Block Compactor

Abstract

To provide a compactor for a block provided with a brake mechanism capable of reliably locking a roller despite a simple configuration and stably maintaining a locked state and an unlocked state even if exposed to vibration.SOLUTION: A brake pad 12 is fixed to a lower end of a brake shaft 11 and is configured to be rotatable together with the brake shaft 11 at a position between two rollers 5 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. An unlock state in which the brake pad 12 does not come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller 5 and the roller 5 is freely rotatable by rotating the brake lever 13, and a lock state in which the brake pad 12 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller 5 and the roller 5 cannot be rotated by frictional force can be switched to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a block compactor used to align the surface height of lined-up blocks when laying interlocking blocks on sidewalks, roadways, parking lots, gardens, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] When laying interlocking blocks, a curb is placed around the outer edge of the ground, sand is spread on the base layer in the inner area to form a sand layer, the surface is leveled, and then a large number of blocks are laid side by side, with sand filled in the gaps (joints) between each block. Finally, a special compactor (block compactor) is used to compact the surface of the aligned blocks so that the surfaces are all the same height.

[0003] A conventional block compactor is composed of a prime mover (engine or electric motor) mounted on a base, a vibrator that generates vibrations by the rotary driving force supplied by the prime mover, a number of rollers rotatably arranged on the underside of the base, and an operating handle extending toward the rear of the machine body, and by manually pushing the compactor over lined-up blocks, it is possible to compact the layer of sand underneath the blocks while applying vibrations, and to make the surface height of the blocks uniform. At least the surface layer of the rollers is made of an elastic material (hard rubber, etc.), which makes it possible to avoid the generation of loud noises during operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3156882 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional block compactors, the rollers are arranged so that they can rotate freely, so if the operator releases his / her hands from the operating handle on a slope, the machine may move by itself due to gravity. Therefore, it is desirable to equip the machine with a parking brake mechanism that can lock the rotation of the rollers, but there is a concern that the lock may be released automatically when the machine is exposed to vibrations emitted by a vibrator or vibrations during transportation. In addition, it is necessary to have a simple structure to ensure sufficient durability, assuming that the machine will be affected by vibrations.

[0006] The present invention seeks to solve such problems in the prior art, and aims to provide a block compactor equipped with a brake mechanism that can reliably lock the rollers despite its simple structure and can stably maintain the locked and unlocked states even when exposed to vibration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The block compactor of the present invention comprises a base, a prime mover mounted on the base, a vibrator that generates vibrations by the rotational driving force supplied from the prime mover, a plurality of rollers whose at least the surface layer is made of an elastic material and which are rotatably arranged on the underside of the base, and a parking brake mechanism that can lock the rotation of the rollers. The parking brake mechanism is characterized in that it is composed of a brake shaft, brake pads, and a brake lever, and the brake pads are fixed to the lower end of the brake shaft and configured to be rotatable together with the brake shaft at a position between two adjacent rollers among the plurality of rollers, and is configured so that by rotating the brake lever, the brake shaft and the brake pads can be rotated to switch between an unlocked state in which the brake pads do not contact the outer peripheral surfaces of the two rollers and the two rollers are rotatable, and a locked state in which the brake pads contact the outer peripheral surfaces of the two rollers and the rollers cannot rotate due to frictional force.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the parking brake mechanism is configured so that, when in the unlocked state and when in the locked state, the rotating side engagement means formed on the brake lever engages with the fixed side engagement means fixed at a position adjacent to the brake lever, thereby preventing the brake lever from rotating.

[0009] It is also preferable that two notches are formed in the brake lever as the rotating side engagement means, a positioning bolt is fixed on the base as the fixed side engagement means, and the two notches are formed at a position that engages with the positioning bolt when the parking brake mechanism is in an unlocked state, and at a position that engages with the positioning bolt when the parking brake mechanism is in a locked state.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that the brake shaft or the fixed side engagement means is configured to be elastically held by a bushing formed of an elastic material, so that it can be tilted from the basic position, and that when the engagement between the rotating side engagement means and the fixed side engagement means is released, the handle lever is subjected to resistance by the elastic force of the bushing.

[0011] It is also preferable that the brake pads and the lower end of the brake shaft each have a bolt hole, the brake pads are attached to the brake shaft by inserting and fastening a bolt through the bolt hole, and the vertical dimension of the bolt hole formed in the brake pad or the bolt hole formed in the lower end of the brake shaft is set to be larger than the diameter of the bolt to be inserted, so that the mounting height position of the brake pads can be adjusted. In this case, it is preferable that the brake pads are formed in an inverted trapezoid shape. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The block compactor of the present invention is equipped with a parking brake mechanism that has a simple structure yet can reliably lock the rollers, and can stably maintain the locked and unlocked states even when exposed to vibrations emitted from a vibrator or vibrations during transportation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a block compactor 1 according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the parking brake mechanism 10 (locked state) shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the brake lever 13 constituting the parking brake mechanism 10 shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the brake pad 12 (unlocked state) constituting the parking brake mechanism 10 shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an operation mode of the parking brake mechanism 10 shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the brake pad 12 constituting the parking brake mechanism 10 shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the "block compactor" of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of a block compactor 1 according to the present invention. This block compactor 1 is composed of a base 2, a prime mover 3 (engine or electric motor) mounted on the base 2, a vibration exciter 4 that generates vibrations by the rotational driving force supplied from the prime mover 3, a plurality of rollers 5 (four in this embodiment) rotatably arranged below the base 2, an operation handle 6 extending toward the rear of the machine body, and the like.

[0015] At least the surface layer of the roller 5 is made of an elastic material (hard rubber, etc.). The roller 5 and the prime mover 3 are not dynamically connected, and the rotational driving force output from the prime mover 3 is not supplied to the roller 5. Therefore, during compaction work, the worker holds the operating handle 6 and pushes the roller by hand.

[0016] The block compactor 1 according to the present invention is characterized by having a parking brake mechanism 10 capable of locking the rotation of the rollers 5 (making them non-rotatable). Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the parking brake mechanism 10. This parking brake mechanism 10 is composed of a brake shaft 11, brake pads 12, a brake lever 13, etc.

[0017] The brake shaft 11 extends vertically, penetrating vertically through the horizontal portion of the base 2, and is held by the base 2 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The brake shaft 11 is attached to the base 2 via a cylindrical bushing 15 made of an elastic material (rubber in this embodiment). More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the bushing 15 is attached to the outside of the lower half of the brake shaft 11, and the outside of this bushing 15 is held by the base 2, so that the brake shaft 11 and the base 2 do not come into direct contact with each other.

[0018] For this reason, the brake shaft 11 is elastically held by the bushing 15 and is basically maintained so that its central axis is vertical (basic position), but is configured so that it will tilt slightly (about 3°) when an external force is applied.

[0019] The brake pad 12 is formed in a wedge shape (inverted trapezoid shape) and is fixed to the lower end of the brake shaft 11, and is configured to rotate together with the brake shaft 11 at a position between two rollers 5 adjacent to each other in the front and rear. The brake lever 13 has a base end fixed to the upper half of the brake shaft 11 (a portion extending above the base 2) and is configured so that by rotating it horizontally (around a vertical axis), the brake shaft 11 and the brake pad 12 fixed to its lower end can be rotated.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the brake lever 13. In this embodiment, the brake lever 13 is configured to be rotatable within a range of 45° from the position indicated by the solid line in Fig. 3 to the position indicated by the dashed line, and by rotating the brake lever 13, it is possible to switch between an "unlocked state" and a "locked state".

[0021] More specifically, when the brake lever 13 is in the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 3 (unlocked position), the brake pad 12 is not in contact with either of the outer circumferential surfaces of the two adjacent rollers 5 in the front and rear, as shown in Fig. 4, and those rollers 5 are in a freely rotatable state (unlocked state). When the brake lever 13 is rotated from this state to the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3 (locked position), the brake pad 12 comes into firm contact with both of the outer circumferential surfaces of the two adjacent rollers 5 in the front and rear, as shown in Fig. 2, and a large frictional force is generated, causing the rollers 5 to enter a non-rotatable state (locked state).

[0022] In addition, the parking brake mechanism 10 employed in this embodiment is configured such that, when in the unlocked state and when in the locked state, the brake lever 13 engages with a positioning bolt 14 (fixed side engagement means) (see Figures 2 and 3) fixed in a position near the brake lever 13, thereby preventing the brake lever 13 from rotating, thereby enabling the unlocked state and the locked state to be stably maintained, respectively.

[0023] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the brake lever 13 is composed of a grip 13a for the operator to hold, and an extension 13b extending on the opposite side of the grip 13a across the brake shaft 11, and two notches 13c, 13d (rotation side engagement means) are formed at the tip of the extension 13b, and an arc-shaped portion 13e is formed between them.

[0024] The two notches 13c, 13d are formed at positions of equal distance from the central axis C of the brake shaft 11, and are spaced apart by an angle of 45° starting from the central axis C. Notch 13c is formed at a position where the positioning bolt 14 engages when the brake lever 13 is in the unlocked position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3), and notch 13d is formed at a position where the positioning bolt 14 engages when the brake lever 13 is in the locked position (position shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3). The arc-shaped portion 13e is formed in an arc shape whose dimension from the central axis C is slightly larger (1.5 mm in this embodiment) than the notches 13c, 13d.

[0025] The positioning bolt 14 is fixed on the base 2, and is formed at a position where the brake shaft 11 is maintained vertical when engaged with the notch 13c and when engaged with the notch 13d. That is, in this embodiment, the dimension from the central axis C of the brake shaft 11 in the vertical state (basic posture) to the positioning bolt 14 is set to be equal to the dimension from the central axis C to the notches 13c and 13d.

[0026] As shown by the solid line in Fig. 3, when a force is applied in a rotatable direction (towards the locked position shown by the dashed line) to the brake lever 13 with the positioning bolt 14 engaged with the notch 13c, the positioning bolt 14 is disengaged from the notch 13c, and the positioning bolt 14 comes into contact with the arc-shaped portion 13e formed between the notches 13c and 13d. At this time, since the dimension from the central axis C of the brake shaft 11 to the arc-shaped portion 13e is slightly larger than the dimension from the central axis C to the notches 13c and 13d, the brake shaft 11 is slightly tilted in the direction opposite the positioning bolt 14 as shown in Fig. 5 (the central axis of the brake shaft 11 is inclined slightly from the vertical position C1 shown by the dashed line in Fig. 5 to the position C2 shown by the dashed line).

[0027] Therefore, when an attempt is made to rotate the brake lever 13 with the positioning bolt 14 engaged with the notch 13c, resistance is received from the elastic force of the bushing 15 that holds the brake shaft 11. Then, when the rotated brake lever 13 reaches the locked position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3, the positioning bolt 14 engages with the notch 13d, and the brake shaft 11 returns to a vertical state (basic position). Also, when an attempt is made to rotate the brake lever 13 in the opposite direction (from the locked position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3 to the unlocked position shown by the solid line), resistance is received from the elastic force of the bushing 15.

[0028] In this manner, in this embodiment, by engaging the notches 13c, 13d of the brake lever 13 with the positioning bolt 14, the rotation of the brake lever 13 is prevented even when exposed to vibrations emitted from the vibration exciter 4 or vibrations during transportation, and it is possible to prevent situations such as the brake pad 12 in the unlocked state rotating and coming into contact with the roller 5, or the brake pad 12 in the locked state rotating and releasing the lock, and the unlocked state and the locked state can each be stably maintained.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the brake shaft 11 is configured to tilt when the positioning bolt 14 abuts against the arc-shaped portion 13e, but the positioning bolt 14 (fixed side engagement means) may be configured to elastically tilt instead of the brake shaft 11.

[0030] In addition, in the above embodiment, two notches 13c, 13d (rotating side engagement means) are formed on the brake lever 13, and the positioning bolt 14 (fixed side engagement means) engages with one of these to prevent the brake lever 13 from rotating. However, it is also possible to fix a member (not shown) having a plurality of notches as a fixed side engagement means to the positioning bolt 14 or the like, and form a convex portion (rotating side engagement means) (not shown) on the brake lever 13 that can engage with these notches, and have the fixed side engagement means (notches) engage with the rotating side engagement means (convex portion) to prevent the brake lever 13 from rotating.

[0031] Furthermore, a single notch (rotating side engaging means or fixed side engaging means) may be configured to engage with a plurality of protrusions (fixed side engaging means or rotating side engaging means).

[0032] Moreover, the parking brake mechanism 10 employed in this embodiment is configured to be able to adjust the height position of the brake pads 12 attached to the brake shaft 11. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the brake pads 12 are arranged on both sides of the lower end portion 11a (formed in a plate shape) of the brake shaft 11 so as to sandwich the lower end portion 11a, and are attached to the brake shaft 11 by inserting and tightening bolts 16 into bolt holes 12a, 11b, and 12b formed in the brake pads 12.

[0033] 6, the vertical dimension of bolt hole 11b formed in lower end portion 11a of brake shaft 11 is set to be larger (about twice as large) than the diameter of bolt 16 to be inserted, so that the mounting height position of brake pad 12 can be adjusted by changing the insertion position of bolt 16 up or down. Furthermore, since brake pad 12 is formed in a wedge shape (inverted trapezoid), changing the height position changes the contact pressure with roller 5 (see FIG. 2), and the braking effect can be adjusted.

[0034] Furthermore, even if the vertical dimensions of the bolt holes 12a, 12b formed in the brake pad 12 are set to be larger than the diameter of the bolt 16 to be inserted, the mounting height position of the brake pad 12 can be adjusted, and the braking effect can be adjusted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: Block compactor, 2: Bass, 3: Prime mover, 4: Vibrational body, 5: Roller, 6: Operating handle, 10: Parking brake mechanism, 11: Brake shaft, 11a: lower end, 11b: bolt holes, 12: Brake pads, 12a, 12b: bolt holes, 13: Brake lever, 13a: Grip, 13b: extension, 13c, 13d: notch, 13e: arc-shaped portion, 14: Positioning bolt, 15: Bushing, 16: Bolt

Claims

1. The vehicle has a base, a prime mover mounted on the base, a vibration exciter that generates vibrations by a rotational driving force supplied from the prime mover, a plurality of rollers that have at least a surface layer made of an elastic material and are rotatably arranged below the base, and a parking brake mechanism that can lock the rotation of the rollers, The parking brake mechanism is composed of a brake shaft, a brake pad, and a brake lever. The brake pad is fixed to a lower end of the brake shaft and is configured to be rotatable together with the brake shaft at a position between two adjacent rollers in the front and rear direction among the plurality of rollers, This block compactor is configured so that by rotating a brake lever, the brake shaft and brake pads can be rotated to switch between an unlocked state in which the brake pads do not come into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the two rollers and the two rollers are free to rotate, and a locked state in which the brake pads come into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the two rollers and frictional force prevents the rollers from rotating.

2. 2. The block compactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the parking brake mechanism is in an unlocked state and when it is in a locked state, a rotating side engagement means formed on the brake lever engages with a fixed side engagement means fixed at a position near the brake lever to prevent the brake lever from rotating.

3. 3. The block compactor according to claim 2, characterized in that two notches are formed in the brake lever as the pivoting side engagement means, a positioning bolt is fixed on the base as the fixed side engagement means, and the two notches are formed at positions that engage with the positioning bolt when the parking brake mechanism is in an unlocked state and at positions that engage with the positioning bolt when the parking brake mechanism is in a locked state, respectively.

4. 3. The block compactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the brake shaft or the fixed side engagement means is configured to be tiltable from a basic position by being elastically held by a bushing formed of an elastic material, and the handle lever is configured to receive resistance from the elastic force of the bushing when the engagement between the rotating side engagement means and the fixed side engagement means is released.

5. Bolt holes are formed in the lower end of the brake pad and the brake shaft, respectively, and the brake pad is attached to the brake shaft by inserting bolts through the bolt holes and tightening them; 3. A block compactor as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the vertical dimension of the bolt hole formed in the brake pad or the bolt hole formed in the lower end of the brake shaft is set to be larger than the diameter of the bolt to be inserted, so that the mounting height position of the brake pad can be adjusted.

6. 6. The block compactor according to claim 5, wherein the brake pad is formed in an inverted trapezoid shape.

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