Heavy object conveying device

Abstract

To provide a heavy load carrying device capable of excellently changing the carrying direction of a heavy load.SOLUTION: When the operator presses the forward or backward switch of the remote controller 410, the forward / backward motor 212 is driven by the forward / backward motor unit 210 of the forward / backward driving unit 200, and this is transmitted to the forward / backward roller unit 230 via the forward / backward gear unit 220 and the transmission gear unit 240, the forward / backward roller 232,234 rotates, and the heavy object moves forward or backward. When the operator presses the left-right turning switch of the remote controller 410, the turning motor 312 is driven by the turning motor part 310 of the turning drive part 300, the turning gear 326 of the turning gear part 320 turns, and the turning roller part 330 turns in the left-right direction. Thus, the turning direction of the heavy load carrying device is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in the change of conveying direction or the turning of a heavy load conveying device that conveys heavy loads such as machine tools. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a heavy object transport device is the "heavy object transport dolly" described in Patent Document 1 below. This device has a dolly body installed at each of the four corners of the underside of a heavy object, and multiple caster bodies with front and rear wheels are provided on the dolly body, and each caster body rotates as a whole relative to the dolly body, allowing it to rotate in the direction of movement of the heavy object. This background art is intended for moving furniture, etc., and is not applicable to transporting machine tools, etc.

[0003] Background art for transporting heavy loads such as machine tools includes a "heavy load transport roller device" described in Patent Document 2 below. This device has multiple rolls, one end of which is driven to rotate by a rotating gear unit, and the other end is driven to rotate by a bearing or an internal gear unit, thereby ensuring stable and efficient transport of heavy loads. According to this device, the transport direction is changed using a bracket attached to the side of the case of the heavy load transport roller device, through which the bent portion at the tip of a roughly L-shaped handle is inserted. Then, by holding the end of the handle, the heavy load transport roller device is changed to the desired direction. The heavy load is placed on the turntable of the heavy load transport roller device, making it easy to operate the handle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-14143 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-70546 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although the above-mentioned background art allows the conveying direction to be changed satisfactorily, it would be more convenient if the direction could be changed by issuing a turning command using a remote control that controls forward and backward movements.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a heavy object transport device that can effectively change the transport direction of a heavy object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The heavy load transport device of the present invention is provided with a front-rear drive roller means for forward and backward movement and a swivel drive roller means for swivel movement. The front-rear drive roller means includes a front-rear drive section, a front-rear gear section, a transmission gear section, and a front-rear roller section. When the front-rear drive section is driven, the rollers of the front-rear roller section rotate via the front-rear gear section and the transmission gear section, causing the heavy load to move forward and backward. The swivel drive roller means includes a swivel drive section, a swivel gear section, and a swivel roller section. When the swivel drive section is driven, the swivel roller section swivels in the transport direction of the heavy load via the swivel gear section.

[0008] According to one of the main aspects, an indicator is provided to show the direction of rotation of the swivel roller unit. According to another aspect, a swivel plate is provided on the upper surface of the housing that houses the front and rear roller units and the swivel roller unit. Furthermore, the swivel plate is provided with a pin hole for inserting a pin for positioning it relative to the heavy load side. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, by providing a forward / backward drive roller means for forward and backward movement and a swiveling drive roller means for swiveling, not only can heavy objects be transported stably and efficiently, but the transport direction can also be changed efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1A is a diagram showing the appearance of a heavy load transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of an indicator portion showing the turning direction. [Figure 2] FIG. 1(A) is a diagram showing the embodiment as viewed from the back side. [Figure 3] 1A is a side view of the main part of the embodiment, and FIGS. 1B to 1D are views showing the rotation of the rotating roller unit of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the embodiment when in use. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples. [Example]

[0012] FIG. 1 shows the exterior of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of the embodiment as viewed from the rear, and FIG. 3(A) shows a schematic side view. In these figures, a heavy object transport apparatus 100 is provided with a forward / backward (hereinafter simply referred to as "front / rear") drive unit 200 and a swivel drive unit 300 in a housing or case 110. The front / rear drive unit 200 drives the transport in the front / rear direction indicated by arrow FA, and the swivel drive unit 300 drives the transport in the direction indicated by arrow FB. The front / rear drive unit 200 includes a front / rear motor unit 210, a front / rear gear unit 220, a front / rear roller unit 230, and a transmission gear unit 240. The swivel drive unit 300 includes a swivel motor unit 310, a swivel gear unit 320, and a swivel roller unit 330.

[0013] The housing 110 of the heavy load transport apparatus 100 is formed in a box shape and includes a top plate 112, a front plate 114, a rear plate 116, a right side plate 118, a left side plate 120, and an intermediate plate 122. The front and rear motor unit 210 and the front and rear gear unit 220 of the front and rear drive unit 200 are provided on the right side plate 118 side of the housing 110. The front and rear roller unit 230 is provided inside the housing 110 on the front plate 114 side, and the transmission gear unit 240 is provided so as to sandwich the intermediate plate 122 of the housing 110. Meanwhile, the swivel motor unit 310 of the swivel drive unit 300 is provided on the other side of the left side plate 120 of the housing 110, and the swivel gear unit 320 is provided on the top plate 112 side of the housing 110.

[0014] <Front-rear drive unit 200> Next, the front-rear drive unit 200 will be described. The front-rear motor unit 210 of the front-rear drive unit 200 is equipped with a front-rear motor 212, and a drive gear 222 of a front-rear gear unit 220 is provided on the rotation shaft of this front-rear motor 212. A driven gear 224 is meshed with the drive gear 222, and a rotation shaft 226 of this driven gear 224 passes through the right side plate 118 and the intermediate plate 122 of the housing 110 and reaches the left side plate 120. The rotation shaft 226 is rotatable by appropriate bearings (not shown) provided between the rotation shaft 226 and each part of the housing 110.

[0015] Next, front and rear rollers 232, 234 of front and rear roller unit 230 are provided on the tip side of housing 110 (upper right side in FIG. 1, lower side in FIG. 2). Rotation gears 242, 244 are respectively provided on front and rear rollers 232, 234 on the side of intermediate plate 122 of housing 110, and front and rear rollers 232, 234 and rotation gears 242, 244 are fixed so as to rotate together with rotation shaft 236 (see FIG. 3(A)). These rotation gears 242, 244, 252, 254 form transmission gear unit 240, and rotation of front and rear motor unit 210 is transmitted from front and rear gear unit 220 via transmission gear unit 240 to front and rear roller unit 230, causing front and rear rollers 232, 234 to rotate. The front and rear gear unit 220 and the transmission gear unit 240 also have the function of adjusting the rotation of the front and rear rollers 232, 234 to a speed suitable for moving the heavy load WH (see FIG. 4).

[0016] The above operation of the front-rear drive unit 200 can be summarized as follows: (1) Front and rear motor section 210 (2) Front and rear gear section 220 (3) Transmission gear unit 240 (4) Front and rear roller section 230 The driving force of the front and rear motor 212 is transmitted to the front and rear rollers 232, 234 in this order, and by rotating the front and rear motor 212 forward and backward, the front and rear rollers 232, 234 also rotate forward and backward, thereby moving the heavy object transport device 100 forward and backward.

[0017] <Swivel drive unit 300> Next, the swivel drive unit 300 will be described. The swivel motor unit 310 of the swivel drive unit 300 is equipped with a swivel motor 312, and a swivel gear unit 320 is provided on the rotation shaft of this swivel motor 312. The swivel gear unit 320 is configured such that a swivel drive gear 322 on the motor side, an intermediate gear 324, and a swivel gear 326 on the roller side are meshed in this order, and the rotation of the swivel motor 312 is transmitted to the swivel gear 326 via the swivel drive gear 322 and the intermediate gear 324. The swivel gear 326 is fan-shaped, and when it rotates, the swivel shaft 328 rotates.

[0018] A rotating roller unit 330 is provided on the rotating shaft 328. An arm 336 extends from the rotating roller unit 330 in a direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft 328, i.e., so as to form a T-shape when viewed from the front-to-rear direction indicated by the arrow FA. Rollers 332 and 334 are rotatably mounted on the arm 336 via appropriate bearings (not shown). Bearings 338 are provided at the tips of the arms 336, respectively, and these bearings 338 abut against the right and left side plates 118 and 120 of the housing 110. The right and left side plates 118 and 120 have cutouts 118C and 120C (see FIGS. 2 and 3A), and the bearings 338 abut against the right and left side plates 118 and 120 at these cutouts 118C and 120C. As a result, the notches 118C and 120C function as guides for the turning roller unit 330 when turning.

[0019] A gear cover 350 housing the revolving gear unit 320 is provided with a revolving direction indicator 360 at a position visible to an operator operating a remote control 410, which will be described later. As shown enlarged in FIG. 1(A), this revolving direction indicator 360 is composed of a window 362 formed in a substantially H-shape on the top and side surfaces of the gear cover 350, and an indicator needle 364 that moves in conjunction with the fan-shaped revolving gear 326. By observing the movement of this indicator needle 364 through the window 362, the revolving direction of the revolving roller unit 330 can be determined.

[0020] The above operation of the turning drive unit 300 can be summarized as follows: (1) Swivel motor unit 310 (2) Swivel gear section 320 (3) Swivel roller part 330 The driving force of the turning motor 312 is transmitted to the turning shaft 328 in this order, the rollers 332 and 334 turn, and the heavy load transport apparatus 100 turns right and left.

[0021] <Power Supply Control Unit 400> Next, the power supply control unit 400 will be described. The power supply control unit 400 is provided on the rear side of the housing 110. The power supply control unit 400 is provided with plugs 412, 414 for connecting a remote control 410, and further with power terminals 422, 424 for supplying driving power to the forward / backward motor unit 210 and the swing motor unit 310. A power cable (not shown) for receiving power from an external source is connected to the power supply control unit 400, and power is supplied from a commercial power source (e.g., AC 100V). The power cable may be connected to the remote control 410, for example, so that power is supplied via the remote control cable. The remote control 410 is provided with switches for instructing forward, backward, right turn, and left turn operations, and by operating these switches, the forward / backward, right turn, and left turn operations of the heavy object transport apparatus 100 are controlled.

[0022] <Other Configurations> Next, a swivel plate (turntable) 150 is provided on the top plate 112 of the housing 110, with a pin hole 152 formed in the center. Depending on the heavy object, a pin hole (not shown) may be provided for positioning the object, assuming that it will be transported by the heavy object transport apparatus 100. In such cases, a pin (not shown) is inserted between the pin hole 152 of the swivel plate 150 and the pin hole on the heavy object transport apparatus 100 side. This allows the heavy object transport apparatus 100 to be properly positioned relative to the heavy object. Furthermore, a nut 160 for attaching an eyebolt (not shown) for lifting is provided at an appropriate position on the top plate 112 of the housing 110.

[0023] <State during transportation> Figure 4 shows the state during transportation by the heavy object transport apparatus 100, with the heavy object transport apparatus 100 installed at the rear of the heavy object WH in the transport direction, and the roller device 180 installed at the front. The roller device 180 has multiple rollers but no motor; it simply supports the heavy object WH so that it can move. This roller device 180 also has a swivel plate 182 on its housing, on which the heavy object WH is placed. Note that the heavy object transport apparatus 100 may be installed at the front of the heavy object WH in the transport direction, and the roller device 180 may be installed at the rear. Note that because the heavy object WH is installed on the swivel plates 150, 180, there is no particular problem even if the heavy object transport apparatus 100 and roller device 180 rotate.

[0024] <Overall Operation of This Embodiment> Next, the overall operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 as well. When moving the heavy load WH forward or backward, as shown in Fig. 3(B), the worker presses the forward or backward switch on the remote control 410, and the swing motor 312 is driven by the swing motor unit 310 of the swing drive unit 300, causing the swing gear 326 of the swing gear unit 320 to swing, and the swing roller unit 330 faces in the forward or backward direction (left and right in the figure). Then, the front and rear motor unit 210 of the front and rear drive unit 200 drives the front and rear motor 212, causing the front and rear rollers 232, 234 of the front and rear roller unit 230 to rotate. This causes the heavy load WH to move forward or backward.

[0025] Next, when turning right, as shown in FIG. 3(C), when the operator presses the right turning switch on the remote control 410, the turning motor 312 is driven by the turning motor unit 310 of the turning drive unit 300, which turns the turning gear 326 of the turning gear unit 320, and the turning roller unit 330 faces right. At this time, the turning direction can be indicated by the turning direction indicator 360. Then, when the front and rear motor unit 210 of the front and rear drive unit 200 drives the front and rear motor 212, and the front and rear rollers 232, 234 of the front and rear roller unit 230 rotate, the heavy object transport apparatus 100 turns in the turning direction of the turning roller unit 330. Next, when turning left, as shown in FIG. 3(D), the turning roller unit 330 turns left, and the heavy object transport apparatus 100 turns left.

[0026] The above operations can be summarized as follows: (1) When driving straight or reversing a) The turning motor unit 310 of the turning drive unit 300 is driven, and the turning roller unit 330 is directed in the front-rear direction via the turning gear unit 320. b. The front and rear motor unit 210 of the front and rear drive unit 200 is driven to rotate the front and rear roller unit 230 via the front and rear gear unit 220, thereby moving forward or backward. (2) When turning right / turning left a) The turning motor unit 310 of the turning drive unit 300 is driven, and the turning roller unit 330 is turned rightward or leftward via the turning gear unit 320. b. The front and rear motor unit 210 of the front and rear drive unit 200 is driven to rotate the front and rear roller unit 230 via the front and rear gear unit 220, thereby performing a right turn or a left turn. c) Alternatively, while the turning roller unit 330 is being turned by the turning drive unit 300, the front and rear motor unit 210 is driven to turn right or left.

[0027] <Effects of the Example> As described above, according to the present example, the following effects can be obtained. a. The front and rear roller sections for forward and backward movement and the turning roller section for turning movement are provided, so that the direction of conveyance of heavy objects can be changed smoothly. b) An indicator is provided to show the rotation direction of the rotating roller section, so that the operator can easily know the rotation direction. c) A total of four rollers are provided, allowing for stable support of heavy loads.

[0028] Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are also included. (1) In the above embodiment, four rollers are provided, but more may be provided. One suitable example of the rollers is a urethane roller. (2) In the above embodiment, the transmission gear unit is provided between the front and rear rollers of the front and rear roller unit. However, a transmission gear unit may be provided at each end of the front and rear rollers. That is, a transmission gear unit is provided at each end of the two rollers that make up the front and rear roller unit. In this case, one of the transmission gear units and the drive gear unit may be integrally configured. (3) As the motor for forward and reverse movement shown in the above embodiment, a DC motor, which has higher torque at lower speeds, is one suitable example. (4) In the example of Fig. 4 described above, the heavy object transport device of the present invention is installed behind the heavy object, but it may also be installed in front. The number of devices installed may also be increased or decreased as necessary. Also, in the above embodiment, the front-rear drive unit is arranged in front of the heavy object in the transport direction, and the swivel drive unit is arranged in the rear, but the arrangement may be reversed. Furthermore, when a plurality of heavy load transport devices are used, a common remote control may be used for all of them, so that drive control can be performed by a single operator. (5) In the above embodiment, the control signal from the remote control is supplied to the power supply control unit via a cable, but short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may also be used. (6) In the above embodiment, the remote controller has switches for instructing forward, backward, right turn, and left turn operations, but it may take various known forms such as a radio-controlled car or game controller. (7) The shapes and dimensions of the components shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and may be modified as appropriate to achieve the same effect. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] According to the present invention, by providing a forward / backward drive roller means for forward and backward movement and a swivel drive roller means for swivel movement, not only can heavy objects be transported stably and efficiently, but the transport direction can also be changed efficiently, making it suitable for transporting various heavy objects such as machine tools. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 100: Heavy load transport equipment 110: Housing (case) 112: Top plate 114: Front panel 116: Rear plate 118: Right side plate 118C, 120C: Notch 120: Left side board 122: Intermediate plate 150,182: Rotating plate (turntable) 152: Pin hole 160: Nut 180: Roller device 200: Front and rear drive unit 210: Front and rear motor section 212: Front and rear motors 220: Front and rear gear section 222: Drive gear 224: Driven gear 226: Rotation axis 230: Front and rear roller section 232, 234: Front and rear rollers 236: Rotation axis 240: Transmission gear section 242, 244: Rotating gear 242, 244, 252, 254: Rotating gear 300: Swivel drive unit 310: Rotation motor unit 312: Swing motor 320: Rotating gear section 322: Rotating drive gear 324: Intermediate gear 326: Turning gear 328: Rotating axis 330: Rotating roller section 332,334: Roller 336: Arm 338: Bearing 350: Gear cover 360: Turn direction indicator 362: Window 364: Indicator needle 400: Power supply control unit 410: Remote control 412, 414: Plug 422,424: Power terminal WH: Heavy

Claims

1. A heavy object transport device that transports heavy objects using a plurality of rollers, forward and backward driving roller means for moving the heavy object forward and backward; and a rotation drive roller means for rotating the heavy object, The front and rear drive roller means It is equipped with front and rear drive units, front and rear gear units, transmission gear units, and front and rear roller units. When the front-rear drive unit is driven, the front-rear gear unit and the transmission gear unit rotate the front-rear roller unit, and the heavy object moves forward and backward. The pivoting drive roller means It is equipped with a swivel drive unit, a swivel gear unit, and a swivel roller unit, A heavy object transport device, characterized in that when the swivel drive unit is driven, the swivel roller unit swivels in the transport direction of the heavy object via the swivel gear unit.

2. A heavy object transport device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the drive side rotation shaft of the front and rear gear sections is arranged parallel to the roller side rotation shaft of the front and rear roller sections, and the transmission gear section is arranged between these rotation shafts.

3. The transmission gear portion is a gear provided on the drive-side rotation shaft; a gear provided on the roller-side rotation shaft, 3. A heavy load transport device according to claim 2, wherein said gears mesh with each other to rotate said front and rear roller portions.

4. The turning gear portion is a rotating shaft that rotates when the rotating gear is rotated by the rotating drive unit, The turning roller portion is 2. The heavy load transport device according to claim 1, wherein the arm is rotatably attached to the pivot shaft.

5. 5. The heavy load transport device according to claim 4, further comprising an indicator for indicating the direction of rotation of said rotating roller portion.

6. 2. The heavy load transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a swivel plate provided on the upper surface of a housing that houses the front and rear roller units and the swivel roller unit.

7. 7. A heavy load transport device according to claim 6, wherein the swivel plate is provided with pin holes for inserting pins for positioning the swivel plate relative to the heavy load.

Images