Wheel chocks

Abstract

To provide a wheel chock device that can ensure the safety of wheel chock work. [Solution] The wheel stopper device of the present invention comprises a plate-shaped member, a pair of stopper members provided at the lower part of the plate-shaped member for restricting the movement of wheels provided on a vehicle, and a hook member provided at the upper part of the plate-shaped member, with an opening between the hook member and the upper part of the plate-shaped member through which the axle of the wheel can be inserted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel stopper device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when a vehicle to be transported, which is a vehicle loaded with heavy goods, is loaded and transported on the loading platform of a transport vehicle such as a truck, wheel stoppers are used to prevent the vehicle to be transported from moving on the loading platform. As methods of wheel stopping, there are known methods using a fixing device that binds and fixes the wheels with a fixing belt or a fixing jig (for example, refer to Patent Document 1), and methods using wheel stopper blocks (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the method using a fixing device or the method using wheel stopper blocks, workers need to get onto the narrow loading platform of the transport vehicle to perform the wheel stopping operation, and there is room for improvement in terms of the safety of the wheel stopping operation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wheel stopper device capable of ensuring the safety of the wheel stopping operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, (1) The wheel stopper device according to the present invention comprises a plate-shaped member, a pair of stopper members provided at the lower part of the plate-shaped member for restricting the movement of a wheel provided on a vehicle, and a hook member provided at the upper part of the plate-shaped member, wherein there is an opening between the hook member and the upper part of the plate-shaped member through which the axle of the wheel can be inserted.

[0007] (2) The wheel stopper device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention of (1) above, the hook member is hooked onto the axle, and the pair of stopper members are positioned above the wheel, and the device is configured to be fixed to the vehicle by a fixing member.

[0008] (3) The wheel stopper device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention of (2) above, when the fixing member to the vehicle is released, the vehicle is lifted up, and the pair of stopper members are positioned below the wheels by the vehicle's own weight as the vehicle rotates around the axle.

[0009] (4) The wheel stopper device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the inventions (1) to (3) above, it is constructed using at least one material from thin steel plate, reinforced plastic material, and rubber material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The wheel chock device according to the present invention has the effect of ensuring safety during wheel chock work. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a wheel chock device according to an embodiment. Figure 1(b) is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a wheel chock device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]Figure 2(a) is a front view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment attached to the axle. Figure 2(b) is a side view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment attached to the axle. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is a front view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment before it is placed on and fixed to the wheel. Figure 3(b) is a side view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment before it is placed on and fixed to the wheel. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a front view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment positioned on the wheel and secured with fixing pins. Figure 4(b) is a side view showing the wheel chock device according to the embodiment positioned on the wheel and secured with fixing pins. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the procedure for securing the wheels of a transported vehicle on the loading platform of a transport vehicle using a conventional wheel chock member. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the procedure for using a wheel chock device according to the embodiment to chock a vehicle being transported on the cargo bed of a transport vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The following describes an embodiment of the wheel chock device according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0013] Figure 1(a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 1(b) is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the wheel stopper device 1 according to this embodiment comprises a side plate 10 and a pair of stopper members 11A and 11B. The side plate 10 is a trapezoidal plate-like member, with a hook member 12 integrally provided on the upper bottom portion, which is the upper part in the vertical direction. The side plate 10 may also be a triangular plate-like member. The side plate 10 is provided with a pair of stopper members 11A and 11B at both ends in the horizontal direction of the lower bottom portion, which is the lower part in the vertical direction. The pair of stopper members 11A and 11B are each mountain-shaped with the upper side convex in the vertical direction, and are columnar members extending in the depth direction of the wheel stopper device 1 (thickness direction of the side plate 10). For example, a square angle can be used as the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B. One end face of each of the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B in the longitudinal direction is connected to the side plate 10.

[0015] The shape of the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B is not limited to a semi-circular shape (half-split pipe) or a trapezoidal column shape, as long as it serves the function of a wheel stopper.

[0016] Between the upper bottom of the side plate 10 and the hook member 12, there is an opening 120 having an elongated hole 121 and a notch 122 through which the axle of a vehicle transporting heavy objects can be inserted. The elongated hole 121 is adjacent to the upper bottom of the side plate 10 and is elongated in the horizontal direction. Both ends of the elongated hole 121 in the horizontal direction are arc-shaped. The notch 122 has its lower vertical side in communication with the elongated hole 121 and is a notch shape in which a part of the hook member 12 is cut out vertically upward. The upper end of the notch 122 in the vertical direction is arc-shaped. In addition, on the hook member 12, a plate-shaped arm portion 13 curved along the arc shape of the upper end is erected on the upper edge of the notch 122 in the vertical direction.

[0017] Furthermore, a through hole 14 is provided approximately in the center of the side plate 10 between the stopper member 11A and the stopper member 11B in the horizontal direction, through which a fixing pin 4 (see Figure 4), which will be described later, can be inserted in the thickness direction of the side plate 10.

[0018] Here, the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment preferably has substantially the same weight as a conventional wheel stopper device (when two wheel stopper members are installed before and after the wheel), but the size and dimensions are not particularly specified as long as they are adapted to stop a vehicle carrying heavy loads. On the other hand, considering that the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment is manually attached to and detached from the vehicle axle, the weight of the wheel stopper device 1 is preferably 15 [kg] or less. Therefore, the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment is more preferably manufactured using at least one of a thin steel plate, a reinforced plastic material, and a rubber material, which enables a strength having a function as a wheel stopper.

[0019] FIG. 2(a) is a front view showing a state where the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment is attached to the axle 21. FIG. 2(b) is a side view showing a state where the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment is attached to the axle 21.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), when the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment is used for wheel stopping on the loading platform 3, for example, the hook member 12 is located on the upper side in the vertical direction, and the pair of stopper members 11A, 11B are located on the lower side in the vertical direction. Then, with respect to the wheel stopper device 1 in such a posture, the wheel 20 is lowered and placed from the upper side in the vertical direction into the space between the stopper member 11A and the stopper member 11B in the horizontal direction. Thereby, in the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment, the horizontal movement of the wheel 20 can be restricted by the contact between the inclined surfaces 11aA, 11aB of the pair of stopper members 11A, 11B and the outer peripheral surface 20a of the wheel 20.

[0021] In addition, in the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment, the pair of stopper members 11A, 11B installed before and after the wheel 20 (both sides sandwiching the wheel 20 in the horizontal direction) are integrated by the side plate 10. Therefore, in the wheel stopper device 1 according to the embodiment, since it is not necessary to separately install the pair of stopper members 11A, 11B before and after the wheel 20 without integration, the workability of wheel stopping can be improved.

[0022] Furthermore, in the wheel stopper device 1 according to this embodiment, an elongated hole 121 is provided in the opening 120 through which the axle 21 of the wheel 20 is inserted, giving the axle 21 some room to move horizontally, thereby making it possible to accommodate changes in the diameter of the wheel 20 due to wear or other reasons.

[0023] Figure 3(a) is a front view showing the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment before it is placed on and fixed to the wheel 20. Figure 3(b) is a side view showing the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment before it is placed on and fixed to the wheel 20. Figure 4(a) is a front view showing the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment placed on the wheel 20 and fixed with the fixing pin 4. Figure 4(b) is a side view showing the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment placed on the wheel 20 and fixed with the fixing pin 4.

[0024] The wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be mounted on a vehicle in an inverted position compared to when it is used as a wheel chock, with the hook member 12 hooked onto the axle 21 when not in use as a wheel chock. That is, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment has the axle 21 hooked onto the hook member 12, and a pair of stopper members 11A and 11B positioned above the wheel 20 in the vertical direction. Then, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), an L-shaped fixing pin 4 is inserted into the through hole 14 in the side plate 10 and the through hole 24 provided in the side plate 23 on the vehicle side, thereby restricting the rotation of the wheel chock device 1 around the axle 21 and fixing the wheel chock device 1 to the vehicle.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), when the wheel chock device 1 is fixed to the vehicle, the axle 21 fits into the notch 122 of the opening 120, and the axle 21 is supported vertically from below by the inner circumferential surface 13a of the arm portion 13. As a result, the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment can suppress the swinging of the side plate 10 around the fixing pin 4. In addition, by engaging the fixing pin 4, it becomes possible to move the vehicle with the wheel chock device 1 mounted, eliminating the need to frequently attach and detach the wheel chock device 1 during loading and unloading.

[0026] Figure 5 shows the procedure for securing the transported vehicle 2 on the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 using a conventional wheel chock member 7. In Figure 5, arrow X indicates the vehicle's longitudinal direction X. Arrow Y indicates the vehicle's width direction Y. Arrow Z indicates the vehicle's height direction Z.

[0027] First, in step 1, as shown in Figure 5(a), a wire rope 61 is connected to the lifting ring portion 202 of the transported vehicle (wheeled heavy object) 2 on which the heavy object 200 is placed on the loading platform 201. Then, the wire rope 61 is hooked onto the crane hook 60, and the transported vehicle 2 is lifted by the crane device 6 and moved onto the loading platform 50 of a transport vehicle 5 such as a truck. Next, in step 2, as shown in Figure 5(b), the transported vehicle 2 is lowered and landed on the loading platform 50 of the transport vehicle 5 by the crane device 6, and the transported vehicle 2 is loaded onto the loading platform 50. Then, a worker 100 climbs onto the loading platform 50 of the transport vehicle 5 and separately installs wheel stoppers 7 in front of and behind the wheels 20 of the transported vehicle 2.

[0028] Thus, when using conventional wheel chock members 7 as wheel chocks, it is necessary to install them after loading the transported vehicle 2 onto the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5, which means that the installation work requires the worker 100 to be on the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5. Also, depending on the condition of the transport vehicle 5, the transported vehicle 2 may roll around on the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 when the wheel chock members 7 are installed. Furthermore, two wheel chock members 7 are used for each wheel 20, but since the two wheel chock members 7 are separate, the risk of loss is also high. For this reason, if the two wheel chock members 7 are constructed as a single unit, the worker 100 would need to manually insert the two integrated wheel chock members 7 under the wheels 20 just before the wheels 20 of the transported vehicle 2 touch down on the cargo bed 50, which leaves room for improvement in terms of safety. Furthermore, in order to align the position of the wheels 20 with the wheel stopper member 7, it is necessary for the worker 100 to touch the transported vehicle 2, which is the suspended load, to adjust its position. Depending on the worker's experience, this suspension touch operation may be difficult, and there is room for improvement in terms of safety. In addition, when installing the conventional wheel stopper member 7, the worker 100 has to climb onto the narrow loading platform 50 of the transport vehicle 5 to perform the work, which presents a risk of the worker 100 falling from the loading platform 50, and there is room for improvement in terms of safety.

[0029] Figure 6 shows the procedure for using the wheel chock device 1 according to the embodiment to chock a vehicle to be transported 2 on the cargo bed 50 of a transport vehicle 5. Note that the vehicle's longitudinal direction X, indicated by arrow X in Figure 6, corresponds to the horizontal direction in the wheel chock device 1 shown in Figure 1. Also, the vehicle's width direction Y, indicated by arrow Y in Figure 6, corresponds to the depth direction in the wheel chock device 1 shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, the vehicle's height direction Z, indicated by arrow Z in Figure 6, corresponds to the vertical direction in the wheel chock device 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0030] First, in step 1, as shown in Figure 6(a), with the transported vehicle 2, on which the heavy object 200 is placed on the mounting platform 201, on the ground, the hook member 12 of the wheel stopper device 1 is hooked onto the axle 21 of the transported vehicle 2. Then, with the hook member 12 hooked onto the axle 21, a pair of stopper members 11A and 11B are positioned above the wheels 20, and the wheel stopper device 1 is mounted on the transported vehicle 2 upside down compared to when it is used as a wheel stopper. Note that the fixing pins 4 for fixing the wheel stopper device 1 to the transported vehicle 2 are removed at least before the start of step 2, so that the fixing pins 4 do not fix the wheel stopper device 1 (side plate 10) to the transported vehicle 2.

[0031] Next, in step 2, a wire rope 61 is connected to the lifting ring portion 202 of the transported vehicle 2, the wire rope 61 is hooked onto the crane hook 60, and the transported vehicle 2 is lifted by the crane device 6 and moved above the loading platform 50 of the transport vehicle 5. During this movement, the wheel stopper device 1, which has a pair of stopper members 11A and 11B positioned above the wheels 20 and a center of gravity above the axle 21, rotates by its own weight around the axle 21, for example by 180°, and the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B move below the wheels 20.

[0032] Next, in step 3, as shown in Figure 6(c), the crane device 6 lowers the vehicle to be transported 2 onto the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 to a predetermined loading position. As a result, the wheels 20 of the vehicle to be transported 2 are placed between the stopper members 11A and 11B of the wheel chock device 1, and the movement of the wheels 20 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction X is restricted by the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B. In other words, in step 3, by lowering the vehicle to be transported 2 onto the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 using the crane device 6, the wheel chock device 1 is automatically installed on the wheels 20, and the loading of the vehicle to be transported 2 onto the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 is completed with the wheels chocked.

[0033] As described above, the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment is installed by hooking the hook member 12 onto the axle 21 of the transported vehicle 2 before lifting and moving the transported vehicle 2 onto the loading platform 50 of the transport vehicle 5. This allows the worker 100 to move a safe distance away from the transported vehicle 2, move the transported vehicle 2 onto the loading platform 50, and automatically install the wheel chock device 1 on the wheel 20 without the worker 100 having to install the wheel chock device 1 or touch the lifted load on the loading platform 50. Thus, the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment ensures the safety of the wheel chock operation. Furthermore, because there is no lifted load touch operation by the worker 100, anyone can easily and safely install the wheel chock device 1 on the wheel 20 regardless of their work experience. In addition, in the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment, the pair of stopper members 11A and 11B installed at the front and rear of the wheel 20 are integrated with the side plate 10, thus reducing the risk of loss.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1(a), the shape of the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment, when viewed from the front, is preferably a hanger shape such as a triangular or trapezoidal shape, but other shapes are also acceptable depending on the size and type of the vehicle to be wheel-chocked.

[0035] Furthermore, by using the wheel chock device 1 according to this embodiment, the wheel chock operation by workers 100 on the cargo bed 50 of the transport vehicle 5 is completely eliminated (touchless), thus reducing the number of personnel required for loading, unloading, and transporting the transported vehicle 2 to 0.6 compared to conventional methods. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Wheel chocks 2. Vehicles being transported 3. Cargo bed 4 Fixing pins 5. Transport Vehicles 6. Crane equipment 7. Wheel stopper 10,23 Side panel 11A, 11B Stopper members 11aA, 11aB slope 12 Hook member 13 Arm section 13a Inner surface 14,24 Through holes 20 wheels 20a Outer surface 21 axles 50 cargo bed 60 Crane Hook 61 Wire rope 100 workers 120 opening 121 Long hole part 122 Notch 200 heavy items 201 Mounting platform 202 limbus

Claims

1. A plate-shaped member and A pair of stopper members are provided at the lower part of the plate-shaped member to restrict the movement of the wheels provided on the vehicle, A hook member provided on the upper part of the plate-shaped member, Equipped with, Between the hook member and the upper part of the plate-shaped member, there is an opening through which the axle of the wheel can be inserted. A wheel chock device characterized by the following features.

2. The hook member is attached to the axle, and the pair of stopper members are positioned above the wheel, and the vehicle is configured to be fixed by a fixing member. The wheel chock device according to feature 1.

3. With the fixing member released from the vehicle, the vehicle is lifted, causing it to rotate around the axle under its own weight, so that the pair of stopper members are positioned below the wheels. The wheel stopper device according to feature 2.

4. It is made using at least one of the following materials: thin steel plate, reinforced plastic material, and rubber material. A wheel stopper device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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