U-shaped groove cutting device

Abstract

To provide a U-groove cutting device capable of vertically adjusting a cutting height position by a cutter with respect to a side wall in a U-groove.SOLUTION: A U-groove cutting device comprises: a rail installed in a U-groove; a cradle 21 capable of running on the rail; one right-and-left pair of drive rollers provided in the cradle 21, holding the rail from both right and left sides, and running thereon; a roller drive mechanism that drives the drive rollers; a cutter 50 mounted via a swing arm 40 that swings in a horizontal direction with respect to the cradle 21; and a cutter drive mechanism 51 that drives the cutter 50. The U-groove cutting device includes a cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 that adjusts a vertical position of the cutter 50 with respect to the cradle 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a U-shaped groove cutting device for cutting the side walls of a U-shaped groove. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, concrete U-shaped gutters installed on the side of roads are required to have their upper side walls cut away in order to make them barrier-free, for example. In order to meet such demands, a U-shaped groove cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has already been invented.

[0003] That is, the U-shaped groove cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a rail installed in the U-shaped groove via a jack, a platform that can run on the rail, guide rollers that are provided on the platform and run while clamping the rail from both the left and right sides, and a roller drive mechanism that drives the guide rollers. The apparatus also includes a cutter attached via a swivel provided on the top of the stand, and a cutter drive mechanism for driving the cutter.

[0004] The U-shaped groove cutting device of Patent Document 1 can cut the side walls of a U-shaped groove made of concrete while being self-propelled by guide rollers provided on a stand. However, since the height position at which the cutter cuts the side wall of the U-shaped groove is determined according to the height of the rail, the above-mentioned U-shaped groove cutting device was unable to adjust the cutting height position by the cutter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-192677 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a U-shaped groove cutting device that can adjust the cutting height position of the side wall of a U-shaped groove by a cutter up and down. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This invention relates to a U-shaped groove cutting device that includes a rail installed in a U-shaped groove, a base that can run on the rail, a pair of left and right drive rollers that are provided on the base and run while clamping the rail from both left and right sides, a roller drive mechanism that drives the drive rollers, a cutter attached via a swing arm that swings horizontally relative to the base, and a cutter drive mechanism that drives the cutter. The rail includes at least a horizontal member that extends laterally and a vertical member that extends upward from the middle part of the upper surface of the horizontal member, and the vertical position of the cutter relative to the base is adjustable. The cutter height adjustment mechanism has upper rollers in contact with the upper surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member, and lower rollers in contact with the lower surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member, and the sides of the horizontal member are sandwiched between the upper and lower rollers, and the upper and lower rollers are arranged at the front and back below the base, and a pair of left and right drive rollers are provided at the front and back below the base, and sandwich the vertical member from both the left and right sides, and the pair of left and right drive rollers has biasing means for biasing the drive rollers in a direction in which the vertical member of the rail is sandwiched. and a spacing maintaining means for maintaining the spacing between the drive rollers in an expandable and contractible manner. is provided.

[0008] According to this invention, the roller drive mechanism drives a pair of left and right drive rollers that clamp the rail from both left and right sides, and the cutter height adjustment mechanism adjusts the vertical position of the cutter that cuts the side wall of the U-shaped gutter. This allows the cutter to cut the side wall of the U-shaped groove at a cutter height adjusted by the cutter height adjustment mechanism while the drive roller drives the rail. In this way, the cutting height position of the side wall of the U-shaped groove by the cutter can be adjusted up and down.

[0009] The pair of left and right drive rollers are provided at the front and rear below the base, and the pair of left and right drive rollers are provided with biasing means for biasing the drive rollers in a direction in which the vertical member of the rail is sandwiched between the drive rollers.

[0010] Therefore, when a difference in the inner or outer wheel of the drive rollers occurs when traveling around a curve, one of the drive rollers will move away from the rail against the biasing force of the biasing means, thereby enabling the device to travel smoothly.

[0011] The rail also comprises a horizontal member extending at least laterally and a vertical member extending upward from the middle of the upper surface of the horizontal member, and a pair of left and right drive rollers clamp the vertical member from both the left and right sides, with upper rollers abutting the upper surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member and lower rollers abutting the lower surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member, so that the sides of the horizontal member are clamped from above and below by the upper rollers and lower rollers, which are arranged at the front and back below the frame.

[0012] Therefore, since the upper and lower rollers clamp the sides of the rail's cross member from above and below, the device is prevented from floating up or rolling (rolling, lateral shaking) due to the reaction force when the cutter cuts the U-shaped groove, thereby preventing a decrease in cutting performance.

[0013] As an aspect of the present invention, the cutter height adjustment mechanism may be provided between the swing arm and the cutter. According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained. In other words, a structure in which the cutter height adjustment mechanism is installed between the swing arm and the stand is also conceivable, but in this case, when adjusting the cutter height up or down, the swing arm will be used to adjust the cutter height, which increases the load when adjusting the cutter height up or down.

[0014] According to this invention, by providing a cutter height adjustment mechanism between the swing arm and the cutter, the cutter height can be adjusted up or down without involving the swing arm, thereby reducing the load during adjustment.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, the cutter height adjustment mechanism may be configured as a four-bar link mechanism. According to this invention, when adjusting the height of the cutter using the four-bar link mechanism, the height can be adjusted up and down while maintaining the direction of the rotation axis of the cutter.

[0016] As another aspect of the present invention, the roller driving device may be configured to transmit driving force to all of the driving rollers provided in pairs on the left and right sides and in the front and rear. According to this invention, when the inner or outer wheel difference is eliminated, even if one of the drive rollers comes off the rail, the other drive rollers can ensure the running of the device.

[0017] In another aspect of the present invention, the upper roller and the lower roller may be arranged so as to be offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the base. According to this invention, the drive roller, upper roller, and lower roller can be arranged without interfering with each other, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the roller arrangement can be improved.

[0018] In another aspect of the present invention, the lower roller may be arranged below the drive roller, the upper roller located at the front in the running direction may be arranged at the rear of the drive roller located at the front, and the upper roller located at the rear may be arranged at the front of the drive roller located at the rear. According to this invention, the span between the lower rollers positioned at the front and rear can be set long, and the device can be more reliably prevented from floating up due to the reaction force during cutting. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to this invention, it is possible to provide a U-shaped groove cutting device that can adjust the cutting height position of the side wall of the U-shaped groove by the cutter up and down. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a U-shaped groove cutting device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a U-shaped groove cutting device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a U-shaped groove cutting device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Bottom view of Figure 5. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 2. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the drive roller, upper roller, and lower roller relative to the rail. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the structure of rail joints at curved sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an oblique view showing a U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, Figure 2 is a side view showing the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, Figure 3 is a plan view showing the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the main parts of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2, Figure 6 is a bottom view of Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 2.

[0022] 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the rail structure, FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the main parts of FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the drive roller 31, upper roller 71, and lower roller 72 relative to the rail 10, and FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the structure of the rail joint at the curved section.

[0023] In the figure, arrow F indicates the front of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, i.e., the front side in the direction of travel of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, arrow R indicates the rear of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, i.e., the rear side in the direction of travel of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, and arrow UP indicates the top of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20.

[0024] This U-shaped gutter cutting device 1 is used to cut the side wall 101 (see Figure 7) of a concrete U-shaped gutter 100 installed on the side of a road, for example, when making traffic barrier-free, and is equipped with a rail 10 placed inside the rail 100 and a U-shaped gutter cutting vehicle 20 that runs on the rail 10 to cut the side wall 101.

[0025] As shown in Figure 7, the above-mentioned U-shaped gutter 100 has left and right side walls 101, 101 and a bottom wall 102 connecting the bottoms of these left and right side walls 101, 101, and is formed into a concave cross-sectional shape with an open upper portion.

[0026] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the rail 10 installed in the above-mentioned U-shaped gutter 100 comprises a flat base member 11, a distance piece 12 made of a square pipe fixed to the top of the base member 11, a horizontal member 13 fixed to the top of the distance piece 12 and extending horizontally, and a vertical member 14 fixed to the horizontal member 13 and extending upward from the middle of the top surface of the horizontal member 13 (in this embodiment, the center of the top surface).

[0027] 7, the base member 11 of the rail 10 is fixed to the bottom wall 102 of the U-shaped gutter 100 using a plurality of anchor bolts 15. In addition, both the left and right side surfaces of the vertical member 14 are given a stain finish to ensure frictional resistance between the vertical member 14 and the drive rollers 31 and 32, which will be described later.

[0028] The U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 includes a platform 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) that can travel on the rail 10, drive rollers 31, 32 (see FIGS. 6 and 10) provided on the platform 21, a cutter 50 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) attached via a swing arm 40 that swings horizontally relative to the platform 21, and a cutter drive mechanism 51 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) that drives the cutter 50. Here, it is preferable that the cutter 50 is attached so as to be horizontal when the platform 21 is placed horizontally.

[0029] In addition, the above-mentioned U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 is equipped with a roller drive mechanism 60 (see Figure 5) that drives the drive rollers 31, 32, and a cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 (see Figures 1 and 2) that adjusts the vertical position of the cutter 50 relative to the base 21.

[0030] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the above-mentioned drive rollers 31, 32 are made of synthetic resin, and are provided as a pair on the left and right so as to run while sandwiching the vertical member 14 on the rail 10 from both the left and right sides, and as shown in Figure 10, the pair of left and right drive rollers are provided at the front and back, respectively, below the above-mentioned frame 21.

[0031] The above-mentioned stand 21 is configured as shown in FIGS. Specifically, the stand 21 comprises a front wall 21a, a rear wall 21b, left and right side walls 21c, 21c, a plate 22 that is rectangular in plan view and closes the space surrounded by these walls 21a, 21b, 21c, 21c at the middle part of each wall in the vertical direction, and an upper wall 21d that covers the upper end of the space surrounded by the above-mentioned walls 21a, 21b, 21c, 21c. Furthermore, an upper wall 21d that covers the upper end of the space surrounded by the above-mentioned walls 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21c has a tower portion 23 that rises upward formed integrally therewith or integrally therewith.

[0032] 1 and 6, legs 24 extending downward from the plate 22 are provided on both the front and rear portions of the left and right side walls 21c, 21c. In other words, the above-mentioned legs 24 are provided at four locations on the lower part of the stand 21. As shown in the figure, the leg portion 24 includes a pair of front and rear leg pieces 24a and a connecting piece 24b that connects the pair of front and rear leg pieces 24a in the front-rear direction.

[0033] 5, a pair of base plates 25, 25 for mounting the roller drive motor 62 are laid horizontally at a distance in the front-to-rear direction between a pair of left and right side walls 21c, 21c in the longitudinal middle portion of the base 21. At the mounting positions of the roller drive motor 62 in these base plates 25, 25, a total of four elongated holes 25a extending in the longitudinal direction of the base plates 25 are formed.

[0034] The above-mentioned drive rollers 31 and 32 are supported as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of support shafts 33, 34 are provided on the underside of the plate 22, spaced apart in the width direction of the base 21, and roller support plates 35, 36 are attached to the support shafts 33, 34, respectively.

[0035] As shown in the figure, the drive rollers 31 and 32 are attached to corresponding roller support plates 35 and 36 via roller shafts 31a and 32a. Spring retainers 37 and 38 are provided at the free ends of the roller support plates 35 and 36, respectively, and a spring 39 (more specifically, a coil spring) serving as a biasing means is stretched between the spring retainers 37 and 38. The pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 are configured to sandwich the vertical member 14 of the rail 10 from the outside sides by the above-mentioned spring 39.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the plate 22 of the above-mentioned stand 21 has arc-shaped elongated holes 22a, 22a formed therein, which allow the drive rollers 31, 32 to move in a direction away from the vertical member 14 of the rail 10 against the biasing force of the spring 39.

[0037] 6 and 9, a spacing piece 27 that maintains the gap between the drive rollers 31 and 32 is provided between the pair of left and right roller support plates 35 and 36. This spacing piece 27 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape and is attached to the plate 22 using a fastening member 28. By operating the fastening member 28 and changing the orientation of the spacing piece 27, the gap between the pair of left and right roller support plates 35 and 36 can be increased or decreased.

[0038] The swing arm 40, which swings horizontally relative to the above-mentioned base 21, is operated by a swing arm drive mechanism 41 shown in FIG. The swing arm drive mechanism 41 comprises a support frame 42 attached to the back of the tower section 23 of the stand 21, a shaft 44 suspended across the legs 42a, 42b of the support frame 42 via a pair of left and right bearings 43, 43, and a worm WO and a driven bevel gear BG2 fitted onto the shaft 44. An operating shaft 45 is supported on the upper part of the support frame 42, and has a driving bevel gear BG1 fitted on the lower part thereof, which meshes with a driven bevel gear BG2.

[0039] In addition, a worm wheel WH is provided that meshes with the above-mentioned worm WO, and this worm wheel WH is arranged on the upper surface 23a of the tower section 23 via a support shaft 46, and a pin 47 provided between the support shaft 46 of the worm wheel WH and the outer periphery of the worm wheel WH is connected to the arm bottom wall 40a of the oscillating arm 40.

[0040] In this swing arm drive mechanism 41, when the operating shaft 45 is manually rotated, the rotational force of the driving bevel gear BG1 is transmitted to the driven bevel gear BG2, which rotates the worm WO, causing the worm wheel WH meshing with the worm WO to rotate. As the worm wheel WH rotates around the support shaft 46, the rotational force is transmitted to the swing arm 40 via the pin 47, causing the swing arm 40 to swing horizontally as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the elements of the swing arm drive mechanism 41 described above, except for the operation shaft 45, are covered with a cover .

[0041] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a connecting plate 49 is integrally provided at the front of the swing arm 40, and a cutter drive mechanism 51 is arranged in front of this connecting plate 49 via a cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 composed of a four-bar link mechanism 81. In other words, the above-mentioned cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 (four-bar link mechanism 81) is provided between the swing arm 40 and the cutter drive mechanism 51 that drives the cutter 50.

[0042] The above-mentioned cutter drive mechanism 51 is configured as shown in FIGS. That is, the cutter drive mechanism 51 includes a support base 52 having a mounting seat 52a extending in the vertical direction and upper and lower support portions 52b, 52c extending horizontally forward from the mounting seat 52a.

[0043] A cutter drive motor 53 that drives the cutter 50 is attached to the upper support portion 52b. In this embodiment, the cutter drive motor 53 is configured as a hydraulic motor, and is therefore connected in communication with a hydraulic pump (not shown).

[0044] A shaft coupling 54, also called a coupling, is attached between the upper and lower support parts 52b, 52c directly below the cutter drive motor 53. This shaft coupling 54 transmits the rotation of the cutter drive motor 53 to the cutter rotation shaft 55 while allowing for misalignment or tilt between the cutter drive motor 53 and the cutter rotation shaft 55.

[0045] Furthermore, a column 56 is attached to the lower part of the lower support part 52c, surrounding the cutter rotation shaft 55 at a distance. A cutter protection cover 57 for protecting the cutter 50 is provided on the outer periphery of this column 56 in a removable manner and in a manner that allows the attachment position to be changed in the circumferential direction.

[0046] Here, the cutter drive motor 53, the shaft coupling 54, and the cutter rotation shaft 55 are arranged in a substantially straight line in the vertical direction, and are configured so as to eliminate the need for the rotation direction converter disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0047] The cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 using a four-bar link mechanism 81 is configured as shown in FIGS. That is, the four-bar link mechanism 81 includes an upper link 82 , a lower link 83 , a front link 84 , and a rear link 85 . The front link 84 is connected and fixed to the mounting seat 52 a of the support base 52 , and the rear link 85 is connected and fixed to the connecting plate 49 .

[0048] The front portion of the upper link 82 and the upper portion of the front link 84 are pivotally connected by a hinge H1, and the rear portion of the upper link 82 and the upper portion of the rear link 85 are pivotally connected by a hinge H2. Furthermore, the front portion of the lower link 83 and the lower portion of the front link 84 are pivotally connected by a hinge H3, and the rear portion of the lower link 83 and the lower portion of the rear link 85 are pivotally connected by a hinge H4.

[0049] A lower guide tube 86 and an upper guide tube 87 are attached on an imaginary straight line connecting the front lower hinge H3 and the rear upper hinge H2, and an operating rod 88 (so-called screw) is provided inside each of these guide tubes 86, 87. Nuts 89, 89 are fixed to the upper end of the lower guide tube 86 and the lower end of the upper guide tube 87 by welding or the like, and a threaded portion 88a of the operating rod 88 is screwed onto the nuts 89, 89.

[0050] In the above-described four-bar link mechanism 81 (cutter height adjustment mechanism 80), when the operating rod 88 is manually rotated in one direction from the state shown by the solid lines in Fig. 2, the lower guide tube 86 moves rearward and upward, and as a result, the upper and lower links 82, 83 move upward with hinges H2, H4 as fulcrums, as shown by the imaginary lines in the same figure, and the front link 84 is displaced upward. As a result, the cutter drive mechanism 51 moves upward together with the cutter 50.

[0051] Conversely, when the operating rod 88 is manually rotated in the other direction from the state shown by the phantom line in Figure 2, the lower guide tube 86 moves downward and forward, and as a result, the upper and lower links 82 and 83 move downward with hinges H2 and H4 as fulcrums, as shown by the solid lines in the figure, and the front link 84 is displaced downward. This causes the cutter drive mechanism 51 to move downward along with the cutter 50. When the cutter drive mechanism 51 moves up and down as described above, the cutter 50 moves up and down while maintaining a horizontal state. As a result, the height of the cutter 50 relative to the platform 21 running on the rail 10 can be adjusted, and the cutting height position of the side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100 by the cutter 50 can be adjusted up or down.

[0052] The roller drive mechanism 60 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, a flange portion 62a of the housing of the roller drive motor 62 is attached using fastening members 61 such as bolts and nuts to the portions of the pair of front and rear base plates 25, 25 of the frame 21 where the elongated holes 25a are formed. This makes it possible to control the tension of the chain 65, which will be described later, by changing the attachment position of the roller drive motor 62, thereby facilitating the assembly of the chain 65 and ensuring that the chain 65 is not loosened. Further, a driving sprocket S1 is fitted onto the rotary shaft 62b of the roller drive motor 62.

[0053] On the other hand, roller drive sprockets S31 and S32 are fitted to a pair of left and right roller shafts 31a and 32a protruding upward from the elongated hole 22a of the plate 22 on the front side F of the base 21, respectively. A support shaft 63 is provided at the rear of one of the roller drive sprockets S31, and this support shaft 63 is provided with a large-diameter upper sprocket S2 and a small-diameter lower sprocket S3, and the lower sprocket S3 is meshed with the roller drive sprocket S31.

[0054] A support shaft 64 is provided at the rear of the other roller drive sprocket S32, and this support shaft 63 is provided with an idle sprocket S4 having the same number of teeth and the same diameter as the lower sprocket S3, and the idle sprocket S4 is meshed with the lower sprocket S3 and the roller drive sprocket S32, respectively.

[0055] The above has explained the arrangement structure of each sprocket S2 to S4, S31, S32 on the front side F of the mount 21. However, since the arrangement structure of each sprocket on the rear side R of the mount 21 is symmetrical to the arrangement structure of each sprocket on the front side F, the same parts are given the same symbols and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0056] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, a chain 65 is wound between the upper sprocket S2 on the front side F, the upper sprocket S2 on the rear side R, and the driving sprocket S1. As a result, when the roller drive motor 62 is driven, each element 62b, S1, 65, S2, S3, S31, S4, and S32 is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5, and the driving force is transmitted to the drive rollers 31 and 32 (see Figure 6) fitted to the roller shafts 31a and 32a.

[0057] In short, the roller drive mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 5 is configured to transmit drive force to all of the drive rollers 31, 32 provided in pairs on the left and right and in the front and rear. However, the driving force transmitted to the driving rollers 31 and 32 is such that the cutter 50 can travel while cutting the side wall 101 by driving one of the driving rollers 31 and 32 provided at the front and rear.

[0058] Next, the arrangement of upper roller 71 and lower roller 72 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 9, and 10. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, upper rollers 71, 71 contact the upper surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member 13 of the rail 10, and lower rollers 72, 72 contact the lower surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member 13.

[0059] 7 and 9, the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 sandwich the side of the cross member 13 from above and below. The upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are disposed below the base 21, at the front and rear, respectively.

[0060] 6 and 9, the upper roller 71 has a roller shaft 71a, which is fixed to the lower surface of the plate 22 via a bracket 73. The lower roller 72 has a roller shaft 72a, which is fixed to the inner side of the connecting piece 24b via a bracket 74.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are arranged to be offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the base 21. In detail, as shown in the same figure, the lower roller 72 is positioned below the drive rollers 31, 32, the upper roller 71 located on the front side F is positioned offset to the rear side R relative to the drive rollers 31, 32 located on the front side F, and the upper roller 71 located on the rear side R is positioned offset to the front side F relative to the drive rollers 31, 32 located on the rear side R.

[0062] This allows the drive rollers 31, 32, upper roller 71, and lower roller 72 to be positioned without interfering with each other, improving the layout freedom of the roller arrangement, and ensuring a long span in the front-to-back direction between the lower rollers 72, 72 located at the front and rear, thereby preventing the device from floating up due to the reaction force when the cutter 50 cuts the side wall 101 of the U-shaped gutter 100.

[0063] Here, the roller shafts 31a and 32a of the drive rollers 31 and 32 are oriented in the vertical direction, and the drive rollers 31 and 32 are disposed horizontally. Also, the roller shafts 71a and 72a of the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are oriented in the horizontal direction, and the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are disposed vertically.

[0064] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the structure of the joint between the rails 10, 10 at the curved section. At the front end 10F of one rail 10, a semicircular recess 13a is formed by cutting out the cross member 13 in a semicircular shape when viewed from above, and at the rear end 10R of the other rail 10, a semicircular protrusion 13b is integrally formed on the cross member 13, protruding in a semicircular shape when viewed from above, to match the semicircular recess 13a.

[0065] In addition, the vertical member 14 at the rail front end 10F of one rail 10 extends to approximately the center position of the circle of the semicircular recess 13a, and the vertical member 14 at the rail rear end 10R of the other rail 10 terminates at approximately the center position of the circle of the semicircular protrusion 13b.

[0066] This prevents gaps from occurring at the joints between the front and rear horizontal members 13, 13 and the front and rear vertical members 14, 14 when the rear end portion 10R of one rail 10 is joined to the front end portion 10F of the other rail 10 at a curved section.

[0067] Next, a method for cutting the side wall 101 of the U-shaped ditch 100 using the U-shaped ditch cutting vehicle 20 will be described. First, the rail 10 is set on the bottom wall 102 of the U-shaped ditch 100 using a plurality of anchor bolts 15. Next, the U-shaped ditch cutting vehicle 20 is placed on the set rail 10 (see FIG. 7).

[0068] Next, the height of the cutter 50 relative to the stand 21 is adjusted using the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 (four-bar link mechanism 81) shown in FIG. 2, and the cutting height position of the cutter 50 on the side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100 is adjusted up and down.

[0069] Next, the swing arm drive mechanism 41 shown in Figure 4 is operated to swing the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80, cutter drive mechanism 51 and cutter 50 together via the swing arm 40, and the cutter 50 is rotated to either the left or right as indicated by the imaginary lines α and β in Figure 3.

[0070] As a result, the cutter 50 is set at a cutting position for cutting either the left or right side wall 101 of the corresponding U-shaped groove 100. Next, the cutter drive mechanism 51 shown in FIG. 2 is driven, and the rotational force of the cutter drive motor 53 is changed to a predetermined rotational speed by the shaft coupling unit 54 and transmitted to the cutter 50, thereby driving the cutter 50 to rotate at the predetermined rotational speed.

[0071] Next, the roller drive mechanism 60 shown in Figure 5 is driven, and the vertical member 14 of the rail 10 is clamped from the left and right with a pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 and a pair of front and rear drive rollers, a total of four drive rollers.The U-shaped groove cutting vehicle 20 is then self-propelled, and the cutter 50 cuts one side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100 (forward cutting).

[0072] When cutting of one side wall 101 is completed, the upper part of the cut side wall 101 is removed, and then the traveling direction of the U-shaped ditch cutting vehicle 20 is reversed, and while the U-shaped ditch cutting vehicle 20 is again driven in the opposite direction to the outward trip, the cutter 50 cuts the other side wall 101 of the U-shaped ditch 100 (returning trip cutting). Then, the upper part of the cut other side wall 101 is removed. If the side wall 101 is too thick to be cut in one go by the cutter 50, cutting may be performed by repeating forward and backward cutting.

[0073] The operation and effects of the U-shaped groove cutting device 1 will be described in detail below. The U-shaped trench cutting device 1 comprises a rail 10 installed in a U-shaped trench 100, a U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 having a platform 21 capable of running on the rail 10, a pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 mounted on the platform 21 and running while clamping the rail 10 from both the left and right sides, a roller drive mechanism 60 that drives the drive rollers 31, 32, a cutter 50 attached via a swing arm 40 that swings horizontally relative to the platform 21, and a cutter drive mechanism 51 that drives the cutter 50. The U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 also includes a cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 that adjusts the vertical position of the cutter 50 relative to the base 21.

[0074] The roller drive mechanism 60 of the U-shaped groove cutting vehicle 20 configured in this manner drives a pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 that clamp the rail 10 from both the left and right sides. In addition, the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 adjusts the vertical position of the cutter 50 that cuts the side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100.

[0075] As a result, the U-shaped groove cutting vehicle 20 cuts the side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100 with the cutter 50 while traveling along the rail 10 at the cutter height adjusted by the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80. In this way, the cutting height position of the side wall 101 of the U-shaped groove 100 by the cutter 50 can be adjusted up and down.

[0076] Furthermore, in the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 is provided between the swing arm 40 and the cutter 50, so that when adjusting the cutter height up or down, the cutter height can be adjusted without involving the swing arm 40, thereby reducing the load during adjustment.

[0077] Furthermore, since the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80 is composed of a four-bar link mechanism 81, when adjusting the height of the cutter 50 using the four-bar link mechanism 81, the cutter 50 can be adjusted up and down while maintaining its horizontal position.

[0078] Furthermore, the pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 are respectively provided at the front and back below the frame 21, and the pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 are provided with springs 39 that urge the drive rollers 31, 32 in the direction of sandwiching the rail 10. Therefore, when an inner wheel difference or an outer wheel difference occurs between the drive rollers 31, 32 when traveling around a curve, one of the drive rollers will move away from the rail 10 against the urging force of the spring 39, thereby making it possible to smooth the travel of the device.

[0079] In addition, the roller drive mechanism 60 is configured to transmit drive force to all of the drive rollers 31, 32, which are provided in pairs on the left and right and in the front and back. Therefore, when eliminating the inner or outer wheel difference, even if one of the drive rollers 31, 32 separates from the rail 10, the other drive rollers can ensure the device's movement.

[0080] In addition, the rail 10 in the U-shaped trench cutting device 1 comprises a horizontal member 13 extending laterally and a vertical member 14 extending upward from the middle of the upper surface of the horizontal member 13, and a pair of left and right drive rollers 31, 32 of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 clamp the vertical member 14 from both the left and right sides, with upper rollers 71 abutting the upper surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member 13 and lower rollers 72 abutting the lower surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member 13, and the upper rollers 71 and lower rollers 72 clamp the sides of the horizontal member 13 from above and below, and the upper rollers 71 and lower rollers 72 are arranged at the front and back below the frame 21.

[0081] Therefore, the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 can clamp the side of the cross member 13 of the rail 10 from above and below, preventing the U-shaped ditch cutting vehicle 20 from floating up or rolling (rolling, swaying sideways) due to the reaction force when the cutter 50 cuts the U-shaped ditch 100, and as a result, preventing a decrease in cutting performance.

[0082] Furthermore, in the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20, the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are arranged offset in the longitudinal direction of the base 21, so that the drive rollers 31, 32, the upper roller 71, and the lower roller 72 can be arranged without interfering with each other, thereby improving the layout freedom of the roller arrangement.

[0083] Furthermore, the lower roller 72 is positioned below the drive rollers 31, 32, the upper roller 71 located on the front side F in the running direction is positioned on the rear side R relative to the drive rollers 31, 32 located on the front side F, and the upper roller 71 located on the rear side R is positioned on the front side F relative to the drive rollers 31, 32 located on the rear side R, so that the span between the lower rollers 72, 72 located at the front and rear can be set long, and the device can be more reliably prevented from floating up due to the reaction force during cutting.

[0084] In correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, The U-shaped gutter of this invention corresponds to the U-shaped gutter 100 of the embodiment, Similarly, The rail is compatible with Rail 10. The cross member corresponds to cross member 13, The vertical member corresponds to the vertical member 14, The U-groove cutting device corresponds to the U-groove cutting device 1, The mount corresponds to mount 21; The drive rollers correspond to the drive rollers 31 and 32. The biasing means corresponds to a spring 39; The swing arm corresponds to the swing arm 40, The cutter is compatible with cutter 50, The cutter drive mechanism corresponds to the cutter drive mechanism 51, The roller drive mechanism corresponds to the roller drive mechanism 60, The upper roller corresponds to the upper roller 71, The lower roller corresponds to the lower roller 72, The cutter height adjustment mechanism corresponds to the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80, The four-bar link mechanism corresponds to the four-bar link mechanism 81, The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

[0085] For example, in the embodiment, a hydraulic motor is used as the cutter drive motor 53, but this may also be an electric motor. Furthermore, a four-bar link mechanism 81 is used as the cutter height adjustment mechanism 80, but this may also be configured with a screw that extends vertically and rotates by a motor, at least one guide rod parallel to the screw, and a support base 52 that is connected to the screw and guide rod and moves vertically.

[0086] Furthermore, although the spring 39 as the biasing means is configured as a coil spring, it may also be a torsion spring wound around the support shafts 33 and 34. Furthermore, the above-mentioned cutter drive motor 53 and roller drive motor 62 may each be configured as a reversible motor, so that when switching from forward cutting to return cutting, if the running direction of the U-shaped trench cutting vehicle 20 is changed to the opposite direction, there is no need to change the orientation of the U-shaped trench cutting device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1...U-shaped groove cutting device 10...Rail 13…Horizontal member 14...Vertical member 21... Mounting stand 31, 32...Drive rollers 39...Spring 40...Swing arm 50...Cutter 51...Cutter drive mechanism 60...Roller drive mechanism 71...Upper roller 72...Lower roller 80...Cutter height adjustment mechanism 81...Four-bar link mechanism 100...U-shaped groove

Claims

1. A rail installed in the U-shaped gutter; A platform that can run on rails, a pair of left and right drive rollers that are provided on the frame and run while sandwiching the rail from both left and right sides; a roller drive mechanism that drives the drive roller; a cutter attached via a swing arm that swings horizontally relative to the base; A U-shaped groove cutting device comprising: a cutter drive mechanism that drives the cutter; The rail includes at least a horizontal member extending laterally and a vertical member extending upward from an intermediate portion of an upper surface of the horizontal member; Equipped with a cutter height adjustment mechanism that adjusts the cutter's vertical position relative to the stand. Upper rollers are in contact with the upper surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member, and lower rollers are in contact with the lower surfaces of the left and right sides of the horizontal member. The upper roller and the lower roller clamp the side of the horizontal member from above and below, The upper roller and the lower roller are respectively disposed at the front and rear under the base, The pair of left and right drive rollers are provided at the front and rear below the base, and clamp the vertical member from both the left and right sides. The pair of left and right drive rollers have a biasing means for biasing the drive roller in a direction in which the drive roller sandwiches the vertical member of the rail; and a spacing maintaining means for maintaining the spacing between the drive rollers in an expandable and contractible manner. U-shaped groove cutting device.

2. The cutter height adjustment mechanism is installed between the swing arm and the cutter. The U-groove cutting device according to claim 1.

3. The cutter height adjustment mechanism is a four-link mechanism.

3. The U-groove cutting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The roller drive device is configured to transmit driving force to all of the drive rollers provided in pairs on the left and right sides and in the front and rear. The U-groove cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The upper roller and the lower roller are arranged offset in the longitudinal direction of the frame. The U-groove cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The lower roller is disposed below the drive roller, The upper roller located at the front side in the traveling direction is disposed at the rear side relative to the drive roller located at the front side, The upper roller located on the rear side is disposed on the front side relative to the drive roller located on the rear side. The U-groove cutting device according to claim 5.

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