Beam structure of gate

Abstract

To provide a beam structure of a gate, which is hardly affected by a manufacturing error of an insertion hole of a fastener, and which can suppress an increase in processing labor.SOLUTION: A beam structure 1 of a gate for fixing the gate mounted in a luggage compartment includes a pair of frame parts 30,30, a connecting member 31 for connecting the pair of frame parts 30,30 to each other, and a cover member 50 for covering the pair of frame parts 30,30. The cover member 50 includes a locking member 52 locked to the connecting member 31, and a fastener insertion hole 53 formed at a position separated from the locking member 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beam structure of a gate attached to a luggage compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of a gate attached to the luggage compartment of a truck or trailer is a tailgate lifter that is attached to the rear surface of the luggage compartment in an openable and closable manner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The tailgate lifter is equipped with a floor plate. The floor plate stands up to form the rear wall of the luggage compartment when traveling, and tilts backward to form the floor when unloading. The floor plate is supported by an opening / closing lifting device via beams provided on the left and right sides of the back surface. A pair of left and right frame parts are provided on the back surface of the beam, and a cover is attached to cover the pair of frame parts. The cover is fixed to the pair of frame parts with fasteners such as screws. The fasteners are attached at a total of six locations, for example, three locations each at the base end, tip end, and middle of the longitudinal direction of each frame part. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-31474 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional beams have six fastening points for screws and other fasteners, but the frame is made of sheet metal, which makes manufacturing errors in the fastener insertion holes more likely to occur. When manufacturing errors occur, the insertion holes in the cover and those in the frame do not align, resulting in increased work required to repair the frame insertion holes. Furthermore, repairing the insertion holes often enlarges the holes, which can lead to problems such as poor aesthetics and difficulty in fastening fasteners.

[0005] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide a gate beam structure that is less susceptible to the effects of manufacturing errors in the fastener insertion holes and that can suppress an increase in processing effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a gate beam structure for fixing a gate attached to a luggage compartment, comprising a pair of frame portions, a connecting member connecting the pair of frame portions, and a cover member covering the pair of frame portions, wherein the cover member comprises a locking member that locks to the connecting member and a fastener insertion hole formed at a position spaced apart from the locking member.

[0007] In this invention, "fastener" refers to a fixing jig such as a screw, a bolt, or a similar fastening tool. According to the gate beam structure of this invention, the cover member is fastened to the connecting member using a fastening member, eliminating the need to fasten the cover member to a location close to the fastening member. The fasteners only need to be located at a distance from the fastening member, reducing the number of fasteners and fastener insertion holes compared to conventional structures. This reduces the impact of manufacturing errors in the fastener insertion holes on the frame, eliminating the need for repair work on the fastener insertion holes and eliminating the need for increased processing effort.

[0008] In the gate beam structure of the present invention, it is preferable that the locking member is provided on the longitudinal base end side of the cover member and has a bent portion bent toward the base end side, and the fastener insertion hole is formed on the longitudinal tip end side of the cover member. With this structure, one longitudinal end of the cover member is locked by the locking member and the other end is fixed by the fastener, so the cover member can be fixed in a balanced and stable state. Furthermore, even if the fastener comes off, the cover member will not fall off from the fixed portion because it is locked to the connecting member by the locking member.

[0009] In the gate beam structure of the present invention, the cover member is preferably made of a metal plate material, which has the necessary rigidity and is less likely to warp, thereby improving dimensional accuracy and improving the aesthetic appearance.

[0010] Furthermore, in the gate beam structure of the present invention, a buffer material is provided between the frame and the cover member, and the buffer material is preferably disposed in the longitudinal middle of the cover member. With this configuration, the buffer material can be held in a compressed state by the locking member and the fastener, thereby reducing the shaking of the cover member relative to the frame during travel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The gate beam structure of the present invention is less susceptible to manufacturing errors in the fastener insertion holes, and can prevent an increase in the amount of processing work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the beam structure of the gate according to the embodiment, seen obliquely from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the beam structure of the gate according to the embodiment, seen obliquely from behind. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a fixing portion of a beam structure of a gate according to an embodiment, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a rear view. [Figure 4] 1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams showing a cover member of a beam structure of a gate according to an embodiment, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view, and (c) is a rear view. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of a cover member of a beam structure of a gate according to an embodiment, seen obliquely from the front. FIG. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the base end of the beam structure of the gate of the embodiment, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state before locking, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state after locking. [Figure 7]1A and 1B are diagrams showing the base end of the beam structure of the gate according to the embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view of the main part showing the state before locking, and (b) is a perspective view of the main part showing the state after locking. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the beam structure of the gate according to the second embodiment, seen obliquely from the front. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the beam structure of the gate according to the second embodiment, seen from diagonally behind. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cover member of a beam structure of a gate according to a second embodiment, as viewed obliquely from the front. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A gate beam structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the gate beam structure will be described as being attached to the rear surface of the luggage compartment of a cargo vehicle (e.g., a van truck or van trailer). In this embodiment, the forward direction of the vehicle is referred to as "front," the backward direction as "rear," the direction to the driver's left hand as "left," and the direction to the right hand as "right." The up and down directions of the beam will be described based on the state in which the beam is erected.

[0014] In this embodiment, the beam supports a floor plate provided on the rear surface of the luggage compartment. The floor plate stands upright to form the rear wall of the luggage compartment when the vehicle is traveling, and tilts backward to form the floor when unloading. The beams are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the floor plate when it is in the upright position, and support the floor plate from below when it is in the horizontal position when unloading. The base end of the beam (which becomes the lower end when the floor plate is upright) is connected to an opening / closing lifting device. The opening / closing lifting device is provided below the vehicle body frame and performs the operations of rotating the floor plate and beam rearward and raising and lowering them up and down.

[0015] 1 and 2, the gate beam structure 1 includes a connecting base portion 10, a pair of frame portions 30, 30, a connecting member 31, and a cover member 50. The connecting base portion 10, the frame portion 30, and the connecting member 31 are combined to form a fixed portion to which the cover member 50 is attached.

[0016] 3, the connecting base part 10 connects the beam 2 to the opening / closing lifting device (not shown) and serves as a base for supporting the frame part 30, and is located at the base end (the lower end when the beam is upright) of the beam 2. The connecting base part 10 includes a base plate 11 and a rib 12.

[0017] The base plate 11 is formed by bending a metal plate material and has a substantially L-shape in side view. The base plate 11 includes a support plate portion 13 and a wall plate portion 14. The support plate portion 13 serves as a mounting base on which the frame portion 20 is placed. A through-hole 15 is formed in the support plate portion 13. A floor plate angle adjustment device such as a tilt cylinder (not shown) passes through the through-hole 15. The wall plate portion 14 extends downward from the front end of the support plate portion 13. The wall plate portion 14 is bent to conform to the surface shape of the floor plate. A bolt hole 16 is formed in the wall plate portion 14. A bolt is inserted into the bolt hole 16 to secure the base plate 11 to the floor plate. A notch 17 is formed in the lower end of the wall plate portion 14. The notch 17 is a space into which a connecting bracket (not shown) of an arm of an opening / closing lifting device fits depending on the rotation angle of the beam.

[0018] The rib 12 reinforces the base plate 11 and rotatably supports a connecting bracket (not shown) of the arm of the opening / closing lifting device. The rib 12 includes a first rib 21, a second rib 22, and a third rib 23. The first rib 21, the second rib 22, and the third rib 23 are arranged in a space covered by the support plate portion 13 and the wall plate portion 14, and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The first rib 21 and the second rib 22 are arranged to sandwich the space below the through-hole 15 of the support plate portion 13. The first rib 21 and the second rib 22 are each provided with a shaft hole 24 and a boss portion 25 through which the rotation shaft of the connecting bracket passes. The shaft hole 24 is also provided coaxially in the third rib 23. The lower end of the tilt cylinder is connected to the rear of the connecting bracket when it is in an upright position.

[0019] The pair of frame portions 30, 30 are portions for fixing the cover member 50, and are arranged with a gap in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the frame portion 30 is formed by the opposing lip portions 34a, 34a of the channel-shaped member 32. The channel-shaped member 32 is formed by bending a metal plate material into a channel-shaped cross section. The frame portion 30 (lip portion 34a) is in the shape of a long plate. The pair of frame portions 30, 30 are arranged parallel to each other.

[0020] The channel-shaped member 32 includes a lip portion 34a, a bottom plate portion 34b, and wall plate portions 34c that rise from both widthwise sides of the bottom plate portion 34b. The lip portion 34a protrudes inward from the tip of the wall plate portion 34c. The channel-shaped member 32 is formed so that the front-to-rear width (depth of the groove) decreases toward the top, resulting in a trapezoidal shape of the wall plate portion 34c. This allows the tip of the floor plate to slide against the ground when the floor plate is tilted and lowered onto the ground. The bottom plate portion 34b of the channel-shaped member 32 is provided with bolt holes 36 and lightening holes 37. A bolt is inserted through the bolt hole 36 to secure the beam to the floor plate. The lightening holes 37 are formed to reduce the weight of the channel-shaped member 32 and are, for example, circular. A fixing bracket 40 for fixing the tilt cylinder is provided on the rear surface of the bottom plate portion 34b (the surface facing the lip portion 34a). The fixed bracket 40 is provided with a bearing portion 41 that rotatably supports the upper end portion of the tilt cylinder.

[0021] A screw hole 45 is formed in the tip portion (the upper end portion when the beam is upright) of the frame portion 30. A fastener (a screw 55 in this embodiment) for fastening the cover member 50 to the frame portion 30 is inserted into the screw hole 45. One screw hole 45 is formed at each tip portion of the pair of frame portions 30, 30, above an upper connecting member 35b described below.

[0022] The tip (upper end) of the channel-shaped member 32 consists only of a bottom plate portion 34b and a side plate portion 34c, and does not have a lip portion 34a. A tip plate 33 is installed at the upper end of the channel-shaped member 32. The tip plate 33 is the part that comes into contact with the ground when the floor plate is lowered onto the ground. The tip plate 33 is made of resin and is formed so that its thickness decreases toward the tip. The surface of the tip plate 33 is parallel to the surface of the cover member 50 and protrudes beyond the surface of the cover member 50. As a result, when the floor plate is folded down and lowered onto the ground, the tip plate 33 comes into contact with the ground, and the cover member 50 does not come into contact with the ground.

[0023] The connecting member 31 connects the pair of frame sections 30, 30, and extends in the left-right direction, spanning the frame sections 30, 30. The connecting member 31 prevents the channel-shaped members 32 from opening, maintaining a constant distance between the frame sections 30, 30. In this embodiment, the connecting member 31 includes a lower connecting member 35a provided at the lower end of the frame section 30 and an upper connecting member 35b provided at the upper end. The lower connecting member 35a is made of a rectangular metal plate, and its longitudinal end is welded to the front surface (inner surface of the lip portion) of the lower end of the frame section 30. A sponge sheet material 38 is laid on the front surface (inner surface of the lip portion) of the lower connecting member 35a (see FIG. 7). The sheet material 38 is attached to a position where a locking member 52 of the cover member 50, described below, will be locked.

[0024] The upper connecting member 35b is made of an angle bar with an L-shaped cross section, and one of the longitudinal ends is welded to the front surface (the inner surface of the lip) of the upper end of the frame section 30. The other surface protrudes toward the bottom plate section 34b of the channel-shaped member 32. The upper connecting member 35b is attached to a position lower than the upper end of the frame section 30 by a predetermined length (a length that allows screw holes to be formed).

[0025] The cover member 50 is a lid that closes the opening of the channel-shaped member 32 and covers the pair of frame portions 30, 30. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the cover member 50 includes a cover body 51, a locking member 52, and a fastener insertion hole 53.

[0026] The cover body 51 is made of a metal plate. In this embodiment, the cover body 51 is made of, for example, an extruded aluminum alloy material and extends along the longitudinal direction of the frame portion 30. The cover body 51 has a bottom plate portion 56 and a wall plate portion 57 and is groove-shaped. A recess 58 that extends rearward when the bottom plate portion 56 is upright is formed in a widthwise intermediate portion of the bottom plate portion 56. The recess 58 improves the rigidity of the cover body and ensures storage space for the tilt cylinder. In addition, a mounting groove 59 recessed toward the back side is formed in the surface (rear surface when the cover body 51 is upright) of the cover body 51. The mounting groove 59 is a groove into which a protective member 60 is attached, and two mounting grooves 59 are provided, sandwiching the recess 58 from both sides in the width direction. The protective member 60 is a long member made of rubber and is attached to the mounting groove 59. The surface of the protective member 60 protrudes from the surface of the cover body 51 to prevent the cover body 51 from being scratched when it touches the ground. The band-shaped portions of the bottom plate 56 outside the recess 58 and the mounting groove 59 are the portions that come into contact with the frame 30. The wall plate portions 57 extend forward from both widthwise ends of the bottom plate 56 in an upright position. The wall plate portions 57 cover the rear ends of the side plate portions 34c of the channel-shaped member 32 from the outside in the widthwise direction.

[0027] The locking member 52 is a member that is locked to the connecting member 31, and is provided at the longitudinal base end (the lower end in an upright state) of the cover member 50. The locking member 52 has a width slightly smaller than the width dimension of the recess 58, and is fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 58. The locking member 52 is formed by bending a metal plate. The locking member 52 includes a fixed plate portion 61, an upright plate portion 62, and a folded plate portion 63. The fixed plate portion 61 is a plate portion that is fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 58, and the fixed plate portion 61 is fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 58 via a blind rivet 64. The blind rivet 64 is attached from the bottom plate portion 56 side, and the shank of the blind rivet 64 protrudes from the fixed plate portion 61 toward the frame portion 30 and faces the rear surface of the connecting member 31. Note that the fixing member 61 may be fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 58 with a screw instead of the blind rivet 64. When a screw is used, the screw is inserted from the bottom plate 56 side, with the tip of the screw shank protruding from the fixing plate 61 toward the frame 30. It is preferable that the tip of the screw abuts against the rear surface of the connecting member 31 when the locking member 52 is locked to the connecting member 31. With this configuration, the connecting member 31 is clamped between the folded plate 63 and the tip of the screw, making it difficult for the locking member 52 to slip relative to the connecting member 31 and reducing the strain on the screw 55 inserted into the fastener insertion hole 53 at the upper end.

[0028] The rising plate portion 62 is bent from the tip of the fixing plate portion 61 towards the frame portion 30 (in the direction away from the bottom surface of the recessed portion 58). The rising plate portion 62 is bent at a substantially right angle to the fixing plate portion 61. The rising dimension of the rising plate portion 62 is a length that allows the rear surface of the folded plate portion 63 to abut against the front surface of the connecting member 31 when the cover member 50 is fixed to the frame portion 30.

[0029] The folded plate portion 63 is a bent portion that bends downward (toward the base end of the beam) from the tip of the rising plate portion 62. The length dimension of the folded plate portion 63 is shorter than the length dimension of the fixed plate portion 61. The locking member 52 has an upside-down J shape in side view. The folded plate portion 63 is locked to the front surface of the connecting member 31 while compressing the sponge sheet material 38 laid on the front surface of the connecting member 31.

[0030] The fastener insertion holes 53 are holes for inserting fasteners (screws 55 in this embodiment). The fasteners are not limited to screws 55 and may be other fasteners such as bolts or screws as long as they are capable of fastening the cover member 50 to the frame portion 30. The fastener insertion holes 53 are formed in two locations, one at each end in the width direction of the longitudinal tip end (the upper end when the cover member 50 is upright) of the cover member 50. The fastener insertion holes 53 are formed at positions corresponding to the screw holes 45 of the frame portion 30. In other words, when the cover member 50 is attached to the frame portion 30, the fastener insertion holes 53 and the screw holes 45 are coaxially aligned with each other.

[0031] The cushioning material 54 is a member for suppressing vibration of the cover member 50 during travel. The cushioning material 54 is made up of a rubber plate-like member, and is adhered to the front surface (the surface on the frame section 30 side) of the longitudinally intermediate portion of the cover main body 51. Specifically, the cushioning material 54 is adhered to strip-shaped portions on both outer sides of the recessed portion 58 and the mounting groove 59. When the cover member 50 is fixed to the frame section 30, the cushioning material 54 is sandwiched between the cover member 50 and the frame section 30 in a slightly compressed state.

[0032] When fixing the cover member 50 having the above-described configuration to the frame portions 30, 30, first, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 7(a), the frame portions 30, 30 are raised and the locking member 52 is positioned above the connecting member 31. Then, as shown in Figures 6(b) and 7(b), the cover member 50 is lowered and the locking member 52 is locked to the connecting member 31. At this time, the folding plate portion 63 is locked to the front surface of the connecting member 31 with the sheet material 38 compressed.

[0033] When the locking member 52 is locked to the connecting member 31, the cover body 51 is aligned with the rear surfaces of the frame portions 30, 30. Then, a screw 55 is inserted through the fastener insertion hole 53 at the upper end of the cover member 50 and screwed into the screw hole 45 of the frame portion 30. Since the cover member 50 is locked to the connecting member 31 by the locking member 52, accurate positioning is achieved, making it easy to align the fastener insertion hole 53 coaxially with the screw hole 45. Furthermore, only two fastener insertion holes 53 are required, one at the upper end of each frame portion 30. Therefore, manufacturing errors that misalign the axes of the screw holes 45 and the fastener insertion holes 53 in the frame portions 30 are unlikely to occur. Even if they do occur, they are unlikely to affect the positioning of the fastener insertion holes 53 and 45, eliminating the need for repair processing of the fastener insertion holes 53 or the screw holes 45. Thus, the beam structure 1 does not require additional processing effort. In addition, since the number of screws 55 to be screwed together is only two, the work required for fastening is reduced compared to the conventional structure.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the gate beam structure 1 of this embodiment, one longitudinal end of the cover member 50 is locked by the locking member 52, and the other end is fixed by the screw 55, so the cover member 50 can be fixed in a balanced and stable state. Even if the screw 55 should come loose, the cover member 50 will not fall off from the fixed part because it is caught and locked by the upright plate portion 62 of the locking member 52. The number of screws 55 is two, which is the minimum number necessary considering the risk of the screws 55 coming loose.

[0035] The cover body 51 of the cover member 50 is made of a metal plate, so it has the necessary rigidity and is less likely to warp. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cover body 51 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy member, which allows for improved dimensional accuracy and a better aesthetic appearance.

[0036] Furthermore, buffer material 54 is provided between frame section 30 and cover member 50, and the lower end of cover member 50 is locked with locking member 52 and the upper end of cover member 50 is fastened with screw 55, so that buffer material 54 is sandwiched in a compressed state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce shaking of cover member 50 relative to frame section 30 during driving.

[0037] Furthermore, since the sponge-like sheet material 38 is sandwiched between the folded-back plate portion 63 and the connecting member 31 in a compressed state, the locking member 52 is less likely to slip off from the connecting member 31 .

[0038] The locking member 52 is locked to the connecting member 31, but since the connecting member 31 is a member that has been provided conventionally to prevent the channel-shaped member 32 from opening, the frame parts 30, 30 side that serves as the fixing part can be used as is without any processing. Therefore, not only is the processing effort small, but by replacing the cover member 50, it can also be applied to existing cargo beds.

[0039] Although the above describes an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and appropriate design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the locking member 52 is provided at the lower end of the cover member 50 and the fastener insertion hole 53 is formed at the upper end of the cover member 50, but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the locking member 52 may be provided at the upper end of the cover member 50a and the fastener insertion hole 53 may be formed at the lower end of the cover member 50a. In this case, the upper connecting member 35c, which is the upper connecting member 31, is replaced with a metal plate having the same shape as the lower connecting member 35a. The locking member 52 is then locked to the upper connecting member 35c from above. The fastener insertion hole 53, through which the screw 55 is inserted, is formed at the lower end of the cover member 50a, above the lower connecting member 35a, so as not to interfere with the lower connecting member 35a. The other configurations are the same as those of the above embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and the description is omitted. In this modified example, no buffer material is provided. The buffer material may or may not be provided. The gate beam structure 1a having the above configuration also achieves the same effects as those of the above embodiment.

[0040] The locking member 52 may also be provided in the middle in the longitudinal direction of the cover member 50. In this case, the fastener insertion hole 53 may be formed in the upper or lower end of the cover member 50. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Gate beam structure 30 Frame section 31 Connecting member 50 Cover member 52 Locking member 53 Fastener insertion hole 54 Cushioning material 63 Folding plate part (bending part)

Claims

1. In a gate beam structure for fixing a gate attached to a luggage compartment, a pair of frame portions, a connecting member that connects the pair of frame portions, and a cover member that covers the pair of frame portions; The cover member includes a locking member that is locked to the connecting member, and a fastener insertion hole formed at a position spaced apart from the locking member. The beam structure of the gate is characterized by:

2. the locking member is provided on a base end side of the cover member in the longitudinal direction and includes a bent portion bent toward the base end side, The fastener insertion hole is formed on the longitudinal tip side of the cover member.

2. The gate beam structure according to claim 1.

3. The cover member is made of a metal plate.

3. The gate beam structure according to claim 2.

4. A buffer material is provided between the frame portion and the cover member, The cushioning material is disposed in the longitudinal middle of the cover member.

4. The gate beam structure according to claim 3.

Images