Transport table

Abstract

This invention provides a transport platform that allows access to the entire interior of the platform from one side without having to rotate the entire platform. [Solution] A transport platform 10 for storing and transporting a large number of long industrial products 200 comprises a base 11 that can be placed on a trolley 100, a rotatable ring portion 21 disposed on the base 11, and numerous engaging portions 41, 41... provided in the circumferential direction of the ring portion 21, each having an engaging shape corresponding to the industrial products 200.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure of a transport platform for neatly storing and transporting a large number of industrial products that can be placed on a trolley or moved by a forklift or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a trolley for storing and transporting a large number of industrial products (automobile parts), such as long rubber parts and resin parts represented by vehicle window moldings and weather strips, in order to ship them from a production factory, for example, the one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-041875 (Patent Document 1) is known.

[0003] The transport trolley described in Patent Document 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped frame, and such a rectangular parallelepiped has four surfaces: a front surface, a rear surface, a left side surface, and a right side surface. Automobile parts can be taken in and out through each of these four surfaces.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the above conventional transport trolley, the following problems occur. That is, on the production line in the production factory, with one empty side of the rectangular parallelepiped transport trolley facing, an operator performs the operation of loading a large number of automobile parts onto one side of the transport trolley. When that side is filled with automobile parts, next, the operator has to rotate the entire transport trolley so that another empty side faces the production line. Since the transport trolley is a heavy object, the physical burden required for rotating the entire transport trolley reduces the work efficiency.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a transport platform structure that allows for loading a large number of products onto the platform until the entire platform is full, or conversely, unloading products, through only one side of the platform, without having to rotate the entire platform. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] For this purpose, the transport platform according to the present invention is a structure for storing and transporting a large number of long industrial products in an upright position, and comprises a base, a rotatable ring portion disposed on the base, and a number of engaging portions having an engaging shape corresponding to the industrial products and provided in the circumferential direction of the ring portion.

[0008] According to this invention, since a rotatable ring portion is provided with numerous engaging portions, the ring portion can be rotated as needed to engage and store industrial products with all the engaging portions attached to the ring portion from one side of the transport table. The same applies when removing all industrial products from a transport table filled with industrial products. Therefore, the workload on the worker, which was previously required to rotate the entire transport table when storing industrial products on it, is reduced. The arrangement of the ring portion is not particularly limited, but by arranging the ring portion on the upper part of the base, industrial products can be suspended and stored on the base.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the device further comprises a rotation locking mechanism for prohibiting or releasing the rotation of the ring portion. In this aspect, since the ring portion is held in a manner that it does not rotate in principle, the ring portion is prevented from rotating unintentionally while the worker is engaging an industrial product with the engagement portion for storage or, conversely, for removal. The rotation locking mechanism is not particularly limited and may be a brake mechanism. In another aspect, the transport platform of the present invention may not have a rotation locking mechanism but may have a structure that suppresses the rotation of the ring portion.

[0010] The operator can rotate the ring portion by gripping the ring portion or the engaging portion. Preferably, the transport platform of the present invention is provided with a handle for rotating the ring portion. A preferred aspect of the present invention is the further provision of a rotation axis fixed to the center of the ring portion and extending in the vertical direction, and a handle fixed to the rotation axis and extending radially. In this aspect, the operator can rotate the ring portion with little force by applying force to the tip of the handle with their hand, thereby reducing the physical burden on the operator. Also, since the handle is not ring-shaped, industrial products do not interfere with the handle during the storage and retrieval of industrial products, and work efficiency is not hindered. The placement of the handle is not particularly limited, such as the top, center, or bottom of the transport platform, but it is preferable to provide the handle above the ring portion. In another aspect, the handle is provided directly on the ring portion.

[0011] In a more preferred aspect of the present invention, the fixing positions of the rotating shaft and the ring portion, and / or the fixing positions of the rotating shaft and the handle, are adjustable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. According to this aspect, the fixing positions of the ring portion and the handle can be adjusted to suit the shape and size of the industrial product. In another aspect, the ring portion is integrally coupled to the rotating shaft. Alternatively, instead of the rotating shaft, the ring portion is connected to the base of the transport platform via bearings.

[0012] The ring portion of the present invention may rotate with minimal force, but to prevent unintentional rotation during the storage and retrieval of industrial products, it is preferable to provide a mechanism to suppress rotation so that it does not rotate with minimal force. In one aspect of the present invention, a rotation suppression mechanism for suppressing the rotation of the ring portion is further provided. With the rotation suppression mechanism of the present invention, the ring portion will not rotate with minimal circumferential force applied to it during the storage and retrieval of industrial products, but will rotate with a circumferential force greater than that circumferential force but not burdening the worker.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention, the invention further comprises a surrounding member positioned below the ring portion and surrounding the industrial products suspended from the numerous engagement portions, and a door material provided on at least a part of the surrounding member that connects or separates the inside and outside of the surrounding member. In this aspect, since the numerous industrial products stored on the transport platform are surrounded by the surrounding member, it is prevented from the industrial products temporarily falling out of the transport platform during transport. Furthermore, workers may open the door material when storing and retrieving items. The shape of the surrounding member of the present invention is not particularly limited, but the surrounding member is, for example, an annular body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] Thus, according to the present invention, the entire interior of the transport platform can be accessed from one side of the platform without having to rotate the entire platform. Therefore, the work is made more efficient when loading industrial products into the transport platform and when retrieving them. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a transport platform, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a front view showing the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the rotation locking mechanism of the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a transport platform according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the same embodiment. Figure 3 is a front view showing the same embodiment. Figure 4 is a side view showing the same embodiment. The transport platform 10 comprises a frame-shaped base 11, which at least part of which includes a frame; a ring portion 21 disposed on the upper side of the base 11; a rotating shaft 31 disposed at the center of the ring portion 21 and extending in the vertical direction; and numerous engaging portions 41, 41... provided in the circumferential direction of the ring portion 21.

[0017] The base 11 includes a lower frame member 12, leg members 13, lower horizontal members 14, column members 16, upper frame member 17, and upper horizontal members 18. Multiple column members 16, 16... are arranged and are of the same length. The leg members 13 support the lower ends of the column members 16 from below. The leg members 13 contact a trolley with casters 100 or a floor surface (not shown) such as a building or truck bed. The lower frame members 12 connect the lower ends of adjacent column members 16, 16. In this embodiment, four lower frame members 12, 12, 12, 12 are arranged to form a rectangle, specifically a square. The lower horizontal members 14 are installed between two opposing lower frame members 12, 12 and extend so as to intersect with the center of the rectangle defined by the four lower frame members 12. In this embodiment, two lower horizontal members 14 are arranged parallel to each other. The horizontal members 14 support bearings 32 positioned at the center of the rectangles of the four lower frame sections 12. The bearings 32 rotatably support the lower end of the rotating shaft 31.

[0018] The upper frame members 17 connect the upper ends of adjacent column members 16, 16. In this embodiment, four upper frame members 17, 17, 17, 17 are arranged in the same manner as the lower frame members 12, 12, 12, 12. The upper horizontal members 18 are installed between two opposing upper frame members 17, 17 and extend so as to intersect with the center of the rectangle defined by the four upper frame members 17, 17, 17, 17. In this embodiment, two upper horizontal members 18 are arranged parallel to the lower horizontal members 14. The upper horizontal members 18 support a bearing 33 located at the center of the rectangle formed by the four upper frame members 17. The bearing 33 rotatably supports the upper end of the rotating shaft 31.

[0019] The ring portion 21 is coaxially fixed to the rotation axis 31 with the center of the ring portion 21 and is rotatable together with the rotation axis 31. The ring portion 21 is installed in an internal space with four pillar members 16 at the four corners. As shown in a plan view in FIG. 2, the ring portion 21 is a circle smaller than the square of the upper frame members 17, 17, 17, 17.

[0020] The engaging portions 41 are arranged in a plurality at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge of the ring portion 21. Each engaging portion 41 is a concave portion such as a groove or the like, but may be a convex portion such as a hook shape as a modification not shown. Also, as a modification not shown, the plurality of engaging portions 41 may include various different shapes. The more the engaging portions 41 are, the greater the storage performance of the carrier 10 becomes. Depending on the diameter of the ring portion 21 and the width dimension of the industrial product 200, about 80 to 120 engaging portions 41 of the same shape can be provided on the ring portion 21 of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, 90 engaging portions 41 are provided. The industrial product 200 is locked to each engaging portion 41. Specifically, the industrial product 200 is a window molding or a weather strip of an automobile, and is a long part partly or entirely made of resin or rubber. Specifically, for example, it is a left-side part continuously extending from the edge of the front door on the left side of the automobile to the edge of the rear door, and a right-side part symmetric to this. For example, the industrial product 200 is accompanied by a long main body portion 201 and branch portions 202, 203 extending from both end portions of the main body portion 201, respectively. The branch portions 202, 203 may have a three-dimensional twist.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the industrial product 200 is vertically stored in the carrier 10 in a posture where one end portion of the main body portion 201 is engaged with the engaging portion 41 and the other end of the main body portion 201 is suspended. Since one end of the main body portion 201 has a width dimension larger than the groove width of the engaging portion 41, it does not fall through the engaging portion 41. The lower branch portion 203 is passed through the inner diameter side of a ring-shaped anti-vibration member 34 coaxially fixed to the rotation axis 31. The ring diameter (inner diameter) of the anti-vibration member 34 is smaller than the outer diameter of the ring portion 21. Thereby, the lower end portion of the industrial product 200 is anti-vibrated. The upper branch portion 202 can also be anti-vibrated by a ring-shaped second anti-vibration member coaxially fixed to the rotation axis 31.

[0022] In FIGS. 1 to 4, it represents a state where only one representative industrial product 200 is stored. By engaging the industrial product 200 with each engaging portion 41, a large number of industrial products 200 can be neatly stored in a suspended posture on the carrier 10.

[0023] The carrier 10 of the present embodiment further includes a plurality of handles 35, a rotation suppression mechanism 51, a rotation lock mechanism 61, and an enclosing member 71. The root end of the handle 35 is fixed between the upper end of the rotating shaft 31 and the bearing 33 and the ring portion 21, and the plurality of handles 35 extend radially around the rotating shaft 31. Since the handles 35 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction in this way, the handles 35 do not interfere with the industrial product 200 when engaging or disengaging the industrial product 200 with the engaging portion 41.

[0024] The root end of the handle 35 is coupled to a clamp member (not shown) that clamps and fixes the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 31. The clamp member can be loosened by a screw. By temporarily rotating the screw to loosen the clamping and fixing, the clamp member can be fixed at an arbitrary position in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 31. Thereby, the vertical position of the handle 35 can be adjusted. The same clamp member is used for fixing the ring portion 21 and the rotating shaft 31, and for fixing the anti-vibration member 34 and the rotating shaft 31. Thereby, according to the branched shape of the industrial product 200, the vertical position of the ring portion 21 can be adjusted. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to cope with industrial products 200 of different shapes.

[0025] The rotation suppression mechanism 51 includes a disc member 52 fixed coaxially to the rotation shaft 31, an engaging member 53 facing the outer circumferential surface of the disc member 52, and a biasing mechanism 54 that guides the engaging member 53 to move back and forth toward the disc member 52 and biases the engaging member 53 toward the outer circumferential surface of the disc member 52. The disc member 52 and the ring portion 21 are coaxially connected by the rotation shaft 31. Therefore, as the ring portion 21 rotates, the disc member 52 also rotates. Numerous grooves 52b are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the disc member 52 at intervals in the circumferential direction. The grooves 52b have a V-shaped cross-section that extends parallel to the rotation shaft 31. In this embodiment, the grooves 52b are arranged at equal intervals of 30° around the rotation shaft 31.

[0026] The engaging member 53 is constantly in contact with the outer surface of the disc member 52 by a biasing mechanism 54 that incorporates a coil spring. As a result, the engaging member 53 enters one of the many grooves 52b. This moderately restricts the rotation of the disc member 52, preventing the ring portion 21 from rotating unintentionally. When an operator using the transport platform 10 rotates the handle 35 by hand with a certain amount of force, the groove side of the V-shaped groove 52b pushes the engaging member 53 away, causing the engaging member 53 to exit the groove 52b and releasing the rotation restriction on the disc member 52. This allows the ring portion 21 to rotate to the angle desired by the operator. After the disc member 52 has rotated, the engaging member 53 enters another groove 52b, and the ring portion 21 is once again restricted from rotating.

[0027] Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the rotation lock mechanism 61. The rotation lock mechanism 61 more strongly prevents (locks) the rotation of the rotation shaft 31 than the rotation suppression mechanism 51 described above. Specifically, the rotation lock mechanism 61 includes a polygonal plate 62, a locking member 63 that contacts or separates from the outer circumferential surface of the polygonal plate 62, and a reciprocating locking mechanism 64 that moves the locking member 63 forward and backward toward the polygonal plate 62, and also fixes the position of the locking member 63.

[0028] The polygonal plate 62 is a regular polygon such as a square or a regular octagon, or another polygonal shape such as a rectangle with chamfered corners; in this embodiment, it is a regular hexagon. The polygonal plate 62 is fixed coaxially to the lower end of the rotation shaft 31. As a result, the polygonal plate 62 rotates simultaneously with the ring portion 21. The locking member 63 is rod-shaped and extends radially from the rotation shaft 31, passing through the reciprocating locking mechanism 64, and is guided radially by the reciprocating locking mechanism 64.

[0029] When an operator pushes the end 63r of the locking member 63 with their foot or the like, the locking member 63 advances toward the polygonal plate 62, and the tip 63f of the locking member 63 contacts one side of the polygonal plate 62, while the reciprocating locking mechanism 64 prevents the locking member 63 from moving. As a result, the polygonal plate 62 is prevented from rotating, and the ring portion 21 is prevented from rotating. Also, when an operator pushes the operator 65 of the reciprocating locking mechanism 65 with their foot or the like, the locking member 63 is allowed to move or retracts. As a result, the polygonal plate 62 is allowed to rotate, and the ring portion 21 is made rotatable. In this embodiment, the rotation suppression mechanism 51 and the rotation locking mechanism 61 are provided at both ends of the rotation shaft 31, respectively, but the mounting position of these mechanisms is not limited. As a modified example not shown, the rotation suppression mechanism 51 and the rotation locking mechanism 61 are provided at either position in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 31.

[0030] The surrounding member 71 is annular in shape and coaxial with the ring portion 21, and has a larger inner diameter than the ring portion 21. The surrounding member 71 is supported and fixed to the column member 16 erected on the outer diameter side of the surrounding member via brackets 72. In this embodiment, four brackets 72 (the same number as the column member 16) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the surrounding member 71. The surrounding member 71 is positioned either in the vertical center of the column member 16 or slightly below the center of the column member 16.

[0031] The enclosing member 71 includes an arc-shaped door material 73 between a pair of column members 16, 16 arranged on one side of the frame member 11. The door material 73 opens and closes the circle enclosed by the enclosing member 71, and the base end of the door material 73 is hinged to the rest of the enclosing member 71 with a hinge or the like. The free end of the door material 73 swings between a closed position on the arc of the enclosing member 71 and an open position on the outer diameter side of the arc of the enclosing member 71. In this way, the door material 73 can be opened and closed. The door material 73 in this embodiment has a double-door structure with two door materials in a pair. As shown by the solid lines in Figure 1, the door material 73 is locked to adjacent brackets 72 in the open position, and the open position is maintained. A locking part 74, such as a bolt, is provided at the free end of the door material 73. By activating the locking mechanism 74 when the door panel 73 is in the closed position (dotted line in Figure 1), the door panel 73 is held in the closed position. The door panel 73 is then locked to the locking member 75 attached to the bracket 72, and is held in its own open position.

[0032] This document explains the storage procedure for 200 industrial products.

[0033] Referring to Figure 1, the worker opens the door material 73 provided on one side F of the base body 11, allowing access to the interior of the base body 11 from one side F without interfering with the surrounding member 71. The worker then engages the industrial products 200 into the numerous empty engagement parts 41, 41.... Once one side F is filled with industrial products 200, the worker releases the rotation lock mechanism 61 with one foot and turns the handle 35 with one hand. This moves the empty engagement parts 41, 41... onto the new side F. Next, the worker activates the rotation lock mechanism 61 with one foot and engages the industrial products 200 into the new numerous empty engagement parts 41, 41.... By repeating this operation about four times, all the industrial products 200 are suspended and stored in the engagement parts 41. Next, the worker closes the door material 73 and activates the lock mechanism 74. All the suspended industrial products 200,200... are enclosed by the surrounding member 71 in a position that extends vertically, preventing them from flying out of the base 11 like a pendulum.

[0034] Since the transport platform 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a rotatable ring portion 21 inside, the worker can access the entire interior of the transport platform 10 through one surface F and store the industrial products 200 without having to rotate the entire transport platform 10. When removing all of the industrial products 200 from the transport platform 10, it can be done in the reverse order of the storage procedure described above. Furthermore, the transport platform 10 can be equipped with wheels (not shown), or it can be integrated with or combined with a trolley 100, thus adopting the structure of a transport trolley.

[0035] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiments within the same scope as the present invention, or within an equivalent scope. [Industrial applicability]

[0036] This invention can be advantageously utilized in the manufacturing, parts, and transportation industries. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 Transport platform, 11 Base, 21 Ring section, 31 Rotating shaft, 35 Handle, 41 Engaging part, 51 Rotation suppression mechanism, 61 Rotation lock mechanism, 71 Enclosing member, 73. Door material.

Claims

1. A structure for storing and transporting a large number of long industrial products in an upright position, Substrate and, A rotatable ring portion is disposed on the base, An engagement shape corresponding to the aforementioned industrial product, comprising numerous engagement portions provided in the circumferential direction of the ring portion, A transport platform equipped with a carrying stand.

2. The transport platform according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation locking mechanism for prohibiting or releasing the rotation of the ring portion.

3. The transport platform according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating shaft fixed to the center of the ring portion and extending in the vertical direction, and a handle fixed to the rotating shaft and extending radially.

4. The transport platform according to claim 3, wherein the fixing position of the rotating shaft and the ring portion, and / or the fixing position of the rotating shaft and the handle, are adjustable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

5. The transport platform according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation suppression mechanism for suppressing the rotation of the ring portion.

6. A surrounding member positioned below the ring portion and surrounding the industrial product suspended from a number of engagement portions, The transport platform according to claim 1, further comprising a door material provided on at least a portion of the surrounding member, which connects or separates the inside and outside of the surrounding member.

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