trolley body 2 will be described as the "width direction (left-right direction)" (Y direction in Figure 1) of the ready-mixed concrete transport trolley 1, and the direction in which the corner support 22 of the trolley body 2 extends (Z direction in Figure 1) will be described as the "up-down direction (height direction)" of the ready-mixed concrete transport trolley 1.

[0020] The carriage body 2 is provided with running wheels 25 attached to the underside of the base frame 21. There is no particular limitation on the number of running wheels 25, but as shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a total of six running wheels 25 are provided, three on each side, along the left and right side edges extending in the longitudinal direction of the base frame 21. The running wheels 25 are, for example, running wheels 25A arranged at the four corners of the carriage body 2 (base frame 21) in plan view, and are swivel casters that can rotate around a vertical axis. In addition, running wheels 25A arranged at the midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction of the carriage body 2 (base frame 21) The travelling wheels 25B attached to the carriage 25A are fixed casters. The travelling wheels 25A are provided with stoppers for locking the casters, for example. The carriage body 2 having the above structure can travel in any travelling direction.

[0021] A front handle bar 26A and a rear handle bar 26B are provided at the front and rear of the cart body 2 for the worker to grip when pushing the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1. The front handle bar 26A is mounted horizontally between a pair of corner supports 22 located on the front side of the cart body 2. The rear handle bar 26B is mounted horizontally between a pair of corner supports 22 located on the rear side of the cart body 2.

[0022] Corner support brackets 27 are provided at the upper ends of each corner support 22 of the cart body 2. The corner support brackets 27 are used when multiple ready-mixed concrete transport carts 1 are stacked and stored. They have leg receiving trays 271 on which legs 22A formed at the lower ends of the corner supports 22 of other ready-mixed concrete transport carts 1 can be placed, and wall portions 272 rising from the leg receiving trays 271. The leg receiving trays 271 function to prevent the legs 22A from shifting. The corner support brackets 27 provided at the upper ends of each corner support 22 enable multiple ready-mixed concrete transport carts 1 to be stably stacked and stored vertically. Lifting hardware 28 are provided at the four upper corners of the cart body 2, and are used to suspend the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart body 2). The lifting hardware 28 has, for example, hooks or other lifting devices for hanging the lifting hardware.

[0023] Next, the bucket 3 will be described. The bucket 3 is fixed, for example, by welding to an appropriate position on the upper frame 23, the intermediate support 24, or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 1 etc., the bucket 3 has a front side wall surface 31, a rear side wall surface 32, a left side wall surface 33, a right side wall surface 34, a bottom surface 35, etc., which define its outer shape. The front side wall surface 31 and the rear side wall surface 32, and the left side wall surface 33 and the right side wall surface 34 are arranged opposite each other. Furthermore, the lower ends of the front side wall surface 31, the rear side wall surface 32, the left side wall surface 33, and the right side wall surface 34 are each connected to the bottom surface 35. However, the shape of the bucket 3 is not particularly limited.

[0024] In the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to this embodiment, a discharge chute 4 protrudes from the front side wall surface 31 of the bucket 3. A communication hole 36 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) is formed at the connection point of the front side wall surface 31 with the discharge chute 4, for discharging (flowing out) the ready-mixed concrete stored in the ready-mixed concrete storage section 30 of the bucket 3 into the discharge chute 4. In the example shown in FIG. 1 etc., the communication hole 36 is provided in the center in the width direction of the bucket 3, and the base end side of the discharge chute 4 is connected to the communication hole 36. However, the position at which the discharge chute 4 is provided in the bucket 3 is not particularly limited.

[0025] The bottom surface 35 of the bucket 3 is generally downwardly inclined (downward gradient) from the rear side (rear side wall surface 32 side) to the front side (front side wall surface 31 side) to facilitate the discharge (discharge) of ready-mixed concrete to the outside through the discharge chute 4. Furthermore, the front side of the bucket 3 is also downwardly inclined (downward gradient) from the end of the bucket 3 in the width direction to the center where the communication hole 36 is located.

[0026] Next, the discharge chute 4 and the movable opening / closing lid 5 attached to the discharge chute 4 will be described.

[0027] The discharge chute 4 is formed as a cylindrical member extending in one direction from the front side wall surface 31 of the bucket 3 diagonally downward toward the front of the carriage body 2. Reference symbol X1 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is the axis along which the discharge chute 4 extends. The discharge chute 4 is made up of a top wall 41 and a bottom wall 42 that are arranged opposite to each other, and left and right walls that connect the left and right edges of these walls and are arranged opposite to each other. The discharge chute 4 includes a pair of right side walls 43, 43, and has an overall rectangular cylindrical shape. A ready-mixed concrete flow path for circulating ready-mixed concrete is formed inside the discharge chute 4, and a discharge port 45 for discharging the ready-mixed concrete to the outside is formed at the tip of the discharge chute 4. The position of the discharge chute 4 on the bucket 3 in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is not particularly limited. However, by positioning the discharge chute 4 so that it does not protrude laterally beyond the left side wall 33 and the right side wall 34 of the bucket 3 from the front side wall 31 extending in the short-side direction of the cart body 2, the short-side dimension of the cart body 2 can be kept small. Depending on the construction site, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 may transport ready-mixed concrete through narrow passages. In such cases, it is expected that the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 will travel with its short side (short side) direction as the left-right direction and its long side (longitudinal) direction as the front-to-rear direction. In contrast to this, according to the installation mode of the discharge chute 4 of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1, it is possible to make the short side dimension of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 compact as described above. Therefore, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is easy to use even when traveling through narrow passages, etc.

[0028] A movable opening / closing lid 5 is attached to the tip of the discharge chute 4, which can freely open and close the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4. The opening / closing lid 5 can open and close the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 by sliding up and down. Symbol X2 shown in Figure 5 is a slide axis along which the opening / closing lid 5 slides. The slide axis X2 extends in the vertical direction (Z direction in Figure 1) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart body 2). Figures 1, 2, 5, etc. show a state in which the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 is blocked (screened) by the opening / closing lid 5. Hereinafter, the position of the opening / closing lid 5 when the opening / closing lid 5 is blocking the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 will be referred to as the "blocking position."

[0029] When the opening / closing lid 5 is slid upward from the closed position along the slide axis X2, the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 is opened as shown in Figure 6. The position of the opening / closing lid 5 shown in Figure 6 is called the "open position." The opening / closing lid 5 closes the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 when it is in the "closed position," which is located on the lower side along the slide axis X2, and opens the discharge outlet 45 when it is in the "open position," which is located on the upper side along the slide axis X2. The opening / closing lid 5 is provided with a handle 50 for easily sliding it up and down along the slide axis X2.

[0030] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of portion A shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of portion B shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a view of the tip end of the discharge chute 4 according to the first embodiment, viewed from the left side. The open-close lid 5 has a closure plate portion 51 having a rectangular flat plate shape that can completely cover the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 when positioned in the closed position, and a pair of left and right side wall portions 52, 52 that are connected rearward from the left and right side edges of the closure plate portion 51. As shown in FIG. 7, the open-close lid 5 has a U-shape when viewed from above. The open-close lid 5 attached to the tip end of the discharge chute 4 is configured to be slidable up and down along a slide axis X2 while the back surface of the closure plate portion 51 slides relative to an opening end surface 46 that surrounds the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4.

[0031] The pair of left and right side walls 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 are provided so as to bend 90 degrees rearward from the side edges of the closing plate 51. The distance (inner dimension) between the pair of side walls 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 is set to, for example, a dimension slightly larger than the width dimension of the discharge chute 4. As a result, when the opening / closing lid 5 is in the closed position, the pair of side walls 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 cover the tip end regions of the pair of left and right side walls 43, 43 of the discharge chute 4 from the outside.

[0032] A guided portion 53 is provided at the rear end of each side wall portion 52, 52 of the opening / closing cover 5. In the embodiment, the guided portions 53 are strips that protrude from the rear ends of the side walls 52 toward the outside of the opening / closing lid 5. The strips that make up the guided portions 53 are long in one direction and extend along the up-and-down direction of the side walls 52. The pair of left and right guided portions 53 of the opening / closing lid 5 are guided by slide guide portions 47 provided on the left and right side walls 43 of the discharge chute 4, respectively.

[0033] The slide guide portion 47 includes a base portion 471 joined to the left and right side walls 43 of the discharge chute 4, a rear wall portion 472 connected to the base portion 471, a side wall portion 473 connected to the rear wall portion 472, and a front wall portion 474 connected to the side wall portion 473. As shown in Fig. 2, the slide guide portion 47 extends along the up-and-down direction of the side wall 43 of the discharge chute 4. The rear wall portion 472 and the front wall portion 474 of the slide guide portion 47 are arranged facing each other with a gap between them in the front-to-rear direction, and the lateral outer edges of the rear wall portion 472 and the front wall portion 474 are connected to each other by the side wall portion 473.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 8, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 is inserted into a groove-like space S1 (hereinafter referred to as the "guide groove") surrounded by walls and formed in a U-shape by the rear wall portion 472, side wall portion 473, and front wall portion 474 of the slide guide portion 47. Also, as shown in Fig. 8, the front wall portion 474 of the slide guide portion 47 has a smaller width dimension than the rear wall portion 472. Therefore, a gap C1 is formed between the leading edge 474A of the front wall portion 474 and the side wall 43. The gap C1 opens toward the front of the slide guide portion 47, and the side wall portion 52 of the opening / closing cover 5 is inserted into this gap C1.

[0035] Reference symbol W1 in FIG. 8 denotes the width dimension of the gap C1. Reference symbol W2 denotes the width dimension of the guided portion 53. The width dimensions W1 and W2 here are dimensions along the width direction (Y direction) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart main body 2). The width dimension W2 of the guided portion 53 corresponds to the protrusion width of the guided portion 53 protruding from the side wall portion 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 toward the outside in the width direction of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart main body 2). The width dimension W2 of the guided portion 53 is set to be larger than the width dimension W1 of the gap C1. Therefore, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing lid 5 is prevented from slipping out of the guide groove S1 that passes through the gap C1.

[0036] As described above, the opening / closing cover 5 is attached so as to be able to freely open and close the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 with the guided portion 53 accommodated in the guide groove S1 of the slide guide portion 47. The extending direction of the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 and the slide guide portion 47 (guide groove S1) coincides with the vertical direction (Z direction) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart body 2) and defines the direction of the slide axis X2. When the opening / closing cover 5 is switched between the closed position and the open position, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 is guided by the slide guide portion 47 (guide groove S1), allowing the opening / closing cover 5 to smoothly slide along the slide axis X2 (i.e., the vertical direction (Z direction)). When the opening / closing cover 5 slides upward from the closed position and reaches the open position, the guide of the guided portion 53 by the slide guide portion 47 is released. Then, with the release of the guide as a trigger, the opening / closing cover 5 is permitted to rotate about the rotation axis X3 of the rotation axis portion 60, which will be described later.

[0037] 9 indicates the lower end of the guided portion 53, and reference numeral 530B indicates the upper end of the guided portion 53. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the position (height) of the lower end 530A of the guided portion 53 roughly coincides with the position (height) of the lower end of the side wall portion 52 of the opening / closing cover 5. Also, the position (height) of the upper end 530B of the guided portion 53 is lower than the position (height) of the upper end of the side wall portion 52 of the opening / closing cover 5, but is not particularly limited thereto. In the process of switching the opening / closing cover 5 between the closed position and the open position, as long as the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 can be guided by the slide guide portion 47, the guided portion 53 and the slide guide portion 47 can be aligned. The embodiment of 47 is not particularly limited.

[0038] Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 7 denotes a rotating shaft portion. The rotating shaft portion 60 is supported by a pair of support plates 61, 61 erected upward from the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4. The pair of support plates 61, 61 are installed near the tip of the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4 and near each of the left and right edges, and the rotating shaft portion 60 is horizontally bridged across the support plates 61, 61. The pivot shaft 60 installed on the top wall 41 of the chute 4 is an axis member that supports the opening / closing lid 5 so that it can rotate freely around the pivot axis X3 of the pivot shaft 60 when the opening / closing lid 5 is in the open position. The pivot axis X3 of the pivot shaft 60 extends horizontally and parallel to the width direction (Y direction) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart body 2). In addition, the pivot axis X3 of the pivot shaft 60 extends in a direction perpendicular to the slide axis X2 (Z direction) of the opening / closing lid 5.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 9, a pair of left and right side wall portions 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 are provided with elongated holes 54 extending in the up-down direction. The long axis (longitudinal axis) of the elongated holes 54 extends parallel to the up-down direction of each side wall portion 52, 52. The long axis direction of the elongated holes 54 is parallel to the extension direction of the guided portion 53 and slide guide portion 47 (guide groove S1) of the opening / closing lid 5, i.e., the direction of the slide axis X2, and coincides with the up-down direction (Z direction) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 (cart main body 2).

[0040] The width (width in the short axis direction) of the elongated holes 54 provided in each side wall portion 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5 is slightly larger than the rotating shaft portion 60. The opening / closing lid 5 is attached to the discharge chute 4 with the rotating shaft portion 60 inserted into the elongated holes 54 of each side wall portion 52, 52. For example, the rotating shaft portion 60 has a circular cross section and may be a threaded steel rod with thread grooves formed on both ends. The support plate 61 has a circular bearing hole 61A formed therein, through which the rotating shaft 60 is inserted and which bears the rotation. By threading a nut 62 into the thread groove of the rotating shaft 60 while inserting both ends of the rotating shaft 60 into the bearing hole 61A of the support plate 61 and the elongated hole 54 of the side wall 52, the rotating shaft 60 inserted into the elongated hole 54 of the opening / closing lid 5 can be fixed to the discharge chute 4.

[0041] When the opening / closing cover 5 is slid along the sliding axis X2, the position of the pivot shaft 60 positioned within the elongated hole 54 of each side wall portion 52, 52 changes in accordance with the sliding movement of the opening / closing cover 5. Because the long axis direction of the elongated hole 54 is parallel to the direction of the sliding axis X2, it is possible to prevent the pivot shaft 60 from interfering with the edge of the elongated hole 54 when the opening / closing cover 5 is slid along the sliding axis X2. This makes it possible to smoothly slide the opening / closing cover 5 along the sliding axis X2.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 is guided by the slide guide portion 47, that is, when the guided portion 53 is received in the guide groove S1, the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 about the rotation axis X3 of the rotation shaft portion 60 is limited (regulated). This is because even if the opening / closing cover 5 tries to rotate about the rotation axis X3, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 interferes with the front wall portion 474 or the rear wall portion 472 of the slide guide portion 47, thereby limiting the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 5 is in the closed position and while the opening / closing cover 5 slides upward to reach the open position, the guided portion 53 is maintained by the slide guide portion 47, and in this state the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 is restricted. On the other hand, when the opening / closing cover 5 reaches the open position, the lower end 530A of the guided portion 53 comes out of the upper end of the guide groove S1, and the guiding of the guided portion 53 by the slide guide portion 47 is released. In this state, the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 about the rotation axis X3 is not restricted, and the opening / closing cover 5 can be rotated around the rotation axis X3.

[0044] The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 in this embodiment is equipped with a stopper 70 that restricts the rotation direction of the opening / closing lid 5 to one direction about the rotation axis X3 when the opening / closing lid 5 is in the open position, as a structure for further improving convenience when operating the opening / closing lid 5. In this embodiment, the stopper 70 is provided on the front wall 474 of the slide guide portion 47 of the discharge chute 4. More specifically, the stopper 70 is configured as a plate-shaped protruding piece that protrudes upward from the upper end of the front wall 474. As will be described in more detail below, the stopper 70 can restrict the rotation of the opening / closing lid 5 by interfering with (colliding with) the lower end 530A of the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing lid 5.

[0045] <Operation> Next, the operation of the opening / closing lid 5 when the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is in use will be described. After storing (reserving) ready-mixed concrete in the bucket 3 of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 and moving the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 to the location where the ready-mixed concrete is to be poured, the opening / closing lid 5, which is in the closed position, is slid upward along the slide axis X2 to switch to the open position. Figure 10 shows the state in which the opening / closing lid 5 has been switched from the closed position to the open position. By switching the opening / closing lid 5 to the open position in this way, the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4 is opened, and the discharge (discharge) of ready-mixed concrete from the discharge outlet 45 begins.

[0046] The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 in this embodiment employs a structure that allows the opening / closing lid 5 to be held in the open position with a simple action. Specifically, when the opening / closing lid 5 is in the open position, it is rotatable about a horizontally extending rotation axis X3, and through the rotation of the opening / closing lid 5, it is possible to switch between a "downward sliding permitted position" in which downward sliding movement along the slide axis X2 is permitted, and an "open state maintained position" in which such downward sliding movement is restricted.

[0047] FIG. 10 shows the opening / closing lid 5 in the downward sliding permitting position. That is, in the downward sliding permitting position shown in FIG. 10, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing lid 5 extends upward from the guide groove S1 of the slide guide portion 47 of the discharge chute 4, but the extension direction of the guided portion 53 is maintained parallel to the slide axis X2. In other words, the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing lid 5 is disposed on an extension of the guide groove S1 of the slide guide portion 47. Therefore, the opening / closing lid 5 is allowed to slide downward along the slide axis X2 from the position shown in FIG. 10. For example, by appropriately loosening the grip on the handle 50 of the opening / closing lid 5 in the downward sliding permitting position as shown in FIG. 10, gravity can be used to slide the opening / closing lid 5 downward, allowing the opening / closing lid 5 to be easily switched to the closed position.

[0048] When the cover 5 is switched from the downward-sliding-permitting position shown in FIG. 10 to the open-state-retaining position, the cover 5 is rotated in a first rotation direction D1 (see FIG. 10) about the rotation axis X3. This first rotation direction D1 corresponds to the direction in which the upper end of the cover 5 is tilted toward the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 about the rotation axis X3. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, when the cover 5 is in the open position, the rotation axis 60 is positioned on the lower end 54A side of the elongated holes 54 formed in each side wall 52 of the cover 5. Therefore, when the cover 5 is rotated in the first rotation direction D1 about the rotation axis X3 from this position, the cover 5 rotates about the lower end of the cover 5. That is, when the cover 5 is switched between the downward-sliding-permitting position and the open-state-retaining position, the cover 5 rotates about the lower end of the cover 5. This allows the opening / closing lid 5 to be smoothly switched from a downward sliding permitting position to an open state maintaining position, or from an open state maintaining position to a downward sliding permitting position, while keeping the opening / closing lid 5 stable.

[0049] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the opening / closing lid 5 has been switched from the downward sliding permitting position to the open state maintaining position. When the opening / closing lid 5 is switched from the downward sliding permitting position shown in Figure 10 to the open state maintaining position shown in Figure 11, the point at which the bottom end surface 55 of the opening / closing lid 5 abuts (collides with) the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4 restricts further rotation of the opening / closing lid 5 in the first rotation direction D1. When the bottom end surface 55 of the opening / closing lid 5 abuts against the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4 in this way, the bottom end surface 55 of the opening / closing lid 5 is supported by the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4, and as a result, the open state maintaining position of the opening / closing lid 5 is maintained.

[0050] 11, when the opening / closing lid 5 is switched to the open state maintenance position, the extension direction of the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing lid 5 does not match the extension direction of the guide groove S1, and in this position the sliding movement of the opening / closing lid 5 downward along the slide axis X2 is restricted. Therefore, by switching the opening / closing lid 5 to the open state maintenance position, the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 can be maintained in an open state even if the operator releases his or her hand from the handle 50 of the opening / closing lid 5.

[0051] With the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to this embodiment, after switching the opening / closing lid 5 to the open position, simply by switching the opening / closing lid 5 to a posture for maintaining the open state by a subsequent rotational operation, the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 is maintained in an open state, and ready-mixed concrete can be continuously discharged without the worker having to support the handle 50 of the opening / closing lid 5. This makes the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 extremely easy to use, and reduces the labor required for pouring ready-mixed concrete using the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1.

[0052] Furthermore, the axis X1 of the discharge chute 4 of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is inclined obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction, and extends obliquely downward from the front side wall surface 31 of the bucket 3. Therefore, in the height direction (Z direction) of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1, the base end of the discharge chute 4 connected to the bucket 3 is positioned at the highest position, and the discharge outlet 45 located at the tip end is positioned at the lowest position. When switching the opening / closing lid 5 from the downward sliding permitting position to the open state maintaining position, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 rotates the opening / closing lid 5 in a first rotation direction D1 inclining the upper end side of the opening / closing lid 5 toward the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4. This allows the opening / closing lid 5 to be switched from the downward sliding permitting position to the open state maintaining position with less force.

[0053] 11, when the lid 5 is held in the open state holding position, gravity acting on the lid 5 generates a torque that tends to rotate the lid 5 in the first rotation direction D1. The torque acting on the lid 5 in this way can prevent the lid 5 from unintentionally (freely) rotating about the rotation axis X3 in the second rotation direction D2 opposite to the first rotation direction D1, for example, when the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is subjected to vibration or impact when discharging ready-mixed concrete from the bucket 3. In other words, it is possible to prevent the lid 5 from switching from the open state holding position to the downward sliding permitting position against the operator's will, and ultimately to prevent the lid 5 from returning to the closed position and blocking the discharge outlet 45 of the discharge chute 4.

[0054] When the pouring of ready-mixed concrete using the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is finished, the opening / closing lid 5 is first switched from the open state maintaining position shown in FIG. 11 to the downward sliding allowing position shown in FIG. 10. To switch from the open state maintaining position to the downward sliding allowing position, the opening / closing lid 5 is rotated around the rotation axis X3 in a second rotation direction D2 opposite to the first rotation direction D1. At that time, the opening / closing lid 5 rotates in the second rotation direction D2 around the lower end side, so the position of the opening / closing lid 5 can be switched stably and smoothly. Then, after the opening / closing lid 5 is switched to the downward sliding allowing position, the opening / closing lid 5 is slid downward from the open position along the slide axis X2 to move to the closed position. This causes the discharge shoe The discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 is closed by the open / close lid 5. As a result, the discharge of ready-mixed concrete from the discharge chute 4 can be stopped.

[0055] Furthermore, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is equipped with the above-mentioned stopper 70. When the opening-closing lid 5 rotates in the second rotation direction D2, the stopper 70 abuts against the guided portion 53 of the opening-closing lid 5 before the opening-closing lid 5 moves out of the downward sliding permitting position, thereby preventing the opening-closing lid 5 from rotating excessively in the second rotation direction D2.

[0056] FIG. 12 shows a state in which the stopper 70 restricts the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 in the second rotation direction D2. By restricting the rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 in the second rotation direction D2 by the stopper 70, excessive rotation of the opening / closing cover 5 in the second rotation direction D2 is prevented when returning the opening / closing cover 5 from the open-state maintaining position to the downward-sliding-permitting position, preventing the opening / closing cover 5 from moving out of the downward-sliding-permitting position. The stopper 70 can also be used as a backing plate when inserting the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5 into the guide groove S1 of the slide guide portion 47. This allows the guided portion 53 of the opening / closing cover 5, which has been switched from the open-state maintaining position to the downward-sliding-permitting position, to be smoothly and easily inserted into the guide groove S1 of the slide guide portion 47 when stopping the discharge of ready-mixed concrete from the discharge chute 4. This provides a ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 with even greater usability.

[0057] As described above, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to this embodiment includes the open-close lid 5, which is slidably attached to the discharge chute 4 along the vertically extending slide axis X2. The open-close lid 5 closes the discharge outlet 45 when positioned at the lower closed position along the slide axis X2 and opens the discharge outlet 45 when positioned at the upper open position along the slide axis X2. By attaching such a movable open-close lid 5 to the discharge chute 4, it is not necessary to switch between discharging and stopping the discharge of ready-mixed concrete by changing the tilt position of the bucket relative to the cart body, as is the case with conventional ready-mixed concrete transport carts. In other words, with the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to this embodiment, simply by sliding the open-close lid 5 along the vertically extending slide axis X2 and switching the position of the open-close lid 5 between the closed position and the open position, the discharge of ready-mixed concrete from the bucket 3 (discharge chute 4) can be smoothly and easily switched between stopping and starting. Furthermore, simply by sliding the open-close lid 5 attached to the discharge chute 4, the discharge of ready-mixed concrete can be switched between stopping and starting without much effort. Therefore, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 is also excellent in terms of usability.

[0058] <Embodiment 2> Next, a modified example of the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 13 is a front view of the discharge chute 4 when the open / close lid 5 is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 14 is a side view of the discharge chute 4 when the open / close lid 5 is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 15 is a top view of the discharge chute 4 when the open / close lid 5 is in the open position in the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0059] The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the guided portion 53A of the opening / closing lid 5 and the slide guide portion 47A of the discharge chute 4, but the other structures are substantially the same. In summary, the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except that the guided portion 53 and the slide guide portion 47 described in the first embodiment are interchangeable. The following description will focus on the structure that differs from the first embodiment.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the discharge chute 4 is provided with left and right side walls 43, 43. The slide guide portion 47A provided on the pair of left and right side wall portions 52, 52 of the opening / closing cover 5 has the same shape as the slide guide portion 47 described in embodiment 1. The guided portion 53A extends along the vertical direction of the opening / closing cover 5, and the slide guide portion 47A can be inserted into a guide groove S1 formed therein.

[0061] The guided portion 53A includes a base 531 joined to the pair of left and right side walls 52, 52 of the opening / closing lid 5, a front wall 532 connected to the base 531, a side wall 533 connected to the front wall 532, and a rear wall 534 connected to the side wall 533. The front wall 532 and the rear wall 534 of the guided portion 53A are arranged facing each other with a gap between them in the front and rear directions. The guided portion 53A forms a U-shaped wall formed by the front wall 532, the side wall 533, and the rear wall 534, and the slide guide portion 47A of the discharge chute 4 is inserted into the guide groove S1. A stopper 70A protrudes downward from the lower end of each guided portion 53A of the opening / closing lid 5. The stopper 70A is configured as a plate-shaped protruding piece extending downward from the lower end of the rear wall 534 of each guided portion 53A.

[0062] The ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1 according to the second embodiment configured as described above also achieves the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, the state shown in Figures 13 and 14 is a "downward sliding permitted position" in which the open-close cover 5 is in the open position that opens the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 and downward sliding movement along the slide axis X2 is permitted.

[0063] In this state, the slide guide portion 47A of the discharge chute 4 is out of the guide groove S1 of the guided portion 53A of the opening / closing lid 5, but the extension direction of the guided portion 53A (guide groove S1) is maintained parallel to the direction of the slide axis X2. In other words, the guided portion 53A (guide groove S1) of the opening / closing lid 5 is disposed on an extension of the slide guide portion 47A of the discharge chute 4. Therefore, by sliding the opening / closing lid 5 downward along the slide axis X2 from this state, the opening / closing lid 5 can be easily switched to the closed position as shown in FIG. 16, and the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4 can be closed by the opening / closing lid 5. FIG. 16 shows the discharge chute 4 after the opening / closing lid 5 has been switched to the closed position.

[0064] 14 in a first rotation direction D1, i.e., in a direction in which the upper end of the lid 5 tilts toward the discharge port 45 of the discharge chute 4. As in the first embodiment, when the lower end surface 55 of the lid 5 abuts (collides with) the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4, further rotation of the lid 5 in the first rotation direction D1 is restricted. In this way, when the lower end surface 55 of the lid 5 abuts against the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4, the lower end surface 55 of the lid 5 is supported by the top wall 41 of the discharge chute 4. This allows the lid 5 to be stably maintained in the open state maintaining position.

[0065] Then, when the opening / closing lid 5 is moved to the closed position via the downward sliding permitting position to finish pouring the ready-mixed concrete using the ready-mixed concrete transport cart 1, the opening / closing lid 5 is rotated from the open state maintaining position in the second rotation direction D2 around the rotation axis X3. At that time, the opening / closing lid 5 returns from the open state maintaining position to the downward sliding permitting position. When the stopper 70A abuts (collides) with the upper end side of the slide guide portion 47A, the opening / closing lid 5 is restricted from rotating further in the second rotation direction D2. As a result, when the position of the opening / closing lid 5 is returned from the open state maintaining position to the downward sliding permitting position, the opening / closing lid 5 is prevented from rotating in the second rotation direction D2. This prevents the cover 5 from slipping out of its downward sliding position, preventing it from deviating from the downward sliding permitting position. The stopper 70A can then be used as a backing plate to smoothly and easily insert the slide guide portion 47A into the guide groove S1 formed on the inside of the guided portion 53. This allows the cover 5 to smoothly and easily slide from the open position to the closed position along the slide axis X2.

[0066] Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above, each aspect disclosed in this specification can be combined with any other feature disclosed in this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Ready-mixed concrete transport cart 2. Cart body 3. Bucket 4. Discharge chute 5. Opening and closing lid 45...Discharge port 47 Slide guide part 51...Occluded plate part 52 Side wall 53 Guided part 60 Rotating shaft

Claims

1. A ready-mixed concrete transport cart for transporting ready-mixed concrete, a carriage body having running wheels; a bucket fixed to the carriage body and capable of containing ready-mixed concrete therein; a discharge chute that protrudes from the wall surface of the bucket and has a discharge port at its tip end for discharging the ready-mixed concrete in the bucket to the outside; an opening / closing lid that is attached to the discharge chute so as to be slidable along a predetermined slide shaft that extends in the vertical direction, and that closes the discharge outlet when positioned at a closing position on the lower side along the slide shaft and opens the discharge outlet when positioned at an opening position on the upper side along the slide shaft; Equipped with Transport cart for ready-mixed concrete.

2. When the opening / closing cover is in the open position, it is rotatable about a horizontally extending rotation axis, and through the rotation, it is switchable between a downward sliding permitting position in which downward sliding movement along the slide axis is permitted and an open state maintaining position in which the downward sliding movement is restricted. The ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 1.

3. When the opening / closing lid is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position, the lower end surface of the opening / closing lid is supported by contacting with the top wall of the discharge chute, thereby maintaining the open state maintaining position. The ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 2.

4. The opening / closing cover is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position by rotating in a first rotation direction around the rotation shaft, the first rotation direction coincides with a direction in which the upper end side of the opening / closing cover is tilted toward the discharge port around the rotation axis; A ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The opening / closing cover is switched from the downward sliding allowing position to the open state maintaining position by rotating in a first rotation direction around the rotation shaft, a stopper for restricting the opening / closing cover from rotating in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, thereby preventing the opening / closing cover from moving out of the downward sliding allowance position; A ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 2 or 3.

6. When the opening / closing cover is switched between the downward sliding permitting position and the open state maintaining position, the opening / closing cover rotates around the lower end side of the opening / closing cover. A ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The discharge chute has a slide guide portion extending in the vertical direction along a side wall of the discharge chute, the opening / closing cover has a guided portion that extends in the vertical direction and is guided by the slide guide portion, When the opening / closing cover, which slides upward from the closed position, reaches the open position, the guide of the guided portion by the slide guide portion is released, and the release of the guide triggers the rotation of the opening / closing cover. A ready-mixed concrete transport cart according to claim 2 or 3.

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