Remote control rod support

Abstract

To provide a remote operation rod support tool capable of stabilizing a fixed state relative to external force generated in a direction along a holding surface of a handrail of a bucket.SOLUTION: A remote operation rod support tool 1 is provided with an operation rod fixing unit 2 for fixing a remote operation rod and a body 10 to which the operation rod fixing unit 2 can be detachably attached. With the operation rod fixing unit 2, a toggle clamp 4 for holding the remote operation rod and a pillar 6 are connected by a ball joint 28. The ball joint 28 can be locked at an arbitrary bending angle by a ball joint locking unit 30. The body 10 has a base 12 for attaching / detaching the operation rod fixing unit 2, and a handrail mounting unit 20 for mounting onto a handrail of a bucket. A separation preventing unit 24 for preventing separation of the bucket from the handrail is provided on a lower side of the handrail mounting unit 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote operation rod support for supporting a remote operation rod in overhead line work by indirect work using an aerial work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In overhead line work such as power line installation and repair, live line work in a powered state is often carried out. For this reason, tools for safely performing indirect work have been considered.

[0003] For example, when cutting a power line, a tensioning device weighing several kilograms having a metal wire gripper is used. In such a case, the operator has to remotely operate the heavy tensioning device using a tip tool attached to a remote operation rod and handle the power line. And in the work on the bucket using an aerial work vehicle, work by two or more people is common, and even if the work is shared, the burden on each person is large.

[0004] In order to reduce the burden on each worker and perform work safely, tools and devices for supporting a remote operation rod have been considered. Fig. 7 shows a fixing device 100 for a conventional live line work tool. The fixing device 100 can be attached to the handrail of the bucket B and can fix the remote operation rod S. Since the clamp 101 is provided via a ball joint 102, the direction of the fixed remote operation rod S can be freely changed. Incidentally, such a device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, with the fixing device 100 shown in Figure 7, while it is stable against external forces acting out of plane on the clamping surface (vertical plane) of the handrail of the bucket B, if an external force is applied in the in-plane direction, there is a risk that it will rotate within the plane of the handrail and the fixing position will shift.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a remote control rod support that maintains a stable fixed state against external forces generated in the direction along the clamping surface of the bucket's handrail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the remote control rod support of the present invention is a remote control rod support that is attached to the handrail of the bucket of an aerial work platform and supports the remote control rod in an adjustable position, comprising: a remote control rod fixing part having a gripping part for fixing the remote control rod at the top and a support column for supporting the gripping part at the bottom; a base that detachably supports the support column side of the remote control rod fixing part; a main body having a handrail mounting part that is positioned above the base and attached so as to hang on the upper end of the handrail, and a part that can extend and retract toward the space below the edge that protrudes outward from the upper end of the handrail Furthermore, it can be fixed in a manner that fills the lower space while leaving a gap between it and the bucket. The device is characterized by comprising a detachment prevention part provided on the main body and housed within the handrail mounting part to prevent the edge from detaching.

[0009] Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, the remote control rod support of the present invention has the following characteristics: the operating rod fixing portion has at least one flange portion extending radially in a flange shape from a part of the side surface of the support column, and the base has a fixing seat on which the flange portion is placed and fixed, and the flange above the fixing seat The device is characterized by comprising a flange cover provided with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion, and having an opening formed therein that allows the flange portion to pass out of the plane of the flange surface.

[0010] Furthermore, the remote control rod support of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the base is provided with an index plunger that can be fitted into a recess formed in the flange portion, at a position spaced apart from the opening.

[0011] Furthermore, the remote control rod support of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the gripping portion comprises a ball stud having a ball head at its tip and a toggle clamp configured to be operated by a lever in the direction in which the ball stud extends, thereby providing a gripping force for the remote control rod, and the support column comprises a socket that houses the ball head and has a notch formed in part into which the ball stud can be fitted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, with the remote control rod support of the present invention, the base and the operating rod fixing part are configured to be detachable, so they can be transported compactly in a separated state. Furthermore, the anti-detachment part is configured to extend and retract toward the space below the edge that protrudes from the upper outer end of the bucket's handrail, so after attaching it to the bucket, the anti-detachment part can be extended to stabilize the attachment state of the handrail mounting part. As a result, even if a force is applied to the bucket's handrail in the vertical plane direction during overhead line construction work, the anti-detachment part will catch on the edge, preventing it from falling off.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion is formed between the fixing seat and the flange cover in the base. The flange cover has an opening that allows the flange portion to pass through from the out-of-plane direction. As a result, after housing the flange portion into the base through the opening, simply by rotating the support column, the flange portion can be accommodated by sliding it into the gap between the fixing seat and the flange cover, preventing the operating rod fixing portion from falling out of the base.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, the flange portion housed in the base through the opening of the flange cover can be fixed by a simple operation: by rotating the support column, the flange portion is tucked into the gap between the flange cover and the fixing seat, separating it from the opening, and the index plunger is fitted into the recess. This shortens the time required to assemble the operating rod fixing part.

[0015] Further, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, since a notch into which a ball stud supporting the gripping portion can be tilted by insertion is formed on the socket side, when the clamping operation is performed with the ball stud accommodated in this notch, the work becomes stable. Further, since the lever of the toggle clamp is configured to be operable in the direction in which the ball stud extends, it is possible to prevent the ball stud from swinging in either the clamping operation or the releasing operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is an overall perspective view of the remote operation rod support of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view of the operation rod fixing portion of the remote operation rod support of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of the main body of the remote operation rod support of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing the base of the main body of FIG. 3 disassembled. [Figure 5] It shows the flange portion of the operation rod fixing portion of FIG. 2, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is an enlarged view of the tip of the flange portion. [Figure 6] It shows the operation of the anti-disengagement portion of the remote operation rod support of FIG. 1, (a) shows the released state, and (b) shows the locked state. [Figure 7] It is a view showing a fixing device of a conventional live-line working tool.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the remote operation rod support according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals will be used for the same structures for explanation.

[0018] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the remote operation rod support 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the inside of the bucket to be attached is shown as the rear and the outside is shown as the front by arrows.

[0019] The remote operation rod support 1 will be described in order from above.

[0020] At the upper end, a toggle clamp 4 as a gripping part for gripping the remote operation rod is arranged. In FIG. 1, the direction in which pressure is applied by clamping when gripping the remote operation rod is represented by an auxiliary line L1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the toggle clamp 4 is configured to be able to grip by pressing the remote operation rod downward. And the lever 4a for operating the toggle clamp 4 is provided so that a force can be applied along the direction of the auxiliary line L1, and in the clamping state, the tip is also set to face in the direction along the auxiliary line L1.

[0021] Below the toggle clamp 4, a ball joint 28 composed of a ball stud 28a and a socket 28b is provided. This ball stud 28a extends downward from the toggle clamp 4. And the socket 28b for rotatably accommodating the ball head 28a1 at the tip of the ball stud 28a is provided above the support column 6 via a ball joint lock part 30. By operating the lock lever 30a of the ball joint lock part 30, the ball joint 28 can be fixed at an arbitrary bending angle. Also, a notch 28b1 for accommodating the ball stud 28a inside (rearward) of the bucket is formed in the socket 28b. Thereby, the structure above the ball stud 28a can be tilted toward the operator side inside the bucket.

[0022] At the lower end of the support column 6, a flange part 8 (refer to FIG. 2 described later) is provided so as to project in the radial direction of the support column 6. The structure from the above-mentioned toggle clamp 4 to the flange part 8 is included in the operation rod fixing part 2 of the remote operation rod support 1 according to the present embodiment. The operation rod fixing part 2 is detachable from the main body 10 described below. Here, the operation rod fixing part 2 separated from the main body 10 is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the operating rod fixing part 2. As described above, a flange portion 8 is formed so as to protrude radially from the lower end of the support column 6 in opposite directions. This flange portion 8 is formed in a flat plate shape, and its main surface, which has the largest area, is positioned perpendicular to the support column 6. Hereafter, the direction along this main surface will be called the in-plane direction with respect to the flange portion 8, and the direction intersecting the main surface will be called the out-of-plane direction.

[0024] Returning to Figure 1, above the main body 10 is a base 12 that detachably supports the support column 6 side of the operating rod fixing part 2. Below this base 12 is a handrail mounting part 20 that can be attached by hooking it onto the upper end of the handrail of the bucket to be installed. This handrail mounting part 20 is formed so that the upper end of the handrail can be accommodated inside the inverted U-shaped cutout.

[0025] Below the handrail mounting section 20, a bucket fixing clamp 22 is provided for securing the bucket from the outside while it is resting on the bucket's handrail. This bucket fixing clamp 22 allows the main body 10 to be stabilized so that it becomes one with the bucket.

[0026] Furthermore, a detachment prevention part 24 is also provided below the handrail mounting part 20. This detachment prevention part 24 is located on the outside of the bucket, similar to the bucket fixing clamp 22. After the main body 10 is fixed by the bucket fixing clamp 22, locking it with the detachment prevention part 24 prevents the main body 10 from detaching from the bucket even if the bucket fixing clamp 22 becomes loose or slippery. The mechanism of this detachment prevention part 24 will be explained later with reference to Figure 6.

[0027] Next, referring to Figure 3, the main body 10 is shown with the operating rod fixing part 2 (see Figure 1) removed. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main body 10 of the remote control rod support 1, and for the sake of explanation, the bucket fixing clamp 22 and the detachment prevention part 24 mentioned above are also shown removed. The base 12 is mounted horizontally on the upper end of the handrail mounting part 20, which consists of two identical inverted U-shaped plate members arranged side by side. An opening 16a, which is the same shape as the outline of the flange part 8 of the operating rod fixing part 2 mentioned above, is formed on the upper surface of the base 12. The opening 16a is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the flange part 8 so that the flange part 8 can pass through in the out-of-plane direction of the main surface. This allows the flange part 8 of the operating rod fixing part 2 to be fitted into the opening 16a by aligning it from above. The fitted flange part 8 can be slid into the inside of the base 12 by rotating it around the support column 6 as an axis. Furthermore, an index plunger 26 for fixing the flange portion 8 is provided on the side of the base 12. Next, the detailed structure of the base 12 will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0028] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the base 12 of the main body 10 in an exploded view. The base 12 has a fixing seat 14 at its lowest point on which the flange portion 8 is placed and fixed. On the upper side of the base 12, the aforementioned opening 16a is formed and has a flange cover 16 that covers the flange portion 8 placed on the fixing seat 14. Between the fixing seat 14 and the flange cover 16, two identical spacers 18 are provided in a 180-degree rotationally symmetrical arrangement, forming a space with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion 8.

[0029] In Figure 4, the two directions in which the flange portion 8 is positioned relative to the spacer 18 are shown by auxiliary lines L2 and L3. The longitudinal orientation of the flange portion 8 in its position passing through the opening 16a of the flange cover 16 is along the direction of auxiliary line L2. When rotated approximately 90 degrees around the support column 6 from this position to the position shown by auxiliary line L3, the tip of the flange portion 8 appears in the gap between the two spacers 18, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 4. A plunger mounting portion 14a is formed on the fixing seat 14 where this gap between the spacers 18 is formed, for positioning an index plunger 26 (see Figure 3) to fix the flange portion 8. As shown in Figure 4, the plunger mounting portion 14a is formed at the opposite end of the fixing seat 14, but as shown in Figure 3, if an index plunger 26 is provided on at least one side, the rotational position of the flange portion 8 can be stably fixed with less movement than a fastening structure.

[0030] Furthermore, the spacer 18 in this embodiment is provided with a rotation restricting portion 18a that protrudes so as to block the rotation range, for restricting rotation at a position where the tip of the flange portion 8 is aligned with the gap formed between the spacers 18. With this configuration, the flange portion 8 can be easily aligned to the fixed position simply by rotating it until it abuts against the rotation restricting portion 18a. Next, the shape of the flange portion 8 will be described with reference to Figure 5.

[0031] Figure 5 shows the flange portion 8 of the operating rod fixing portion 2 in Figure 2, with Figure 5(a) being a perspective view and Figure 5(b) being an enlarged view of the tip of the flange portion.

[0032] As described above, the flange portion 8 is a plate-shaped member formed to extend radially toward the opposite pole side of the support column 6. The direction in which this flange portion 8 extends toward the opposite pole is represented by the auxiliary line L4 in Figure 5. The two opposite ends have a horizontal fitting portion 8a and a vertical fitting portion 8b. In the enlarged view of Figure 5(b), the direction of fitting to the horizontal fitting portion 8a is shown by the auxiliary line L4, and the direction of fitting to the vertical fitting portion 8b is shown by the auxiliary line L5. The index plunger 26 shown in Figure 3 can extend and retract in the direction of the auxiliary line L4 and is configured to fit to the horizontal fitting portion 8a of the flange portion 8.

[0033] Alternatively, this horizontal fitting structure can be replaced with a plunger configured to extend and retract in the direction of the auxiliary line L5. Furthermore, an index plunger 26 that fits horizontally in the direction of the auxiliary line L4 may be used, while a screw fastening mechanism may be used in the direction of the auxiliary line L5.

[0034] Figure 6 shows the operation of the detachment prevention part 24 of the remote control rod support 1 in Figure 1, with Figure 6(a) showing the unlocked state and Figure 6(b) showing the locked state.

[0035] Here, the handrail B2, which is part of the bucket B that is to be fixed, is shown by a cross-section with diagonal lines. The bucket B has an edge B1 that is formed to protrude outward from the handrail B2. Below this edge B1, the bucket B is shown being pressed and fixed from the outside using a bucket fixing clamp 22.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6(a), the width of the inner space of the handrail mounting portion 20, which accommodates the portion of the bucket B including the edge B1 and the handrail B2, must be formed to be at least wide enough to accommodate the edge B1. Therefore, when the bucket is pressed and fixed from the outside by the bucket fixing clamp 22, a space is formed below the edge B1. Since the bucket fixing clamp 22 is less likely to slip under out-of-plane forces that do not follow the vertical plane of the bucket B, the mounting state is stable.

[0037] However, depending on the work being done, a force may be generated in the in-plane direction along the vertical surface of bucket B. If such a force exceeds the frictional force between the bucket fixing clamp 22 and bucket B, there is a risk of slippage along the vertical surface of bucket B. In the configuration according to this embodiment, a detachment prevention part 24 is provided to stabilize against such slippage.

[0038] The detachment prevention part 24 is rotatably mounted below the handrail mounting part 20 of the main body 10 shown in Figure 3. In the released state shown in Figure 6(a), the detachment prevention part 24 is hanging downward, leaving a space below the edge B1. To stabilize the hanging state of the detachment prevention part 24, a position selection pin 24a is fitted into a release-side recess 20a formed in the handrail mounting part 20 (see Figure 3).

[0039] In the locked state shown in Figure 6(b), the detachment prevention part 24 is lifted by a rotation of approximately 90 degrees from the state shown in Figure 6(a). As can be seen in Figure 6(b), the swinging end of the detachment prevention part 24 is housed in the space below the edge B1 of the bucket B, and is fixed by the position selection pin 24a being fitted into the lock-side recess 20b (see Figure 3) formed in the handrail mounting part 20. In this way, in the locked state, the detachment prevention part 24 is positioned to fill the space below the edge B1, thereby preventing the edge B1 from detaching from the handrail mounting part 20. Therefore, even if an external force is applied in a direction along the vertical plane of the bucket B, the detachment prevention part 20 can be prevented from detaching from the bucket B by the edge B1 catching on the detachment prevention part 24.

[0040] In the configuration according to this embodiment, two independent detachment prevention parts 24 are provided with respect to the handrail mounting part 20. As a result, even if an external force is applied in either the left or right direction along the vertical surface of the handrail of the bucket B, the remote control rod support 1 is stably maintained in a fixed state to the bucket.

[0041] Furthermore, as described above, the flange portion 8 is fixed to the base 12 in a rotational position that protrudes in the direction along the handrail B2 of the bucket B (see Figures 3 and 4), so it can be stabilized against loads in the left-right direction along the handrail B2.

[0042] The configuration described above is just one example of the present invention, and the following modifications are also included.

[0043] (1) In the above embodiment, the flange portion 8 is shown as an example in which two plate-shaped members are formed in two opposing directions with respect to the support column 6. However, it is also acceptable to have one or more plate-shaped members extending radially outward from the support column 6. With this configuration, the scaffolding spreads outwards with respect to the support column 6, so that the force applied to the fixing base 14 can be widely distributed. Therefore, the stability of the operating rod fixing portion 2 relative to the main body 10 is improved.

[0044] (2) In the above embodiment, the plate-shaped member of the flange portion 8 extending radially outward from the support column 6 was shown to be configured with a rotationally symmetric shape. However, these multiple extending plate-shaped portions may be configured with different shapes. With this configuration, it becomes easier to confirm the orientation of the operating rod fixing portion 2 relative to the main body 10 when attaching or detaching it.

[0045] (3) In the above embodiment, the lever 4a of the toggle clamp 4 that grips the remote control rod was shown to be configured to extend downward in the direction to which clamping pressure is applied when the rod is fixed. However, it is also acceptable for the lever to be configured to extend upward in the fixed state, as long as it does not protrude in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which clamping pressure is applied. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the lever 4a from interfering with the worker or other tools when the remote control rod is fixed during work.

[0046] (4) In the above embodiment, a configuration was shown in which the shape of the opening 16a formed in the flange cover 16 is formed to be substantially the same as the outer shape of the flange portion 8. However, the shape of the opening 16a does not have to be the same as the flange portion 8, as long as the flange portion 8 can be moved out of its own plane to pass through the opening 16a, and there is a region between the flange cover 16 and the fixed seat 14 that can accommodate the flange portion 8.

[0047] (5) In the above embodiment, the detachment prevention part 24 is shown as an example in which it switches between a locked state and an unlocked state by pivoting relative to the handrail attachment part 20 of the main body 10. However, it is also acceptable for it to be configured to extend and retract toward the space below the edge B1 of the bucket B, and to prevent the edge B1 from detaching, even if it extends and retracts by linear motion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Remote control rod support 2 Operation rod fixing part 4. Toggle clamp (gripping part) 4a Lever 6 pillars 8 Flange section 8a Horizontal mating part 8b Vertical mating part 10 Main Unit 12 base 14 Fixed seat 14a Plunger mounting section 16 Flange cover 16a aperture 18 Spacers 18a Rotation restricting section 20 Handrail mounting section 20a Release side recess 20b Lock side recess 22 Bucket fixing clamp 24 Detachment prevention section 24a Position selection pin 26 Index Plungers 28 Ball joint 28a Ball Stud 28a1 Ball Head 28b socket 28b1 Notch 30 Ball joint locking part 30a Locking lever B Bucket B1 Edge B2 Handrail L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 auxiliary line S Remote Control Rod

Claims

1. A remote control rod support that is attached to the handrail of the bucket of an aerial work platform and supports the remote control rod in an adjustable position, An operating rod fixing part having a gripping part for fixing the remote control rod at the top and a support column for supporting the gripping part at the bottom, A base that detachably supports the support column side of the operating rod fixing part, The main body has a base positioned above and a handrail mounting part that is attached so as to hang on the upper end of the handrail, A detachment prevention part is provided on the main body so as to be able to extend and retract toward the space below the edge protruding outward from the upper end of the handrail, and so as to be able to be fixed with a gap between it and the bucket in an arrangement that fills the space below, and is housed within the handrail mounting part to prevent the edge from detaching. A remote control rod support characterized by having the following features.

2. The aforementioned operating rod fixing part is, The support column has at least one flange portion extending radially in a flange-like manner from a part of its side surface, The aforementioned base is, A fixing base on which the flange portion is placed and secured, A flange cover is provided above the aforementioned fixing seat with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion, and has an opening formed therein that allows the flange portion to pass out of the plane of the flange surface. The remote control rod support according to claim 1, characterized by comprising the above.

3. The remote control rod support according to claim 2, characterized in that the base is provided with an index plunger that can be fitted into a recess formed in the flange portion, at a position spaced apart from the opening.

4. The gripping portion is, A ball stud with a ball head at its tip, The ball stud is configured to be operated by a lever in the direction of extension of the ball stud and includes a toggle clamp that provides a gripping force to the remote control rod, The aforementioned support column is The socket houses the ball head and has a notch formed in part into which the ball stud can be fitted. The remote control rod support according to claim 3.

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