Stepped trailer

Abstract

To provide a stepped trailer that is able to avoid interference between an intermediate support and a catch fixed to a gate, when the intermediate support is rotated.SOLUTION: An upper part of an intermediate support main body 41 is projected to a high floor part 5 side (a front side) along a first side rail 8 to provide a projecting part 52. Also, the projecting part 52 is provided with a first gate latch 55 for receiving a first catch 56 fixed to a first gate 21, and a projecting length of the projecting part 52 of the intermediate support main body 41 is made longer than a projecting length of the first catch 56 from the first gate 21. Therefore, even if the intermediate support main body 41 is rotated from an upright state and tilted downward to a near side while the first gate 21 is opened, the first catch 56 is positioned inside a notch 51 of the intermediate support main body 41, so that interference between the intermediate support main body 41 and the first catch 56 can be avoided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stepped trailer, and more particularly to a stepped trailer equipped with a swing-type intermediate support. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotating intermediate support pillar that can rotate via a hinge relative to the floor frame of the bed of a freight vehicle. This rotating intermediate support pillar is provided with a gate latch that connects the front and rear gates, and the front and rear gates are provided with catches (pressed parts) that protrude toward the rotating intermediate support pillar and are received by the gate latch. With the rotating intermediate support pillar described in Patent Document 1, the front and rear gates can be opened and closed with a single action by releasing the constraint of the catch provided by the gate latch and unlocking the rotating intermediate support pillar from the floor frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-65628 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In stepped trailers with a lower loading platform relative to the kingpin or dolly section, the rotation axis of the gate (hereinafter referred to as the "first gate") installed on the kingpin or dolly section (high floor section) is not coaxial with the rotation axis of the gate (hereinafter referred to as the "second gate") installed on the low floor section adjacent to the first gate, making it impossible to open and close the first and second gates with a single action. In such stepped trailers, a plug-in type intermediate support beam is usually used between the first and second gates, which can be inserted and removed from the floor frame at the front end of the low floor section or the rear end of the high floor section. The plug-in type intermediate support beam needs to be inserted and removed from the floor frame when loading and unloading cargo, but its weight places a great burden on the worker.

[0005] Therefore, consideration was given to applying a tilt-rotating intermediate support to a stepped trailer, but when the first tilt is open, the catch fixed to the first tilt protrudes into the rotational orbit of the intermediate support body, so if the tilt-rotating intermediate support is opened with the first tilt open (by tilting the intermediate support body forward and rotating it downward), there is a risk that the intermediate support body will collide with the catch, causing the catch to become deformed.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a stepped trailer that can avoid interference between the intermediate support body and a catch fixed to the gate when the gate rotating intermediate support is rotated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The stepped trailer of the present invention is a stepped trailer having a low bed section with a loading platform lowered relative to a kingpin section or dolly section, and is provided with a first side rail provided on a side edge of the kingpin section or dolly section, a second side rail provided on a side edge of the low bed section, a third side rail connecting the first side rail and the second side rail, a first gate provided on the first side rail so as to be able to open and close, a second gate provided on the second side rail so as to be able to open and close, and a gate rotating intermediate support pillar provided between the first gate and the second gate, wherein the gate rotating intermediate support pillar is: An L-shaped notch and a portion above the notch, A protrusion provided by protruding the upper part of the intermediate support body forward along the first side rail. and The protruding portion is provided with a gate latch that receives a catch provided at the rear end of the first gate. The protruding length of the protrusion is set to be longer than the protruding length of the catch from the rear end of the first tilt, and when the first tilt is in an open state, even if the intermediate support body is tilted forward from the upright state and rotated downward, the catch is positioned inside the notch of the intermediate support body. It is characterized by: The stepped trailer of the present invention is a stepped trailer having a low-floor section in which the loading platform is lowered relative to a kingpin section or a dolly section, and is provided with a first side rail provided on a side edge of the kingpin section or dolly section, a second side rail provided on a side edge of the low-floor section, a third side rail connecting the first side rail and the second side rail, a first gate provided on the first side rail in an openable and closable manner, a second gate provided on the second side rail in an openable and closable manner, and a gate rotating intermediate support provided between the first gate and the second gate, The tilt rotating intermediate support has an L-shaped notch and a protrusion provided above the notch, the protrusion extending forward from an upper portion of the intermediate support body along the first side rail, and a tilt latch provided on the protrusion for receiving a catch provided at the rear end of the first tilt, The catch includes a fixed portion fixed to the first gate, a receiving portion restrained by the gate latch, and a hinge foldably connecting the fixed portion and the receiving portion. The protruding length of the catch from the rear end of the first pivot in the folded state is set shorter than the protruding length of the protruding portion of the intermediate support body, and when the catch is folded, the catch does not protrude in front of the intermediate support body in the upright state. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid interference between the intermediate support body and the catch fixed to the gate when the gate intermediate support of a stepped trailer rotates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a stepped trailer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of an intermediate support body provided between a first gate and a second gate in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the first and second gates are closed (upright state). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the first gate is open. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the first and second gates are open. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of a first catch in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a top view of a first catch in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of the second embodiment, showing a state in which the first gate is closed (upright state). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of the second embodiment, showing a state in which the first catch is folded. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of the second embodiment, showing a state in which the first gate is open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a stepped trailer 1 equipped with a wing body 2. The stepped trailer 1 has a symmetrical basic structure, including a wing roof 3 and a tailgate 20. Therefore, for the purpose of simplifying the description, only the left side of the stepped trailer 1 will be described, and a description of the right side will be omitted. Furthermore, the stepped trailer 1 is not limited to one equipped with a wing body 2, and can be, for example, a stepped trailer equipped with an opening / closing canopy on top of the tailgate 20, or a stepped trailer without a wing body 2 or an opening / closing canopy.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, stepped trailer 1 has a kingpin 4 or dolly (not shown), a high floor section 5 (kingpin section or dolly section) provided on the kingpin 4 side (the "front" of stepped trailer 1, or the "left side" in Figure 1), and a low floor section 6 connected to high floor section 5 via a stepped section 7. Stepped trailer 1 also has a first side rail 8 extending in the front-to-rear direction from the side edge of high floor section 5, a second side rail 9 extending in the front-to-rear direction from the side edge of low floor section 6, and a third side rail 10 connecting first side rail 8 and second side rail 9.

[0012] The gate 20 has a first gate 21 provided on the high floor section 5, and a second gate 22 and a third gate 23 provided on the low floor section 6. The first gate 21 is attached to the first side rail 8 via a plurality of hinges 24 (eight in the first embodiment) so as to be able to open and close (rotate). On the other hand, the second gate 22 and the third gate 23 are each attached to the second side rail 9 via a plurality of hinges 24 (nine in the first embodiment) so as to be able to open and close (rotate). The first gate 21, second gate 22, and third gate 23 are constructed by combining extruded aluminum alloy members or the like.

[0013] A tilt-rotating intermediate support 31 (hereinafter referred to as "intermediate support 31") is provided between the first tilt 21 and the second tilt 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate support 31 has an intermediate support body 41 and a locking mechanism 32 that rotatably supports the intermediate support body 41 with respect to the second side rail 9 of the low-floor section 6 and holds the intermediate support body 41 in an upright position. The locking mechanism 32 is the same as that provided in a tilt-rotating intermediate support of a conventional stepped trailer. Therefore, a detailed description of the locking mechanism 32 will be omitted.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the intermediate support body 41 has a body plate 42 whose cross section is formed into a channel shape by press molding. The body plate 42 has a notch 43 formed by cutting out a rectangular notch at the front corner of the lower part (the "lower left corner" in Fig. 2). A side wall 46 of the same height as the side walls 44, 45 of the body plate 42 is formed by press molding on the vertical edge of the notch 43.

[0015] An edge member 47 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is joined to the horizontal (upper) edge of the notch 43. Furthermore, an edge member 48 having an L-shaped cross section is joined to the vertical edge of the notch 43. Furthermore, an edge member 49 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is joined to the edge of the lower end of the main body plate 42. Furthermore, a seal plate 50 that seals the gap with the wing roof 3 is joined to the edge of the upper end of the main body plate 42. For convenience, the L-shaped portion of the intermediate support body 41 formed by the edge member 47 and the edge member 48 will be referred to as the notch 51.

[0016] Furthermore, the portion of the intermediate support body 41 above the notch 51, i.e., the portion that protrudes forward (to the "left" in Figure 2) beyond the edge member 48, in other words, the portion that protrudes toward the first gate 21 side relative to the intermediate support body in a conventional stepped trailer, is referred to as the protruding portion 52. The overall length of the first gate 21 is shorter than the overall length of the first gate of a stepped trailer equipped with a conventional intermediate support body by the protruding length L1 (see Figure 2) of the protruding portion 52.

[0017] 3 and 4, when intermediate support body 41 is in the upright position, edge member 47 (see FIG. 2) is positioned along the upper edge of first side rail 8, and a seal member (not shown) provided on edge member 47 seals the gap between edge member 47 and first side rail 8. When intermediate support body 41 is in the upright position, edge member 48 (see FIG. 2) is positioned along the rear edge of vertical third side rail 10, and a seal member (not shown) provided on edge member 48 seals the gap between edge member 48 and third side rail 10.

[0018] A wing latch 53 is provided at the center of the top of the intermediate support column main body 41 (main body plate 42). The wing latch 53 holds the wing roof 3 in a closed state by receiving a catch 54 (see FIG. 1) provided at the lower end of the wing roof 3. In addition, a first gate latch 55 is provided at the protruding portion 52 of the intermediate support column main body 41. A corner post 25 is provided at the rear end of the first gate 21, and the first gate latch 55 receives a first catch 56 (catch) fixed to the upper end of the corner post 25, thereby holding the first gate 21 in a closed state (upright state).

[0019] The first catch 56 protrudes rearward (toward the intermediate support body 41, and to the right in FIG. 3) from the corner post 25 of the first tilt lever 21. Here, the protruding length L1 of the protruding portion 52 of the intermediate support body 41 is set longer than the protruding length of the first catch 56 from the first tilt lever 21 (corner post 25). As a result, when the first tilt lever 21 is in the open state (see FIG. 4), even if the intermediate support body 41 is tilted forward from the upright state and rotated downward, the first catch 56 is positioned inside the notch 51 of the intermediate support body 41, as shown in FIG. 5, and therefore interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 56 is avoided.

[0020] The vertical length L2 (see Figure 2) of the notch 51 in the intermediate support body 41 is sized so that even if the intermediate support body 41 is tilted forward and rotated downward with the first gate 21 open, there is no interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 56. Here, the vertical length L2 of the notch 51 depends on the step L3 between the high floor section 5 and the low floor section 6.

[0021] A second gate latch 57 is provided on the upper rear side of the intermediate support main body 41. A corner post 26 is provided at the front end of the second gate 22, and a second catch 58 fixed to the upper end of the corner post 26 is received by the second gate latch 57, thereby holding the second gate 22 in a closed state (upright state). Note that the wing latch 53, first gate latch 55 and second gate latch 57 can be the same as gate latches provided on conventional stepped trailers.

[0022] Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 1, a tilt rotating intermediate support 11 (hereinafter referred to as "intermediate support 11") is provided between the second gate 22 and the third gate 23. Here, the intermediate support 11 is the same as the tilt rotating intermediate support provided on a conventional stepped trailer. In other words, the intermediate support 11 has the same basic structure as the intermediate support 31 provided between the first gate 21 and the second gate 22, except that it does not have a protrusion 52 (see Fig. 2). Therefore, detailed description of the intermediate support 11 and the locking mechanism 12 provided on the intermediate support 11 will be omitted.

[0023] The effects of the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 shows the state in which the gate 20 is closed. The second gate 22 and the third gate 23 (see Figure 1), which are connected by the intermediate support 11, are opened and closed (rotated) as a unit, so the third gate 23 is not shown in Figures 3 to 5. When opening or closing the gate 20, the wing roof 3 (see Figure 1) is opened by releasing the restraint of the catch 54 by the wing latch 53.

[0024] First, to open the gate 20, the first catch 56 (catch) held by the first gate latch 55 is released. This allows the first gate 21 to rotate relative to the first side rail 8 around the pin (not shown) of the hinge 24. Note that when releasing the lock on the first gate 21 by the first gate latch 55, the lock on the first gate 21 by the front gate latch 15 (see FIG. 1) provided on the front frame (not shown) of the wing body 2 is released in advance. Then, the first gate 21 is tilted forward and rotated downward (tilted outward from the wing body 2) to open the first gate 21 (see FIG. 4).

[0025] Next, the locking mechanism 32 is used to unlock the intermediate support body 41. When unlocking the intermediate support body 41 using the locking mechanism 32, the locking mechanism 12 of the intermediate support 11 is used to unlock the intermediate support body 13, and the rear gate latch 16 (see FIG. 1) provided on the rear frame (not shown) of the wing body 2 is also used to unlock the third gate 23. Then, the intermediate support body 41, the intermediate support 11, the second gate 22, and the third gate 23 are tilted forward and rotated downward (tilted toward the outside of the wing body 2), and the second gate 22 and the third gate 23 are opened (see FIG. 5).

[0026] Here, in conventional stepped trailers, the catch fixed to the first gate protrudes into the rotational orbit of the intermediate support body, so when the first gate is open and the intermediate support body of the gate rotating intermediate support is tilted forward and rotated downward, there is a risk that the intermediate support body will collide with the catch, causing the catch to become deformed.

[0027] In contrast to this, in the first embodiment, the upper part of the intermediate support main body 41 (the part that is higher than the first side rail 8 when upright and that faces the first gate 21) protrudes along the first side rail 8 toward the raised floor section 5 (front side) to form a protruding part 52, and a first gate latch 55 that receives a first catch 56 (catch) fixed to the first gate 21 is provided on the protruding part 52, and the protruding length L1 of the protruding part 52 of the intermediate support main body 41 is made longer than the protruding length of the first catch 56 from the first gate 21 (corner post 25). As a result, even if the intermediate support body 41 is tilted forward from the upright position and rotated downward with the first tilt 21 open, the first catch 56 is positioned inside the notch 51 of the intermediate support body 41 (the part below the protrusion 52 on the intermediate support body 41 in the upright position), so interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 56 can be avoided. Furthermore, while conventional stepped trailers mostly use insertable intermediate supports, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to use a pivoting gate intermediate support 31 on the stepped trailer 1, which eliminates the need to insert or remove the heavy insertable intermediate support from the floor frame when loading or unloading cargo, significantly reducing the burden on workers.

[0028] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The same names and symbols are used for the parts common to the first embodiment, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0029] In the first embodiment, when the first gate 21 is in an open state, the first catch 56 (catch) fixed to the first gate 21 is positioned lower than the lower end of the upright intermediate support body 41 (see FIG. 4). As a result, in the first embodiment, when the first gate 21 is in an open state, the upright intermediate support body 41 can be tilted forward.

[0030] On the other hand, if the height of the first tilt 21 is significantly lower than the height of a standard tilt, when the first tilt 21 is open, the first catch 56 fixed to the first tilt 21 may face the upright intermediate support body 41 (see reference numeral 63A in FIG. 10). In this case, the intermediate support body 41 interferes with the first catch 56, and the upright intermediate support body 41 cannot be tilted forward.

[0031] Therefore, in the second embodiment, a foldable first catch 61 is used instead of the first catch 56. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the first catch 61 has a fixed part 62 fixed to the first gate 21, a receiving part 63 restrained by the first gate latch 55 (see Figure 8), and a hinge 64 connecting the fixed part 62 and the receiving part 63 in a foldable manner.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 8, the first tilt latch 55 is provided on the protruding portion 52 of the intermediate support body 41 in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, it is arranged at a position rearward (to the right in Fig. 8) from the protruding portion 52 of the intermediate support body 41. Accordingly, the wing latch 53 is arranged at a position rearward compared to the first embodiment (an intermediate position between the first tilt latch 55 and the second tilt latch 57). In addition, the vertical length L2 (see Fig. 2) of the notch 51 of the intermediate support body 41 is longer than in the first embodiment due to an increase in the step of the stepped portion 7 (the height difference between the high floor portion 5 and the low floor portion 6).

[0033] 6 and 7, the hinge 64 has a fixed piece 65 fixed to the fixed portion 62, a rotating piece 66 fixed to the receiving portion 63, and a pin 67 having a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction in FIG. 6. A magnet 69 is attached to a surface 68 of the rotating piece 66. A magnet receiver 71 that receives the magnet 69 is attached to a surface 70 of the fixed piece 65. The first catch 61 can be folded by rotating the receiving portion 63 around the pin 67 and placing it on the fixed portion 62. The magnet 69 attached to the rotating piece 66 attracts the magnet receiver 71 attached to the fixed piece 65 of the hinge 64, thereby holding the first catch 61 in the folded state.

[0034] As shown in Figure 9, the protruding length of the first catch 61 from the rear end of the first tilt lever 21 in the folded state is set shorter than the protruding length L1 (see Figure 2) of the protruding portion 52 of the intermediate support body 41. As a result, when the first catch 61 is folded, the first catch 61 does not protrude in front of the intermediate support body 41 in the upright state. In other words, the receiving portion 63 of the first catch 61 is retracted from the rotational path of the intermediate support body 41. This prevents interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 61 when the first tilt lever 21 is open.

[0035] The effects of the second embodiment will be described. Figure 8 shows the first gate 21 in a closed state. To open the first gate 21, first, the first catch 61 (receiving portion 63) is released from the first gate latch 55. Next, as shown in Figure 9, the receiving portion 63 of the first catch 61 is rotated around the pin 67 (see Figure 7) so that the receiving portion 63 overlaps the fixed portion 62. As a result, the magnet 69 attached to the rotating piece 66 attracts the magnet receiver 71 attached to the fixed piece 65 of the hinge 64, and the first catch 61 is held in the folded state.

[0036] Next, the first tilt lever 21 is tilted forward and rotated downward. Here, when the first tilt lever 21 is in the open state shown in Fig. 10, the receiving portion 63 of the first catch 61 does not protrude in front of the upright intermediate support body 41; in other words, the receiving portion 63 is retracted from the rotational path of the intermediate support body 41. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 61, and the upright intermediate support body 41 can be tilted forward with the first tilt lever 21 open.

[0037] According to the second embodiment, by applying the foldable first catch 61, even if the height of the first gate 21 is significantly lower than that of a standard gate, when the first gate 21 is open, the receiving portion 63 of the first catch 61 does not protrude into the rotational orbit of the intermediate support body 41, so the intermediate support body 41 can be tilted forward.

[0038] In the second embodiment, the first catch 61 is described as being applicable to a stepped trailer 1 having a tilt-rotating intermediate support 31 with a protrusion 52 provided on the intermediate support body 41, but the first catch 61 can also be applied to a stepped trailer having a tilt-rotating intermediate support that does not have a protrusion provided on the intermediate support body (see tilt-rotating intermediate support 11 in Figure 1). In this case, the first catch 61 is configured so that the rear end of the first catch 61 in the folded state does not protrude from the rear end of the first gate 21. As a result, when the first catch 61 is folded, the first catch 61 does not protrude in front of (to the front of) the intermediate support body 41 in the upright state; in other words, the receiving portion 63 of the first catch 61 is retracted from the rotational path of the intermediate support body 41, making it possible to avoid interference between the intermediate support body 41 and the first catch 61 when the first gate 21 is in the open state. In addition, in the second embodiment, the first catch 61 is held in the folded state by attracting the magnet holder 71 with the magnet 69, but it may also be configured to hold the first catch 61 in the folded state by inserting a pin into a through hole provided in the hinge 64, for example.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, one gate 20 (first gate 21) is provided on the high-floor section 5 and two gates (second gate 22, third gate 23) are provided on the low-floor section 6, but this is not intended to be limiting; for example, two gates may be provided on the high-floor section 5, and one or three gates may be provided on the low-floor section 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Step trailer, 5 High-floor section (kingpin section or dolly section), 6 Low-floor section, 8 First side rail, 9 Second side rail, 10 Third side rail, 21 First gate, 22 Second gate, 31 Gate rotating intermediate support, 32 Locking mechanism, 41 Intermediate support body, 52 Protrusion, 56 First catch (catch), 55 First gate latch (Gate latch)

Claims

1. A stepped trailer having a low-floor section in which the loading platform is lowered relative to the kingpin section or dolly section, a first side rail provided on a side edge of the kingpin portion or dolly portion; a second side rail provided on a side edge of the low floor portion; a third side rail connecting the first side rail and the second side rail; a first gate provided on the first side rail so as to be able to open and close; a second gate provided on the second side rail in an openable and closable manner; a tilt rotation type intermediate support provided between the first tilt and the second tilt, the tilt-rotating intermediate support has an L-shaped notch and a protrusion provided above the notch, the protrusion being formed by protruding an upper portion of the intermediate support body forward along the first side rail, The protrusion is provided with a gate latch that receives a catch provided at the rear end of the first gate, A protruding length of the protruding portion is set to be longer than a protruding length of the catch from a rear end of the first gate, This stepped trailer is characterized in that when the first gate is open, the catch remains positioned inside the notch of the intermediate support body even when the intermediate support body is tilted forward from an upright position and rotated downward.

2. A stepped trailer having a low-floor section in which the loading platform is lowered relative to the kingpin section or dolly section, a first side rail provided on a side edge of the kingpin portion or dolly portion; a second side rail provided on a side edge of the low floor portion; a third side rail connecting the first side rail and the second side rail; a first gate provided on the first side rail so as to be able to open and close; a second gate provided on the second side rail in an openable and closable manner; a tilt rotation type intermediate support provided between the first tilt and the second tilt, the tilt-rotating intermediate support has an L-shaped notch and a protrusion provided above the notch, the protrusion being formed by protruding an upper portion of the intermediate support body forward along the first side rail, The protrusion is provided with a gate latch that receives a catch provided at the rear end of the first gate, The catch includes a fixed portion fixed to the first gate, a receiving portion restrained by the gate latch, and a hinge foldably connecting the fixed portion and the receiving portion, a protruding length of the catch from the rear end of the first gate in a folded state is set shorter than a protruding length of the protruding portion of the intermediate support pillar body, A stepped trailer characterized in that, when the catch is folded, the catch does not protrude in front of the intermediate support body when it is in an upright position.

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