Workbench cart and direction changer for workbench cart

Abstract

During the seating operation of a work cart with running wheels, it is easy to drive straight, but there are many cases where it is necessary to change the direction for work reasons. However, although one wants to change the direction of the work cart, it is not easy to stand up one by one to change the direction of the pedestal and then sit down. 【Solution means】When an operator sitting on the seat body wants to change the traveling direction of the work cart, while remaining seated, the operator presses the direction change handle downward with the hand and rotates the direction change handle in the desired direction to change it, or the operator kicks the ground with the foot to change the traveling direction of the work cart to the desired direction. If the hand is released from the direction change handle, the work cart can be changed to the desired direction and driven straight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work carriage with traveling wheels for performing a seating operation at a low position, and to a work carriage capable of changing its direction with a simple operation and a direction changer for the work carriage.

Background Art

[0002] A work carriage having a carriage body, traveling wheels provided at the front and rear positions of the carriage body, and a seating body installed, has the carriage body and the seating body sized at about 30 to 50 cm in the front-rear traveling direction and about 20 to 25 cm in the width direction, the height of the carriage body being about 20 to 30 cm and the height of the seating body being about 2 to 3 cm. Further, the traveling wheels are configured to have a diameter of about 15 cm. The carriage body, the seating body, and the traveling wheels are made of synthetic resin. Axle holes having a diameter of about 9 mm are formed at the front and rear positions of the lower part of the carriage body, axles having a diameter of about 8 mm are passed through each axle hole in the width direction, and a total of 4 traveling wheels, 2 on each axle, are installed at each axle end.

[0003] With an operator sitting on the seating body of this work carriage, for example, agricultural work on ridges in a cultivated field, or welding work on the lower part of a steel structure installed in a yard, etc. are being carried out. The operator is performing the work while moving the work carriage along the longitudinal direction of the ridge or the steel structure. The traveling wheels of this work carriage have a structure in which their axles are passed through in the width direction of the carriage body, do not have a steering function, and it is expected that the distance between the carriage and the ridge or the steel structure will narrow or widen as the work progresses. In such a case, the operator has to lift their waist from the seating body to change the direction of the work carriage.

Prior Art Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a waist-mounted cart for agricultural work equipped with a steering mechanism for changing the traveling direction. This waist-mounted cart for agricultural work is provided with wheels having a wheel width approximately the same as the vehicle body width dimension on two axles arranged front and rear, and for one of the wheels, a wheel support frame portion is configured, and it has a structure equipped with a steering mechanism rotatably installed with respect to the vehicle body frame portion. Therefore, since it is equipped with the said steering mechanism, it is expected that the wheel support structure will be complicated and expensive.

[0006] Prior Art Document 2 discloses a waist-mounted cart in which a handle for pulling upward is installed at the front, and when the seated operator pulls up the handle and kicks the ground with the braced foot to lift the waist, the direction is changed. In this waist-mounted cart, the direction is changed while the operator in the seated state lifts the waist, but this operation is difficult for those with weak legs and waist such as the elderly, and it may not be practical.

Summary of the Invention

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a work cart that can be easily turned in direction while the operator is seated on a seating body by installing an auxiliary tool having a simple structure itself without changing the basic structure such as the cart body. Another object of the present invention is to provide a direction changer for a work cart that is detachable from the work cart, installed when a direction change is required in the work cart, and used when a traveling direction change is required during seated work. Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention relates to a work cart composed of a cart body, traveling wheels arranged at the front and rear positions in the traveling direction of the cart body, and a seating body installed on the upper surface of the cart body. A direction changer is installed at one end of the cart body in the traveling direction. The direction changer includes a mounting base installed at one end of the cart body in the traveling direction, a direction-changing wheel having its rotation axis arranged along the traveling direction of the cart body, a direction-changing shaft that rotatably mounts the direction-changing wheel relative to the mounting base in the vertical direction of the cart body, supports the load of one of the traveling wheels installed on the cart body, and holds the ground contact surface of the direction-changing wheel below the ground contact surface of the one traveling wheel, and a fixing means for pulling up and fixing the direction-changing shaft. Further, the present invention is a direction changer for a work cart that includes a seating body and travels straight by traveling wheels installed at the front and rear positions of the cart body. The direction changer includes a mounting means installed at the end of the work cart in the traveling direction, a direction-changing wheel having its rotation axis arranged in the traveling direction through the mounting means, a direction-changing shaft that rotatably mounts the direction-changing wheel relative to the mounting means in the vertical direction and supports the load of one of the traveling wheels installed at the front or rear position, and holds the ground contact surface of the direction-changing wheel below the ground contact surface of the one traveling wheel, and a fixing means for pulling up and fixing the direction-changing shaft. Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the work cart of the present invention, when the operator is sitting on the seating body, by pressing down the direction-changing shaft of the direction changer installed at the end of the cart body in the traveling direction, the direction-changing wheel is brought into contact with the ground, and while one traveling wheel is lifted, the direction of the cart body can be changed by three-point support of the other traveling wheel and the direction-changing wheel. Therefore, in the state of the three-point support, the operator can change the direction of the cart body by rotating the direction-changing shaft left and right or kicking the ground with his own feet without getting up from the seating body. Also, by releasing the hand from the direction-changing shaft and pulling up the direction-changing wheel, normal straight-line travel can be achieved. According to the direction changer of the work cart according to the present invention, when performing work using the work cart, by attaching it to the work cart in a situation where the direction of the work cart needs to be changed, the direction of the work cart can be changed and the work efficiency can be improved. In addition, by using the direction changer when necessary, the structure of the work cart itself can be simplified.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0011] An embodiment of the work cart according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The work cart according to the present invention 10 includes a cart body 11, a seat body 17, traveling wheels 13, 14, 15, 16, and a direction changer 20It is composed of. On the upper surface of the cart body 11, a seat body 17 on which an operator can sit is installed. The size of the cart body 11 is configured such that the length in the front-rear traveling direction is 30 to 50 cm, the width direction is 20 to 25 cm, and the height is about 20 to 30 cm. The cart body 11 has an overall shape formed into a rectangular box shape that is long in the traveling direction, and the seat body 17 also serves as a lid that covers the upper surface opening of the box shape.

[0012] The cart body 11 is entirely composed of synthetic resin. The longitudinal direction of the cart body 11 is the traveling direction of the work cart 10 In the cart body 11, axles 12 are respectively installed through in the width direction at the front and rear positions in its longitudinal direction. On one side of the axle 12, traveling wheels 13, 14 are rotatably installed, and on the other axle 12, traveling wheels 15, 16 are rotatably installed. The traveling wheels 13, 14, 15, 16 have a diameter of about 15 cm and are composed of synthetic resin. The traveling wheels 13, 14, 15, 16 are rotatably installed independently of the axle 12 respectively.

[0013] The direction changer shown in Fig. 1 20 is installed on the cart front part 18 which is one end in the traveling direction of the cart body 11. The direction changer 20 is composed of a mounting base 21, a direction-changing wheel 25, a direction-changing handle 26, and a spring 29 The mounting base 21 is installed at the center in the width direction of the cart front part 18 of the cart body 11 and at a position below the cart front part 18. The mounting base 21 is composed of a flat plate part fixed to the cart front part 18 by four mounting screws 31 and two support plates 22 arranged upright with respect to the flat plate part.

[0014] Between the two support plates 22, a base end 27 formed in a flat plate shape at one end of the direction-changing handle 26 is inserted and disposed. Each of the support plates 22 is provided with a rotating shaft 24 that is axially directed in the trolley width direction and penetrates each support plate 22. This rotating shaft 24 penetrates the base end 27, and the direction-changing handle 26 is installed so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around the rotating shaft 24. With this configuration, the direction-changing handle 26 is installed so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction at the front portion 18 of the trolley with the rotating shaft 24 as the center of rotation. A direction-changing wheel 25 is rotatably provided at the axial center portion of the direction-changing handle 26. In the direction-changing handle 26, the axial movement of the direction-changing wheel 25 is restricted by front and rear pins 32.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, in the state where the work trolley 10 is not being used (or the direction-changing wheel 25 is not being used), the direction-changing wheel 25 is sprung up by a spring 29 . The spring 29 used is a torsion coil spring ("Understand! Usable! Spring Primer <Basic Knowledge><Design and Selection><Key Points> First Edition, First Printing Issued on August 30, 2019, Editor: Japan Spring Society"), pages 98-99, "3 Basics of Design, Design of Coil Springs, Cited from Figure 2-3-8 Types and Shape Examples of Coil Springs". The spring 29 is composed of rod-shaped portions 29a and 29b at both ends and a coil portion 29c connecting the two rod-shaped portions. The coil portion 29c is wound around and attached to the axial end of the rotating shaft 24. One rod-shaped portion 29a extends from the coil portion 29c to the front portion 18 of the trolley, and its end is fixed to a spring stopper 30 provided on the front portion 18 of the trolley. The other rod-shaped portion 29b has its end fixed to the direction-changing handle 26. The spring 29 is in a state of springing up the direction-changing handle 26 and holding the state where the direction-changing wheel 25 is not in contact with the ground in the no-load state as shown in FIG. 2.

[0016] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the arrangement and dimensional relationships of each part in the state where the direction-changing wheel 25 is in contact with the ground and the state where the direction-changing wheel 25 is sprung up in the work trolley 10 will be described. In FIG. 3, the situation when the work cart 10 is turned is described. When the tip 28 of the turning handle 26 is pushed down to bring the turning wheel 25 into contact with the ground 33, with the shaft portion of the turning handle 26 positioned substantially horizontally, the load on the traveling wheels 13 and 14 is supported by the turning wheel 25, and the traveling wheels 13 and 14 are lifted off the ground 33. In this state, the work cart 10 will be turned.

[0017] In this situation, when the rotation shaft 24 is installed on the line connecting the center lines of the front and rear axles 12 of the cart body 11, in order to ensure the bounce-up dimension H1 of the traveling wheels 13 and 14, the distance F between the shaft center of the rotation shaft 24 and the shaft center of the turning wheel 25 is set to the same dimension as H1. This distance F is ensured by the base end 27. Note that the interval X between the rotation shaft 24 and the turning wheel 25 is set to a length that can sufficiently ensure the distance H2 between the turning wheel 25 and the ground 33 in a state where the turning wheel 25 is bounced up as shown in FIG. 4 and the turning wheel 25 contacts the front part 18 of the cart. In this case, the shaft center of the turning handle 26 is assumed to be at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the ground 33. Regarding this angle, various changes are conceivable in the actual machine.

[0018] For example, if the height H1 of the traveling wheel 13 from the ground 33 for raising the turning wheel 25 is set to 3 cm the distance F from the rotation shaft 24 to the center of the turning handle 26 is F = H1 = 3 cm. Therefore, if the radii R of the turning wheel 25 and the traveling wheels 13 and 14 are the same, the height H2 between the turning wheel 25 and the ground 33 at no load in FIG. 4 is appropriately set to H2 = H1 = 3 cm.

[0019] With reference to FIG. 4, the arrangement of each member when the turning wheel 25 of the work cart 10 is bounced up in the no-load state is described. The rod-shaped portion 29a of the spring 29 is fixed to the front part 18 of the cart body 11 of the cart by the spring stopper 30. The spring 29The coil part 29c is wound around the rotation shaft 24, and the rod-shaped part 29b is fixed to the direction-changing handle 26. In this structure, in order to jump up the direction-changing wheel 25, the length of the distance X between the rotation shaft 24 and the direction-changing wheel 25, and the interval H2 between the direction-changing wheel 25 and the ground 33 are H2 = R - F×sinα + X×sinα - R×sinα The formula of needs to hold. In order to ensure H2 = 3 cm and prevent the grounding surface of the direction-changing wheel 25 from contacting the ground 33, assuming the same radius R = 7 cm as the traveling wheels 13 of the direction-changing wheel 25, if F = H1, H1 = 3 cm, then F = 3 cm Direction change handle 26 at about 45 degrees with respect to the ground 33 Bounce up and the lifting angle α = 45 degrees, sin45 = 0.85, then the distance X between the rotation shaft 24 and the direction-changing wheel 25 is X = (H2 - R + F×sinα + R×sinα + ) / sinα and it becomes X = 5.3 cm It is necessary to be about.

[0020] The work cart 10 can travel straight in its longitudinal direction by the traveling wheels 13, 14 installed at the front and rear positions of the cart body 11 and the traveling wheels 15, 16. The operator sits on the seat body 17 with the feet facing the width direction of the cart body 11, and performs operations such as planting crops on ridges in the field, weeding, assembling at a low position, welding, painting, etc. The work cart 10 travels straight along, for example, the ridges provided in the field by the traveling wheels 13, 14 and the traveling wheels 15, 16. Although it is necessary to travel straight along the steel structure installed in the yard, it is also necessary to change the direction.

[0021] The work cart shown in FIG. 2 10With the operator sitting on the seat body 17, to change the direction from straight running, the operator presses down the tip 28 of the steering wheel 26 while sitting, and makes the axis of the steering wheel 26 substantially horizontal. In this state, the steering wheel 25 touches the ground 33 and supports the loads of the running wheels 13 and 14, and the work carriage 10 will be in the state shown in FIG. 1. That is, the running wheels 13 and 14 will lift off the ground 33. In this state, the steering wheel 26 can be turned in the desired traveling direction or the operator can kick it with the foot to change to the desired traveling direction.

[0022] After changing to an arbitrary direction, if the hand is released from the steering wheel 26, the steering wheel 25 will be bounced up by the spring 29 and the running wheels 13, 14 and 15, 16 of the carriage body 11 will enable straight running in the changed direction. In this way, the operator can change the direction of the work carriage 10 without getting up from the seat body 17. Regarding the direction changer 20 by changing its Mounting base 21 to a detachable structure on the carriage front part 18 of the carriage body 11 and installing it on a work carriage having a basic structure equivalent to that of the work carriage 10, the same operations and effects as in the above embodiment can be exhibited. In addition, regarding the spring 20 in the direction changer 29 it is also conceivable to change it to a string-like member that fastens one end to the steering wheel and hooks (attaches) the other end to a fastener installed on the carriage front part 18. For example, a chain or the like is conceivable.

[0023] In the above embodiment, depending on the distance between the rotation axis 24 of the steering wheel 26 and the steering wheel 25, the weight applied to the seat body 17 with a body weight of 70 Kg is about 40 kg. When the distance of the steering wheel 26 is 20 cm, the force for pressing down the steering wheel 26 was a dozen N in the experiment. The force for rotating the steering wheel 26 in the desired direction depends on the roughness of the ground, but as a result of the test, it was possible to change the direction with a light force of several N on both concrete and lawn.

[0024] Another embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is a work carriage in which a support plate 34 is integrally formed on the front part of the carriage of the traveling carriage shown in FIG. 2. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 denote the same members. According to the present embodiment, by integrally forming the support plate 34 with the carriage body 11, the number of components such as mounting screws can be reduced.

[0025] Still another embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is a structure in which a pair of fitting receivers 35 are integrally formed on the front part of the carriage body of the carriage, and a fitting fixture 36 that fits into the fitting receivers 35 is inserted and attached. According to the present embodiment, the fitting fixture 36 can be easily attached or removed. Therefore, when work that requires a change in direction is performed, a direction changer can be easily installed. It is also conceivable to configure the fitting receiver 35 and the fitting fixture 36 from a dovetail groove and a protrusion that fits into the dovetail groove. By the way, the spring in the above embodiment 29 is not limited to a torsion coil spring, and a tension coil spring is also conceivable. One end of the tension coil spring is fastened to a spring stopper provided on the front part of the carriage, and the other end is fastened to the direction-changing handle, resulting in a structure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0026] 10 ···Work carriage 11 ··· Carriage body, 12 ··· Axle, 13, 14, 15, 16 ··· Traveling wheels 17 ··· Seated body, 18 ··· Front part of carriage, 19 ··· Side of carriage 20 ··· Direction changer 21 ··· Mounting base, 22 · Support plate, 24 ··· Rotating shaft, 25 ··· Direction-changing wheel, 26 ··· Direction-changing handle, 27 ··· Base end, 28 ··· Tip, 29 ··· Spring, 29a ··· Rod-shaped part 、29b ··· Rod-shaped part 、29c ··· Spring coil part, 30 ··· Spring stopper 31... mounting screw, 32... pin, 33... ground 35... fitting receiver, 36... fitting fixture

Claims

1. In a work cart composed of a cart body, traveling wheels arranged at the front and rear positions in the traveling direction of the cart body, and a seat body installed on the upper surface of the cart body, a direction changer is installed at one end of the cart body in the traveling direction, the direction changer includes a mounting base installed at one end of the cart body in the traveling direction, a direction-changing wheel having its rotation axis arranged along the traveling direction of the cart body, a direction-changing shaft that rotatably mounts the direction-changing wheel with respect to the mounting base in the vertical direction of the cart body, supports the load of one of the traveling wheels installed on the cart body, and holds the grounding surface of the direction-changing wheel below the grounding surface of the one traveling wheel, and a fixing means for pulling up and fixing the direction-changing shaft. The work cart is characterized by the above.

2. The direction-changing wheel has substantially the same shape as the traveling wheel. The direction-changing shaft constitutes a direction-changing handle formed by extending in a direction away from the mounting base from the direction-changing wheel. Pulling means for pulling up the direction-changing handle upward is installed. The work cart according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The cart body is made of synthetic resin. The front mounting base is integrally formed with the cart body at the end of the cart body in the traveling direction. The work cart according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The mounting base is detachably installed at the end of the cart body in the traveling direction. The work cart according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. A direction changer for a work cart that includes a seat body and travels straight by traveling wheels installed at the front and rear positions of the cart body, the direction changer includes mounting means installed at the end of the work cart in the traveling direction, a direction-changing wheel having its rotation axis arranged in the traveling direction through the mounting means, a direction-changing shaft that rotatably mounts the direction-changing wheel with respect to the mounting means in the vertical direction, supports the load of one of the traveling wheels installed at the front or rear position, and holds the grounding surface of the direction-changing wheel below the grounding surface of the one traveling wheel, and a fixing means for pulling up and fixing the direction-changing shaft. The direction changer for a work cart is characterized by being composed of the above.

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