Spare Tire Mounting Assist Device

Abstract

To alleviate a load of work of mounting a spare tire from below a vehicle body.SOLUTION: A spare tire mounting aid apparatus 1 includes a tire retainer 3 that can ascend or descend with respect to a vehicle body B and retains a spare tire W, constraining means (first cylinder 14) that constrains the tire retainer 3 to face upward, and a carrier support 4 that can ascend or descend together with the tire retainer 3 and lifts a carrier C from below along with a rise of the tire retainer 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spare tire mounting assistance device for assisting the work of mounting a spare tire from below the vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] As a structure for mounting a spare tire on an automobile, many are mounted from above in a trunk room or the like of the vehicle body, but there are also those mounted from below at the rear of the vehicle body (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 12, a carrier 133 (support means) for holding a spare tire is provided below the vehicle body 110. The front end of the carrier 133 is rotatably attached to the frame 113 (cross member) of the vehicle body 110, and the rear end of the carrier 133 is made vertically movable. After placing the spare tire 122 on the carrier 133, the carrier 133 is lifted, and the spare tire 122 is pressed against the lower surface of the vehicle body 110 and the carrier 133. In this state, the other end of the carrier 133 is hooked and fixed to the hook 136, whereby the spare tire 122 is mounted on the vehicle body 110.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above case, the work of placing the spare tire 122 on the carrier 133 and the work of lifting the spare tire 122 and the carrier 133 are performed by an operator, but such work is heavy work, so reduction of the work burden has been demanded.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the burden of the work of mounting a spare tire from below the vehicle body.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body having a frame and a carrier with one end rotatably attached to the frame and the other end being vertically movable. An apparatus for assisting the operation of mounting a spare tire on the lower part of the vehicle body by lifting the spare tire from below the vehicle body and supporting the spare tire from below by the carrier, which is provided to be vertically movable with respect to the vehicle body, and has a tire holding portion for holding the spare tire, a biasing means for biasing the tire holding portion upward, and a carrier support portion provided to be vertically movable integrally with the tire holding portion and lifting the carrier from below as the tire holding portion rises.

[0007] As described above, by biasing the tire holding portion upward by the biasing means, the load on the tire holding portion holding the spare tire is reduced, so that the burden of the operation of lifting the spare tire is reduced. Further, when the tire holding portion holding the spare tire is raised, the carrier can be lifted from below by the carrier support portion attached to the tire holding portion, so that the operation of lifting the spare tire and the operation of lifting the carrier can be performed simultaneously, improving the workability.

[0008] By the way, as shown in FIG. 12, the operation of placing the spare tire 122 on the carrier 133 with its rear end grounded is very burdensome for the operator. Therefore, after arranging the spare tire near the vehicle body, it is preferable to lift the spare tire directly to the mounting position on the vehicle body without placing it on the carrier 133. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, if the carrier C is rotated until it is substantially vertical, the spare tire W can be arranged directly below the mounting position W' (see the dotted line) of the spare tire W with respect to the vehicle body B. Therefore, as shown by the arrow D1, the spare tire W can be lifted directly upward and arranged at the mounting position W'. However, in this case, a large space in the height direction is required to arrange the carrier C substantially vertically below the vehicle body B.

[0009] Therefore, it is preferable that the spare tire mounting assistance device has a guide mechanism for raising the tire holding portion obliquely upward from the other end side to the one end side of the carrier C. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, after arranging the spare tire W and the tire holding portion (not shown) for holding the same in front of the carrier C with its rear end lowered (for example, on the rear side of the vehicle body), the spare tire W and the tire holding portion are raised obliquely upward toward the front (see the arrow D2 in FIG. 10). Thereby, the spare tire W can be raised to the mounting position W' with respect to the vehicle body B while avoiding interference with the carrier C.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, the burden of the operation of mounting the spare tire from below the vehicle body can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a spare tire mounting auxiliary device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a base portion 2, a tire holding portion 3 provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base portion 2, and a carrier support portion 4 attached to the tire holding portion 3. In the following description, the directions orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane are referred to as the X direction and the Y direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction.

[0014] The base portion 2 is provided so as to be movable in parallel in the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction), and is provided so as to be rotatable about a vertical rotation axis 2a. The horizontal movement and rotation of the base portion 2 may be performed by an operator or by a driving means such as a motor.

[0015] The tire holding portion 3 has a pair of arms 3a extending in the X direction and clamp portions 3b provided on each arm 3a. A spare tire W is disposed between the pair of arms 3a, and the outer peripheral surface of the spare tire W is clamped from both sides in the Y direction by the pair of clamp portions 3b, whereby the spare tire W is held by the tire holding portion 3.

[0016] The carrier support portion 4 is configured to be able to move up and down integrally with the tire holding portion 3. In the present embodiment, the carrier support portion 4 is fixed to one of the arms 3a. The carrier support portion 4 is formed of an elongated plate-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the carrier support portion 4 has a horizontal portion 4a extending in a substantially horizontal direction and an inclined portion 4b extending obliquely upward in the front direction from the front end of the horizontal portion 4a (see FIG. 3). Note that the shape of the carrier support portion 4 is not limited to the above, and any shape may be used as long as the carrier C can be lifted from below when the spare tire W is mounted, which will be described later.

[0017] The tire holding portion 3 is attached to the base portion 2 so as to be movable up and down. In the present embodiment, the tire holding portion 3 is attached to the base portion 2 via a support arm 16, a lifting bracket 13, a lifting frame 12, and a fixing frame 11. The fixing frame 11 is a columnar member extending in the Z direction, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the base portion 2. The lifting frame 12 is a columnar member extending in the Z direction and is attached to the fixing frame 11 so as to be movable up and down. The lifting bracket 13 is an L-shaped member in a side view of FIG. 3 and is attached to the lifting frame 12 so as to be movable up and down. The support arm 16 is a beam-shaped member extending in the Y direction, one end of which is attached to the lifting bracket 13 so as to be movable in the X direction, and the other end of which is attached to the tire holding portion 3.

[0018] The spare tire mounting assist device 1 has a first guide mechanism 5a that enables the tire holding portion 3 to move up and down in the vertical direction with respect to the base portion 2, and a second guide mechanism 5b that enables the tire holding portion 3 to move up and down in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

[0019] The first guide mechanism 5a is composed of a rail 11a extending in the vertical direction and a guide 12a moving along the rail 11a. In this embodiment, the rail 11a is provided on the side surface of the fixed frame 11, and the guide 12a is provided on the side surface of the lifting frame 12. The lifting frame 12, the lifting bracket 13, the support arm 16, and the tire holding portion 3 are integrally movable up and down in the vertical direction along the rail 11a of the fixed frame 11.

[0020] The second guide mechanism 5a is composed of a rail 12b extending in the vertical direction, a guide 13a moving along the rail 12b, a rail 13b extending in the X direction, a guide (not shown) moving along the rail 13b, a guide pin 16a, and a guide member 17. In this embodiment, the vertical rail 12b is provided on the side surface of the lifting frame 12, and the guide 13a moving along it is provided on the side surface of the lifting bracket 13. The rail 13b in the X direction is provided on the upper surface of the lifting bracket 13, and the guide moving along it is provided on the lower surface of the support arm 16. The guide pin 16a is provided at the end of the support arm 16, and the guide member 17 is fixed to the lifting frame 12. The guide member 17 has a guide groove 17a into which the guide pin 16a is inserted. The guide groove 17a has an inclined portion inclined in a direction displaced to one side in the X direction (the front side of the vehicle body when a spare tire is mounted as described later) as it goes upward.

[0021] When the lifting bracket 13 is moved up and down with respect to the lifting frame 12, the lifting bracket 13 moves up and down in the vertical direction along the rail 12b of the lifting frame 12. At this time, the support arm 16 moves in the X direction along the rail 13b on the lifting bracket 13 as the guide pin 16a is guided by the inclined portion of the guide groove 17a of the guide member 17 while moving up and down together with the lifting bracket 13. As a result, the support arm 16 and the tire holding portion 3 move up and down in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

[0022] A first cylinder 14 is attached to the fixed frame 11 as a first biasing means for biasing the elevating frame 12 upward. A pin 14a of the first cylinder 14 is fixed to the elevating frame 12 via a bracket 14b. A second cylinder 15 is attached to the elevating frame 12 as a second biasing means for biasing the elevating bracket 13 upward. A pin 15a of the second cylinder 15 is fixed to the elevating bracket 13. As the first cylinder 14 and the second cylinder 15, for example, those using air, a spring, hydraulic pressure, etc. can be used.

[0023] The biasing force of the first cylinder 14 can be switched stepwise. In the present embodiment, the biasing force of the first cylinder 14 can be switched in two steps (a first biasing force and a second biasing force). The first biasing force is a magnitude that balances the load when the spare tire W is held by the tire holding portion 3. Specifically, it is an upward biasing force that is substantially the same as the total weight of the elevating frame 12, the tire holding portion 3, and members (such as the support arm 16) provided therebetween, and the weight of the spare tire W. The second biasing force is a magnitude that balances the load when the spare tire W is not held. Specifically, it is an upward biasing force that is smaller than the first biasing force by the weight of the spare tire W.

[0024] In the present embodiment, a "tire holding" switch is provided in the spare tire mounting assist device 1. When an operator presses the "tire holding" switch, a pair of clamp portions 3b of the tire holding portion 3 clamp the spare tire W, and the first cylinder 14 is set to the first biasing force. When the operator releases the "tire holding" switch, the clamping of the spare tire W by the pair of clamp portions 3b of the tire holding portion 3 is released, and the first cylinder 14 is set to the second biasing force. In any state, since the biasing force of the first cylinder 14 and the load applied to the pin 14a are balanced, the operator can raise and lower the tire holding portion 3 with a light force.

[0025] The second cylinder 15 biases the lifting bracket 13 and the components attached thereto (such as the support arm 16 and the tire holding portion 3) upward. The biasing force of the second cylinder 15 is greater than the downward load applied to the pin 15a in a state where the spare tire W is held by the tire holding portion 3. In the present embodiment, the spare tire mounting assist device 1 is provided with an "up" switch and a "down" switch. When an operator presses the "up" switch, the second cylinder 15 is turned on, and the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W held thereon rise obliquely with respect to the lifting frame 12 and stop at the upper end position. On the other hand, when the operator presses the "down" switch, the second cylinder 15 is turned off, and the tire holding portion 3 and the like descend due to their own weight and stop at the lower end position.

[0026] Hereinafter, a procedure for mounting the spare tire W on the vehicle body B from below using the above-described spare tire mounting assist device 1 will be described.

[0027] As shown by the arrow A1 in FIG. 4, the empty spare tire mounting assist device 1 that does not hold the spare tire W is horizontally moved to the tire supply device 20, and the spare tire W is disposed between the pair of clamp portions 3b of the tire holding portion 3. At this time, the "tire holding" switch of the spare tire mounting assist device 1 is released, and the first cylinder 14 is set to the second biasing force. Thereby, since the second biasing force of the first cylinder 14 and the own weight of the tire holding portion 3 and the like on which the spare tire W is not mounted are balanced, the operator can dispose the tire holding portion 3 at the same height as the spare tire W with a light force. Thereafter, when the operator presses the "tire holding" switch, the spare tire W is clamped by the pair of clamp portions 3b of the tire holding portion 3, and the first cylinder 14 switches from the second biasing force to the first biasing force. Thereby, the spare tire W is held by the tire holding portion 3, and the second biasing force of the first cylinder 14 and the own weight of the tire holding portion 3 and the like holding the spare tire W are balanced.

[0028] Next, as indicated by arrow A2, the spare tire mounting auxiliary device 1 is horizontally moved away from the tire supply device 20, and as indicated by arrow A3, the spare tire mounting auxiliary device 1 is rotated about the rotation axis 2a. As a result, the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3 is disposed behind the vehicle body B on the vehicle body conveyance line L. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle body B is provided with a carrier C for fixing the spare tire W. The front end of the carrier C is rotatably attached to the frame of the vehicle body B about a rotation axis in the vehicle width direction, and the rear end of the carrier C is capable of vertical movement. When mounting the spare tire W, the rear end of the carrier C is lowered and the entire carrier C is inclined obliquely downward toward the rear. In the illustrated example, the rear end of the carrier C is in contact with the floor surface. The carrier C may have a shape capable of supporting the spare tire W from below, and for example, may be a substantially C-shaped (see FIG. 7) or a cross-shaped.

[0029] Next, via the first guide mechanism 5a, as indicated by arrow A4 in FIG. 5, the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W held thereby are lowered to the lower end position (in FIG. 5, only the tire holding portion 3 of the spare tire mounting auxiliary device 1 is shown). Thereafter, as indicated by arrow A5, the spare tire mounting auxiliary device 1 is advanced, and the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W held thereby are made to sneak in from behind below the vehicle body B.

[0030] Then, as shown in FIG. 6, immediately before or when the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3 lightly contacts the carrier C of the vehicle body B, the forward movement of the spare tire mounting assisting device 1 is stopped. In FIG. 6, only the elevating frame 12 and the members on the downstream side (the tire holding portion 3 side) of the spare tire mounting assisting device 1 are shown, and the illustration of the base portion 2, the fixed frame 11, the cylinders 14, 15, etc. is omitted (the same applies to FIGS. 8 and 9). At this time, the front end of the carrier support portion 4 is arranged in front of the center of the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3, and in the illustrated example, it is arranged in front of the front end of the spare tire W. Therefore, with the spare tire W arranged immediately behind the carrier C, the carrier support portion 4 can be arranged below the carrier C. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, inclined portions C1 are provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the rear end of the carrier C, and the carrier support portion 4 is in a state of being inserted below the inclined portions C1.

[0031] Next, the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W are raised. Specifically, the operator presses the "raise" switch provided on the spare tire mounting assisting device 1 to drive the second cylinder 15, thereby raising the elevating bracket 13, the support arm 16, the tire holding portion 3, the carrier support portion 4, and the spare tire W. In this way, by raising the spare tire W with the biasing force of the second cylinder 15, heavy lifting work is reduced.

[0032] When the spare tire W is raised in this way, as shown in FIG. 8, the carrier support portion 4 lifts the carrier C from below, and the rear end of the carrier C rises. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the elevating bracket 13 reaches the upper end position, the upward movement of the elevating bracket 13 is stopped. At this position, the spare tire W is at the mounting position on the vehicle body B, that is, at the position where it contacts the lower surface of the vehicle body B or slightly below that. Also, the carrier C is arranged directly below the spare tire W arranged at the mounting position on the vehicle body B by being lifted by the carrier support portion 4.

[0033] In this way, by raising the spare tire W and lifting the carrier C with the carrier support portion 4 by this raising operation, these operations can be performed in a single operation, thus enhancing workability. In particular, in the present embodiment, in the state immediately before the start of the ascent of the elevating bracket 13, the carrier support portion 4 is made to dive under the carrier C that is inclined obliquely downward toward the rear (see FIGS. 6 and 7). By raising the tire holding portion 3 and the carrier support portion 4 from this state, the carrier C can be lifted and rotated from below by the carrier support portion 4, thereby raising the rear end of the carrier C.

[0034] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the support arm 16, the tire holding portion 3, the carrier support portion 4, and the spare tire W are raised obliquely upward toward the front by the second guide mechanism 5b (such as the guide pin 16a and the guide member 17). As shown in FIG. 10, when the spare tire W is made to dive under the vehicle body B from the rear, the spare tire W needs to be disposed behind the carrier C. When lifting the spare tire W from this position, by raising the spare tire W obliquely upward toward the front as indicated by the arrow D2, the spare tire W can be disposed at the mounting position W' on the vehicle body B while avoiding interference with the carrier C. In particular, in the present embodiment, the tire holding portion 3 holds the spare tire W at the same angle (posture) as in the state of being mounted on the vehicle body B. Thereby, by translating the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3 without changing the angle, the spare tire W can be disposed at the mounting position W' on the vehicle body B at the same angle (posture) as in the mounted state.

[0035] After that, the operator hooks the rear end of the carrier C onto the hook provided on the vehicle body B and supports the rear end of the carrier C from below with the hook. Then, when the operator releases the "tire holding" button, the clamping of the spare tire W by the clamping portion 3b of the tire holding portion 3 is released. As a result, the spare tire W is in a state of being supported from below by the carrier C. Then, the hook is lifted by the tightening force of the bolt or the like to lift the rear end of the carrier C, and the spare tire W is pressed against the lower surface of the vehicle body B by the carrier C. Thus, the mounting of the spare tire W on the vehicle body B is completed.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described, but descriptions of the same points as those in the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, after arranging the tire holding portion 3 holding the spare tire W below the vehicle body B, it is lifted only by the urging force of the second cylinder 15, but it is not limited to this. For example, the operator may lift the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W in a state where the load due to the own weight of the spare tire W or the like is reduced by the upward urging force of the second cylinder 15. In this case, it is preferable to balance the urging force of the second cylinder 15 with the own weight of the spare tire W or the like.

[0038] Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the second guide mechanism 5b and the second cylinder 15 for lifting the spare tire W obliquely upward in the forward direction are provided is shown, but if not particularly necessary, these may be omitted. In this case, for example, while lifting the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3 directly upward with respect to the base portion 2 via the first guide mechanism 5a, the entire spare tire mounting assist device 1 is moved forward, whereby the spare tire W may be lifted obliquely upward in the forward direction. At this time, since the urging force of the first cylinder 14 and the load applied to the pin 14a are balanced, the operator can lift the tire holding portion 3 and the spare tire W with a light force.

[0039] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the carrier C is lifted while raising the spare tire W and then the spare tire W is supported from below by the carrier C has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, first, after placing the spare tire W held by the tire holding portion 3 on the carrier C, the carrier C may be lifted by the carrier support portion 4 while raising the spare tire W by the tire holding portion 3.

[0040] The spare tire mounting assistance device 1 of the present invention is applicable not only to the case of mounting the spare tire W from the rear of the vehicle body B, but also to the case of mounting the spare tire W from the side of the vehicle body B, for example.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 1 Spare tire mounting assistance device 2 Base 3 Tire holding portion 3a Arm 3b Clamp portion 4 Carrier support portion 5a First guide mechanism 5b Second guide mechanism 11 Fixed frame 12 Lifting frame 13 Lifting bracket 14 First cylinder (first biasing means) 15 Second cylinder (second biasing means) 16 Support arm 16a Guide pin 17 Guide member 17a Guide groove 20 Tire supply device B Vehicle body C Carrier L Vehicle body conveyance line W Spare tire W’ Mounting position

Claims

1. The vehicle body has a frame and a carrier with one end rotatably attached to the frame and the other end being vertically movable, An apparatus for assisting the operation of mounting a spare tire on the lower part of the vehicle body by lifting the spare tire from below the vehicle body and supporting the spare tire from below by the carrier, A spare tire mounting assistance device having a tire holding portion provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the vehicle body for holding the spare tire, a biasing means for biasing the tire holding portion upward until the spare tire held by the tire holding portion is disposed at the mounting position on the vehicle body, and a carrier support portion provided so as to be vertically movable integrally with the tire holding portion for lifting the carrier from below as the operation of raising the spare tire held by the tire holding portion to the mounting position on the vehicle body.

2. The spare tire mounting assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide mechanism for raising the tire holding portion obliquely upward from the other end side to the one end side of the carrier.

Images