Safety devices

Abstract

To provide a safety device that can easily alert people to the fact that they are working at height. [Solution] The safety device 1 is installed on an aerial work platform 10 which has a vehicle body 20 and a work platform 40 that carries a worker and rises from the vehicle body 20. The safety device 1 has an LED tape 2 and a reel 3 on which the LED tape 2 is wound. The reel 3 is provided with a holding part 4 for holding the reel 3 to the vehicle body 20. The tip 21 of the LED tape 2 is provided with an attachment part 5 for attaching the tip 21 to the work platform 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device provided on an aerial work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] At construction sites, many aerial work vehicles are used for aerial work such as ceiling work and ceiling equipment work. When performing aerial work using an aerial work vehicle, in order to prevent accidents caused by tools and materials accidentally falling from the elevated work platform, the surrounding area of the vehicle is often partitioned by temporary materials for warning such as color cones (registered trademark) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This can clearly indicate to people around that aerial work is in progress, prompt attention, and ensure the safety of the work.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the method of partitioning the surrounding area of the vehicle by temporary materials such as color cones (registered trademark), it is necessary to move the temporary materials every time the aerial work vehicle is moved, which causes the trouble of reloading.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a safety device or the like that can easily alert people that aerial work is in progress.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention, which solves the aforementioned problems, is a safety device to be installed on an aerial work platform having a vehicle body and a work platform that carries a worker and rises from the vehicle body, and is characterized in that it has a warning wire and a reel on which the warning wire is wound, the reel is provided with a holding part for holding the reel on the vehicle body, and the tip of the warning wire is provided with a mounting part for attaching the tip to the work platform.

[0007] In this invention, a reel with warning wires wound around it is attached to the body of an aerial work platform, and the tip of the warning wire is attached to the work platform of the aerial work platform. When working at height, the warning wire is unwound from the reel at the same time that the work platform is raised from the body of the vehicle, and the warning wire can be seen from around the vehicle. This makes it easy to inform people in the vicinity that work is being done at height without performing complicated procedures, and thus ensures safety by drawing attention to the situation.

[0008] The warning wire is powered and emits light, and a cable for supplying power to the warning wire from the aerial work platform may be attached to the reel. The warning wire is, for example, an LED strip. By using warning wires that emit light when powered, visibility is improved even in dust-generating tasks such as spraying fire-resistant coatings, or in dark places. Furthermore, by supplying power from an aerial work platform using the above-mentioned cables, there is no need to prepare a separate power source for safety devices. If LED tape is used as the warning wire, high brightness can be obtained with low power consumption, and less heat is generated even when illuminated for relatively long periods of time.

[0009] It is preferable that a magnet be used as the holding part. This allows the reel to be held in place without any special modifications to the vehicle body, and the safety device can be applied to many aerial work platforms. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a safety device, etc., that can easily alert people to the fact that they are working at height. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A schematic side view of an aerial work platform 10 equipped with a safety device 1. [Figure 2] A schematic side view of an aerial work platform 10 equipped with a safety device 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows a cross-section along line AA. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the outer surface 4121 of the plate-shaped portion 412 of the base fitting 41. [Figure 5] A diagram showing the mounting part 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (1. Aerial work platform 10) Figures 1 and 2 are schematic side views of an aerial work platform 10 equipped with a safety device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The aerial work platform 10 is a vertical lifting type aerial work platform that raises a work platform 40 on which a worker (not shown) is placed when performing work at height, and has a vehicle body 20, a lifting device 30, a work platform 40, etc. Figures 1 and 2 show the state in which the work platform 40 is in an initial position near the top surface of the vehicle body 20 and the state in which the work platform 40 has been raised from the vehicle body 20, respectively.

[0014] The vehicle body 20 is the main body of the aerial work platform 10, and is equipped with a lifting device 30 and a work platform 40, and moves on the running surface 100 by wheels 201. A battery for power supply is installed inside the vehicle body 20.

[0015] The lifting device 30 raises and lowers the work platform 40 by extending and retracting in the vertical direction (referring to the direction perpendicular to the running surface 100). The lifting device 30 has a known extension and retraction mechanism that combines a plurality of link members 301 in a pantograph-like manner.

[0016] The workbench 40 is a lifting scaffold on which workers performing high-altitude work board, and it rises from the vehicle body 20 with the workers on board. The workbench 40 has a bucket-shaped configuration including a horizontal work floor 401 and a handrail 402 erected on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the work floor 401.

[0017] (2. Safety device 1) The safety device 1 of this embodiment is for ensuring the safety of work by alerting people around when performing high-altitude work using the aerial work platform 10. The safety device 1 includes an LED tape 2, a reel 3, a holding part 4, a mounting part 5, a cable 6, etc.

[0018] The LED tape 2 is a wire (attention-arousing wire) for alerting people around the aerial work platform 10, and it emits light when receiving power supply. The LED tape 2 is a flexible strip-shaped wire, and inside it, a plurality of light-emitting diodes are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the LED tape 2. Each light-emitting diode emits light by being energized through the wire inside the LED tape 2. Such an LED tape 2 is also called an LED tape light, and an example of it is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2025-82634. The light-emitting color of the LED tape 2 is, for example, white, but it can also be another color such as red, green, or blue. The width of the LED tape 2 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately determined in consideration of visibility, etc.

[0019] The reel 3 winds and holds the LED tape 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross-section taken along line A-A of FIG. 1. The reel 3 is provided with a reel body around which the LED tape 2 is wound inside a housing 31, and a mounting member 33 is provided on the housing 31. Inside the housing 31, a spring mechanism for biasing the reel body to rotate in the direction (return direction) in which the reel body winds the LED tape 2 and a current collector for making the rotation of the reel body compatible with the power supply to the LED tape 2 are also provided. An example of such a spring mechanism and current collector is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-203548.

[0020] The tip 21 of the LED tape 2 is pulled upward from the opening 311 provided in the housing 31. The outer surface of the housing 31 preferably has a color that is generally regarded as an attention - attracting color, such as yellow or red, for improving visibility.

[0021] The mounting member 33 is for mounting the holding part 4. The reel 3 of this embodiment is a repurposed conventional hanging - type reel, and the hanging fitting is used as the mounting member 33.

[0022] The holding part 4 is provided on the reel 3 and holds the reel 3 on the vehicle body 20 of the aerial work vehicle 10. The holding part 4 of this embodiment has a base metal fitting 41 and a magnet 42.

[0023] The base metal fitting 41 is a channel steel composed of two orthogonal plate - like parts 411 and 412, to which a reinforcing rib 413 for connecting the plate - like parts 411 and 412 to each other is attached.

[0024] One plate - like part 411 of the channel steel is fixed to the mounting member 33 of the reel 3 using a fixture (not shown) such as a bolt. By thus attaching the base metal fitting 41 of the holding part 4 to the mounting member 33 and using the holding part 4 to hold the reel 3 on the vehicle body 20, a conventional hanging - type reel can be repurposed for the safety device 1.

[0025] The magnet 42 is provided on the outer surface 4121 of the other plate - like part 412 of the channel steel. The outer surface 412 is the surface on the opposite side of the plate - like part 411 among the two surfaces facing in the thickness direction of the plate - like part 412. By fixing the magnet 42 to the metal side surface of the vehicle body 20 of the aerial work vehicle 10 by magnetic force, the base metal fitting 41 can be fixed to the vehicle body 20, and the reel 3 can be held on the vehicle body 20.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a view showing the outer surface 4121 of the plate - like part 412 of the base metal fitting 41. In this embodiment, three magnets 42 are respectively provided at positions corresponding to the vertices of a triangle on the outer surface 4121 of the plate - like part 412. However, the number and arrangement of the magnets 42 are not particularly limited.

[0027] The mounting portion 5 is provided on the tip portion 21 of the LED tape 2. Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show the mounting portion 5. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 5 has one end of a wire 51 connected to a connecting material 53 fixed to the tip portion 21 of the LED tape 2, and a carabiner 52 is provided on the other end of the wire 51.

[0028] The mounting section 5 is used to attach the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 to the work platform 40 of the aerial work platform 10. The mounting section 5 may be used by wrapping the wire 51 around the handrail 402 and passing the wire 51 inside the carabiner 52 at the end, as shown in Figure 5(a), or by passing the handrail 402 inside the carabiner 52, as shown in Figure 5(b). In addition, a magnet may be provided on the connecting member 53 so that the connecting member 53 can be fixed to a flat surface of the handrail 402 by magnetic force, which is useful when attaching the tip 21 of the LED tape 2.

[0029] Cable 6 supplies power from the aerial work platform 10 to the LED strip 2. By attaching one end of cable 6 to the terminal on the vehicle body 20 of the aerial work platform 10 and the other end of cable 6 to the terminal on the reel 3, it becomes possible to supply power from the battery of the vehicle body 20 to the LED strip 2. The LED strip 2 lights up when it receives power.

[0030] When performing work at height using the aerial work platform 10, the ends of the cable 6 are attached to the terminals on the vehicle body 20 and the terminals on the reel 3 to illuminate the LED tape 2. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the work platform 40 on which the worker (not shown) is placed is raised from the vehicle body 20. As the work platform 40 is raised, tension is applied to the LED tape 2 in the direction of unwinding it from the reel 3 (feeding direction), and this tension causes the LED tape 2 to unwind from the reel 3.

[0031] Furthermore, if the LED tape 2 is unwound from the reel 3 in a twisted state, a greater load than usual will be applied, making it more likely for internal wires to break. Therefore, when installing the safety device 1, it is desirable to adjust the position of the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 and the position of the reel 3 so that the LED tape 2 is unwound from the reel 3 without twisting. In this embodiment, the reel 3 is positioned so that the opening 311 (see Figure 3) is almost directly below the tip 21 of the LED tape 2, and the LED tape 2 is unwound in an almost vertical direction.

[0032] People around the aerial work platform 10 can see the emitting LED tape 2 extending to the heights, recognize that work is being performed at height using the aerial work platform 10, and thus avoid entering the vicinity of the aerial work platform 10, thereby ensuring the safety of the work.

[0033] After the work at height is completed, the work platform 40 is lowered towards the vehicle body 20. At this time, the spring mechanism of the reel 3 winds the LED tape 2 onto the reel 3 without any slack. After the work platform 40 is lowered, the cable 6 is removed from at least one of the vehicle body 20 and the reel 3, and the LED tape 2 is turned off.

[0034] As described above, in this embodiment, a reel 3 with the LED tape 2 wound around it is held on the body 20 of the aerial work platform 10, and the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 is attached to the work platform 40 of the aerial work platform 10. When working at height, the LED tape 2 is unwound from the reel 3 at the same time that the work platform 40 is raised from the body 20, and the LED tape 2 can be seen from around the vehicle. This makes it easy to inform people in the vicinity that work is being done at height without performing complicated procedures, and thus ensures safety during work by drawing attention to the situation.

[0035] The safety device 1 of this embodiment uses an LED tape 2 that emits light when powered, thus improving visibility even in dusty work such as spraying fire-resistant coatings, or in work in dark places. Furthermore, by supplying power from the aerial work platform 10 to the LED tape 2 using the cable 6, there is no need to prepare a separate power supply for the safety device. In addition, the LED tape 2 has the advantage of providing high brightness with low power consumption and generating little heat even when lit for relatively long periods of time.

[0036] Furthermore, the safety device 1 of this embodiment can hold the reel 3 on the body 20 of the aerial work platform 10 with a simple configuration using a magnet 42. Therefore, there is no need to perform any special processing on the body 20. Holding the reel 3 with the magnet 42 is possible as long as the side of the body 20 has a sufficient area and thickness of metal plate for magnetic fixing, and can be applied to many aerial work platforms 10.

[0037] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in this embodiment, the reel 3 is held on the side of the vehicle body 20 as shown in Figure 3, but the reel 3 may also be held on the upper surface of the vehicle body 20 using a holding part 4', as shown by the dashed lines in Figures 1 and 2. The holding part 4', like the holding part 4 described above, holds the reel 3 on the upper surface of the vehicle body 20 using a magnet. In this case as well, the same effect as described above can be obtained by attaching the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 unwound from the reel 3 to the handrail 402 of the workbench 40 using the mounting part 5.

[0038] Furthermore, while the reel 3 in this embodiment mechanically winds the LED tape 2 using a spring mechanism, it is also possible to wind it electrically using a motor or the like. Also, while the LED tape 2 in this embodiment is strip-shaped and has a flat cross-section perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, the cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the LED tape 2 may also be round. This may help to suppress internal wire breakage of the LED tape 2 when unwinding it from or winding it onto the reel 3.

[0039] Furthermore, multiple temperature sensors may be installed along the longitudinal direction of the LED strip 2 at predetermined intervals (for example, 500 mm to 1,000 mm) to detect excessive temperature increases while the LED strip 2 is emitting light. When a temperature increase is detected, measures such as dimming the LED strip 2 can be taken.

[0040] Furthermore, the configuration of the mounting part 5 is not limited to the one described above; it is sufficient if the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 can be attached to the workbench 40. For example, in this embodiment, the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 can be securely attached to the handrail 402 by using a carabiner 52, but a hook or clip may be provided instead of a carabiner 52, and the hook may be attached to the handrail 402, or the handrail 402 may be clipped. In addition, although the mounting part 5 in this embodiment attaches the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 to the handrail 402, the tip 21 of the LED tape 2 may also be attached to a location other than the handrail 402 on the workbench 40, such as the work floor 401.

[0041] The configuration of the reel 3 is not particularly limited, as long as it can unwind the LED tape 2 and be held on the vehicle body 20 of the aerial work platform 10. For example, in this embodiment, a base fitting 41 is fixed to the mounting material 33 of the reel 3 to repurpose an existing suspension-type reel as a safety device 1. However, it is also possible to manufacture a reel 3 that does not have a mounting material 33 and is specifically for use as a safety device. In this case, instead of using the base fitting 41, a magnet 42 (holding part) can be attached to the housing 31 of the reel 3, and the reel 3 can be held on the vehicle body 20 by the magnet 42.

[0042] In this embodiment, the reel 3 is held to the vehicle body 20 using a magnet 42, but the method of holding the reel 3 is not limited to this. For example, the reel 3 may be held to the vehicle body 20 using a holding jig such as a clip. Alternatively, provided that a bolt or bolt hole exists at an appropriate position on the vehicle body 20, the base fitting 41 and housing 31 may be fixed to the vehicle body 20 using such bolt or a bolt that screws into such bolt hole, thereby holding the reel 3 to the vehicle body 20.

[0043] In this embodiment, LED tape 2 was used as the warning wire, but instead of LED tape 2, other materials that emit light when power is supplied, such as EL (electroluminescent) sheets, may be used. Furthermore, the warning wire is not limited to materials that emit light when power is supplied; phosphorescent tape that emits light using phosphorescent paint or fluorescent tape that emits light using fluorescent paint can also be used, and cable 6 can be omitted. In addition, materials that do not emit light themselves, such as tape with warning colors such as yellow, red, or yellow and black stripes, tape printed with warning words such as "Danger," or reflective tape with a light-reflecting layer, may also be used as the warning wire.

[0044] Furthermore, the safety device 1 can be applied to any aerial work platform in which the work platform 40 rises relative to the vehicle body 20, in addition to the vertical lifting type aerial work platform 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example, the aerial work platform may be a truck type with a cab attached to the vehicle body 20, or it may be a crawler type that moves on crawlers. Alternatively, the aerial work platform may be a boom type in which the work platform 40 is attached to the tip of a boom, and the work platform 40 is raised relative to the vehicle body 20 by the movement of the boom.

[0045] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed herein, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1:Safety device 2: LED strip 3: Reel 4, 4': Holding part 5: Mounting part 6: Cable 10: Aerial work platform 20: Vehicle body 21:Tip 30: Lifting device 40: Workbench 41: Base fittings 42: Magnet

Claims

1. A safety device provided on an aerial work platform having a vehicle body and a work platform that rises from the vehicle body with a worker on it, Warning wires and A reel on which the aforementioned warning wire is wound, It has, The reel is provided with a holding part for holding the reel on the vehicle body. A safety device characterized in that the tip of the warning wire is provided with a mounting portion for attaching the tip to the workbench.

2. The aforementioned warning wire emits light when power is supplied, The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that a cable for supplying power from the aerial work platform to the warning wire is attached to the reel.

3. The safety device according to claim 2, characterized in that the warning wire is an LED tape.

4. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that a magnet is used as the holding part.

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