attachment

Abstract

To provide an attachment capable of surely engaging a sling belt of a lifted load.SOLUTION: A load receiving part 46 of an upper clamping member 31 is pushed down by a sling belt of a lifted load through lifting a flexible container bag 5, and a front-end part 45 of an upper arm 36 is rushed between a pair of bar members 24, 24 of a lower clamping member 23. In this way, the sling belt can be surely engaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment that is attached to the forks of a forklift when used. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a forklift attachment device that includes an attachment part that is detachably attached to the forks of a forklift, and a hanging part that is fixed integrally to the attachment part (hereinafter referred to as a "conventional attachment") and can hang a suspended object. The suspended object is assumed to be a flexible container bag (hereinafter referred to as a "flexible container bag") that contains grain, feed, soil, sand, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-96597 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When transporting a flexible container bag (cargo) using a forklift equipped with a conventional attachment, it was difficult to securely fasten the lifting belt of the lifted cargo.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an attachment which is attached to the forks of a forklift and can reliably hold a lifting belt of a lifted load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The attachment of the present invention is an attachment that is attached to the forks of a forklift and used, and comprises a cylindrical body that is inserted into the forks when used, and a clamping portion that is provided at the tip of the cylindrical body and clamps the hanging portion of a cargo, the clamping portion having a lower clamping member that supports the hanging portion, an upper clamping member that is rotatable between an open position when the clamping mouth is open and a closed position when the clamping mouth is closed, and a biasing member that biases the upper clamping member towards the open position, the lower clamping member having a pair of rod members extending side by side from the tip of the cylindrical body in the longitudinal direction, and the upper clamping member is inserted between the pair of rod members when the cargo receiving portion is pushed down by the hanging portion of the cargo. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, in an attachment which is attached to the forks of a forklift when in use, the lifting belt of a lifted load can be securely hooked. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment, being a plan view of a forklift having attachments attached to its forks. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment, being a side view of a forklift having an attachment attached to a fork. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the front end portion of the attachment according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the clamping opening is open. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the front end portion of the attachment according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front end portion of the attachment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view of the front end portion of the attachment according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the clamping opening is closed. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the first embodiment, showing a side view of a forklift immediately before lifting a flexible container bag and immediately after lowering the flexible container bag. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment, and is a side view of a forklift truck showing a state in which a flexible container bag is hoisted. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the first embodiment, and is a side view of the clamping part showing a state immediately before lifting a flexible container bag and a state immediately after lowering the flexible container bag. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the first embodiment, being a side view of the clamping part showing a state in which a flexible container bag is lifted. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another form of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the second embodiment, being a side view of the front end portion of the attachment showing a state in which the clamping opening is open. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the second embodiment, being a side view of the front end portion of the attachment showing the state in which the clamping opening is closed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following explanation, the directions are based on the line of sight of the driver 8 (see Figure 7) seated in the seat 2 of the forklift 1, and the upward direction in Figure 1 is referred to as the rightward direction, the downward direction in Figure 1 is referred to as the leftward direction, and the upward and downward directions in Figure 2 are referred to as the up and down directions.

[0010] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the attachments 11, 11 according to the first embodiment are attached to the forks 3, 3 of a forklift 1 when in use. In the first embodiment, the attachment 11 attached to the right fork 3 and the attachment 11 attached to the left fork 3 are configured symmetrically. Therefore, for the purpose of simplifying the description of the specification, only the right attachment 11 will be described in detail. Also, in the first embodiment, the target cargo is a FIBC bag 5 (flexible container bag, see Fig. 7), but it is not intended that the cargo be limited to a FIBC bag 5.

[0011] The attachment 11 comprises a sheath-shaped auxiliary fork 12 (cylinder) that is inserted into the fork 3 when used, and a clamping portion 21 that is provided at the front end (tip) of the auxiliary fork 12 and clamps the hanging belt 6 (hanging portion, see Figure 7) of the flexi-con bag 5. A fixing pin 13 is provided at the rear end of the auxiliary fork 12 so as to be removable. The fixing pin 13 abuts against the heel 4 (see Figure 2) of the fork 3 to prevent the auxiliary fork 12 from coming off the fork 3. An R portion 14 is provided at the inner corner (the "lower side" in Figure 5) of the front end of the auxiliary fork 12.

[0012] 3 to 5, the clamping section 21 has a lower clamping member 23 on which the suspending belt 6 (see FIG. 7) of the flexcon bag 5 is hung. The lower clamping member 23 has a pair of rod members 24, 24 extending forward from the front end surface 15 of the auxiliary fork 12. The rod members 24, 24 are made, for example, of round rods and are arranged side by side at a fixed interval in the left-right direction. A reinforcing member 25 is installed on the front ends of the rod members 24, 24. A concave-shaped hook portion 26 for hooking the suspending belt 6 of the flexcon bag 5 is formed in the rear of the lower clamping member 23.

[0013] The clamping portion 21 has an upper clamping member 31 that forms a clamping opening 22 between itself and the lower clamping member 23. The upper clamping member 31 is connected to a clamping bracket 33 via a clamping shaft 32. The clamping bracket 33 is joined to the blade upper surface 16 of the auxiliary fork 12 and is formed in a U-shape that opens forward in a plan view (see FIG. 5). The clamping shaft 32 penetrates the upper clamping member 31 and the clamping bracket 33 in the left-right direction. The upper clamping member 31 is provided rotatably about the clamping shaft 32.

[0014] The upper clamping member 31 has a link 34 formed by cutting a flat plate into a U-shape when viewed from the side (see FIG. 3). The link 34 has a connecting part 35 that is disposed vertically and connected to the clamping bracket 33 when the clamping opening 22 is open (see FIG. 3, hereinafter referred to as the "open state"), an upper arm 36 that extends forward from the upper end of the connecting part 35 in the open state, and a lower arm 37 that extends forward from the lower end of the connecting part 35 in the open state.

[0015] A plurality of (three in the first embodiment) pin insertion holes 39, through which spring receiving pins 38 are inserted, are provided in the upper portion of the connecting portion 35. The pin insertion holes 39 are provided vertically at regular intervals. On the other hand, a plurality of (three in the first embodiment) pin insertion holes 41, through which spring receiving pins 40 are inserted, are provided in the rear portion of the clamping bracket 33. The pin insertion holes 41 are provided diagonally rearward from top to bottom at regular intervals. The pin insertion holes 39 and 41 are provided for adjusting the strength (biasing force) of a tension coil spring 42 (biasing member) described later, and the number of insertion holes may be determined arbitrarily.

[0016] A tension coil spring 42 (biasing member) is stretched between the spring bearing pin 38 on the upper clamping member 31 (link 34) side and the spring bearing pin 40 on the clamping bracket 33 side. As a result, the upper clamping member 31 is biased about the clamping shaft 32 in the opening direction of the clamping mouth 22, i.e., in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3. The upper clamping member 31 is positioned at the opening position (see FIG. 3) when the connecting portion 35 of the link 34 abuts against a stopper (not shown) provided on the clamping bracket 33. In addition, a cover (not shown) that covers the clamping bracket 33 and a part of the tension coil spring 42 is attached to the blade upper surface 16 of the auxiliary fork 12. The size and number of the tension coil springs 42 (urging members) may be determined arbitrarily so as to obtain a required strength (urging force).

[0017] An L-shaped notch 43 is provided on the inside of the link 34 from the upper arm 36 to the connecting portion 35. An L-shaped blocking portion 44 is joined to the notch 43. The blocking portion 44 protrudes laterally by a certain length from both the left and right side surfaces of the link 34. When the clamping mouth 22 is closed (see FIG. 6, hereinafter referred to as the "closed state"), a front end portion 45 of the upper arm 36 (a portion of the upper arm 36 forward of the front end of the blocking portion 44) protrudes between the pair of rod members 24, 24 of the lower clamping member 23. The depth of the notch 43 formed in the link 34 is set to the plate thickness of the blocking portion 44.

[0018] A load receiving portion 46 is formed on the inside (upper side) of the lower arm 37 of the link 34 to receive the suspending belt 6 (see FIG. 7) of the flexcon bag 5 inserted into the clamping mouth 22. The load receiving portion 46 is provided with a first inclined portion 47 extending rearward at an upward gradient so as to be continuous with the guide surface 29 (the upper surface of a pair of upper and lower horizontal surfaces that contact the front end of the rod member 24) of the front end 27 of the lower clamping member 23 (rod member 24) in a side view (see FIG. 3), and a second inclined portion 48 extending rearward at a downward gradient from the rear end (apex) of the first inclined portion 47. The second inclined portion 48 is formed so as to substantially coincide with the hook portion 26 of the lower clamping member 23 in a side view in the closed state (see FIG. 6).

[0019] On the other hand, the attachment 11 has an indication member 51 that indicates that the upper clamping member 31 is in the closed position (see FIG. 6), i.e., that the clamping mouth 22 of the clamping section 21 is closed, which can be visually confirmed by the driver 8 of the forklift 1 (see FIG. 8), and an interlocking section 53 that interlocks the indication member 51 with the rotational movement of the upper clamping member 31 (opening and closing movement of the clamping mouth 22). Note that a reflector that reflects light is used for the indication member 51.

[0020] The interlocking portion 53 has an indicator bracket 54 provided on the blade underside 17 of the auxiliary fork 12, a spring hinge 55 attached to the indicator bracket 54, and a protrusion 59 protruding downward from a middle position in the front-to-rear direction of the upper clamping member 31 (lower arm 37). The spring hinge 55 has a fixed plate 56 on one side fixed to the indicator bracket 54, and an end portion of the indicator member 51 (a portion close to the front end surface 15 of the auxiliary fork 12) fixed to a rotating plate 57 on the other side.

[0021] 3 by the biasing force of the spring hinge 55, the display member 51 is constantly in contact with the protrusion 59 provided on the link 34 of the upper clamping member 31. In the open state, the display member 51 can be configured to be in contact with the outer side of the hook portion 26 of the lower clamping member 23 (rod member 24). In the open state shown in Fig. 3, the display member 51 is held in a state slightly pushed in from the horizontal, in other words, in a state in which the reflective surface 52 of the display member 51 is not visible to the driver 8 of the forklift 1 (see Fig. 7).

[0022] 3 around the clamping shaft 32, the display member 51 moves in conjunction with the upper clamping member 31. That is, the display member 51 is pushed downward by the protrusion 59 formed on the link 34 against the biasing force of the spring hinge 55, and rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 3 around the pin 58 of the spring hinge 55. In the closed state shown in Fig. 6, the display member 51 is held in a state where it is returned slightly forward from the vertical, in other words, where the reflective surface 52 of the display member 51 is visible to the driver 8 of the forklift 1 (see Fig. 8).

[0023] Next, the operation of the attachment 11 according to the first embodiment will be described. When using the attachment 11 to transport a FIBC bag 5 (cargo), first, the fork 3 of the forklift 1 is inserted into the auxiliary fork 12 (cylinder) of the attachment 11 in the same manner as attaching a sheath fork to the fork 3 of the forklift 1. After inserting the fork 3, a fixing pin 13 is attached to the auxiliary fork 12 to fix the auxiliary fork 12 to the fork 3.

[0024] Next, in order to clamp the suspending belts 6 of the FIBC bag 5 with the clamping parts 21 of the attachment 11, the forks 3 of the forklift 1 are raised to a certain height (see FIG. 7). In this state, the suspending belts 6 are inserted through the clamping opening 22 of the clamping parts 21, and the upper end of the suspending belts 6 is moved to the position of the second inclined part 48 of the load receiving part 46 of the upper clamping member 31, in other words, to the position directly above the hooking part 26 of the lower clamping member 23.

[0025] 7 and 9 show a state where the clamping portion 21 has completed clamping the suspension belt 6. In this state, the force that pushes the load receiving portion 46 of the upper clamping member 31 downward against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 42 (biasing member) is not acting (is small), so the upper clamping member 31 does not rotate about the clamping shaft 32, that is, the clamping opening 22 remains open. In addition, the inclination of the second inclined portion 48 prevents the suspension belt 6 from coming off (moving forward) from the position directly above the hook portion 26 of the lower clamping member 23.

[0026] Next, as shown in Fig. 8, the forks 3 of the forklift 1 are raised to hoist the FIBC bag 5. As the forks 3 are raised, the load receiving portions 46 (lower arms 37) of the upper clamping member 31 are pressed down by the hanging belts 6 of the FIBC bag 5. As a result, the upper clamping member 31 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 9 about the clamping shaft 32 against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 42, and the front end portion 45 of the upper arm 36 of the link 34 enters between the pair of rod members 24, 24 of the lower clamping member 23. In the closed state shown in Fig. 10, the closing portion 44 of the upper clamping member 31 covers the hanging belts 6 hooked by the concave hooking portion 26 of the lower clamping member 23.

[0027] Meanwhile, in conjunction with the closing movement of the clamping portion 21 (movement of the link 34), the protrusion 59 of the upper clamping member 31 presses in the display member 51, causing the display member 51 to rotate counterclockwise in Fig. 9 about the pin 58 of the spring hinge 55. Then, in the state in which the clamping mouth 22 is closed as shown in Fig. 10, the display member 51 is held in a state (vertical orientation) in which the reflective surface 52 is visible to the driver 8 of the forklift 1.

[0028] By visually checking the light reflected by the reflective surface 52 of the display member 51, the driver 8 can confirm from above the forklift 1 that the suspending belts 6 are correctly clamped by the clamping parts 21, i.e., that the suspending belts 6 are hooked to the hooking parts 26 of the lower clamping members 23. The forklift 1 is then driven to position the FIBC bag 5 directly above the target position (destination), and after the FIBC bag 5 is positioned, the forks 3 of the forklift 1 are lowered to place the FIBC bag 5 on the ground (see FIG. 7).

[0029] When the load acting on the load receiving portion 46 (lower arm 37) of the upper clamping member 31 decreases during the process of unloading the FIBC bag 5, the upper clamping member 31 rotates clockwise in Fig. 10 about the clamping shaft 32 due to the biasing force of the tension coil spring 42, and the clamping opening 22 opens (see Fig. 9). In conjunction with the upper clamping member 31, the display member 51 rotates clockwise in Fig. 10 about the pin 58 of the spring hinge 55. Then, when the clamping opening 22 is in the open state shown in Fig. 9, the display member 51 is held in a state (sideways) in which the reflective surface 52 is not visible to the driver 8 of the forklift 1.

[0030] The driver 8 cannot see the light reflected by the indicator 51, and can therefore confirm from above the forklift 1 that the clamping opening 22 of the clamping section 21 is open. Then, the driver 8 moves the forklift 1 backward to detach the hoisting belts 6 from between the lower clamping member 23 and the upper clamping member 31 of the clamping section 21.

[0031] Here, in the conventional attachments that are used by being attached to the forks of a forklift, it has been difficult to securely fasten the suspension belt of the flexible container bag.

[0032] In contrast, the attachment 11 of the first embodiment has a clamping portion 21 that clamps the hanging belt 6 of the flexi-con bag 5, which is provided at the front end of the auxiliary fork 12, and the clamping portion 21 is equipped with a lower clamping member 23, an upper clamping member 31 that can rotate around a clamping axis 32 between an open position and a closed position, a tension coil spring 42 (biasing member) that biases the upper clamping member 31 toward the open position, and an indicator member 51 that moves in conjunction with the upper clamping member 31 between a visible position (see Figure 10) and an invisible position (see Figure 9).

[0033] In the first embodiment, while the FIBC bag 5 is hoisted, the driver 8 can visually recognize the light reflected by the reflective surface 52 of the indicator 51, and can know on the forklift 1 that the clamping parts 21 are in the closed state, i.e., that the suspending belts 6 of the FIBC bag 5 are properly clamped by the clamping parts 21. In other words, it is possible to avoid running the forklift 1 in a state in which the suspending belts 6 are not properly clamped. This makes it possible to improve the safety of the transport work. In addition, in the first embodiment, a concave-shaped hook portion 26 is provided on the lower clamping member 23, so that the lifting belt 6 can be prevented from coming off the hook portion 26 and moving forward when the flexi-con bag 5 is lifted. In addition, in the first embodiment, in the closed state, the tip portion of the upper clamping member 31 (the front end portion 45 of the upper arm 36) is inserted (enters) between a pair of rod members 24, 24 of the lower clamping member 23, so that the hanging belt of the flexi-con bag can be securely hooked, and the clamping portion 21 can be configured compactly. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the lifted FIBC bag 5 is lowered and the load acting on the cargo receiving portion 46 of the upper clamping member 31 falls below a certain level (which can be adjusted by adjusting the tension of the tension coil spring 42), the clamping opening 22 of the clamping portion 21 is opened by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 42 (biasing member), so that the driver 8 can detach the hoisting belt 6 from the clamping portion 21 simply by rearming the forklift 1 without getting off the forklift 1. This reduces the burden on the driver 8 (operator).

[0034] The embodiment is not limited to the above-described form, and can be configured as follows, for example. In the embodiment described above (see Fig. 5), the clamping portion 21 is disposed on one side in the width direction (left and right direction) of the auxiliary fork 12, but as shown in Fig. 11, the clamping portion 21 can be disposed at the middle position in the width direction of the auxiliary fork 12. In this case, R portions are provided at both left and right corners of the front end portion of the auxiliary fork 12.

[0035] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same names and symbols are used for the parts common to the first embodiment, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0036] In the first embodiment, when the auxiliary fork 12 was held horizontally, the height of the front end 27 of the lower clamping member 23 (the tip end of the rod-shaped member 24) and the height of the rear end 28 of the lower clamping member 23 (the base end of the rod member 24) were approximately the same.

[0037] In contrast, in the second embodiment, the overall length (length in the front-rear direction) of the lower clamping member 23 is not changed from that of the first embodiment, but the front end 27 of the lower clamping member 23 is made higher than the rear end 28. Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the amount of rotation (angle) of the upper clamping member 31 from the open state (open position of the upper clamping member 31, see FIG. 12) to the closed state (closed position of the upper clamping member 31, see FIG. 13) is larger than that of the first embodiment.

[0038] For this reason, in the second embodiment, the position of the clamping shaft 32 is moved upward with respect to the first embodiment so that the extension amount (length) of the tension coil spring 42 is equivalent to that of the first embodiment. Also, the multiple (three in the second embodiment) pin insertion holes 41 through which the spring bearing pins 40 are inserted are disposed at positions higher than the clamping shaft 32 and spaced at regular intervals in the front-rear direction.

[0039] In the first embodiment, the first inclined portion 47 and the second inclined portion 48 are formed in the load receiving portion 46 of the upper clamping member 31 (lower arm 37), but in the second embodiment, the load receiving portion 46 is formed in a straight line and is provided so as to be horizontal in the open state (open position of the upper clamping member 31, see FIG. 12). In the second embodiment, in the open state, the load receiving portion 46 is arranged to be slightly lower than the guide surface 29 of the lower clamping member 23 (rod member 24).

[0040] In the first embodiment, the display member 51 is constantly in contact with the protrusion 59 of the upper clamping member 31 by the biasing force of the spring hinge 55. In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, the display member 51 is in contact with the outside of the concave-shaped hook portion 26 of the lower clamping member 23 (rod member 24) in the open state (see FIG. 12). The display member 51 is bent in a V-shape such that the contact portion 60 with the lower clamping member 23 is recessed toward the reflective surface 52.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the protrusion 59 protrudes downward from the middle position in the front-rear direction of the upper clamping member 31 (lower arm 37). In contrast, in the second embodiment, the protrusion 59 protrudes downward from the front end of the upper clamping member 31 (lower arm 37). When the upper clamping member 31 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 12 from the open state (open position, see FIG. 12) about the clamping shaft 32, the display member 51 starts to move in conjunction with the upper clamping member 31 at the point when the protrusion 59 of the upper clamping member 31 comes into contact with the display member 51, and rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 12 about the pin 58 against the urging force of the spring hinge 55.

[0042] When the clamping opening 22 of the clamping portion 21 is closed, i.e., when the hanging belt 6 of the flexi-con bag 5 is clamped by the clamping portion 21, as shown in Figure 13, the indicator 51 is held in a position where the driver 8 (see Figure 8) on the forklift 1 can see the reflected light, as shown in Figure 13.

[0043] In the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above. Moreover, in the second embodiment, the suspension belts 6 hooked by the hook portions 26 can be more reliably prevented from moving forward. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 forklift, 3 fork, 5 flexible container bag (luggage), 6 hanging belt (hanging portion), 11 attachment, 12 auxiliary fork (cylinder), 21 clamping portion, 22 clamping mouth, 23 lower clamping member, 31 upper clamping member, 42 tension coil spring (biasing member), 51 display member

Claims

1. An attachment for use by attaching it to the forks of a forklift, The device comprises a cylindrical body that is inserted into the fork when in use, and a clamping part that is provided at the tip of the cylindrical body and clamps a hanging part of a load, the clamping portion includes a lower clamping member that supports the hanging portion, an upper clamping member that is rotatable between an open position in which the clamping mouth is open and a closed position in which the clamping mouth is closed, and a biasing member that biases the upper clamping member toward the open position, This attachment is characterized in that the lower clamping member has a pair of rod members extending side by side in the longitudinal direction from the tip of the cylindrical body, and the upper clamping member is inserted between the pair of rod members when the cargo receiving portion is pushed down by the hanging portion of the cargo.

2. 2. The attachment of claim 1, An attachment characterized in that the lower clamping member has a concave hook portion to which the hanging portion is hooked.

Images