Tank lorry

Abstract

To provide a tank lorry capable of improving efficiency of mounting work of a back camera.SOLUTION: A tank lorry 10 includes a chassis frame 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle, a tank 17 loaded on the chassis frame 12, a storage box 20 mounted on the chassis frame 12 behind the tank 17, and a back camera 30 for photographing the rear side of the vehicle. Since the back camera 30 is attached to the storage box 20 by the fastening members (the bolt 36 and the nut 37), the efficiency of the attachment work of the back camera 30 can be improved as compared with the case where the back camera 30 is welded to the tank 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tank truck, and more particularly to a tank truck that can improve the efficiency of the installation work of a backup camera. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technology for attaching a backup camera to a vehicle to capture an image of the rear of the vehicle so that the driver can check an image of the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving backward, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 describes attaching a backup camera to a tank truck. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-165550 A (e.g., paragraphs 0010 to 0012) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, rear cameras are often mounted on the upper rear end of the tank to ensure a clear view of the rear. However, because it is not possible to provide holes in the tank for inserting fastening members such as bolts, the rear camera is generally mounted on a bracket welded to the tank. This increases the number of parts to be welded to the tank, and also necessitates measures to prevent galvanic corrosion between the bracket and the tank after welding, resulting in problems with the efficiency of the installation work for the rear camera.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a tank truck that can improve the efficiency of the installation work of a backup camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this objective, the tank truck of the present invention comprises a chassis frame extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, a tank loaded on the chassis frame, a storage box attached to the chassis frame behind the tank, and a rear camera attached to the rear of the top surface of the storage box by fastening members and adapted to photograph the area behind the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the tank truck of claim 1, the rear camera is attached to the storage box by means of a fastening member, which improves the efficiency of the work of attaching the rear camera compared to when the rear camera is welded to the tank.

[0008] The tank truck of claim 2 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the tank truck of claim 1. The storage box comprises a box body with an opening on the rear surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening. A backup camera is attached to the rear of the top surface of the box body, and since the backup camera does not follow the lid as it opens and closes, the rear of the vehicle can be photographed even when the lid is open. Furthermore, even if the lid rattles relative to the box body, vibration of the backup camera caused by the rattle can be suppressed because the backup camera is not attached to the lid.

[0009] The tank truck of claim 3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect of the tank truck of claim 2. The opening of the box body is surrounded by a drainage gutter formed with a U-shaped cross section so that it opens outward in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the opening. As a result, even if a lid is provided on the rear surface of the storage box, the drainage gutter can prevent rainwater and the like from entering the box body. Furthermore, because the upper edge of the rear surface of the box body, including the vicinity of the mounting portion of the backup camera, is formed by a drainage gutter with a U-shaped cross section, the rigidity of the vicinity of the mounting portion of the backup camera can be improved, making it possible to make the backup camera less susceptible to vibration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a tank truck according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the tank truck showing an enlarged portion II of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 3 is a partially enlarged top view of the tank truck as seen in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the storage box taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of a tank truck 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the tank truck 10 showing an enlarged portion II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged top view of the tank truck 10 as viewed in the direction of arrow III of Fig. 2. Note that arrows U, D, L, R, F, and B in each drawing indicate the upward, downward, leftward, rightward, forward, and backward directions of the tank truck 10, respectively.

[0012] 1, a tank truck 10 is a vehicle that travels on a road surface using a plurality of wheels 11, and in this embodiment, is a vehicle that carries liquefied gas (for example, LNG or LPG) as a load. Note that the load may be a liquid, solid, or gas other than liquefied gas.

[0013] A chassis frame 12, which forms the skeleton of the vehicle body and extends in the longitudinal direction, is supported by a plurality of wheels 11. The chassis frame 12 includes a pair of left and right side members 13 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a cross member (not shown) connecting the pair of side members 13 at multiple points in the longitudinal direction, and a rear bumper 14 spanning the rear ends of the pair of side members 13 and extending in the transverse direction.

[0014] The pair of side members 13 have a longitudinal cross section formed in a U shape that opens toward each other (toward the inside in the left-right direction). The rear bumper 14 has a longitudinal cross section formed in a U shape that opens toward the front of the vehicle. A flat connecting plate 13a is placed on the left-right outer side of the rear end of the side member 13 and joined with joining members (not shown) such as bolts or rivets. The rear end edge of the connecting plate 13a is joined to the rear bumper 14 by welding. In this way, the rear bumper 14 is joined to the rear end of the side member 13 via the connecting plate 13a.

[0015] A cab 15 configured as a driver's seat is disposed at the front end of the chassis frame 12. A tank 17 is supported (mounted) on the chassis frame 12 located rearward of the cab 15 via a pair of left and right subframes 16.

[0016] The tank 17 is a cylindrical tank for carrying liquefied gas. Before the tank 17 is supported by the chassis frame 12 (before mounting), the subframe 16 is fixed to the tank 17 by welding or the like. The tank 17 is mounted on the chassis frame 12 by fixing the subframe 16 to the chassis frame 12 with a fastener (not shown) or by welding.

[0017] 2 and 3, a rectangular parallelepiped storage box 20 is attached to the chassis frame 12 rearward of the tank 17 so as to span the pair of side members 13. The storage box 20 includes a rectangular parallelepiped box body 21 with an opening 22 (see FIG. 4) on the rear surface, a lid 23 for opening and closing the opening 22, and a pair of front and rear mounting fixtures 24 for connecting the underside of the box body 21 to the side members 13.

[0018] The lower end of the lid 23 is attached to the rear surface of the box body 21 by a hinge 25. The lid 23, which opens and closes using the hinge 25 as a fulcrum, is kept closed by being locked by a locking unit 26 provided at the rear of the top surface of the box body 21. The hinge 25 and the locking unit 26 are disposed approximately symmetrically on both the left and right sides of the box body 21. Note that the locking unit 26 is shown schematically in FIG. 3.

[0019] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the storage box 20 taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3, showing the upper rear portion of the storage box 20. The top, bottom, front, rear, left, and right walls of the box body 21 are made of 1.5 mm thick metal plates, and are formed by connecting the edges of these metal plates. The lid 23 is formed by bending the top, bottom, left, and right edges of a 1.5 mm thick metal plate forward into flange shapes. The thickness of these metal plates may be changed as appropriate.

[0020] The upper edge of the opening 22 of the box body 21 is formed by a drainage gutter 27. The drainage gutter 27 is formed in a U-shape in a cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the upper edge extends so as to open in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the opening 22 opens, in a direction that is outside the box body 21 (toward the upper side in this embodiment).

[0021] The drain gutter 27 is formed by bending a 1.5 mm thick metal plate that forms the wall surface of the box body 21. As a result, even if the rigidity of the box body 21 itself, which is formed from a relatively thin metal plate, is not high, the rigidity of the box body 21 can be increased in the vicinity of the drain gutter 27. The drain gutter 27 forms the upper edge of the rear surface of the box body 21 over substantially the entire length, and therefore improves the rigidity in the vicinity of that upper edge.

[0022] Thanks to the drainage gutter 27 above the opening 22, even if rainwater or the like tries to seep into the storage box 20 through the gap above the box body 21 and the lid 23, the rainwater or the like is guided through the drainage gutter 27 to both the left and right sides of the opening 22. Furthermore, although not shown, drainage gutter 27 is provided not only on the top but also on both the left and right edges and the bottom edge of the opening 22, that is, around the entire periphery of the opening 22. The cross section of each drainage gutter 27 is formed in a U-shape so that it opens outward in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the opening 22.

[0023] As a result, rainwater and the like that has passed through the upper drainage gutter 27 is further guided downward through the drainage gutter 27 on both the left and right sides. Even if the guided rainwater and the like accumulates in the flange-shaped folded portion at the lower edge of the lid 23, the lower drainage gutter 27 can prevent the rainwater and the like from entering the box body 21.

[0024] In this way, the drainage gutter 27 around the opening 22 can prevent rainwater and the like from entering the box body 21 through the opening 22. Furthermore, since the closed lid 23 is pressed against the drainage gutter 27, it is possible to prevent rainwater and the like that has accumulated in the drainage gutter 27 from entering the box body 21 through the gap between the lid 23 and the drainage gutter 27.

[0025] A backup camera 30 that captures images of the area behind the vehicle is attached to the rear of the top surface of the storage box 20 via a first bracket 31 and a second bracket 32. When the tank truck 10 is moving backward, the driver can check the image of the area behind the vehicle captured by the backup camera 30, and can confirm the safety of the area behind the vehicle from the driver's seat.

[0026] The first bracket 31 has a pair of clamping plates 31a that sandwich the rear camera 30 from both the left and right sides, and a connecting plate 31b that connects the front edges of the pair of clamping plates 31a, and is formed in a U-shape when viewed from above. The rear camera 30 is attached to the clamping plates 31a with bolts 33. The attachment angle of the rear camera 30 can be changed by loosening the bolts 33.

[0027] The second bracket 32 ​​includes a vertical plate 32a overlapping the front surface of the connecting plate 31b and a horizontal plate 32b extending forward from the lower end of the vertical plate 32a and overlapping the rear portion of the top surface of the box body 21. The second bracket 32 ​​is L-shaped when viewed from the left to right. The first bracket 31 is attached to the second bracket 32 ​​with bolts 34 passing through the connecting plate 31b and the vertical plate 32a and nuts 35 threaded onto the bolts 34. The first bracket 31 is attached to the rear portion of the top surface of the box body 21, more specifically, with bolts 36 passing through the horizontal plate 32b and the wall surface of the box body 21 and nuts 37 threaded onto the bolts 36, at a position where the connection portion between the box body 21 and the drainage gutter 27 is on an extension of the rear end of the vertical surface of the vertical plate 32a. As described above, the backup camera 30 is attached to the storage box 20 with the bolts 36 and nuts 37.

[0028] In the prior art, the backup camera 30 is sometimes attached to a bracket welded to the tank 17. In this case, the number of parts to be welded to the tank 17 increases, and after welding, measures must be taken to prevent galvanic corrosion between the bracket and the tank 17, making the installation of the backup camera 30 inefficient.

[0029] In contrast, according to this embodiment, the backup camera 30 is attached to the storage box 20 with the bolts 36 and nuts 37, which improves the efficiency of the installation work of the backup camera 30 compared to welding to the tank 17. Specifically, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts that need to be welded to the tank 17 when installing the backup camera 30. Furthermore, when the backup camera 30 is installed with the bolts 36 and nuts 37, it is easy to prevent galvanic corrosion by previously applying a coating to the surfaces that come into contact with each other during installation (a part of the storage box 20 and the second bracket 32).

[0030] A lid 23 is provided on the rear surface of the storage box 20, and the backup camera 30 is attached to the rear of the top surface of the box body 21, so the backup camera 30 does not follow the lid 23 as it opens and closes. Therefore, even when the lid 23 is open, the rear of the vehicle can be photographed by the backup camera 30. Furthermore, even if the lid 23 rattles relative to the box body 21, vibration of the backup camera 30 due to the rattle can be suppressed because the backup camera 30 is not attached to the lid 23.

[0031] The upper edge of the rear surface of the box body 21, including the vicinity of the portion where the backup camera 30 is attached with bolts 36 and nuts 37, is made highly rigid by the drainage gutter 27 having a U-shaped cross section. This makes it possible to make the backup camera 30 less likely to vibrate. In particular, even though the box body 21 is made of a relatively thin metal plate and the overall rigidity of the box body 21 is not high, the partial high rigidity provided by the drainage gutter 27 makes it possible to make the backup camera 30 less likely to vibrate.

[0032] While the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, it is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is readily apparent that various modifications and improvements are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the tank 17 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may be an elliptical or rectangular cylindrical shape. Furthermore, the joining method for each part is not limited to that described in the above embodiment, and fastening members such as bolts 33, 34, 36, nuts 35, 37, or rivets may be used, or welding may be used.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the tank truck 10 has been described in which the cab 15 is disposed at the front end of the chassis frame 12 on which the tank 17 is supported, and the tank 17 and the cab 15 are not separable. However, the present invention may also be applied to a trailer-type tank truck in which the tank 17 and the cab 15 are separable. The trailer portion on which the tank 17 is supported may be a semi-trailer that does not have front wheels and therefore can stand on its own by deploying auxiliary legs, or a full trailer with multiple wheels that can stand on its own.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the case where the backup camera 30 is attached to the storage box 20 via the first bracket 31 and the second bracket 32 ​​by fastening members consisting of the bolts 36 and the nuts 37 has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. As long as the backup camera 30 is attached to the storage box 20 by fastening members, the fastening members may be composed of only the bolts 36, rivets, etc. Also, the backup camera 30 may be directly attached to the storage box 20 by fastening members. The bracket for indirectly attaching the backup camera 30 to the storage box 20 by fastening members is not limited to the case where it is composed of two members as described above, but may be composed of one member or three or more members.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the storage box 20 is attached to the side member 13, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the storage box 20 may be attached to the rear bumper 14 or a cross member, or may be attached to an anti-entanglement device provided at the rear of the chassis frame 12.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the opening 22 provided on the rear surface of the box body 21 is opened and closed by the lid 23, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The opening 22 may be provided on the top surface of the box body 21, and the opening 22 on the top surface may be opened and closed by the lid 23. In this case, the backup camera 30 may be attached to the lid 23 by a fastening member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 Tanker Truck 12 Chassis frame 17. Tank 20 Storage Box 21 Box body 22 Opening 23 Lid 27 Drainage gutter 30 Rearview camera 36 Bolt (part of fastening member) 37 Nut (part of fastening component)

Claims

1. a chassis frame extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; a tank mounted on the chassis frame; a storage box attached to the chassis frame rearward of the tank; a rear camera attached to the rear of the upper surface of the storage box by a fastening member, for photographing the area behind the vehicle.

2. The storage box includes a box body having an opening on the rear surface thereof; a lid that opens and closes the opening, 2. The tank truck according to claim 1, wherein the rear camera is attached to a rear portion of the top surface of the box body.

3. The periphery of the opening of the box body is constituted by a drainage gutter formed in a U-shaped cross section so as to open outward in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the opening, 3. The tank truck according to claim 2, wherein the upper drainage gutter forms the upper edge of the rear surface of the box body.

Images