palette

Abstract

The pallet is designed so that components such as casters can be stably attached to the pallet body, which is made of foamed resin. [Solution] The pallet 1 comprises a flat pallet body 2 made of foamed resin, a plate piece 3 disposed on the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2, and a resin sheet 4 that covers the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 together with the plate piece 3 by vacuum integral molding. The plate piece 3 is made of a solid material into which tapping screws can be screwed.

Description

Technical Field

[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pallet made of a foamed resin such as styrofoam, which is used for transporting goods.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various pallets have been widely used as load platforms when transporting goods by forklifts, hand lifters, etc. For example, when transporting goods by a forklift or the like at a logistics site or the like, the goods are loaded on the placement surface of the pallet, the forks of a forklift or the like are inserted into the fork insertion openings on the side surfaces of the pallet, and the pallet is lifted to a predetermined height position. Then, after driving a forklift or the like to transport the pallet to the destination, the forks are lowered, and after the pallet is placed at the destination, the forks are withdrawn from the fork insertion openings.

[0003] As general pallets, those made of wood, plastic, metal (ferroalloy), or paper are known. However, many general pallets, for example, even a wooden pallet has a weight of 10 kg or more, and although a paper pallet is also lighter than those made of plastic or metal, it is compression-molded at a high density to ensure shape stability and has a considerable weight. In a market or the like where there is a lot of human traffic, a hand lifter is often used. In recent years, pallets are also used in a robot warehouse where goods are automatically carried in, sorted, picked, etc. by a robot arm, and in order to improve the transport efficiency by the robot arm, a lighter pallet is more required. Therefore, as a pallet lighter than a paper pallet, a pallet made of a foamed resin is known (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] As mentioned above, pallets are intended to be moved by forklift along with the goods placed on top of them. However, even when moving a pallet a short distance within the same warehouse, it is time-consuming to bring in a forklift and lift the pallet each time. In such cases, it is hoped that if casters were attached to the bottom of the pallet, the pallet could be moved easily like a flatbed trolley. However, while typical flatbed trolleys have casters fixed to a wooden board with screws, the foamed resin pallet body is more easily damaged than wood, and if screws are attempted, the foam beads crumble, making it impossible to stably attach the casters.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a pallet on which components such as casters can be stably attached to a pallet body made of foamed resin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a pallet having a flat plate-shaped pallet body made of foamed resin, comprising a plate piece disposed on the bottom surface of the pallet body and a resin sheet covering the bottom surface of the pallet body together with the plate piece by vacuum integral molding, wherein the plate piece is made of a solid material into which tapping screws can be screwed.

[0008] In the above-mentioned pallet, it is preferable that the casters are fixed with screws to the locations where the board pieces are arranged.

[0009] In the above-described pallet, it is preferable that the plate pieces and the resin sheets are formed from the same resin material as the pallet body.

[0010] Preferably, the pallet further comprises an L-shaped member having a horizontal surface that abuts the bottom surface of the pallet body and a vertical surface perpendicular to the horizontal surface, wherein the L-shaped member is made of a solid material into which tapping screws can be screwed, and is covered with the resin sheet by vacuum integral molding on the bottom surface of the pallet body.

[0011] In the above-described pallet, it is preferable that the pallet body has recesses into which the plate pieces are fitted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the pallet of the present invention, the pallet body and the plate pieces are covered with a resin sheet, allowing the plate pieces to be more firmly fixed to the pallet body. Furthermore, even if the pallet body is made of foamed resin, since the plate pieces are made of a solid material that can be screwed with tapping screws, casters, for example, can be stably attached to the locations where the plate pieces are provided by screwing them in. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] (a) A perspective view mainly of the top view of a castered pallet using a pallet according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (b) A perspective view mainly of the bottom view. [Figure 2] (a) is a bottom view of the above-mentioned pallet with casters, (b) is a top view, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a side view. [Figure 3] (a) through (d) are diagrams illustrating the procedure for vacuum forming a resin sheet onto the pallet body of the pallet. [Figure 4] (a) A perspective view mainly of the top view of a castered pallet using a pallet according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and (b) A perspective view mainly of the bottom view. [Figure 5] (a) is a bottom view of the above-mentioned pallet with casters, (b) is a top view, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a side view. [Figure 6] (a) through (d) are diagrams illustrating the procedure for vacuum forming a resin sheet onto the pallet body of the pallet. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of the use of the pallet with casters described above. [Figure 8] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the procedure for vacuum forming a resin sheet onto the pallet body in a modified example of the above embodiment. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the pallet with casters attached. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] A pallet according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figures 1(a)(b) and 2(a) to 2(d), the pallet 1 of this embodiment is suitable for use in logistics sites and the like for managing and transporting goods using forklifts, hand lifts, etc., and comprises a flat plate-shaped pallet body 2 made of foamed resin and a plurality of plate pieces 3 provided on the lower surface of the pallet body 2. The pallet 1 also further comprises a vacuum-molded resin sheet 4 (see Figures 3(a) and 3(d), which will be described later) covering its entire surface. Casters 5 can be attached to each of the locations where the plate pieces 3 are arranged, and Figures 1 and 2 show a pallet 10 with casters.

[0015] The pallet body 2 is a rectangular plate-like member with a predetermined thickness when viewed from above. The shape of the pallet body 2 can be appropriately selected from various shapes, including polygonal shapes when viewed from above. The pallet body 2 has a loading surface 21 on which goods are loaded, a bottom surface 22 on which a plurality of plate pieces 3 are provided, and side surfaces 23 connecting the loading surface 21 and the bottom surface 22. The external dimensions of the loading surface 21 and the bottom surface 22 are approximately equal, and the corners of each side surface 23 are chamfered to be rounded.

[0016] The material constituting the pallet body 2 is a foamed synthetic resin such as polyolefin resins like polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. In this embodiment, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is used. The material constituting the plate piece 3 is preferably the same as that of the pallet body 2, but another material may be used.

[0017] The plate piece 3 is a plate-shaped member having a substantially square rectangular shape in plan view and has a thickness of 10 to 20 mm. The plate piece 3 is made of a solid material into which a tapping screw can be screwed. As this kind of material, non-foamed or low-foamed synthetic resins, wood, etc. are used. If it is a non-foamed synthetic resin, for example, when the pallet body 2 is made of expanded polystyrene, the plate piece 3 is preferably made of non-foamed polystyrene. In this embodiment, the plate pieces 3 are arranged at a total of five locations, namely, at the four corners and the center of the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2. In the illustrated example, a rectangular plate piece 3 is shown, but the shape of the plate piece 3 is not limited to this, and it may be a polygon such as a circle or a hexagon, for example.

[0018] The resin sheet 4 is formed so as to cover the entire surfaces of the pallet body 2 and the plate pieces 3 except for their joint portions. The resin sheet 4 is a sheet member that softens and变形 by heating while curing at room temperature and has sufficient strength and surface durability to carry heavy objects. For the material of the resin sheet 4 in this embodiment, it is preferable to use the same resin material as that of the pallet body 2. For example, polystyrene, which is a non-foamed material with a higher density than the pallet body 2, is used. Note that the resin sheet 4 may be dyed or colored. The dyeing or coloring can be appropriately selected according to the type and use of the pallet 1.

[0019] Figs. 3(a) to (d) show the procedure of integrally vacuum forming the resin sheet 4 together with the plate pieces 3 on the pallet body 2 in this embodiment. First, as shown in Fig. 2(a), a pallet body 2 formed into a predetermined shape is prepared. The pallet body 2 is arranged with its bottom surface 22 facing upward, and five plate pieces 3 are arranged at the four corners and the center of the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2. The plate pieces 3 are preferably temporarily fixed to the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 with an adhesive. Then, the resin sheet 4 is covered over them. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the resin sheet 4 is arranged such that its end portions sufficiently cover the side surfaces of the pallet body 2. In Fig. 3(a), for convenience of explanation, the resin sheet 4 is shown by hatching drawing, but usually, the resin sheet 4 is transparent and may be appropriately colored.

[0020] Next, the pallet body 2 is placed in a vacuum container (not shown) with the bottom surface 22 covered with the resin sheet 4 facing upward. Then, the resin sheet 4 is heated and softened by a heater arranged above the resin sheet 4, and a vacuum pump for reducing the internal pressure of the vacuum container is operated to suck the air between the pallet body 2 and the resin sheet 4, and the resin sheet 4 is vacuum adsorbed to the pallet body 2. Thereby, as shown in Figs. 3(c) and (d), the bottom surface 22 and the side surface 23 of the pallet body 2 and the plate pieces 3 are covered without gaps by the resin sheet 4. Thus, when the pallet body 2 and the plate pieces 3 are covered with the resin sheet 4, the plate pieces 3 can be fixed to the pallet body 2 more firmly than when simply adhering the plate pieces 3 to the pallet body 2.

[0021] Furthermore, since the pallet body 2 is made of foamed resin, it is difficult to directly attach the casters 5 to the pallet body 2. However, according to this embodiment, since the plate piece 3 is made of a solid material that can be screwed with tapping screws, the casters 5 can be firmly attached by screwing them to the location where the plate piece 3 is provided. This makes it possible to have a lightweight foamed resin pallet body and to stably attach components such as casters, resulting in a caster-equipped pallet 10 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In addition, since the pallet body 2 and the plate piece 3 are vacuum-molded together with the resin sheet 4, the plate piece 3 is fixed to the pallet body 2 more firmly than if the plate piece 3 were simply glued to the pallet body 2. Therefore, the fixing stability of the casters 5 is also improved. Furthermore, since the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 is covered with the resin sheet 4, the durability of the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 is improved, and damage to the pallet body 2 when a forklift fork comes into contact with it can be reduced.

[0022] Furthermore, by constructing the pallet body 2, the board pieces 3, and the resin sheet 4 from the same resin material (polystyrene in this example), there is no need to separate the pallet body 2, board pieces 3, and resin sheet 4 when disposing of the pallet 1, resulting in a product that is easy to dispose of and suitable for recycling. In addition, the resin sheet 4 is tightly attached to the pallet body 2 by vacuum integral molding and is not bonded with adhesives, so it can be easily separated from the pallet body 2 by tearing the resin sheet 4.

[0023] A pallet according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. As shown in Figures 4(a)(b) and 5(a) to 5(d), the pallet 1 of this embodiment is further equipped with an L-shaped member 6 in addition to the pallet 1 of the first embodiment described above. Also, Figures 4 and 5 show a pallet 10 with casters 5 attached to the locations where the board pieces 3 are provided.

[0024] The L-shaped member 6 is a long, rectangular member having a horizontal surface 61 that abuts the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 and a vertical surface 62 perpendicular to the horizontal surface 61 (see also Figure 6(b)). Like the plate piece 3, it is made of a solid material into which tapping screws can be screwed. Multiple holes 63 are provided at predetermined intervals on the vertical surface 62 of the L-shaped member 6. The L-shaped member 6 is covered with a resin sheet 4 by vacuum integral molding onto the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2.

[0025] Figures 6(a) to 6(d) show the procedure for integrally vacuum forming the resin sheet 4 with the plate pieces 3 and L-shaped members 6 on the pallet body 2 in this embodiment. First, as shown in Figure 6(a), five plate pieces 3 are placed on the bottom surface 22 of the prepared pallet body 2. The L-shaped members 6 are located on the periphery of the pallet body 2, and their vertical surface 62 is positioned on the same vertical line as the side surface 23 of the pallet body 2 (see Figure 6(b)). It is preferable that the horizontal surface 61 of the L-shaped members 6 is temporarily fixed to the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 with adhesive. Then, the resin sheet 4 is placed over them. Then, the resin sheet 4 is vacuum-adhered to the pallet body 2 using the same procedure as in the first embodiment.

[0026] As a result, as shown in Figures 6(c) and 6(d), the bottom surface 22 and side surface 23 of the pallet body 2, the plate piece 3, and the L-shaped member 6 are covered without any gaps by the resin sheet 4. Also, similar to the first embodiment, by fixing the caster 5 to the plate piece 3 with screws, a castered pallet 10 as shown in Figures 4 and 5 can be obtained. In this castered pallet 10, since the vertical surface 62 of the L-shaped member 6 is provided on the side surface, various devices can be attached to the L-shaped member 6. For example, by attaching a U-shaped handle (not shown) to the L-shaped member 6, the castered pallet 10 can be used as a hand truck. In this embodiment, the vertical surface 62 is positioned facing downwards, but it may also be positioned so that the vertical surface 62 faces upwards, that is, so that the vertical surface 62 abuts against the side surface 23 of the pallet body 2.

[0027] Furthermore, the castered pallet 10 using the pallet 1 of this embodiment can be used in pairs, as shown in Figure 7(a). Since an L-shaped member 6 is attached to the pallet 1 along its side 23, two castered pallets 10 are placed so that their L-shaped members 6 face each other, and they are connected with bolts (not shown). This allows two castered pallets 10 to be connected, as shown in Figure 7(b), to obtain a pallet with a large loading surface. In this embodiment, a configuration with one L-shaped member 6 is shown, but multiple L-shaped members 6 may be provided on multiple sides. Also, the L-shaped member 6 is not limited to the elongated member shown, but may be multiple short members arranged at predetermined intervals.

[0028] A modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. In this modified pallet 1, as shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the pallet body 2 has a recess 24 into which the plate piece 3 is fitted. The recess 24 is a depression formed in a shape that is approximately the same as the outer dimensions of the plate piece 3 in a plan view. The depth of the recess 24 is preferably the same as or less than the thickness of the plate piece 3, and is set so that the outer surface of the plate piece 3 is on the same plane as the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2, or so that the outer surface of the plate piece 3 protrudes slightly outward from the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2. With the plate piece 3 fitted into the recess 24, the bottom surface 22 of the pallet body 2 and the plate piece 3 are covered with a resin sheet 4 by vacuum integral molding in the same procedure as in the above embodiment.

[0029] In this modified example, the plate piece 3 is fitted into the recess 24, so the plate piece 3 is more firmly fixed to the pallet body 2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, when the caster 5 is screwed to the plate piece 3, the fixing stability of the caster 5 is further improved. For example, even if a lateral force is applied to the caster 5, the side of the plate piece 3 is supported by the recess 24, making it difficult for the plate piece 3 and the caster 5 to come off the pallet body 2.

[0030] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without changing the spirit of the invention. In addition, although the above embodiment shows a configuration in which the plate piece 3 and L-shaped member 6 are covered and fixed together with the pallet body 2 with a resin sheet 4, solid structures other than the plate piece 3 and L-shaped member 6 may also be covered with the resin sheet 4. Furthermore, other screw-fastened members, not limited to the caster 5, may be fixed to the plate piece 3. For example, a pallet leg made of hard plastic (not shown) may be screw-fastened to the plate piece 3. Foamed resin pallets have lower durability than plastic pallets, and the legs in particular are prone to breakage. Therefore, it is possible to realize a pallet in which the pallet body 2 is made of foamed resin, but the legs are made of hard plastic. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Palette 10 pallets with casters 2 Pallet body 21 Loading surface 22 Bottom 3 plate pieces 4. Resin sheet 5 casters 6 L-shaped members 61 horizontal plane 62 Vertical plane

Claims

1. A pallet having a flat plate-shaped pallet body made of foamed resin, The pallet body comprises a plate piece disposed on the bottom surface of the pallet body, and a resin sheet that covers the bottom surface of the pallet body together with the plate piece by vacuum integral molding, The pallet is characterized in that the plate piece is made of a solid material into which a tapping screw can be screwed.

2. The pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that casters are fixed to the location where the plate pieces are arranged by screw fastening.

3. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plate and the resin sheet are formed from the same resin material as the pallet body.

4. The pallet body further comprises an L-shaped member having a horizontal surface that contacts the bottom surface and a vertical surface perpendicular to the horizontal surface, The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the L-shaped member is made of a solid material into which a tapping screw can be screwed, and the resin sheet is used to cover the bottom surface of the pallet body by vacuum integral molding.

5. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pallet body has a recess into which the plate piece is fitted.

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