Transport cart

Abstract

To provide a carriage for conveyance, capable of ensuring turning motion by canceling direct advance during nesting while ensuring direct advance in use and facilitating application of braking of locking the rotation of a wheel.SOLUTION: A carriage for conveyance includes: a pair of two front wheels provided on the front side and capable of turning; a direction regulation unit for regulating turning of the pair of two front wheels; a pair of rear wheels provided on the rear side and rotating to run; a brake unit for inhibiting the rotation of the pair of two rear wheels; a front end unit having the pair of two front wheels and the direction regulation unit; a rear end unit having the pair of two rear wheels and the brake unit; a chassis unit for connecting the front end unit with the rear end unit; a regulation release unit for releasing regulation of the direction regulation unit for regulating the turning of the pair of two front wheels; and a transmission unit for transmitting the operation of the regulation release unit for releasing the regulation of the direction regulation unit to the direction regulation unit. The transmission unit is provided on the chassis unit and the regulation release unit and the brake unit are provided on the rear end unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport truck having two pairs of four wheels on the bottom surface of the front and rear ends of the chassis. [Background technology]

[0002] Transport carts used in the distribution industry for transporting or storing goods require straight-line movement during use, but also require maneuverability when moving the cart to a storage location or from a storage location to a use location, a condition known as nesting. To address this issue, a transport cart with two pairs of four wheels on the underside of the front and rear ends of the body is well known. Here, all of the two pairs of four wheels located at the four corners of the underside of the front and rear ends of the transport cart can be casters. Here, a caster refers to a wheel that can freely rotate around an axis at a set angle relative to the wheel axle, ensuring straight-line movement.

[0003] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned transport cart is stored in a store or warehouse, or when the goods to be delivered are loaded onto the transport cart and transported by truck or the like, a brake lock device must be installed to protect the goods loaded onto the transport cart and to ensure the safety of workers.

[0004] Conventionally known brake lock devices lock the rotation of wheels located at the four corners of the bottom of the front and rear ends of the transport cart, but they cannot prevent the 360-degree swivel of these omnidirectional wheels. As a result, if the floor is even slightly inclined, or if the brake lock is applied during transport by truck, etc., the transport cart will rotate, and in the worst case scenario, the transport cart may tip over.

[0005] In such cases, it is not possible to protect the goods or ensure the safety of workers. To solve this problem, the invention proposed in JP 2002-104195 A discloses an invention in which a pressing member is engaged with the teeth of a gear that is adjacent to a wheel fixed in the longitudinal direction at the middle part of the bottom surface of the transport cart in the longitudinal direction and rotates together with the wheel, thereby locking the rotation of the wheel, and the teeth and the pressing member are engaged using their own weight or spring force.

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-104195 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its object is to provide a transport cart that ensures straight-line movement when in use, while ensuring turning ability by releasing straight-line movement when nesting, and that can easily apply brakes to lock the rotation of the wheels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a transport vehicle according to a first aspect includes a pair of front wheels that are arranged at the front and are capable of changing direction, and a direction restricting unit that restricts the direction change of the pair of front wheels; The vehicle has two pairs of rear wheels that are arranged at the rear and rotate for traveling, a brake unit for preventing the rotation of the pair of rear wheels, a front end portion having two pairs of front wheels and the direction restriction unit, a rear end portion having two pairs of rear wheels and the brake unit, a chassis portion that connects the front end portion and the rear end portion, a restriction release unit for releasing the restriction of the direction restriction unit that restricts the change in direction of the pair of front wheels, and a transmission unit that transmits the operation of the restriction release unit to the direction restriction unit to release the restriction of the direction restriction unit, and the transmission unit is arranged at the chassis portion, and the restriction release unit and brake unit are arranged at the rear end portion.

[0009] In addition, the transport cart of the second aspect is the same as that of the first aspect, in that the direction regulating portion has a receiving portion having a groove portion and an engaging portion that engages with the groove portion, and the restriction release portion releases the restriction of the direction regulating portion by operating the engaging portion that engages with the groove portion to disengage from the groove portion.

[0010] In addition, a transport cart according to a third aspect is the same as that according to the first or second aspect, in that the brake unit has a pedal-shaped brake pedal unit and a second brake pedal unit that maintains the brake pedal unit in a depressed state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] Because the present invention is configured and operates as described above, it is possible to provide a transport cart that ensures straight-line movement when in use, while ensuring turning ability by releasing straight-line movement when nesting, and that can easily apply brakes to lock the rotation of the wheels. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 1A is a left side view of the transport cart, and FIG. 1B is a right side view of the transport cart. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 1A is a plan view of the chassis, and FIG. 1B is a left side view of the chassis. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6A. [Figure 9] 1A is a plan view showing the direction restricting portion when the front wheels are facing sideways, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the direction restricting portion when the front wheels are facing sideways. [Figure 10]1A is a plan view showing the direction restricting portion in a state where the front wheels are gradually directed forward, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. [Figure 11] 1A is a plan view showing the direction restricting portion when the front wheels are facing forward, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the direction restricting portion when the front wheels are facing forward. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a side view of the chassis showing the brake unit. [Figure 13] 1A is a partial side view showing the brake unit, and FIG. 1B is a partial bottom view showing the brake unit. [Figure 14] 1A is a partial plan view showing the brake unit, and FIG. 1B is a left side view showing the brake unit. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing a state in which the brake pedal is depressed. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a partial side view showing a state in which the brake pedal portion is about to be released from the depressed state. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The transport cart 10 of this embodiment has a front end portion 20 located at the front F and a rear end portion 50 located at the rear R. It also has a rod-shaped chassis portion 70 that functions as a frame connecting the front end portion 20 and the rear end portion 50. The front end portion 20, the rear end portion 50, and the chassis portion 70 are H-shaped in a plan view.

[0014] The front end 20 also has a front frame 30 that is supported so as to stand upright on the front end 20. The front frame 30 also has a main shaft 31 that serves as an axis that stands upright on the front end 20. The front frame 30 also has a U-shaped first outer frame 32 supported by the main shaft 31, and multiple horizontal cross bars 33 that are arranged approximately horizontally inside the U-shaped first outer frame 32, with the first outer frame 32 and the multiple horizontal bars 33 forming a ladder shape. The first outer frame 32 also has a fixing portion 35 at approximately the center inside the first outer frame 32 that fixes a pallet 90, which will be described later.

[0015] The rear end portion 50 also has a rear frame portion 60 that is supported so as to stand upright on the rear end portion 50. The rear frame portion 60 also has a main shaft 61 that serves as an axis that stands upright on the rear end portion 50. The rear frame portion 60 also has a U-shaped second outer frame 62 that is supported by the main shaft 61, and a plurality of horizontal beam portions 63 that are arranged approximately horizontally inside the U-shaped second outer frame 62, and the second outer frame 62 and the multiple horizontal beam portions 63 form a ladder shape.

[0016] The transport cart 10 of this embodiment also has a pallet 90 as a base plate on which an article (not shown) is placed, and is rotatably arranged so that it can be positioned horizontally to place an article and positioned approximately vertically when nesting. The pallet 90 has a horizontal shaft 91 as an axis and is rotatably arranged with respect to the main shaft 31 described above. In this manner, the pallet 90 can rotate around the horizontal shaft 91 when positioned horizontally to place an article and when positioned approximately vertically when nesting. When the pallet 90 is leaned against a base so that it is positioned approximately vertically when nesting, the pallet 90 can be fixed to the fixing portion 35 (see FIG. 1).

[0017] The front end 20 of the transport cart 10 of this embodiment has two pairs of casters, each of which is a pair of front wheels 100, 100. The front end 20 is also provided with a direction restricting unit 150 for fixing the turning direction of the front wheels 100, 100 in one direction. The front wheels 100, 100 rotate in order to travel. The rear end 50 also has two pairs of casters, each of which is a pair of rear wheels 200, 200. The rear wheels 200, 200 rotate in order to travel.

[0018] Here, the front end 20 of the transport cart 10 of this embodiment is positioned forward F during use, and the rear end 50 is positioned rearward R. A user (not shown) moves the transport cart 10 forward by pushing the rear frame 60. At this time, the front wheels 100, 100 that can be turned rotatably and the rear wheels 200, 200 that can be turned rotatably both have a caster angle, and therefore turn so as to face forward F. The direction restricting unit 150 is used to fix the front wheels 100 that have been turned so as to face forward F in that position.

[0019] Here, the operation of the direction regulating unit 150 will be described. Note that from FIG. 4 onwards, for the sake of explanation, only the main parts will be illustrated. Two direction regulating units 150 are arranged on the transport cart 10 of this embodiment, one on the left and one on the right. However, one of the swiveling front wheels 100 will be described, and the other front wheel 100 will not be described. The direction regulating unit 150 has an engagement receiving portion 160 having a recess 161 above the front wheel 100, and an engagement portion 170 that engages with the recess. The engagement portion 170 is biased to engage with the recess 161. In other words, when the front wheels 100 are facing sideways (see FIG. 9), the front wheels 100 with a caster angle gradually face in the forward direction (forward F) by moving the transport cart 10 of this embodiment forward (see FIG. 10).

[0020] Furthermore, by moving the transport cart 10 of this embodiment forward, the front wheels 100, 100 face forward F (see FIG. 11). At this time, the engaging portion 170 of the direction restricting portion 150 is biased to engage with the recessed portion 161, so the recessed portion 161 of the engagement receiving portion 160, which turns together with the front wheel 100, engages with the engaging portion 170. As a result, the front wheel 100 faces forward F, and is fixed in its direction facing forward F by the direction restricting portion 150.

[0021] The movement of the transmission unit 180 is transmitted to the engagement unit 170, which is formed by bending a rod-shaped metal member, via the shaft 175. The shaft 175 engages with the engagement unit 170 of the other front wheel 100 (not shown).

[0022] Moreover, the transmission unit 180 is made of a rod-shaped member and is arranged along the chassis unit 70. Furthermore, as will be described later, the transmission unit 180 is connected to a pedal-shaped deregulation unit 190 (not shown) that is stepped on by the user.

[0023] The restriction release unit 190 releases the restriction on the front wheels 100, 100, whose direction has been fixed by the direction restriction unit 150, so that the wheels can freely turn in that direction. The restriction release unit 190 has a first pedal unit 191 for releasing the restriction on the front wheels 100, 100 in the direction forward F, and a second pedal unit 195 for releasing the first pedal unit 191 from a depressed state in order to release the restriction. The restriction release unit 190 is also disposed on the rear end portion 50.

[0024] The first pedal portion 191 of the deregulation unit 190 literally acts to disengage the engaging portion 170 from the recess 161 of the engagement receiving portion 160. When a user (not shown) steps on the pedal-like first pedal portion 191, the transmission portion 180 is pressed forward F, and the pressed transmission portion 180 presses the shaft portion 175, which presses one end 171 of the engaging portion 170, causing the other end 172 to move backward R, thereby disengaging the other end 172 of the engaging portion 170 from the engagement receiving portion 160 (see FIG. 12 ). In this way, as described above, the movement of the transmission portion 180 is transmitted via the shaft portion 175 to the engaging portion 170, which is formed by bending a rod-shaped metal member. This allows the front wheels 100 to turn. This is convenient for moving the transport cart 10 of this embodiment sideways when nesting.

[0025] The first pedal portion 191 has a pin-shaped first pin 192 that protrudes toward the front of the drawing, and when the first pedal portion 191 is depressed, the first pin 192 engages with a second pedal recess 196 in the second pedal portion 195. This maintains the first pedal portion 191 in a depressed state. Therefore, the front wheels 100, 100 remain turnable (see FIG. 12).

[0026] Furthermore, when the second pedal portion 195 is stepped on while the first pedal portion 191 is stepped on, the engagement between the second pedal recess 196 and the first pin 192 is released, and the first pedal portion 191 returns to its original position. When the first pedal portion 191 returns to its original position and the transport cart 10 of this embodiment is moved forward, the direction of the swiveling front wheels 100, 100 is again fixed by the direction regulating portion 150 as described above.

[0027] In this way, the second pedal portion 195 can maintain the first pedal portion 191 in a depressed state, and the front wheels 100, 100 can be maintained in a swivelable state. When the second pedal portion 195 is depressed again, the first pedal portion 191 returns to its original depressed state, and the transport cart 10 of this embodiment moves forward, so that the front wheels 100, 100 face forward F, and the recessed portion 161 of the engagement receiving portion 160 engages with the engagement portion 170. As a result, the direction of the front wheels 100, 100 is fixed to face forward F.

[0028] Next, the brake unit 300 will be described. Note that from Figure 13 onwards, only the main parts will be illustrated for the sake of explanation. The brake unit 300 has a pedal-shaped brake pedal unit 310 and a second brake pedal unit 320 that releases the brake pedal unit 310 from a depressed state. The brake unit 300 also has a pressing unit 330 that transmits the action of the brake pedal unit 310 in a depressed state, a bracket unit 340 that is pressed by the pressing unit 330, a rod-shaped pin unit 350 that is further pressed down by the bracket unit 340, and a brake contact unit 360 that descends due to the action of the pin unit 350 to come into contact with the rear wheels 200, 200 and prevent rotation for driving. The pressing portion 330 is connected to the horizontal shaft portion 335, and has a rod-shaped pin portion 350 on the other side which presses down the bracket portion 340 on the other side and is further pressed down by the bracket portion 340 on the other side, and a brake contact portion 360 on the other side which descends due to the action of the pin portion 350, thereby coming into contact with the rear wheel 200 on the other side and preventing it from rotating for traveling.

[0029] The brake pedal portion 310 has a horizontal pin portion 311, which is a pin that protrudes toward the front of the drawing. The second brake pedal portion 320 has a groove-shaped horizontal pin engagement portion 321 that engages with the horizontal pin portion 311. The pedal-shaped brake pedal portion 310 and the second brake pedal portion 320 are arranged on the rear end portion 50. The restriction release portion 190, the brake pedal portion 310, and the second brake pedal portion 320 are arranged side by side on the rear end portion 50. The restriction release portion 190 is preferably located close to the main shaft 61.

[0030] When a user (not shown) steps on the brake pedal portion 310 of the brake portion 300, the pressing portion 330 moves downward, which in turn presses downward the bracket portion 340. In addition, the bracket portion 340 is pressed downward, which presses downward the pin portion 350, which in turn moves downward the brake contact portion 360, which then contacts the rear wheels 200, 200, and the wheels 200, 200 are then prevented from rotating while traveling, thereby applying the brakes.

[0031] When the brake pedal portion 310 is stepped on by a user (not shown), the horizontal pin portion 311, which is a pin protruding toward the front of the drawing, also moves downward and engages with a groove-shaped horizontal pin engaging portion 321 in the second brake pedal portion 320. This allows the brake pedal portion 310 to maintain its depressed state, and the rear wheels 200, 200 are maintained in a state where they are prevented from rotating while traveling.

[0032] Next, when the second brake pedal portion 320 is depressed, the engagement between the cross pin portion 311 and the cross pin engagement portion 321 is released, and the brake pedal portion 310 returns to its original position due to the action of the spring 362, whereby the brake contact portion 360 is released from contact with the rear wheels 200, 200, and the wheels 200, 200 then become able to rotate.

[0033] In this way, since the derestriction unit 190 and the brake pedal unit 310 and second brake pedal unit 320 of the brake unit 300 are all disposed on the rear end portion 50, a user (not shown) can easily operate the derestriction unit 190 and the brake pedal unit 310 and second brake pedal unit 320 of the brake unit 300 by positioning himself / herself in the rear R direction of the rear frame unit 60. This makes it easy to switch between straight-ahead travel and lateral movement, and particularly easy to switch to nesting operation. In addition, the brake pedal unit 310 and second brake pedal unit 320 of the brake unit 300 make it easy to lock the rear wheels 200, 200 to prevent rotation and unlock them to allow rotation, thereby preventing inadvertent movement of the transport cart 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 Transport cart 20 Front end 30 Front frame 50 Rear end 60 Rear frame 70 Chassis 90 pallets 100 front wheel 150 Directional control section 160 Engagement receiving portion 161 recess 175 Shaft 180 Transmission Unit 190 Deregulation Department 191 First pedal section 195 Second pedal section 200 rear wheel 300 Brake section 310 Brake pedal 320 Second brake pedal section 330 Pressing section

Claims

1. A pair of front wheels disposed at the front and capable of changing direction; a direction restricting portion that restricts the turning of the pair of front wheels; a pair of rear wheels disposed at the rear and rotating for traveling; a brake unit for preventing rotation of the pair of rear wheels; a front end portion including the two pairs of front wheels and the direction restricting portion; a rear end portion including the two pairs of rear wheels and the brake unit; a chassis portion connecting the front end portion and the rear end portion; a restriction release unit for releasing the restriction of the direction restriction unit that restricts the turning of the two pairs of front wheels; a transmission unit that transmits the operation of the restriction release unit to the direction restriction unit in order to release the restriction of the direction restriction unit, the front end is located forward and the rear end is located rearward; a rod-shaped chassis portion that functions as a frame connecting the front end portion and the rear end portion, The front end portion, the rear end portion, and the chassis portion are H-shaped in a plan view, The transmission unit is disposed along the chassis unit, The transporting cart has the deregulation unit and the brake unit disposed at the rear end.

2. the direction restricting portion has an engagement receiving portion having a recess and an engagement portion that engages with the recess, The transporting cart according to claim 1 , wherein the restriction release portion releases the restriction of the direction restriction portion by operating the engaging portion that engages with the recess so as to disengage from the recess.

3. 3. The transport cart according to claim 1, wherein the brake unit comprises a pedal-shaped brake pedal unit and a second brake pedal unit that maintains the brake pedal unit in a depressed state.

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