Guard member expansion device for vehicle protection fences in median strips

Abstract

To provide a guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip, which expands the space between left and right guard members to facilitate the work of attaching the spacer to a support post. [Solution] This is an expansion device 30 for a vehicle guardrail in a median strip, used for a vehicle guardrail comprising spacers 11 attached to the front and rear of posts 4 and wider in the left-right direction than in the front-to-back direction, and left and right beams 3, 3 attached to the left and right of the spacers 11 and longer in the front-to-back direction, and is used to widen the space between the left and right beams 3, 3, insert the spacers 11 between the widened left and right beams 3, 3, and attach the spacers 11 to the posts 4. It comprises left and right hangers 31, 31 that are hooked onto the left and right beams 3, and expansion means 36 attached to the left and right hangers 31, 31. By hooking the left and right hangers 31, 31 onto the left and right beams 3, 3, the expansion means 36 can be easily set between the left and right beams 3, 3, and by widening the space between the left and right beams 3, 3 with the expansion means 36, the installation of the spacers 11 on the posts 4 can be easily performed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This device relates to a guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip, which is used to expand the gap between the left and right guard members, insert a spacer between the expanded left and right guard members, and attach the spacer to the support. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional vehicle protection fence installed in this type of median strip includes two spacers with a U-shaped cross section that serve as mounting members, each spacer having a vertical section that is long in the width direction of the base member and horizontal sections formed by bending the upper and lower edges of the vertical section outward. The spacers are placed back to back with the vertical sections sandwiching the upper side surfaces of the support posts, and nuts are screwed onto bolts that pass through the vertical sections and the support posts, thereby securing the spacers to the side surfaces of the support posts. One temporary vehicle protection fence (see, for example, Patent Document 1) has beams fixed to the left and right sides of the spacer by engaging both side edges of the vertical sections with the inner surfaces of the beams on both sides and abutting mounting pieces on both left and right sides of the spacer against the inner surfaces of the beams that serve as guard members on both sides. Bolts are inserted from the outside through holes in the beams and through holes in the mounting pieces, and nuts are screwed onto the bolts.

[0003] The vehicle guard fences are installed on-site by lining up multiple guard fences along the length of the road, connecting adjacent base members and connecting adjacent guard members. To achieve this, spacers are fastened to the terminal posts connecting the guard members on-site, and guard members are attached to the spacers of posts other than the terminal posts in advance. Therefore, when fitting the spacers between the left and right guard members and fastening them to the posts, the spacers get caught on the left and right guard members, requiring time-consuming work, such as hitting the spacers with a mallet or similar tool to fit them between the two.

[0004] Furthermore, in the case of the temporary protective fences, they are installed along the shape of the road and then removed, and are installed on roads other than straight roads. On curved roads, the gap between the left and right guard members becomes even narrower, making it even more difficult to attach the gap members to the posts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3241885 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above problem and to provide a guard member expansion device for vehicle protection fences in median strips that expands the distance between the left and right guard members and makes it easier to attach spacers to the posts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention of claim 1 is a guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip that is used for a vehicle protection fence comprising a plurality of support posts arranged in a line in the front-to-back direction, spacers attached to at least one of the front and rear of the support posts and longer in the left-to-right direction than in the front-to-back direction, and left and right guard members attached to the left and right of the spacers and longer in the front-to-back direction, and is used to widen the space between the left and right guard members, insert the spacer between the widened left and right guard members, and attach this spacer to the support posts, and is characterized by comprising left and right hangers that are hooked onto the left and right guard members, inner parts that are attached to the left and right hangers and positioned on the inner sides of the guard members, and guard member expansion means that is attached to the left and right inner parts and held between the left and right guard members, and that pushes the left and right inner parts outward in the left-to-right direction to widen the space between the left and right guard members.

[0008] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the guard member comprises a central vertical plate portion, an upper vertical plate portion located above the central vertical plate portion and on the outside in the left-right direction, a connecting plate portion connecting the central vertical plate portion and the upper vertical plate portion, and an upper diagonal plate portion formed diagonally from the top of the upper vertical plate portion toward the upper inside, and the upper edge portion of the upper diagonal plate portion is located on the center side in the left-right direction between the central vertical plate portion and the upper vertical plate portions, and the hanger comprises an outer vertical piece portion located on the outside in the left-right direction of the upper vertical plate portion, an inner vertical piece portion that is the inner portion that presses the inner surface of the central vertical plate portion outward in the left-right direction, and a horizontal piece portion that connects the upper portion of the outer vertical piece and the upper portion of the inner vertical piece, the underside of which the upper edge portion abuts.

[0009] The invention of claim 3 is a pantograph-type jack in which the guard member expansion means comprises left and right operating parts, and the upper left and lower left arms and the upper right and lower right arms are connected between these left and right operating parts in a pantograph shape by an upper connecting member and a lower connecting member, and a threaded rod is arranged between these upper connecting member and lower connecting member, and the rotation of this threaded rod contracts and expands the space between the upper connecting member and the lower connecting member, thereby expanding and contracting the space between the left and right operating parts, and the left and right operating parts are attached to the left and right inner parts.

[0010] The invention of claim 4 is a hydraulic jack in which the guard member expansion means comprises left and right operating parts, an operating part, a hydraulic cylinder provided on a base on one side in the left-right direction to which pressure oil is supplied by operating the operating part, and a ram that extends in the left-right direction by the supplied hydraulic pressure and has its tip located on the other side in the left-right direction, wherein the base is one of the left and right operating parts and the ram is the other of the left and right operating parts, the base is detachably attached to the inner part of the hanger on one of the left and right sides, and the ram is detachably attached to the inner part of the hanger on the other left or right side.

[0011] The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that a hexagonal member to which a socket of an impact wrench can be connected is provided on the upper part of the screw rod, and the socket can be connected to a nut that fixes the guard members together.

[0012] The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that a space restricting member is provided to restrict the maximum expansion width of the left and right guard members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the configuration of claim 1, the left and right hanging devices can be hooked onto the left and right guard members and the expansion means can be easily set between the left and right guard members, and by widening the gap between the left and right beams using the expansion means, the work of attaching the spacing material to the support can be easily performed.

[0014] According to the configuration of claim 2, the guard member can be sandwiched between the outer vertical plate portion and the inner vertical plate portion, allowing the hanging device to be stably hooked onto the guard member, and the inner side of the central vertical plate portion in the center of the height direction can be pressed to expand the distance between the left and right guard members.

[0015] According to the configuration of claim 3, the distance between the left and right beams can be widened by rotating the screw rod using a pantograph jack to expand the gap between the left and right operating parts, and the hydraulic jack can also be replaced.

[0016] According to the configuration of claim 4, the distance between the left and right beams can be widened by operating the operating part with a hydraulic jack to expand the distance between the left and right operating parts.

[0017] According to the configuration of claim 5, the impact wrench used to fix the guard member to the spacer can be used to operate the screw rod to expand the space between the left and right operating parts, and the impact wrench can be used both to fix the guard members to each other and to operate the screw rod, improving workability during expansion.

[0018] According to the configuration of claim 6, using an impact wrench makes the work faster, but it can be difficult to control the amount of force used.The spacing width regulating member can be used to prevent excessive expansion, ensuring that the desired expansion width is maintained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the expansion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention after expansion. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front view of the expansion device before expansion. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view of the expansion device with a portion cut away. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view of the protective fence in cross section. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of the main part of the protective fence. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the construction method, showing the process of attaching a spacer to one side of the support. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the construction method, showing the process of attaching a spacer to one side of the support and then attaching the spacer to the other side of the support. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a front view of the expansion device according to the second embodiment of the present invention after expansion. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a partially cross-sectional front view of the expansion device before expansion. [Figure 14] 14A and 14B show the ram mounting structure, with FIG. 14A being a side view with a part in cross section, and FIG. 14B being a vertical cross-sectional view of the mounted state. [Figure 15] 15A and 15B show a mounting structure of the base, with FIG. 15A being a front view with a part in section, and FIG. 15B being a side view with a part in section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0021] 1 to 11 show a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, a vehicle protection fence 1 for a median strip comprises a temporary foundation member 2 made of H-shaped steel, beams 3, 3 serving as corrugated metal guard members, and multiple support posts 4, 4, with the beams 3, 3 attached to the support posts 4, 4. The foundation member 2 is formed by connecting flange portions 5, 5 on both sides serving as vertical plate portions with a web portion 6 serving as a horizontal plate portion, and is installed at the installation site with the web portion 6 facing horizontally. When the vehicle protection fence is permanently installed, the support posts 4 are erected with their lower portions fixed to the central median strip where they are to be installed.

[0022] One side edge of the flange portions 5, 5 on both sides in the width direction of the base member 2 becomes the ground-contact lower edge portions 5F, 5F that are continuous in the length direction. The web portion 6 is located in the center of the height direction of the flange portions 5, 5. The flange portions 5, 5 are vertical plate portions, and the web portion 6 is a horizontal plate portion that connects the flange portions 5, 5 that are arranged at intervals on both sides in the width direction. The ground-contact lower edge portions 5F are the lower end of the base member 2.

[0023] These lower ground edges 5F, 5F are placed at the median strip of the road 7 at the installation site. The longitudinal ends of the beam 3 are provided with curved portions (not shown) that are curved in a plan view, and the beam 3 has approximately the same length as the H-shaped steel foundation member 2. The support posts 4 are integrally provided on the upper surface of the web portion 6 and are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle safety fence 1.

[0024] The vehicle protection fence 1 is equipped with a spacer 11 having a U-shaped cross section, which is an attachment member for the beam. This spacer 11 is made of a hard material such as metal, and as shown in Figure 9, has a vertical portion 12 that is long in the width direction of the base member 2, and has horizontal edge portions 13, 13 formed by bending the upper and lower edges of this vertical portion 12 outward. Each spacer 11, 11 is placed back to back, and the vertical portions 12, 12 sandwich the upper side of the support 4. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, nuts 14N are screwed onto bolts 14 that pass through the through holes 12T, 12T of the vertical portions 12, 12 and the through holes 4T, 4T of the support 4, thereby fixing the front and rear spacers 11, 11 to the side of the support 4.

[0025] In this way, the spacers 11, 11 on both sides are arranged at a distance in the longitudinal direction, and the upper and lower horizontal edges 13, 13 of the spacers 11, 11 on both sides are formed horizontally and point away from the support 4.

[0026] Both side edges of the vertical portion 12 are shaped to approximately engage with the inner surface of the beam 3, and mounting pieces 16 facing the longitudinal direction of the beam 3 are provided on both side edges of the vertical portion 12. The mounting pieces 16, 16 of the spacers 11, 11 on both sides of the support 4 are provided to protrude in a direction away from the support 4.

[0027] Then, the opposite side edges of the vertical portion 12 are engaged with the inner surfaces of the beams 3, 3 on both sides, and the mounting pieces 16, 16 on both sides are abutted against the inner surfaces of the beams 3, 3 on both sides. A bolt 17 (Figure 6) is inserted from the outside through the through hole 3T of the beam 3 and the through hole 16T of the mounting piece 16, and a nut 17N is screwed onto this bolt 17, thereby fixing the beams 3, 3 to both sides of the spacers 11, 11.

[0028] The through hole 16T of the mounting piece 16 is a through hole that is long in the front-to-rear direction. The bolt 17 is a square-head round head bolt that has a rotation stopper at the base of the threaded portion on the back side of the head.

[0029] The corrugated beam 3 has a cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 1 etc. that continues in the length direction, and integrally comprises a central vertical plate portion 21 that is concave inward in the left-right direction at the center of the height direction, upper and lower vertical plate portions 22U, 22S that are spaced above and below this central vertical plate portion 21, upper and lower connecting diagonal plate portions 23U, 23S that connect the central vertical plate portion 21 to the upper and lower vertical plate portions 22U, 22S, an upper diagonal plate portion 24U that is a connecting plate portion formed diagonally upward and inward from the upper edge that is the upper part of the upper vertical plate portion 22U, and a lower diagonal plate portion 24S that is formed diagonally downward and inward from the lower edge of the lower vertical plate portion 22S.

[0030] Additionally, the upper edge 25 and the lower edge 26 of the beam 3 are located outward in the left-right direction from the central vertical plate portion 21, and are located between the central vertical plate portion 21 and the upper vertical plate portion 22U. The beam 3 has a vertically symmetrical shape.

[0031] The guard member expanding device 30 for widening the gap between the left and right beams 3 includes left and right hangers 31, 31 that are hooked onto the left and right beams 3, 3.

[0032] This hanging device 31 is integrally provided with a horizontal piece 33 provided at the upper center by bending a metal strip at two bending portions 32, 32, an outer vertical piece 34 hanging downward from the outer end of this horizontal piece 33, and an inner vertical piece 35 hanging downward from the inner end of the horizontal piece 33 and having a height dimension greater than that of the outer vertical piece 34. The inner vertical piece 35 is the inner part located on the inner surface of the beam 3.

[0033] The length of the horizontal piece 33, i.e., the distance between the outer vertical piece 34 and the inner vertical piece 35, is wider than the left-right distance between the central vertical plate 21 and the upper and lower vertical plate parts 22U, 22S. Furthermore, when the upper edge 25 of the beam 3 abuts against the lower surface of the horizontal piece 33, the lower end 34K of the outer vertical piece 34 is at the height of the upper vertical plate part 22U, and the lower end 35K of the inner vertical piece 35 is located below the central vertical plate part 21, and the lower part of the inner vertical piece 35 is an abutment part that abuts against the inner surface of the central vertical plate part 21 of the beam 3.

[0034] The guard member expansion device 30 is equipped with expansion means 36 that expands the gap between the left and right beams 3, 3. In this example, a pantograph jack with its top and bottom facing left and right is used as the expansion means 36. A mounting member 41 for attaching the expansion means 36 is provided on the outer surface of the inner vertical piece 35 of the hanging device 31. This mounting member 41 has a mounting portion 42 made of a horizontally oriented square tube or the like on the outer surface of the inner vertical piece 35, which serves as the abutment portion, and a connecting plate 43, which serves as a plate-shaped connecting portion, is provided at the tip of this mounting portion 42. This connecting plate 43 has a plurality of through holes 43T through which bolts 44 are inserted.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion means 36 using a pantograph jack includes a left operating section 50 (corresponding to an object receiving seat when used with the upper and lower sections) detachably attached to the left-side mounting member 41, which is one of the mounting means; a pair of upper and lower left arms 51 and 52 whose tip ends 51A and 52A are rotatably connected to the left operating section 50 by connecting pins 51C and 52C, respectively; and base ends 51B and 52B of the pair of upper and lower left arms 51 and 52 whose base ends 53B and 54B are rotatably connected to the base ends 51B and 52B of the pair of upper and lower left arms 51 and 52 by two connecting shafts 56 and 57, respectively. The right operating unit 55 is made up of a pair of upper right and lower right arms 53 and 54, a right operating unit (corresponding to a base when held by the upper and lower arms) 55 in which tip ends 53A and 54A of the pair of upper right and lower right arms 53 and 54 are rotatably connected by connecting pins 53C and 54C, respectively, and a threaded rod 58 or the like inserted between two upper and lower connecting shafts 56 and 57 that rotatably connect the pair of upper left and lower left arms 51 and 52 and the pair of upper right and lower right arms 53 and 54. The right operating unit 55 is detachably attached to the right mounting member 41, which serves as the other mounting means. The connecting shaft 56 is the upper connecting unit, and the connecting shaft 57 is the lower connecting shaft.

[0036] The screw rod 58 is formed with a male screw portion 58A that screws into a female screw portion (not shown) formed on the connecting shaft 57, and by rotating the screw rod 58, the connecting shaft 57 moves in the longitudinal direction of the screw rod 58, while the connecting shaft 56 is configured not to move in the longitudinal direction of the screw rod 58 even when the screw rod 58 is rotated.

[0037] A horizontal flat portion 62 is provided on the top of a handle coupling 61 that is integrally provided at the upper end of the threaded rod 58, and a plate-shaped base 63 is provided on the horizontal flat portion 62, with a hexagonal nut 64, which is a hexagonal member, attached to the base 63. An impact wrench (not shown), which is an electric power tool, has a hexagonal groove in the socket at the tip into which the hexagonal nut 64 engages, and with the hexagonal nut 64 engaged in the hexagonal engaging groove of the socket, rotational force and impact force can be applied to the hexagonal nut 64 to tighten it.

[0038] As is clear from Figures 1 and 2, in the expansion means 36 using a pantograph jack, when the threaded rod 58 is rotated so as to thread into the female thread portion of the connecting shaft 57, the connecting shaft 56 moves closer to the connecting shaft 57, the distance between the left and right connecting shafts 56, 57 decreases, and the distance between the left and right operating parts 50, 55 increases. Conversely, when the threaded rod 58 is rotated, the distance between the left and right connecting shafts 56, 57 increases, and the distance between the left and right operating parts 50, 55 decreases.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, a left mounting body 66L is provided on the left side of the U-shaped left operating section 50, and this left mounting body 66L consists of a mounting section 67 made of a square tube or the like, and a connecting plate 68 which is a plate-shaped connecting section provided on the left side of this mounting section 67, and the connecting plate 68 has a plurality of through holes (not shown) through which the bolts 44 are inserted, and the through holes of the connecting plate 68 correspond to the connecting plate 43 of the mounting means 41.

[0040] Further, a right mounting body 66R is provided on the right side of the right operating portion 55, and this right mounting body 66R is made up of the mounting portion 67 and the connecting plate 68 provided on the right side of this mounting portion 67.

[0041] The guard member expansion device 30 is equipped with a distance restriction member 71 that restricts the maximum expansion width of the left and right beams 3, 3. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the distance restriction member 71 is equipped with a pair of left and right brackets 72, each of which is U-shaped in plan view and has a central portion 73 located in the center and front and rear arm portions 74, 74 that protrude from the front and rear of the central portion 73 to the center in the left-right direction, and the central portion 73 is provided with a through hole (not shown) that corresponds to the through hole 43T.

[0042] Then, with the central portion 73 of the left bracket 72 sandwiched between the left connecting plate 43 and the left connecting plate 68, the bolt 44 is inserted from the outside (left side) in the left-right direction through the through hole 43T of the connecting plate 43, the through hole of the central portion 73, and the through hole of the connecting plate 68, and the nut 44N is screwed in, thereby fixing the left operating part 50 to the connecting plate 43.

[0043] Similarly, with the central portion 73 of the right bracket 72 sandwiched between the right connecting plate 43 and the right connecting plate 68, the bolt 44 is inserted from the outside in the left-right direction (right side) through the through-hole 43T, the through-hole of the central portion 73, and the through-hole of the connecting plate 68, and the nut 44N is screwed in, thereby fixing the right operating portion 55 to the connecting plate 43. Note that if the bolt 44 is removed, the hanging device 31 can be removed from the expansion means 36.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2, the spacing control member 71 has a pair of left and right link pieces 75, 75 at the front and rear that connect the left and right brackets 72, 72, and the central end parts 75A, 75A of the pair of left and right link pieces 75, 75 are rotatably connected by a pivot bolt 76, and the outer end parts 75B, 75B of the left and right link pieces 75, 75 are rotatably connected to the arm parts 74, 74 of the left and right brackets 72, 72 by pivot bolts 77, 77.

[0045] Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, before expansion, the bolt 76 connecting the pair of link pieces 75, 75 is in a lowered state, and by turning the screw rod 58 from here to expand the distance between the left and right operating parts 50, 55, the distance between the left and right beams 3, 3 expands, and when the left and right link pieces 75, 75 become aligned as shown in Figure 1, further expansion is not possible, and the maximum expansion can be restricted.

[0046] 8 is a perspective view of the expansion means 36 without the gap restricting member 71, as viewed from the rear side.

[0047] The hanging devices 31 have eyebolts 78 attached to the upper portions of the inner vertical pieces 35, and the eyebolts 78, 78 of the left and right hanging devices 31, 31 are connected with a string-like body 79 such as a wire rope to connect the left and right hanging devices 31, 31. This allows the guard member expansion device 30 to be carried by holding the string-like body 79.

[0048] Next, an example of the installation work of the spacers 11 will be described. As shown in Figure 10, the front (upper in Figure 10) vehicle safety fence 1 does not have a beam 3 fixed to the terminal post 4 second from the top in Figure 10, but rather has it fixed at the installation location as described below, and spacers 11, 11 are attached to the front and rear of the non-terminal post 4, with beams 3, 3 fixed to the left and right of this spacer 11. The rear vehicle safety fence 1 has a beam 3 fixed to the non-terminal post 4, and the beam 3 has a length that extends from this fixed position to the position of the terminal post 4 of the front vehicle safety fence 1.

[0049] After the front protective fence 1 is installed, the rear protective fence 1 is moved forward, and the front side of the beam 3 of the rear protective fence 1 is overlapped with the rear side of the beam 3 of the front protective fence 1, and the terminal support post 4 of the front protective fence 1 is sandwiched between these left and right overlapping parts 3K, 3K.

[0050] 10 and 11, vehicles travel on the left side of the guardrail 1 from bottom to top, so the front end of the left beam 3 of the rear guardrail 1 is on the outside, and the rear end of the left beam 3 of the front guardrail 1 is hidden inside the left beam 3 of the rear guardrail 1. Similarly, the rear end of the right beam 3 of the front guardrail 1 is on the outside, and the front end of the right beam 3 of the rear guardrail 1 is overlapped so that it is hidden inside the right beam 3 of the front guardrail 1, so that passing vehicles do not come into contact with the ends of the beams 3.

[0051] After the beams 3, 3 of adjacent protective fences 1, 1 have formed overlapping portions 3K, 3K that sandwich the terminal support post 4 in this way, the work of attaching the spacer 11 to the terminal support post 4 is carried out. As shown in Figure 10, when attaching the spacer 11 to the rear of the support post 4 first, the guard member expansion device 30 is set between the overlapping portions 3K, 3K on the front side of the terminal support post 4, and the screw rod 58 is turned with an impact wrench to extend the space between the left and right beams 3, 3, and then the spacer 11, aligned left and right in the fore-and-aft direction of the protective fence 1, is inserted from above between the left and right beams 3, 3 of the rear protective fence 1 on the rear side of the terminal support post 4, and the spacer 11 is brought close to the support post 4, and its orientation is changed left and right, and it is placed behind the support post 4.

[0052] After this, the expansion device 30 is removed, and as shown in Figure 11, the expansion device 30 is set next to the spacer 11 of the terminal support 4, behind the overlapping parts 3K, 3K of the terminal support 4, expanding the distance between the left and right beams 3, 3, and the spacer 11 aligned left and right in the fore-and-aft direction of the protective fence 1 is inserted from above into the expanded part on the front side of the terminal support 4, and while bringing the spacer 11 closer to the support 4, it is turned left and right and the spacer 11 is placed in front of the terminal support 4.

[0053] After this, the terminal support 4 and the front and rear spacers 11, 11 are integrated with bolts 14 and nuts 14N. The expansion device 30 is then removed, and the beams 3, 3 of the overlapping portion 3K, 3K are fixed to the mounting pieces 16, 16 with bolts 17 and nuts 17N. Even in positions where there are no spacers 11, the beams 3, 3 are fixed to each other at the overlapping portion 3K with bolts and nuts. These bolts are also square-headed round-head bolts, but are smaller than the bolts 14, so the nuts fixing the beams 3, 3 to each other at the overlapping portion 3K also have a smaller hexagonal size than the nuts 14N.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, corresponding to claim 1, a guard member expansion device 30 for a vehicle protection fence 1 in a separation strip is used for a vehicle protection fence 1 having a plurality of support posts 4, 4 arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction, spacers 11, 11 attached to at least one of the front and rear of the support posts 4 and longer in the left-to-right direction than in the front-to-back direction, and beams 3 serving as left and right guard members attached to the left and right of the spacers 11 and longer in the front-to-back direction, and is used when widening the gap between the left and right beams 3, 3, inserting the spacers 11 between the widened left and right beams 3, 3, and attaching the spacers 11 to the support posts 4, and includes left and right hangers 31, 31 hooked onto the left and right beams 3, 3, The left and right hangers 31, 31 are provided with inner vertical pieces 35 which are inner parts arranged on the inner surface of the beam 3, and the guard member expansion means 36 is attached to the left and right inner vertical pieces 35, 35 and held between the left and right beams 3, 3, and pushes the left and right inner vertical pieces 35, 35 outward in the left-right direction to widen the gap between the left and right beams 3, 3. Therefore, the left and right hangers 31, 31 can be hooked onto the left and right beams 3, 3 and the expansion means 36 can be easily set between the left and right beams 3, 3, and by widening the gap between the left and right beams 3, 3 with the expansion means 36, the installation work of the spacer 11 to the support 4 can be easily performed.

[0055] As described above, in this embodiment, corresponding to claim 2, the beam 3 serving as a guard member comprises a central vertical plate portion 21, an upper vertical plate portion 22U provided above the central vertical plate portion 21 and on the outer side in the left-right direction, an upper connecting diagonal plate portion 23U serving as a connecting plate portion connecting the central vertical plate portion 21 and the upper vertical plate portion 22U, and an upper diagonal plate portion 24U formed diagonally upward and inward from the upper edge of the upper vertical plate portion 22U, and the upper edge portion 25 of the upper diagonal plate portion 24U is located on the center side in the left-right direction between the central vertical plate portion 21 and the upper vertical plate portion 22U, and the hanger 31 is The hanging device 31 is provided with an outer vertical piece 34 arranged on the left-right outside of the upper vertical plate portion 22U, an inner vertical piece 35 which is an inner part that pushes the inner surface of the central vertical plate portion 21 outward in the left-right direction, and a horizontal piece 33 which connects the upper part of the outer vertical piece 34 and the upper part of the inner vertical piece 35 and has an upper edge 25 abutting on the underside, so that the beam 3 can be sandwiched between the outer vertical piece 34 and the inner vertical piece 35 and the hanging device 31 can be stably hooked onto the beam 3, and the inner surface of the central vertical plate portion 21 in the center of the height direction can be pushed to expand the distance between the left and right beams 3, 3.

[0056] Thus, in this embodiment, corresponding to claim 3, the expansion means 36 is provided with left and right operating parts 50, 55, and the upper left and lower left arms 51, 52 and the upper right and lower right arms 53, 54 are connected between these left and right operating parts 50, 55 in a pantograph shape by a connecting shaft 56 which is an upper connecting member and a connecting shaft 57 which is a lower connecting member, and a threaded rod 58 is arranged between these connecting shafts 56 and 57, and by rotating this threaded rod 58, the space between the connecting shafts 56 and 57 is contracted and expanded, thereby forming a pantograph-type jack that expands and contracts the space between the left and right operating parts 50, 55, and since the left and right operating parts 50, 55 are attached to the inner vertical piece parts 35, 35 which are the left and right inner parts, the pantograph-type jack can rotate the threaded rod 58 to expand the space between the left and right operating parts 50, 55, thereby widening the space between the left and right beams 3, 3.

[0057] In this embodiment, corresponding to claim 5, a hexagonal nut 64, which is a hexagonal member to which the socket of an impact wrench can be connected, is provided on the upper part of the threaded rod 58, and the socket can be connected to the nut that secures the beams 3, 3, which are guard members, to each other.Therefore, the threaded rod 58 can be operated using the impact wrench used to secure the beam 3 to the spacer 11 to expand the space between the left and right operating parts 50, 55, and the impact wrench can be used both to secure the spacer 11 and to operate the threaded rod 58, thereby improving workability during expansion.

[0058] In this embodiment, in accordance with claim 6, a spacing restriction member 71 is provided to restrict the maximum expansion width of the beams 3, 3 which are the left and right guard members. Using an impact wrench speeds up the work but can be difficult to control with the right force. The spacing restriction member 71 restricts excessive expansion, ensuring that the expansion width is kept within the desired range.

[0059] As an effect of the embodiment described below, by widening the overlapping portions 3K, 3K, it is possible to widen the space between the beams 3, 3 of the front and rear guardrails 1, 1 with a single expansion device 30. Also, by removing the bolts 44, the hanging device 31 can be removed from the inner vertical piece 35, making replacement easy. Furthermore, since the string-like body 79 is connected to the eyebolt 78, which serves as the string-like body connecting portion, transportation is easy. [Example]

[0060] 12 to 15 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted.

[0061] In this example, a hydraulic jack with its top and bottom facing left and right is used as the expansion means. Expansion means 81 using a hydraulic jack has a main body 84 with a built-in hydraulic cylinder 83 mounted on the top surface of a plate-shaped base 82, and is also equipped with a hydraulic pump 85. The tip of the piston (not shown) of this hydraulic pump 85 is connected to the front lower end of a bracket 86 via a pin 87, the rear lower end of the bracket 86 is connected to the upper end of a link 88 via a pin 89, and the lower end of the link 88 is journalled to a bracket 90 fixed to the base 82 via a pin 91.

[0062] When a lever 92, which is an operating part detachably fitted to the bracket 86, is opened up or down, the bracket 86 rotates up and down together with the lever 92, with a pin 89, which is the connecting part with the link 88, as a fulcrum, to drive the hydraulic pump 85, which sequentially supplies pressurized oil to the pistons provided in the hydraulic cylinder 83, i.e., the lower end face of the ram 101, thereby extending the ram 101.

[0063] 14, the ram 101 has a circumferential groove 103 on the tip side of the ram body 102 that is smaller in diameter than the ram body 102, and a head 104 at the tip that is larger in diameter than the ram body 102. The connecting plate 43 of the mounting member 41 has a fitting hole 105 into which the head 104 is detachably fitted, and is provided with a pair of mounting plates 107, 107 that are detachably attached to the connecting plate 43 with bolts 106 and nuts 106N.

[0064] The edges 107F of the mounting plates 107 are recessed with arc-shaped locking edges 108 that fit into the circumferential groove 103. By bringing the edges 107F of the mounting plates 107 close together and fitting the pair of locking edges 108 into the circumferential groove 103, and fixing the mounting plates 107 to the left connecting plate 43, the tip of the ram 101 is attached to the pair of mounting plates 107, and thereby the tip of the ram 101 is attached to the left inner vertical piece 35, which is the inner part. The locking edge 108 is smaller than a semicircle and abuts against the circumferential groove 103.

[0065] On the other hand, by removing the bolt 106 and nut 106N and removing the mounting plates 107, 107 from the connecting plate 43, the head 104 can be extracted from the fitting hole 105, and the ram 101 can be removed from the inner vertical piece 35.

[0066] 15, a presser plate 111 is provided which is fixed to the right connecting plate 43 with a bolt 106 and a nut 106N to attach the base 82 of the expansion means 81 to the right connecting plate 43. This presser plate 111 has a presser hole 112 which is smaller in diameter than the base 82 and larger in diameter than the lower part of the main body 84, and the lower edge of this presser hole 112 abuts against the upper surface of the base 82. In addition, an opening 113 which opens to the front edge side is formed in the presser hole 112, and the front side of the base 82 is positioned in this opening 113.

[0067] Therefore, by fixing the pressure plate 111 to the right connecting plate 43 with the bolt 106 and nut 106N, the base 82 is attached to the connecting plate 43, and the base 82 is attached to the right inner vertical piece 35, which is the inner part. Conversely, by removing the pressure plate 111, the base 82 can be removed from the inner vertical piece 35.

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, corresponding to claim 4, a hydraulic jack is provided with the rams 101 and the base 82 as left and right operating parts, and the extension means 81 is provided with the lever 92 as an operating part, the hydraulic cylinder 83 provided on the base 82 on one side in the left-right direction to which pressure oil is supplied by operating the lever 92, and the ram 101 that extends in the left-right direction by the supplied hydraulic pressure and whose tip is located on the other side in the left-right direction, the base 82 is the right operating part that is one of the left and right operating parts, and the ram 101 is the left operating part that is the other of the left and right operating parts, and the base 82 is detachably attached to the inner vertical piece 35 that is the inner part of the hanger 31 on one side of the left or right, and the ram 101 is detachably attached to the inner vertical piece 35 that is the inner part of the hanger 31 on the other side of the left or right. Therefore, by operating the lever 92 with the hydraulic jack to expand the space between the ram 101 and the base 82 as left and right operating parts, the distance between the left and right beams 3, 3 can be widened, and the hydraulic jack is replaceable.

[0069] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the inner vertical piece is shown to directly contact the inner surface of the guard member, but direct contact is not necessary by inserting a packing between the inner vertical piece and the guard member. Furthermore, while a temporary guard fence is illustrated in the embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention can be used for permanent guard fences, and it can also be used for repairs and maintenance of guard fences. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Vehicle protection fences on median strips 3 Beam (guard member) 4 pillars 11 Spacing material 17N Nut 21 Central vertical plate 22U Upper vertical plate section 23U Upper connecting diagonal plate part (connecting plate part) 24U Upper diagonal plate 25 upper edge 30 Expansion Unit 31 Hanging device 34 Outer vertical piece 35 Inner vertical piece (inner part) 36 Guard member expansion means 50 Left operating part 51 Upper left arm 52 Lower Left Arm 53 Upper Right Arm 54 Lower Right Arm 55 Right operating part 56 Connecting shaft (upper connecting member) 57 Connecting shaft (lower connecting member) 58 Threaded rod 64 Hexagonal nut (hexagonal part) 68 Connecting plate (connecting part) 71 Spacing control member 81 Guard member expansion means 82 Base (operating part) 92 Lever (operating part) 101 Ram (operating part)

Claims

1. The present invention is used in a vehicle safety fence including a plurality of support posts arranged in a line in the front-to-rear direction, spacers attached to at least one of the front and rear of the support posts and longer in the left-to-right direction than in the front-to-rear direction, and left and right guard members attached to the left and right of the spacers and longer in the front-to-rear direction, A guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip, which is used when widening the gap between the left and right guard members, inserting the spacer between the widened left and right guard members, and attaching the spacer to the support, Left and right hangers that are hooked onto the left and right guard members; inner portions provided on the left and right hangers and arranged on the inner surface side of the guard member; and guard member expansion means attached to the left and right inner portions and held between the left and right guard members, and which pushes the left and right inner portions outward in the left-right direction to expand the space between the left and right guard members.

2. The guard member includes a central vertical plate portion, an upper vertical plate portion provided above the central vertical plate portion and on the outer side in the left-right direction, a connecting plate portion connecting the central vertical plate portion and the upper vertical plate portion, and an upper oblique plate portion formed obliquely from an upper portion of the upper vertical plate portion toward the upper inside, an upper edge portion of the upper diagonal plate portion is located on the left-right central side between the central vertical plate portion and the upper vertical plate portion; The guard member expansion device for a vehicle protective fence in a median strip described in claim 1, characterized in that the hanging device comprises an outer vertical piece portion arranged on the left-right outside of the upper vertical plate portion, an inner vertical piece portion that is the inner portion that presses the inner surface of the central vertical plate portion outward in the left-right direction, and a horizontal piece portion that connects the upper part of the outer vertical piece and the upper part of the inner vertical piece, and whose lower surface abuts the upper edge portion.

3. The guard member expanding means is a pantograph-type jack that includes left and right operating parts, and has upper left and lower left arms and upper right and lower right arms connected between the left and right operating parts by upper and lower connecting members in a pantograph shape, and a threaded rod is disposed between the upper and lower connecting members, and the rotation of the threaded rod causes the space between the upper and lower connecting members to contract and expand, thereby expanding and contracting the space between the left and right operating parts, 3. The guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip according to claim 1, wherein the left and right operating parts are attached to the left and right inner parts.

4. the guard member expanding means is a hydraulic jack having left and right operating units, an operating unit, a hydraulic cylinder provided on a base on one side in the left-right direction to which pressure oil is supplied by operating the operating unit, and a ram that extends in the left-right direction by the supplied hydraulic pressure and whose tip is located on the other side in the left-right direction, 3. A guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base is one of the left and right operating parts, the ram is the other of the left and right operating parts, the base is detachably attached to the inner part of the hanging device on one of the left and right sides, and the ram is detachably attached to the inner part of the hanging device on the other of the left and right sides.

5. A guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip as described in claim 3, characterized in that a hexagonal member to which the socket of an impact wrench can be connected is provided at the upper part of the screw rod, and the socket can be connected to a nut that secures the guard members together.

6. 6. A guard member expansion device for a vehicle protection fence in a median strip according to claim 5, further comprising a space restriction member for restricting the maximum expansion width of the left and right guard members.

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