Dolly

Abstract

To provide a trolley that travels in a connection state more stably as compared to conventional ones.SOLUTION: In a trolley 10 of the present disclosure, a connection member 20 that connects trolleys 10 is allowed to pass through a through hole 32 penetrating an end of a table 11 in a longitudinal direction H1 and is protected from abutment with baggage, and therefore, limitation of a degree of freedom of motion in travel due to baggage riding on the connection member 20 as in conventional ones does not occur. As a result, the travel of the trolley 10 in the connection state is stabilized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cart that can be connected to a plurality of carts.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of cart, a cart in which the chassis of the cart is connected by a connecting member extending from the chassis is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0020] [Figure 1] Perspective view of the upper side of the trolley according to the first embodiment of this disclosure [Figure 2] Perspective view of the underside of the bogie [Figure 3] Side cross-sectional view of the connection point between bogies [Figure 4] Plan view of the front of the base plate [Figure 5] Fractured perspective view of the rear of the base plate [Figure 6] Rear view of the base plate [Figure 7] Perspective view before the bogies are connected to each other. [Figure 8] Perspective view of the bogies being coupled together. [Figure 9] Plan view of multiple connected bogies [Figure 10] Perspective view of multiple connected bogies [Figure 11] Perspective view of the base plate of the trolley in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] [First Embodiment] The trolley 10 of the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The trolley 10 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 has a rectangular base plate 11 made of resin in plan view. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the base plate 11 will be referred to as the "vertical direction H1", and the short direction of the base plate 11 will be referred to as the "horizontal direction H2". Furthermore, the side of the vertical direction H1 that has the connecting member 20, which will be described later, will be referred to as the "front side", and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side".

[0022] The base plate 11 has a main flat plate 13 on its upper surface, and a grid-like lower surface rib 11L, as shown in Figure 2, is attached to the lower surface of the main flat plate 13. In addition, a roughly rectangular opening 12 is formed in the center of the base plate 11, with a size of about half the total length of the base plate 11 in both length and width. Furthermore, casters 19 are positioned at the four corners of the lower surface of the base plate 11, and the base plates 19A above these casters 19 are fixed in a state where they are housed in recesses surrounded by the lower ends of the lower surface ribs 11L. Also, as shown in Figure 1, rectangular wheel receiving recesses 14 that are long in the vertical direction H1 are formed at the four corners of the upper surface of the base plate 11, directly above one of the casters 19. These wheel receiving recesses 14 receive the casters 19 of the uppermost trolley 10 when the trolleys 10 are stacked on top of each other, thereby restricting the displacement of the upper and lower trolleys 10. Furthermore, reinforcing ribs 14A are formed within the two rear wheel receiving recesses 14.

[0023] Stopper protrusions 15-17 protrude from the outer edges of three of the four outer edges of the upper surface of the base plate 11, excluding the outer edge at one end in the lateral direction H2. The stopper protrusions 15-17 have an inner surface that rises almost vertically from the upper surface of the main flat plate 13, a horizontal upper surface, and an outer surface that is flush with the outer surface of the entire base plate 11. Furthermore, with some exceptions, the stopper protrusions 15-17 are almost entirely hollow, with the internal space opening downwards. The aforementioned wheel receiving recess 14 is positioned away from all of the stopper protrusions 15-17.

[0024] The horizontal upper surface of the base plate 11, surrounded by the stopper projections 15-17, forms the cargo loading surface 11A. Furthermore, one end of the outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate 11 that does not have the stopper projections 15-17 (in the lateral direction H2) forms an opening 18 for sliding cargo onto the cargo loading surface 11A. In the opening 18, the outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate 11 forms a sloped surface 18B that slopes slightly downwards as it extends outwards. Additionally, the inner surfaces of the opposing stopper projections 15 and 16 in the vertical direction H1, specifically the ends located in the opening 18, form a pair of sloped surfaces 18A that slope away from each other as they extend outwards.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the middle part of the stopper projection 16 at the front end in the horizontal direction H2, the front part from the middle position in the vertical direction H1 is removed from the upper end of the stopper projection 16 to the lower end of the lower surface rib 11L, and a front concave portion 16A is formed.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the lower surface of the front end of the base plate 11, a lower projection 25 extends downward from the lower surface rib 11L at the center in the horizontal direction H2 and projects forward to a position facing the front concave portion 16A from below. The front surface of the lower projection 25 is arranged flush with the entire front surface of the base plate 11.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the lower projection 25 is provided with a support hole 24 penetrating vertically through the center in the horizontal direction H2. The lower end opening of the support hole 24 is circular, while the upper end opening is oval extending backward from a position directly above the lower end opening, and as shown in FIG. 3, it has a shape gradually expanding backward from the lower end opening to a middle position in the vertical direction. And a connecting member 20 is attached to the support hole 24. ,

[0028] The connecting member 20 is formed by bending both ends of, for example, a metal round bar at right angles, and has a support portion 22 bent downward at a right angle from the base end portion of a horizontally extending turning portion 21 and a downward projection 23 bent downward at a right angle from the tip end portion of the turning portion 21. The support portion 22 extends longer downward than the downward projection 23, and a male screw portion (not shown) is formed at its lower end portion. Then, the support portion 22 is passed through the support hole 24 from above, and a nut 22N is screwed onto the lower end portion to prevent it from coming out of the support hole 24. Further, the connecting member 20 is rotatable between a position facing one side and a position facing the other side in the horizontal direction H2 from the support hole 24, and the support portion 22 tilts so as to fall backward from the vertical state to the support hole 24.

[0029] When not in use, the connecting member 20 is placed in a standby position facing either side in the lateral direction H2. In this standby position, as shown in Figure 4, the tip of the connecting member 20 is positioned to the side of the front recess 16A and fits under the base plate 11. In addition, to prevent the connecting member 20 from springing upward into the standby position, a pair of projections 26 protrude from the front surface of the front recess 16A and face the pivot portion 21 of the connecting member 20 in the standby position from above. Furthermore, to prevent the connecting member 20 from pivoting forward due to vibration or the like from the standby position, a pair of protrusions 27 are formed on the leading edge of the upper surface of the lower projection 25. These pair of protrusions 27 are formed symmetrically on both sides of the front region of the support hole 24, extending in the lateral direction H2, and becoming higher as they approach each other. When using the connecting member 20, the pivot portion 21 is slid along the protrusions 27 and pivoted to a position where it extends forward from the support hole 24. As a result, the swivel section 21 fits between the pair of protrusions 27, and the connecting member 20 is held in a usable state, protruding forward from the base plate 11.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the rear end of the base plate 11 is provided with a connecting portion 30 to which a connecting member 20 of another trolley 10 can be connected. To form this connecting portion 30, as shown in Figure 2, a lower projection 39 is extended downward from the lower surface rib 11L at the center of the lateral direction H2 on the lower surface of the rear end of the base plate 11. As shown in Figure 3, the lower end surface of the lower projection 39 is at the same height as the lower end surface of the lower projection 25, and the rear surface of the lower projection 39 is flush with the entire rear surface of the base plate 11.

[0031] The connected portion 30 includes a projection receiving portion 31 and a through hole 32. The projection receiving portion 31 penetrates vertically from the lower end surface of the lower projection 39 to the load-placing surface 11A. As shown in Figure 2, the shape of the lower end opening of the projection receiving portion 31 is an elongated isosceles triangle in the vertical direction H1, with its base located towards the front and the rear end corners chamfered in an arc shape. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the projection receiving portion 31 has the same cross-sectional shape as the lower end opening from the lower end to an intermediate position in the vertical direction, and the through hole 32 communicates with the portion of the projection receiving portion 31 above the intermediate position in the vertical direction from the rear via a groove portion 32M, which will be described later.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the through-hole 32 penetrates the wall of the base plate 11 diagonally with respect to the vertical direction H1 and is surrounded on all four sides by the wall of the base plate 11. The through-hole 32 and the groove 32M, described later, which is open on the upper surface of the through-hole 32, form an introduction path 32D for introducing the tip of the connecting member 20 from the rear surface of the base plate 11 to the projection receiving portion 31. The rear end opening of the through-hole 32 is a horizontally elongated rectangle, and as shown in Figure 3, in the vertical direction it extends from a position near the lower end of the lower projection 39 to a position slightly below the load-placing surface 11A, and in the horizontal direction H2 it expands symmetrically on both sides with respect to the projection receiving portion 31, and is about 2 to 4 times the maximum width (front end width) of the projection receiving portion 31.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5(A), the inner lower surface 36 of the through hole 32 includes a second inclined section 36A that rises as it approaches the projection receiving section 31 in the vertical direction H1, and the section from the front end of the second inclined section 36A to the projection receiving section 31 is a third inclined section 36B that slopes slightly downwards. The first inclined section 35B is provided on the inner upper surface 35 of the through hole 32, as will be described later. Furthermore, the inclination angle of the second inclined section 36A with respect to the horizontal direction is 30 to 60 degrees, while the inclination angle of the third inclined section 36B with respect to the horizontal direction is approximately 1 to 10 degrees.

[0034] Furthermore, the second inclined portion 36A extends from the rear end of the base plate 11, beyond the stopper projection 15, to a position below the load-placing surface 11A. On the other hand, the length of the third inclined portion 36B in the vertical direction H1 is extremely short compared to the second inclined portion 36A. Moreover, as shown in Figure 3, the boundary between the second inclined portion 36A and the third inclined portion 36B, which are the top portions of the inner lower surface 36, is located at the same height as the front portion of the support hole 24 on the upper surface of the lower projection 25.

[0035] Then, as shown in Figure 7, when the trolley 10 with the connecting member 20 ready for use is inserted into the connecting portion 30 of another trolley 10, the lower end of the downward projection 23 on the connecting member 20 of the rear trolley 10 comes into contact with the rear lower end of the second inclined portion 36A in the through hole 32 of the front trolley 10. As the rear trolley 10 is brought closer to the front trolley 10, as shown in Figure 8, the downward projection 23 slides against the second inclined portion 36A and moves upward, causing the connecting member 20 to tilt upward. When the lower end of the downward projection 23 passes the top of the inner lower surface 36, it slides against the third inclined portion 36B and moves slightly downward, causing the connecting member 20 to tilt slightly downward. Then, when the downward projection 23 is positioned above the rear end of the projection receiving portion 31, it descends rapidly and engages with the projection receiving portion 31 as shown in Figure 3, connecting the two trolleys 10. When the connected trolleys 10 are pulled together, the arcuate surface 31A at the rear end of the projection receiving portion 31 comes into contact with the arcuate surface which is the side surface of the downward projection 23.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the pair of inner surfaces 37 of the through hole 32 are formed flat from the rear surface of the base plate 11 to a position slightly in front of the arcuate surface 31A of the projection receiving portion 31, are parallel in the vertical direction, and are inclined to approach each other as they move forward in the vertical direction H1. As a result, even if the connecting member 20 shifts or tilts in the lateral direction H2 within the through hole 32, it is guided toward the projection receiving portion 31.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the inner upper surface 35 of the through hole 32 is formed from the rear end of the base plate 11 to a position slightly in front of directly above the top of the inner lower surface 36. More specifically, the rear of the through hole 32 is covered above by the middle portion of the stopper projection 15, and the front of the through hole 32 is covered above by the ceiling wall 34, whose upper surface forms part of the outer edge of the load-carrying surface 11A. The front end of the ceiling wall 34 is located within the range directly above the third inclined portion 36B. That is, the through hole 32 is formed up to a position just before the projection receiving portion 31, and from the front end of the through hole 32 to the projection receiving portion 31, the through hole 32 is open upwards, forming a groove 32M that opens onto the load-carrying surface 11A, which is the upper surface of the base plate 11.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the intermediate portion of the stopper projection 15 that crosses above the through hole 32 has a structure comprising a plurality of horizontal ribs 15L1 extending in the horizontal direction H2, vertical ribs 15L2 extending in the vertical direction and intersecting with the horizontal ribs 15L1, a front wall 15A that closes the space between the horizontal ribs 15L1 from the front, and partition walls 15B that separate the internal space on both sides of the intermediate portion of the stopper projection 15 from the space between the horizontal ribs 15L1.

[0039] As shown in Figure 5(B), the inner upper surface 35 of the through hole 32 has a first horizontal section 35A from the rear end of the through hole 32 to an intermediate position in the vertical direction H1 of the ceiling wall 34, a first inclined section 35B that slopes downward as it moves forward from the first horizontal section 35A to a position closer to the front end of the ceiling wall 34, and a second horizontal section 35C from the third inclined section 36B to the front end of the ceiling wall 34. This guides the front end of the connecting member 20 passing below the ceiling wall 34 downward, making it easier for the downward projection 23 of the connecting member 20 to engage with the projection receiving section 31. Furthermore, because the through hole 32 narrows toward the projection receiving portion 31 due to the first inclined portion 35B and the third inclined portion 36B, even if the connecting member 20, whose downward projection 23 is engaged with the projection receiving portion 31, bounces up or down due to impact or the like, the amount of bounce is limited, and the connecting member 20 will not inadvertently detach from the projection receiving portion 31.

[0040] This concludes the explanation of the configuration of the trolley 10 of this embodiment. Next, the operation and effects of this trolley 10 will be explained. The trolley 10 of this embodiment can be used individually, or multiple trolleys can be connected together as shown in Figures 9 and 10. To connect the trolleys 10 together, as described above, the connecting member 20 should be made usable and the trolleys 10 should be brought close together. Then, as shown in Figure 3, the connecting member 20 of the rear trolley 10 passes through the through hole 32 of the front trolley 10 and engages with the projection receiving portion 31, thereby connecting the trolleys 10 together. Then, between the trolleys 10, a state is created in which rotation around the downward projection 23 of the connecting member 20 is permitted.

[0041] Furthermore, since the connected multiple trolleys 10 have stopper projections 15 and 16 in the direction in which the multiple trolleys 10 are aligned, the shifting of the load due to acceleration and deceleration during travel is prevented. Moreover, since there is an opening 18 on one side perpendicular to the direction in which the multiple trolleys 10 are aligned, the load can be easily loaded and unloaded onto the load-placing surface 11A of the base plate 11 of each trolley 10 without being obstructed by the stopper projections 15, 16, and 17. In addition, since the opening 18 is equipped with inclined surfaces 18A and 18B, the load can be slid and smoothly placed onto the load-placing surface 11A.

[0042] Furthermore, if the cargo is box-shaped, as shown in Figures 9 and 10 (container 70), the cargo may be tilted with one end lowered in the lateral direction H2 and slid onto the cargo loading surface 11A of the base plate 11. In this case, the base plate 11 can bear the greatest load from the two corners of the cargo that are on the lower side in the tilted position. In contrast, the wheel receiving recess 14 on the cargo loading surface 11A is provided away from the stopper projections 15 and 16 that extend in the lateral direction H2, so the corners of the cargo will not get caught in the wheel receiving recess 14. Also, the through hole 32 is covered by the ceiling wall 34 near the stopper projection 15, and the upper surface of the ceiling wall 34 is also part of the cargo loading surface 11A, so the corners of the cargo will not get caught in the through hole 32.

[0043] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, luggage may be packed in bags and loaded onto the trolley 10. Such luggage can easily deform and collapse onto the connecting portion between the trolleys 10. However, in the trolley 10 of this embodiment, the connecting member 20 that connects the trolleys 10 is passed through the through hole 32 and is protected from contact with luggage. As a result, luggage does not ride up onto the connecting member 20 that connects the trolleys 10, which restricts the degree of freedom of movement as in the conventional design, and the movement of the connected trolleys 10 is made more stable. In addition, since the aforementioned stopper projection 15 is formed to cross above the through hole 32, in addition to preventing luggage from shifting, the base plate 11 is also reinforced by the stopper projection 15.

[0044] [Second Embodiment] Figure 11 shows the trolley 10V of this embodiment, with the casters omitted. The base plate 11V of this trolley 10V has the stopper projection 17 at the end in the lateral direction H2 removed from the base plate 11 of the first embodiment, and has open sections 18 on both sides in the lateral direction H2. In addition, each open section 18 is provided with a pair of anti-slip projections 75 on the edge of the load-carrying surface 11A along the slope 18B. The anti-slip projections 75 are projections with a trapezoidal cross-section that extend in the vertical direction H1, and the amount of protrusion from the load-carrying surface 11A is extremely low compared to the stopper projections 15 and 16. Furthermore, the anti-slip projections 75 have a horizontal upper surface 75B, a nearly vertical slope 75C on the outside of the upper surface 75B, and a gently sloping slope 75A on the opposite side.

[0045] In this embodiment, the trolley 10V has stopper protrusions 15 and 16 that protrude in a stepped manner from both ends of the upper edge of the base plate 11 in the vertical direction H1, so that the load does not fall off the base plate 11 when the trolley 10V is traveling due to acceleration or deceleration. Furthermore, both ends of the upper edge of the base plate 11 in the horizontal direction H2 do not have stopper protrusions 15 and 16, but are open sections 18 equipped only with anti-slip protrusions 75 that are much lower than the stopper protrusions 15 and 16, so that the load can be easily slid onto the trolley 10V when it is connected. In addition, since each open section 18 is equipped with an anti-slip protrusion 75, the load does not easily slide off the open section 18.

[0046] [Other embodiments] (1) In the trolley 10V of the second embodiment, the anti-slip protrusions 75 may be removed from each open section 18.

[0047] (2) In the first embodiment, the connecting member 20 of the trolley 10 was supported so as to be able to rotate, but the connecting member 20 may only tilt up and down, or it may be fixed to the base plate 11 so as not to tilt or rotate, or it may be integrally formed with the base plate 11.

[0048] (3) The trolley 10 of the first embodiment may have a closed lower end of the projection receiving portion 31. Alternatively, the upper end of the projection receiving portion 31 may be closed so as not to open to the luggage loading surface 11A.

[0049] (4) In the first embodiment, a groove 32M was formed between the through hole 32 and the projection receiving portion 31, with the upper surface of the through hole 32 being open. However, the upper surface of the groove 32M may also be covered by the ceiling wall 34 to form the through hole 32. Alternatively, only the portion of the through hole 32 covered by the stopper projection 15 may be left, and the entire upper part of the through hole 32 in front of the stopper projection 15 may be opened upward to form the groove 32M. Furthermore, the portion above the through hole 32 may be a plate-shaped wall without the stopper projection 15. Note that the decision of whether or not to open a portion of the upper surface of the through hole 32 to form the groove 32M and whether or not to open the upper surface of the projection receiving portion 31 can be freely combined.

[0050] (5) In the first embodiment, the through hole 32 was constructed to penetrate the wall of the base plate 11 at an angle with respect to the vertical direction H1 by the inner lower surface 36 of the through hole 32. However, the through hole 32 may also be constructed to penetrate the wall of the base plate 11 parallel to the vertical direction H1.

[0051] (6) In the trolley 10 of the first embodiment, any of the stopper protrusions 15 to 17 may be omitted, or all of them may be omitted to make the upper surface of the base plate 11 flat. Also, the stopper protrusions 15 to 17 may be provided intermittently along each outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate 11. Furthermore, in the trolley 10 of the first embodiment, the outer surfaces of the stopper protrusions 15 to 17 and the outer surfaces of the base plate 11 below the stopper protrusions 15 to 17 were flush, but they do not have to be flush.

[0052] (7) In the first embodiment, the third inclined portion 36B on the inner lower surface 36 of the through hole 32 was inclined downward toward the projection receiving portion 31, but the third inclined portion 36B may be inclined upward toward the projection receiving portion 31 at a different angle from the second inclined portion 36A (it may be a larger or smaller angle than the second inclined portion 36A). Alternatively, the third inclined portion 36B may be omitted, and the second inclined portion 36A may extend to the projection receiving portion 31, or a flat, horizontal portion may be provided on the inner lower surface 36 instead of the third inclined portion 36B. If a horizontal portion is provided instead of the third inclined portion 36B, that horizontal portion will be the top portion of the inner lower surface 36, and the front end of the ceiling wall 34 may be placed within the range of that top portion, or the entire horizontal portion may be covered by the ceiling wall 34.

[0053] While this specification and drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but also includes various modifications and changes to these examples, as well as parts of the examples taken individually. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10,10V trolley 11,11V base plate 11A Luggage placement surface 15-17 Stopper protrusion 18 Open area 20 Connecting members 23 Downward protrusion 30 Connected part 31 Protrusion receiving part 32 Through holes 34 patio wall 35 Inner side upper 35B First Inclined Section 36. Inner side under 36A Second Inclined Section 36B Third Inclined Section 37 Inner surface 39. Lower lateral protrusion 75 Sliding to prevent protrusions

Claims

1. A trolley that can be connected in the vertical direction on a base plate that is rectangular in plan view, In a trolley, the trolley is provided with stopper projections that protrude in a stepped manner from only both ends in the vertical direction of the outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate, or from both ends in the vertical direction and one end in the horizontal direction of the base plate, and the trolley is capable of sliding in loads only from the open portion which is the outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate that does not have the stopper projections, A first slope is formed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the base plate, which is the open portion, and slopes downward toward the outside, The device comprises a pair of opposing surfaces of the stopper protrusions arranged at both ends in the vertical direction, the second inclined surface formed at the end on the open side of the pair of stopper protrusions, which is inclined to move away from each other as it extends outward, A trolley in which the first and second inclined surfaces intersect each other, having the same size in the lateral direction.

2. The loading surface of the base plate is provided with wheel receiving recesses capable of receiving the casters of the uppermost cart when carts are stacked on top of each other. The trolley according to claim 1, wherein the wheel receiving recess is positioned away from all of the stopper protrusions.

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