palette

Abstract

To easily execute and release locks. [Solution] A pallet 100 comprises a bottom plate member 1, a first wall member 2 rotatably provided on at least one of the left and right ends of the bottom plate member, and a first locking mechanism 4 for locking the first wall member in an upright state on the bottom plate member. The first wall member has first support posts 21 provided on front and rear ends thereof, and the bottom plate member has front and rear support post holders 6 to which the front and rear first support posts are rotatably connected. The first locking mechanism has a first locking bar that spans the front and rear first support posts and is provided on the front and rear first support posts so that it can be raised and lowered, and first slots that are provided on the front and rear support post holders and into which the first locking bar can be inserted and removed in the vertical direction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pallet. [Background technology]

[0002] Pallets are used in facilities such as factories to transport cargo using forklifts and the like. Pallets are generally rectangular parallelepipeds with an open top, and include a bottom plate member on which cargo is placed, and four wall members rotatably attached to the front, back, left and right ends of the bottom plate member. When cargo is being transported, the wall members are locked in an upright position. When cargo is not being transported, such as during storage, the locks are released and the wall members are placed in an upturned position on the bottom plate member. This folds the pallet. To reduce storage space, multiple folded pallets are sometimes stacked vertically. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-28829 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the first conventional pallet, when locking or unlocking, it is necessary to lift the wall member and insert or remove the support pole into or from the support pole receiver, which poses a problem that it is difficult for workers, such as women, who have weak strength to perform the operation.

[0005] In the second conventional pallet, when locking or unlocking, it is necessary to insert and remove pins at both ends of the wall member into holes. This requires the worker to move to both ends of the wall member each time, which is troublesome.

[0006] Thus, conventional pallets have the problem that locking and unlocking are cumbersome.

[0007] The present disclosure has been devised in light of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a pallet that can be easily locked and unlocked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, A bottom plate member; a first wall member rotatably provided on at least one of the left and right ends of the bottom plate member; a first locking mechanism for locking the first wall member to the bottom plate member in an upright state; Equipped with The first wall member has first pillars provided at front and rear ends thereof, the bottom plate member has front and rear support columns to which the front and rear first support columns are rotatably connected, The first locking mechanism is A first lock bar that spans the front and rear first pillars and is provided on the front and rear first pillars so as to be movable up and down; a first slot provided in the front and rear support columns, into which the first lock bar can be inserted and removed in the up-down direction; have A pallet is provided, characterized in that

[0009] Preferably, the first locking mechanism has first cam surfaces provided on the front and rear support columns and guiding the first locking bar toward the first slot when the first wall member is erected.

[0010] Preferably, the first cam surface is formed by a radiused surface or a linearly inclined surface.

[0011] Preferably, the pallet comprises: The first wall member is rotatably provided at the left and right ends of the bottom plate member; a second wall member rotatably provided at least one of the front and rear ends of the bottom plate member; a second locking mechanism for locking the second wall member in an upright state to the left and right first wall members; Equipped with The second wall member has second supports provided at left and right ends thereof, The second locking mechanism is A second lock bar that spans the left and right second pillars and is provided on the left and right second pillars so as to be movable up and down; a second slot provided in at least one of the first posts at the front and rear of the first wall members, into which the second lock bar can be inserted and removed in the up and down direction; has.

[0012] Preferably, the second locking mechanism has a second cam surface provided on at least one of the first pillars at the front or rear of the left or right first wall member and guiding the second locking bar toward the second slot when the second wall member is raised.

[0013] Preferably, the second cam surface is formed by a radiused surface or a linearly inclined surface.

[0014] Preferably, the second wall member has an upper second wall member and a lower second wall member pivotally connected to each other, The second locking mechanism is provided individually on the upper second wall member and the lower second wall member. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, locking and unlocking can be easily performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the entire pallet according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the entire pallet according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] Showing the support column, (A) is a front view, (B) is a top view, (C) is a right side view, and (D) is a left side view. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B show a first wall member, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a left side view. [Figure 8] 7(A) and (B) are views partially showing the right and left first pillars as viewed from the VIIIA-VIIIA cross section and the VIIIB-VIIIB cross section of FIG. 7(A), respectively. [Figure 9] 1A is a front view of the first lock bar, FIG. 1B is a right side view, and FIG. 1C is a left side view. [Figure 10] 1A shows an upper bracket and a lower bracket, where (1A) is a front view of the upper bracket, (1B) is a top view of the upper bracket, (2A) is a front view of the lower bracket, and (2B) is a top view of the lower bracket. [Figure 11] 4A and 4B show a second wall member, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a left side view. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B show a combination of an upper second wall member and a second lock bar, in which FIG. [Figure 13] 4A and 4B show an upper second wall member, in which FIG. 4A is a front view and FIG. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13, showing an upper second wall member. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a front view showing the second lock bar. [Figure 16] 1A and 1B show a second lock bar, in which (A) is a partial front view and (B) is a left side view. [Figure 17] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an engagement state between a bracket of the bottom plate member and an engagement portion of the rotating shaft, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIG. [Figure 18] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the second wall member is folded. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the first wall member is folded. FIG. [Figure 20]7 is a transparent view showing the attachment state of the first wall member, the first lock bar and the bottom plate member, and corresponds to FIG. 6(C). FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a schematic view showing a state in which the second lock bar is guided toward the second slot when the second wall member is erected. FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXII-XXII of FIG. [Diagram 23] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0018] 1 and 2 are a front view and a left side view showing the entire pallet according to the present embodiment. Also, Fig. 3 is a top view showing only the bottom plate member of the pallet. For convenience, the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions are defined as shown in the drawings.

[0019] Pallet 100 is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape (including a cube shape) that is open at the top, and has a length L in the front-to-rear direction, a width W in the left-to-right direction, and a height H in the up-down direction. Figure 3 shows a front-to-rear center C1 that is the center of the front-to-rear length L, and a left-to-right center C2 that is the center of the left-to-right width W. Pallet 100 is formed symmetrically in the front-to-rear direction with respect to the front-to-rear center C1, and is formed symmetrically in the left-to-right direction with respect to the left-to-right center C2. The intersection of front-to-rear center C1 and left-to-right center C2 is defined as the pallet center O.

[0020] The pallet 100 is made of metal, specifically, iron. However, the material of the pallet 100 is arbitrary, and materials other than metal, such as resin, may be used at least in part, if necessary.

[0021] The pallet 100 comprises a bottom plate member 1 on which cargo is placed, a first wall member 2 rotatably provided on the left and right ends of the bottom plate member 1, and a second wall member 3 rotatably provided on the front and rear ends of the bottom plate member 1. The first wall member 2 and the second wall member 3 are in an upright state as shown in the figure when cargo is being transported, preventing the cargo placed on the bottom plate member 1 from falling off during transport.

[0022] The first wall member 2 includes a left wall member 2L provided at the left end of the bottom plate member 1, and a right wall member 2R provided at the right end of the bottom plate member 1. Hereinafter, the first wall member 2 will mainly be used as a general term.

[0023] Similarly, the second wall member 3 includes a front wall member 3F provided at the front end of the bottom plate member 1, and a rear wall member (not shown) provided at the rear end of the bottom plate member 1. Hereinafter, the general term "second wall member 3" will mainly be used.

[0024] The pallet 100 also includes a first locking mechanism 4 for locking the first wall member 2 to the bottom plate member 1, and a second locking mechanism 5 for locking the second wall member 3 to the first wall member 2. The locking mechanisms 4 and 5 will be described in detail later.

[0025] First, the bottom plate member 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figures 4 and 5 are a front view and a left side view showing the bottom plate member 1.

[0026] The bottom plate member 1 comprises pillar holders 6 arranged upright at the four corners of the front, back, left and right sides, a rectangular bottom plate frame 7 connecting these pillar holders 6, and a bottom plate material 8 laid within the frame of the bottom plate frame 7.

[0027] The pillar receivers 6 are formed in the shape of square tubes extending in the vertical direction. The bottom plate frame 7 has left and right side members 7A extending in the front-rear direction and connected and fixed to the front and rear pillar receivers 6, and front and rear cross members 7B extending in the left-right direction and connected and fixed to the left and right pillar receivers 6. These side members 7A and cross members 7B are formed from square pipes.

[0028] In this embodiment, the bottom plate material 8 is formed of a metal net. The bottom plate frame 7 has a bottom plate material receiver (not shown) arranged in a lattice shape within the frame. The bottom plate material 8 is placed on the bottom plate material receiver, and the bottom plate material 8 is fixed to the bottom plate material receiver and the bottom plate frame 7 by welding or the like. Luggage is placed on the bottom plate material 8. The bottom plate material 8 may be formed of a metal plate.

[0029] A tapered insertion portion 9 is provided at the lower end of the support column receiver 6. As shown by imaginary lines a in Figures 1 and 4, this insertion portion 9 is inserted into the support column receiver 6 of another pallet 100 or into the upper end of a first support column 21 (described later) when the pallets 100 are stacked.

[0030] A ski-like ground plate 10 is disposed below and along the bottom plate frame 7. The ground plate 10 is provided directly below and along the side members 7A and cross members 7B. Both ends of the ground plate 10 are fixed to the support column receivers 6 by welding or the like. The middle part of the ground plate 10 is connected to the bottom plate frame 7 via leg members 11 extending in the vertical direction. The leg members 11 are fixed to the ground plate 10 and the bottom plate frame 7 by welding or the like.

[0031] When the pallet 100 is placed on the ground, the insertion portion 9 does not contact the ground, but the ground plate 10 does. Two forks of a forklift are inserted into two spaces between the ground plate 10 and the bottom plate frame 7, which are separated by the legs 11.

[0032] The bottom plate member 1 has bottom wall members 12 provided on its left and right ends. The bottom wall member 12 is fixed in an upright state on the bottom plate frame 7 and prevents luggage placed on the bottom plate member 8 from sliding off. The bottom wall member 12 extends in the front-to-rear direction and both ends are fixed to the support column receivers 6 by welding or the like. The bottom wall member 12 has the form of a ladder-shaped metal fence made up of a pair of upper and lower horizontal members 12A connected by a plurality of vertical members 12B. The height of the bottom wall member 12 is made lower than the height of the support column receivers 6.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows the pole holder 6 alone, with the insertion portion 9 omitted. The orientation of the pole holder 6 differs depending on the mounting position. Therefore, Fig. 6(A) is a front view as seen from the front, and based on this, the front, back, left, right, top and bottom directions are defined as shown in Fig. 6(A). In Fig. 6(A), the front side in the thickness direction of the paper is the front, the back side in the thickness direction of the paper is the back, the right side as viewed from the paper is the left, the left side is the right, the top is the top, and the bottom is the bottom. Therefore, in Fig. 6(B) is a top view, (C) is a right side view, and (D) is a left side view.

[0034] The support pole receiver 6 is a rectangular tube extending in the vertical direction and having a rectangular (approximately square) cross section. The support pole receiver 6 comprises a support pole receiver main body 13 that is U-shaped when viewed from above, a closing plate 14 that closes the lower half of the front opening of the support pole receiver main body 13, and a support pole mounting bracket 15 that is U-shaped when viewed from above and attached to the inner surface of the support pole receiver main body 13 at approximately the middle in the height direction. The support pole receiver main body 13, the closing plate 14, and the support pole mounting bracket 15 are assembled together by welding or the like.

[0035] The closure plate 14 is sandwiched and fixed between the left and right front end portions of the pole receiving body 13. The pole mounting bracket 15 has a height dimension shorter than the pole receiving body 13, and is overlapped and fixed to the inner surface of the pole receiving body 13. The pole mounting bracket 15 places the first pole 21 (described later, see FIG. 1) on when the first pole 21 is erected, and supports the first pole 21 from below. The closure plate 14 closes the front opening of the pole receiving body 13 in a region below the approximate mid-height position of the pole mounting bracket 15.

[0036] The support pillar receiving body 13 has through holes 16L, 16R that coaxially penetrate the left wall portion 13L and the right wall portion 13R, and a first slot 17 formed in the upper end surface portion 13RU of the right wall portion 13R. As will be described in detail later, the through holes 16L, 16R are holes through which a rotation shaft 26 (see FIG. 22) that rotatably supports the first support pillar 21 of the first wall member 2 is inserted. The first slot 17 is a slot, i.e. a groove, through which the first lock bar 24 (see FIG. 7) of the first lock mechanism 4 described above is inserted and removed, and extends in the vertical direction with an open upper end.

[0037] The through holes 16L, 16R are provided in the front ends of the left wall portion 13L and the right wall portion 13R, and are provided at approximately the same height as the upper end surface of the pillar mounting bracket 15. The first slot 17 is provided in approximately the center in the front-to-rear direction of the upper end surface portion 13RU of the right wall portion 13R.

[0038] The support pillar receiving body 13 also has a first cam surface 18 provided at the intersection of the upper end surface portion 13RU and the front surface portion 13RF on the right wall portion 13R. The first cam surface 18 is formed by cutting out the intersection portion in a radius of curvature. The first cam surface 18 is a cam surface that guides the first lock bar 24 toward the first slot 17 when the first wall member 2 stands up, as will be described in detail later.

[0039] When the pallet 100 is folded, the first wall member 2 is in a folded or overturned state, and the upper end of the support pole receiving body 13 is exposed. To prevent fingers or the like from hitting this upper end and causing injury, chamfered surfaces 19A, 19B, and 19C are appropriately provided on the upper end (specifically, the upper end surface) of the support pole receiving body 13.

[0040] A crank portion 20 is formed at the same height on the front portion 13LF of the left wall portion 13L and the front portion 13RF of the right wall portion 13R. As a result, the front-to-rear width of the left wall portion 13L and the right wall portion 13R is smaller at the upper portion than at the lower portion. The crank portion 20 is formed at a position higher than the through holes 16L, 16R.

[0041] The pillar receivers 6 configured as described above are provided at the four corners of the bottom plate member 1, front, rear, left and right. As shown in Fig. 4, for example, at the front end of the bottom plate member 1, the pillar receivers 6 provided at the left and right ends are arranged so that their front faces (the faces on the near side in the thickness direction of the paper in Fig. 6(A)) face the left-right center C2. These left and right pillar receivers 6 are arranged to face each other.

[0042] The arrangement of the support column receivers 6 is the same at the rear end portion of the bottom plate member 1.

[0043] Next, the first wall member 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0044] Fig. 7 shows the first wall member 2 alone. As described above, the orientation of the first wall member 2 also differs depending on its mounting position (i.e., whether it is the left wall member 2L or the right wall member 2R). Therefore, Fig. 7(A) is a front view as seen from the front, and based on this, the front, back, left, right, top and bottom directions are defined as shown in Fig. 7(A). In Fig. 7(A), the front side in the thickness direction of the paper is the front, the back side in the thickness direction of the paper is the back, the right side facing the paper is the left, the left side is the right, the upper side is the top, and the lower side is the bottom. Therefore, Fig. 7(B) is a left side view.

[0045] The first wall member 2 has a pair of first supports 21 provided at the left and right ends thereof, and a first wall body 22 that spans the first supports 21 and is fixed to the first supports 21 by welding or the like. The first wall body 22 is formed of a lattice-like metal net and extends in the left-right and up-down directions. The first wall body 22 is constructed by assembling a plurality of horizontal members 22A extending in the left-right direction and a plurality of vertical members 22B extending in the up-down direction in a lattice shape.

[0046] The left and right first pillars 21 are symmetrical. The first pillars 21 are rectangular tubular shapes extending in the vertical direction and having a rectangular (approximately square) cross section. A shaft insertion tube 23 extending in the horizontal direction is fixed by welding or the like to the corners where the front and bottom surfaces of the first pillars 21 intersect.

[0047] 8(A) and (B) partially show the right and left first pillars 21 as viewed from the VIIIA-VIIIA cross section and the VIIIB-VIIIB cross section of FIG. 7(A), respectively.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 8(B), the first support pillar 21 on the left side is provided with an elongated hole 25 through which the first lock bar 24 of the first lock mechanism 4 is inserted. The elongated hole 25 has a special shape and is configured by continuously connecting an upper substantially circular hole 26 and a lower elongated hole 27. The diameter of the substantially circular hole 26 is larger than the diameter of the lower elongated hole 27, and the lower elongated hole 27 extends downward from the substantially circular hole 26.

[0049] The substantially circular hole 26 is not perfectly circular, but is configured such that the rear end of the perfectly circular hole is closed in a chord shape by a chord portion 28 .

[0050] Such a long hole 25 is provided on the right side surface of the lower end portion of the left first support pillar 21, i.e., on the surface on the inner side in the left-right direction. Here, assuming a left-right center C3 of the first wall member 2 (corresponding to the front-rear center C1 of the pallet 100), the direction approaching the left-right center C3 in the left-right direction is called the inner side in the left-right direction, and the direction moving away from the left-right center C3 is called the outer side in the left-right direction. Therefore, the long hole 25 is disposed facing inward in the left-right direction.

[0051] Basically, the long hole 25 is provided symmetrically on the right-side first support pillar 21 as well. Therefore, the left and right long holes 25 face each other.

[0052] However, as can be seen by comparing Figures 8(A) and (B), the approximately circular holes 26 at the top of the slots 25 are not symmetrical. The approximately circular hole 26 on the right side shown in Figure 8(A) is configured so that the front end of the completely circular hole is closed in a chord shape by the chord portion 28. Therefore, the approximately circular holes 26 on the left and right are symmetrical in shape from front to back. The phases around the center of the holes are shifted by 180° from each other.

[0053] 7(B), a completely circular through-hole 29 is provided in the left side surface of the left first support pillar 21, the through-hole 29 being coaxial with and having the same diameter as the approximately circular hole 26. A through-hole 29 is also provided in the right first support pillar 21, symmetrically.

[0054] Figure 9 shows the first lock bar 24 by itself. Here, Figure 9(A) is a front view as seen from the front, and based on this, the front, back, left, right, top and bottom directions are defined as shown in Figure 9(A). In Figure 7(A), the front side in the thickness direction of the paper is the front, the back side in the thickness direction of the paper is the back, the right side as viewed from the paper is the left, the left side is the right, the upper side is the top, and the lower side is the bottom. Therefore, in Figure 9(B) is a right side view, and (C) is a left side view.

[0055] The first lock bar 24 has a rod-shaped first lock bar body 30 extending in the left-right direction, and left and right flange plates 31L, 31R fitted into the left and right ends of the first lock bar body 30 and fixed by welding or the like. The first lock bar body 30 is formed from a metal rod or metal pipe with a circular cross section.

[0056] The left and right flange plates 31L, 31R are configured to be tightly fitted and inserted into the left and right substantially circular holes 26, and have the same shape as the left and right substantially circular holes 26. The left and right flange plates 31L, 31R are out of phase with each other by 180° about the central axis C4 of the first lock bar 24 in correspondence with the left and right substantially circular holes 26.

[0057] When attaching the first lock bar 24, the first lock bar 24 is inserted, for example, from the left side, i.e., from the outside, of the left first support 21, in the order of the left through-hole 29 and the left approximately circular hole 26. At this time, the orientation of the right flange plate 31R of the first lock bar 24 and the left approximately circular hole 26 are aligned. This allows the first lock bar 24 to pass through the left first support 21.

[0058] Next, the first lock bar 24 is inserted toward the right side until it reaches the right-side first support pillar 21. When it reaches the right-side first support pillar 21, the first lock bar 24 is rotated 180° about its central axis C4, and the orientation of the right-side flange plate 31R and the right-side substantially circular hole 26 is aligned.

[0059] Therefore, by inserting the first lock bar 24 to the right side, the right flange plate 31R is inserted into the right substantially circular hole 26. In this state, as shown in Fig. 7(A), the right and left flange plates 31R, 31L are respectively inside the right and left first support pillars 21.

[0060] This completes the installation of the first lock bar 24, and the first lock bar 24 becomes capable of moving up and down along the long holes 25 relative to the left and right first support posts 21.

[0061] Once the first lock bar 24 is attached, it will not come loose unless the orientation of the left and right flange plates 31L, 31R is aligned with the orientation of the left and right substantially circular holes 26, and there is only one phase in which it can be removed within 360°. Therefore, the first lock bar 24 will not come loose during use, and a simple structure can be used to prevent it from coming loose.

[0062] On the other hand, when it is necessary to remove the first lock bar 24 for replacement or the like, this can be easily done by aligning the phases of the left and right flange plates 31L, 31R with the substantially circular hole 26. Therefore, maintenance of the first lock bar 24 can be easily performed.

[0063] The first lock bar 24 is a member that is operated by an operator. Therefore, the first lock bar 24 is preferably colored in a different color from the first wall member 2 so that the first lock bar 24 can be easily distinguished from the first wall member 2.

[0064] Although the first lock bar 24 is inserted from the left side to the right side here, it may be inserted from the right side to the left side.

[0065] 1 and 7, the first wall member 2 has an upper bracket 33U and a lower bracket 33D with which the second lock bar 32 of the above-mentioned second lock mechanism 5 is engaged. The upper bracket 33U and the lower bracket 33D are disposed symmetrically on the left and right first pillars 21 and fixed by welding or the like.

[0066] Figure 10 shows the upper bracket 33U and lower bracket 33D in the first wall member 2 on the left side, with (1A) being a front view of the upper bracket 33U, (1B) being a top view of the upper bracket 33U, (2A) being a front view of the lower bracket 33D, and (2B) being a top view of the lower bracket 33D.

[0067] These brackets 33U, 33D are made of metal plates and are U-shaped when viewed from above. The upper end surfaces of the brackets 33U, 33D are provided with second slots 34U, 34D located in the center in the left-right direction, and second cam surfaces 35U, 35D located adjacent to the right side (inner side in the left-right direction) of the second slots 34U, 34D.

[0068] Although the details will be described later, the second slots 34U, 34D are slots through which the second lock bar 32 is inserted so as to be movable up and down. The second cam surfaces 35U, 35D are cam surfaces that guide the second lock bar 32 toward the second slots 34U, 34D when the second wall member 3 is raised. In the present embodiment, the second cam surfaces 35U, 35D are formed by linearly inclined surfaces that gradually become higher from the right side (inner side in the left-right direction) toward the left side (outer side in the left-right direction). The inclination angle θ1 of the lower second cam surface 35D is set larger than the inclination angle θ2 of the upper second cam surface 35D.

[0069] When attaching the first wall member 2 to the bottom plate member 1, the first lock bar 24 is attached to the first wall member 2 in advance. Next, the first wall member 2 is attached to the left and right ends of the bottom plate member 1 so that the front surface of the first wall member 2 (the surface on the front side in the thickness direction of the paper surface in FIG. 7(A)) faces the inside in the left-right direction of the bottom plate member 1 (see FIG. 1). At this time, as also shown in FIG. 22, the first support 21 of the first wall member 2 is inserted and fitted into the support receiver 6 of the bottom plate member 1 from above. Then, the rotating shaft 36 is inserted into the shaft insertion tube 23 of the first wall member 2 and the through holes 16L, 16R of the bottom plate member 1. As a result, the first wall member 2 is connected to the bottom plate member 1 in a rotatable manner. The rotating shaft 36 is fixed to the support receiver 6 by welding or the like.

[0070] 1 and 2, and a folded state in which the first wall member 2 is tilted about 90° inward in the left-right direction (toward the left-right center C2) from the upright state, or a tilted state. The first wall member 2 is in the upright state when the pallet 100 is in use, and is in the folded state when the pallet 100 is not in use or is stored.

[0071] 20 shows in a transparent manner the attachment state of the first support pillar 21 of the first wall member 2, the first lock bar 24 of the first locking mechanism 4, and the support pillar receiver 6 of the bottom plate member 1. The first wall member 2 in the standing state is shown in solid lines, and the first wall member 2 in the folded state is shown in imaginary lines. In the standing state, the first support pillar 21 is placed on the support pillar mounting bracket 15, and part of the weight of the first wall member 2 is supported from below by the support pillar mounting bracket 15. Then, the first lock bar body 30 of the first lock bar 24 is inserted into the first slot 17, and the first wall member 2 is locked in the standing state.

[0072] 23 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment state of the first support pillar 21, first lock bar 24, and support pillar receiver 6 when the first wall member 2 is in an upright state. Because the flange plate 31L of the first lock bar 24 is positioned inside the first support pillar 21, the first lock bar 24 will not come out of the elongated hole 25. The first lock bar body 30 of the first lock bar 24 is inserted into the lower elongated hole 27 of the elongated hole 25 and the first slot 17, and is positioned at their lower ends.

[0073] Next, the second wall member 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0074] Fig. 11 shows the second wall member 3 alone. As above, the orientation of the second wall member 3 also differs depending on its mounting position (i.e., whether it is the front wall member 2F or the rear wall member). Therefore, Fig. 11(A) is a front view as seen from the front, and based on this, the front, back, left, right, top and bottom directions are defined as shown in Fig. 7(A). In Fig. 7(A), the front side in the thickness direction of the paper is the front, the back side in the thickness direction of the paper is the back, the right side facing the paper is the left, the left side is the right, the upper side is the top, and the lower side is the bottom. Therefore, Fig. 11(B) is a left side view.

[0075] Similarly, in Fig. 12, Fig. 13 and Fig. 16, (A) is a front view and (B) is a left side view. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in Fig. 13, and Fig. 15 is a front view.

[0076] 11, the second wall member 3 is divided into two parts, an upper part and a lower part, and is composed of an upper second wall member 3U and a lower second wall member 3D. The upper second wall member 3U and the lower second wall member 3D are rotatably connected to each other by a plurality (three) of hinges 37. In this way, the second wall member 3 has the upper second wall member 3U and the lower second wall member 3D that are rotatably connected to each other.

[0077] Since the upper second wall member 3U and the lower second wall member 3D have substantially the same configuration, the following description will mainly focus on the upper second wall member 3U.

[0078] 12, the upper second wall member 3U has a pair of second support pillars 38 provided at the left and right ends thereof, and a second wall main body 39 that spans the second support pillars 38 and is fixed by welding or the like to the second support pillars 38. The second wall main body 39 is formed of a lattice-shaped metal net and extends in the left-right and up-down directions.

[0079] A second lock bar 40 constituting the second lock mechanism 5 is provided on the second upper wall member 3U so as to be movable up and down. The second lock bar 40 spans between the left and right second support posts 38 and is provided on the left and right second support posts 38 so as to be movable up and down. Fig. 13 shows the second upper wall member 3U alone, and Fig. 15 shows the second lock bar 40 alone.

[0080] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the left and right second pillars 38 in the upper second wall member 3U are symmetrical. The second pillars 38 are rectangular plates extending in the vertical direction. A second wall main body 39 is sandwiched between the left and right second pillars 38 and fixed thereto by welding or the like. Covers 41U and 41D that cover the upper and lower ends of the second wall main body 39 are also sandwiched between the left and right second pillars 38 and fixed thereto by welding or the like.

[0081] The second support 38 has an elongated hole 42 through which the second lock bar 40 is inserted. The elongated hole 42 is a linear elongated hole extending in the vertical direction, and is provided adjacent to the rear of the second wall main body 39 so that the second lock bar 40 and the second wall main body 39 do not interfere with each other.

[0082] The elongated hole 42 is also provided symmetrically in the right-side second support pillar 38. Therefore, the left and right elongated holes 38 face each other.

[0083] The second wall body 39 is configured by assembling a plurality of vertical members 43 and horizontal members 44 in a lattice pattern. Meanwhile, in the upper half of the second wall body 39, a missing portion 45 is formed in which a predetermined number (two in this embodiment) of horizontal members 44 are missing. By arranging the ladder-shaped second lock bar 40 in this missing portion 45, it is possible to present an appearance as if the missing portion 45 does not exist.

[0084] 15 and 16, the second lock bar 40 has a ladder shape extending in the left-right direction as a whole. The second lock bar 40 has a pair of end plates 46 that are provided at the left and right ends and extend in the up-down direction, a pair of upper and lower lock bar horizontal members 47 that extend in the left-right direction, span the end plates 46, and are fixed to the end plates 46 by welding or the like, and a number of lock bar vertical members 48 that connect the lock bar horizontal members 47.

[0085] The second lock bar 40 also has a lock pin 49 that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the left and right end plates 46 (in a direction away from the left-right center C5 of the second wall member 3 (corresponding to the left-right center C2 of the pallet 100)), and a flange 50 that is fixed to the left-right outer tip of the lock pin 49 by welding or the like.

[0086] The lock bar horizontal members 47, the lock bar vertical members 48, and the lock pins 49 are formed from metal rods with a circular cross section. The distance between the upper and lower lock bar horizontal members 47 is set equal to the distance between the horizontal members 44. The left-right positions and distance between the lock bar vertical members 48 are set equal to the left-right positions and distance between the vertical members 43.

[0087] The second lock bar 40 is a member that is operated by an operator. Therefore, the second lock bar 40 is preferably colored in a different color from the second wall main body 39 so that the second lock bar 40 can be easily distinguished from the second wall main body 39.

[0088] The above configuration is the same for the second upper wall member 3U and the second lower wall member 3D. Therefore, the second locking mechanism 5 is provided individually for the second upper wall member 3U and the second lower wall member 3D.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of (three) hinges 37 are attached to the front surfaces of the lower cover 41D of the upper second wall member 3U and the upper cover 41U of the lower second wall member 3D.

[0090] In addition, a rotating shaft 51 is provided at the bottom and both left and right ends of the lower second wall member 3D. The rotating shaft 51 is formed by bending a metal rod, and has an engagement portion 52 that extends in the left-right direction at a position rearward and slightly below the second wall member 3D.

[0091] Furthermore, the upper cover 41U of the lower second wall member 3D is provided with a plurality (two) of cushioning materials 53 that come into contact with the bottom plate member 1 when the lower second wall member 3D is toppled over to absorb impact and prevent damage. The cushioning materials 53 are made of an elastic material such as rubber. Note that such cushioning materials can also be provided as appropriate on other members that come into contact with opposing members.

[0092] When attaching the second wall member 3 to the bottom plate member 1, first, the second lock bar 40 is attached to the upper second wall member 3U and the lower second wall member 3D in a similar manner.

[0093] For example, when attaching the second lock bar 40 to the upper second wall member 3U, the upper and lower lock bar cross members 47 of the second lock bar 40 are inserted into the left and right long holes 42 of the upper second wall member 3U. Then, the left and right end plates 46 are fixed by welding or the like to the left and right ends of the upper and lower lock bar cross members 47 protruding from the left and right long holes 42. The lock pins 49 and flanges 50 are fixed in advance to the left and right end plates 46 by welding or the like. In this way, the second lock bar 40 is attached to the left and right second supports 38 so as to be able to move up and down and to slide along the long holes 42.

[0094] When the second wall member 3 is in an upright position, the second lock bar 40 is positioned at the lower end of the elongated hole 42. At this time, the lock bar horizontal members 47 and the horizontal members 44 are positioned at equal intervals overall, and the lock bar vertical members 48 and the vertical members 43 are positioned in the same position, thereby providing a natural appearance.

[0095] After the second lock bar 40 is attached to the second upper wall member 3U and the second lower wall member 3D in this manner, the hinges 37 are fixed to the front surface of the lower cover 41D of the second upper wall member 3U and the front surface of the upper cover 41U of the second lower wall member 3D. This completes the assembly of the second wall member 3.

[0096] Next, the completed second wall members 3 are attached to the front and rear end portions of the bottom plate member 1 in a similar manner. At this time, the front and rear second wall members 3 are arranged so that the front faces of the front and rear second wall members 3 (front faces in FIG. 11(A)) face inward in the front-rear direction (toward the front-rear center C1). In other words, the front and rear second wall members 3 are arranged so that the front faces of the front and rear second wall members 3 face each other.

[0097] 17, a bracket 54 is attached in advance to the bottom plate frame 7 of the bottom plate member 1, and the engaging portion 52 of the rotating shaft 51 is inserted into the space surrounded by the arm 55 of this bracket 54 and the bottom plate frame 7. The arm 55 of the bracket 54 is initially open as shown by the imaginary line a so that the engaging portion 52 can be inserted, and after the engaging portion 52 is inserted, it is bent from its base and abutted against the bottom plate frame 7 and fixed by welding or the like. This closes the space and prevents the rotating shaft 51 from coming loose. In this way, the second wall member 3 is rotatably attached to the bottom plate member 1.

[0098] 3, the brackets 54 are provided at positions corresponding to the pivot shafts 51 of the front and rear second wall members 3. That is, the brackets 54 are provided such that the arms 55 face the inner surfaces in the front-rear direction of the front and rear cross members 7B of the bottom plate frame 7.

[0099] Next, the first wall member 2 is locked in an upright state, and the second wall member 3 is raised, and the lock pins 49 of the upper and lower second lock bars 40 are engaged with the upper bracket 33U and the lower bracket 33D of the first wall member 2. At this time, the flanges 50 at the ends of the upper and lower lock pins 49 are inserted into the upper bracket 33U and the lower bracket 33D, while the upper and lower lock pins 49 are inserted from above into the second slots 34U, 34D of the upper bracket 33U and the lower bracket 33. As a result, the upper and lower second lock bars 40 are engaged with the upper bracket 33U and the lower bracket 33D, and the second wall member 3 is locked to the first wall member 2 in an upright state.

[0100] Next, a method of using the pallet 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0101] First, a folding method for folding the pallet 100 in which the first wall member 2 and the second wall member 3 are in an upright state will be described.

[0102] First, the front and rear second wall members 3 are folded. In this example, the front second wall member 3 is folded first. Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram of the state when folded. Figure 18(A) shows the second wall member 3 in the initial standing state.

[0103] At this time, the worker stands in front of the pallet 100 (the front side in the thickness direction of the paper surface in FIG. 1) and pulls up the second lock bar 40 of the upper second wall member 3U to release the lock of the upper second wall member 3U to the first wall member 2. For example, the worker holds the upper lock bar horizontal member 47 of the second lock bar 40 and the upper cover 41U (see FIG. 11) of the upper second wall member 3U directly above it with both hands from the front to pull up the second lock bar 40 horizontally. As a result, the left and right lock pins 49 of the second lock bar 40 are pulled out of the second slot 34U of the upper bracket 33U, and the lock is released. Then, while holding the lock bar horizontal member 47 and the upper cover 41U with both hands, the worker gently tilts the upper second wall member 3U forward (toward the worker) as shown in FIG. 18(B). As a result, the upper second wall member 3U rotates relative to the lower second wall member 3D by the hinge 37, and the upper second wall member 3U is placed on the front side of the lower second wall member 3D.

[0104] Next, the second lock bar 40 of the lower second wall member 3U is pulled up to release the lock of the lower second wall member 3U with respect to the first wall member 2. At this time, the worker holds the upper lock bar horizontal member 47 of the second lock bar 40 and the upper cover 41U (see FIG. 11) of the lower second wall member 3U directly above it with both hands from behind the lower second wall member 3U to pull up the second lock bar 40 horizontally. As a result, the left and right lock pins 49 of the second lock bar 40 are pulled out of the second slot 34D of the lower bracket 33D, and the lock is released. Then, while holding the lock bar horizontal member 47 and the upper cover 41U with both hands, the worker gently tilts the lower second wall member 3D backward (away from the worker) as shown in FIG. 18(C). As a result, the lower second wall member 3D rotates relative to the bottom plate member 1 around the engaging portion 52 of the rotating shaft 51, and the lower second wall member 3D is stacked on top of the bottom plate member 1 together with the upper second wall member 3U.

[0105] In this manner, with the upper second wall member 3U stacked on top of the lower second wall member 3D, these are stacked on top of the bottom plate member 1, and the second wall member 3 is folded. This state of the second wall member 3 is called a folded state or a fallen state.

[0106] On the other hand, the rear second wall member 3 is folded onto the bottom plate member 1 in a similar manner, except that the front and rear are reversed. Therefore, a detailed description will be omitted. Note that the folded front and rear second wall members 3 do not interfere with each other.

[0107] Next, the left and right first wall members 2 are folded. In this example, the left first wall member 2 (left wall member 2L) is folded first. Figure 19 shows a schematic diagram of the state when folded. Figure 19(A) shows the first wall member 2 in the initial standing state.

[0108] At this time, the worker stands on the left side of the pallet 100 (the front side in the thickness direction of the paper surface in FIG. 2) and pulls up the first lock bar 24 to release the lock of the first wall member 2 to the bottom plate member 1. For example, the worker holds the first lock bar body 30 of the first lock bar 24 and the cross member 22A (see FIG. 2) of the first wall member 2 directly above it with both hands from the left side, and pulls up the first lock bar 24 horizontally. As a result, the left and right ends of the first lock bar body 30 of the first lock bar 24 are pulled out of the first slots 17 of the left and right support receivers 6, and the lock is released. Then, while holding the upper end of the first wall member 2 with one hand, the first wall member 2 is gently tilted to the right (away from the worker) as shown in FIG. 19(B). As a result, the first wall member 2 is rotated and overturned by the rotating shaft 36 relative to the support bracket 6 and ultimately the bottom plate member 1, and the first wall member 2 is stacked on top of the upper second wall member 3U that is already on the bottom plate member 1.

[0109] In this way, the first wall member 2 is folded. This state of the first wall member 2 is called a folded state or a fallen state. In Fig. 20, the first wall member 2 in the upright state is shown by a solid line, and the first wall member 2 in the folded state is shown by a virtual line.

[0110] On the other hand, the first wall member 2 on the right side (right wall member 2R) is folded in a similar manner, except that the left and right are reversed. Therefore, a detailed description will be omitted. Note that the folded left and right first wall members 2 do not interfere with each other.

[0111] Next, a method for erecting the first wall member 2 and the second wall member 3 from the folded state will be described. This is basically performed by performing the reverse procedure of the folding method described above.

[0112] First, the left and right first wall members 2 are erected. In this example, the left first wall member 2 (left wall member 2L) is erected first.

[0113] At this time, the worker stands on the left side of the pallet 100, grabs the upper end of the first wall member 2, and simply lifts it up. As a result, the first wall member 2 rotates with respect to the support column receiver 6 and thus the bottom plate member 1 by the rotating shaft 36 and stands up.

[0114] At this time, the first lock bar 24 is automatically locked without any operation. That is, while the first wall member 2 is rotating, the left and right ends of the first lock bar body 30 of the first lock bar 24 slide up on the cam surfaces 18 of the left and right support column receivers 6, as shown by imaginary lines in Figure 20, and are guided toward the first slot 17. Then, when the ends of the first lock bar body 30 reach the upper end entrance of the first slot 17, the first lock bar 24 descends under its own weight, and the first lock bar body 30 is inserted into the first slot 17. This locks the first lock bar 24, and the first wall member 2 is locked in the upright position.

[0115] On the other hand, the first wall member 2 on the right side is locked in a similar procedure, except that the left and right are reversed, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0116] Next, the front and rear second wall members 3 are erected. In this example, the front second wall member 3 is erected first.

[0117] At this time, the worker stands in front of the pallet 100, grabs the upper end of the upper second wall member 3U stacked on the upper stage, and simply pulls it up. As a result, the upper second wall member 3U rotates relative to the lower second wall member 3D by the hinge 37, and the lower second wall member 3D rotates relative to the bottom plate member 1 by the engagement portion 52 of the rotation shaft 51, and the upper second wall member 3U and the lower second wall member 3D are erected at the same time.

[0118] At this time, the upper and lower second lock bars 40 are automatically locked without any operation. That is, for the second lock bar 40 of the lower second wall member 3D, while the lower second wall member 3D is rotating, the left and right lock pins 49 of the second lock bar 40 slide up on the cam surface 35D of the lower bracket 33D and are guided toward the second slot 34D as shown in FIG. 21(B). Then, when the lock pins 49 reach the upper end entrance of the second slot 34D, the second lock bar 40 descends under its own weight and the lock pins 49 are inserted into the second slot 34D. This locks the second lock bar 40, and the lower second wall member 3D is locked in the upright position.

[0119] The same is true for the upper second wall member 3U. During rotation of the upper second wall member 3U, the left and right lock pins 49 of the second lock bar 40 slide up on the cam surface 35U of the upper bracket 33U and are guided toward the second slot 34U, as shown in Fig. 21(A). When the lock pins 49 reach the upper end entrance of the second slot 34U, the second lock bar 40 descends under its own weight, and the lock pins 49 are inserted into the second slot 34U. This locks the second lock bar 40, and the upper second wall member 3U is locked in the upright position.

[0120] On the other hand, the rear second wall member 3 is locked in a similar manner, except that the front and rear are reversed, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0121] As described above, in this embodiment, when the first wall member 2 in the upright state is to be unlocked, the locks on the front and rear support receivers 6 can be released simultaneously by simply lifting the first lock bar 24.

[0122] Furthermore, when the first wall member 2 in the folded state is raised and locked, the first lock bar 24 can be automatically locked to the front and rear support receivers 6 simply by lifting the first wall member 2.

[0123] The same applies to the second wall member 3. When unlocking the second wall member 3 in the upright state, simply by lifting the second lock bar 40, the locks on the left and right first wall members 2 can be released simultaneously.

[0124] Furthermore, when the second wall member 3 in the folded state is raised and locked, the second lock bar 40 can be automatically locked to the left and right first wall members 2 simply by lifting the second wall member 2.

[0125] Therefore, when locking and unlocking, there is no need to lift the wall member as with the pallet of the first conventional example, and even workers with weak strength such as women can easily lock and unlock. Also, unlike the pallet of the second conventional example, the worker does not have to move to both ends of the wall member each time, and both ends can be locked and unlocked simultaneously. Therefore, locking and unlocking can be performed more easily than with the second conventional example.

[0126] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail above, various other embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible.

[0127] (1) For example, the cam surface 18 of the support 6 may be formed by a linearly inclined surface, and the cam surfaces 35U, 35D of the brackets 33U, 33D may be formed by a radiused surface. The shapes of these cam surfaces can be changed as desired.

[0128] (2) The above-described configuration of the first wall member 2 and the first locking mechanism 4 may be applied to only one of the left and right first wall members.

[0129] (3) The configuration of the second wall member 3 and the second locking mechanism 5 described above may be applied to only one of the front and rear second wall members.

[0130] (4) In the embodiment described above, the first lock bar 24 is attached by first inserting the first lock bar 24 from the outside into the first support pillar 21 of the first wall member 2. However, the first lock bar 24 may be attached by first inserting the first lock bar 24 from the inside into the first support pillar 21 of the first wall member 2. The attachment method in this case will be described below.

[0131] 7 and other drawings, the first lock bar 24 is inserted, for example, from the right side, i.e., the inside, of the left first support pillar 21 into the left substantially circular hole 26. At this time, the left flange plate 31L of the first lock bar 24 is aligned with the left substantially circular hole 26. As a result, the left flange plate 31L is inserted into the left first support pillar 21.

[0132] Next, the first lock bar 24 is inserted further to the left. In this way, before the first lock bar 24 reaches the left through-hole 29, the right end of the first lock bar 24 is positioned to the left of the right-side first support post 21. This makes it possible to insert the right end of the first lock bar 24 from the left side, i.e., the inside, of the right-side first support post 21 into the right-side substantially circular hole 26.

[0133] At this time, the first lock bar 24 is rotated 180° about its central axis C4, and the orientation of the right flange plate 31R and the right substantially circular hole 26 are aligned.

[0134] Therefore, by inserting the first lock bar 24 to the right, the right flange plate 31R is inserted into the right substantially circular hole 26. Then, the right flange plate 31R is also inserted into the first support pillar 21 on the right side.

[0135] This completes the installation of the first lock bar 24, and the first lock bar 24 becomes capable of moving up and down along the long holes 25 relative to the left and right first support posts 21.

[0136] As will be appreciated, this method of inserting from the inside does not use the through-hole 29 of the first post 21. Thus, the through-hole 29 may be omitted.

[0137] On the other hand, when it is desired to remove the first lock bar 24 for replacement or the like, this can be easily done by carrying out the above steps in reverse. Therefore, maintenance of the first lock bar 24 can be easily carried out.

[0138] Here, the first lock bar 24 is first inserted into the left first support pillar 21 and then into the right first support pillar 21, but the insertion order may be reversed.

[0139] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications, applications, and equivalents encompassed within the spirit of the present disclosure as defined by the claims are included in the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited, and can be applied to any other technology that falls within the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0140] 1 Bottom plate member 2. First wall member 3 Second wall member 3U Upper 2nd wall member 3D Lower 2nd wall member 4 First locking mechanism 5 Second locking mechanism 6 Support post 17 1st Slot 18 First cam surface 21 1st pillar 24 No. 1 Rock Bar 34U,34D 2nd slot 35U, 35D Second cam surface 38 Second pillar 40 2nd Rock Bar 100 pallets

Claims

1. A pallet, comprising: A bottom plate member; a first wall member rotatably provided on at least one of the left and right ends of the bottom plate member; a first locking mechanism for locking the first wall member to the bottom plate member in an upright state; Equipped with The first wall member has first pillars provided at front and rear ends thereof, the bottom plate member has front and rear support columns to which the front and rear first support columns are rotatably connected, The first locking mechanism is A first lock bar that spans the front and rear first pillars and is provided on the front and rear first pillars so as to be movable up and down; a first slot provided in the front and rear support columns, into which the first lock bar can be inserted and removed in the up-down direction; having The pallet is the first wall member rotatably provided at the left and right ends of the bottom plate member; a second wall member rotatably provided on at least one of the front and rear ends of the bottom plate member; a second locking mechanism for locking the second wall member in an upright state relative to the left and right first wall members; Equipped with The second wall member has second pillars provided at left and right ends thereof, The second locking mechanism is A second lock bar that spans the left and right second support columns and is provided on the left and right second support columns so as to be movable up and down; a second slot provided in at least one of the first posts at the front and rear of the first wall members, into which the second lock bar can be inserted and removed in the up-down direction; have A pallet characterized by:

2. The first locking mechanism has a first cam surface provided on the front and rear support columns and configured to guide the first locking bar toward the first slot when the first wall member is raised.

2. A pallet according to claim 1.

3. The first cam surface is formed by a curved surface or a linearly inclined surface.

3. A pallet according to claim 2.

4. The second lock mechanism has a second cam surface that is provided on at least one of the first pillars at the front and rear of the left and right first wall members and guides the second lock bar toward the second slot when the second wall member is erected.

2. A pallet according to claim 1.

5. The second cam surface is formed by a curved surface or a linearly inclined surface.

5. A pallet according to claim 4.

6. The second wall member includes an upper second wall member and a lower second wall member that are pivotally connected to each other, The second locking mechanism is provided individually on the upper second wall member and the lower second wall member.

2. A pallet according to claim 1.

Images