Operation lever

Abstract

Page 1 of 1 Summary of the invention. To provide an operational lever that makes it possible to reduce costs associated with production and... Parts handling The equipment provided is an operating lever, which consists of a fork (32), a handle (41), and The linkage mechanism (60) fork (32) rotates around the rotating shaft (33), and oscillates along the upper surface. The top plate (44) of the fork (32) handle (41) is formed into a bar shape and will be made The fork(32) swinging linkage mechanism(60) is inserted between the handle(41) and the fork(32). And the angle that has been formed between the fork(32) and the handle(41) has been adjusted. The sprocket(71B) has been The gear (32) is formed on the side of the fork and the sprocket (71A) is formed on the side of the handle (41). The angle of the handle (41) is adjusted by a gear (71A) that engages with gear (71B).

Description

Operating lever This invention relates to operating levers for vehicle-mounted cranes and other work devices, and more particularly to the structure of operating levers when multiple operating levers are provided on a single work device. Conventionally, vehicle-mounted cranes are equipped with an operating lever device for operating the boom's extension, luffing, and other functions. This operating lever device generally has multiple operating levers (see, for example, Patent Document 1). These operating levers are arranged in a line along a certain direction. The same document discloses that each operating lever is supported by an operating link (also called a "fork"), and that each operating link is arranged vertically (in a stacked manner). Each operating link is supported by a vertical axis arranged along the vertical direction and is rotatable in the horizontal direction. When the operator operates the operating lever horizontally, the operating link also rotates in the same direction. In this operating lever device, multiple operating links are arranged in a stacked configuration, resulting in small spacing between each operating link. Therefore, if each operating lever were supported by the operating links so that they extend parallel to each other, the levers would be too close together, making it difficult for the operator to operate them. To address this, each operating lever is bent at a different angle so that its end (the gripping portion held by the operator) is spaced apart vertically. Patent No. 2647592 In other words, the operating lever device will have multiple operating levers of different shapes. As a result, the number of types of components that make up the operating lever device will increase, and the management of parts, including inventory management, will become more complex in the manufacturing of the operating lever device. In addition, in conventional operating lever devices, the operating levers are welded to the operating links. Therefore, a process is required to eliminate the distortion caused by welding, and the assembly process of the operating levers will also become more complex. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the operating levers will increase. This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an operating lever that can reduce the costs associated with manufacturing and management. (1) The operating lever according to the present invention includes a base (also referred to as a "fork") that can swing on a virtual plane orthogonal to the rotation axis by rotating around a predetermined rotation axis, a rod-shaped handle provided on the base and operated in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis to swing the base, and a connecting mechanism interposed between the handle (also referred to as an "operating lever") and the base for connecting the handle to the base so that the angle formed by the axial direction of the handle and the virtual plane can be adjusted. According to this configuration, the handle is connected to the base via the connecting mechanism, and the angle of the handle with respect to the base is adjusted. Specifically, the angle formed by the axial direction of the handle and the virtual plane is adjusted. Thereby, even when a plurality of handles having the same shape are densely arranged side by side on the base, the positions of the gripping portions (portions gripped by the operator) of the respective handles are adjusted so as to be separated from each other. (2) Preferably, the connecting mechanism has a support portion that rotatably supports the base end portion of the handle, and a rotation restricting portion that restricts the rotation of the handle and adjusts the angle formed by the handle and the virtual plane. According to this configuration, the base end portion of the handle is rotatably supported by the support portion of the connecting mechanism, so that the base end portion of the handle is positioned at a desired angle with respect to the base. Then, the angle of the handle is adjusted by the rotation restricting portion of the connecting mechanism, so that the base end portion of the handle is fixed at the desired angle. (3) Preferably, the support portion includes a holding frame provided on the base and holding the base end portion of the handle, and a support pin disposed on the holding frame and rotatably supporting the base end portion of the handle with respect to the holding frame. The rotation restricting portion has a pair of engaging portions formed on at least one of the base and the holding frame and the base end portion of the handle and engaging with each other. The engaging portions engage with each other at a plurality of rotation angles at which the base end portion of the handle is rotated with respect to the holding frame. In this configuration, the base end of the handle is supported by a support pin located on the retaining frame, thereby allowing the base end of the handle to rotate relative to the retaining frame. The angle of the base end of the handle is determined by the engagement of an engaging portion formed on at least one of the base and the retaining frame with an engaging portion formed on the base end of the handle. (4) The engagement portion may have a plurality of engagement grooves arranged in parallel on the base along the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis of the support pin, and a projection provided at the base end of the handle, which selectively engages with the engagement grooves when the base end rotates. In this configuration, the angle of the base end of the handle is determined by the selective engagement of multiple engagement grooves arranged side by side on the base with a projection provided at the base end of the handle. (5) The engaging portion may be formed to engage with each other on the opposing surfaces of the retaining frame and the base end. In this configuration, the angle of the base end of the handle is determined by the engagement of an engaging portion formed on the surface of the retaining frame facing the base end of the handle and an engaging portion formed on the surface of the base end of the handle facing the retaining frame. (6) Preferably, the retaining frame has a pair of walls that sandwich the base end. According to the above configuration, the retaining frame holds the base end of the handle from both sides. Therefore, the handle can be more firmly fixed to the base. (7) Preferably, the base has a circular through hole centered on the pivot axis. According to the above configuration, the base can be rotated around the axis of rotation by inserting a cylindrical pivot shaft through the through hole. According to the present invention, even if multiple operating levers of the same shape are arranged side by side on a base, the gripping portions of the operating levers are positioned apart from each other. Therefore, the number of types of components constituting the operating lever is reduced, and the costs associated with manufacturing and managing the operating lever are suppressed. Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle-mounted crane 10 equipped with an operating lever device 30 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a rear view of the vehicle-mounted crane 10 equipped with an operating lever device 30. Figure 3 is a front view showing the operating lever device 30. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the stacked operating levers 31 in the operating lever device 30. Figure 5 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the operating lever 31 which is rotated horizontally. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the operating lever 31. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the operating lever 31, where (A) is a plan view, (B) is a rear view, and (C) is a bottom view. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the coupling mechanism 60 of the operating lever 31, where (A) is a cross-sectional perspective view and (B) is a cross-sectional front view. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the coupling mechanism 100 of the operating lever 31 according to modification 1, where (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a cross-sectional perspective view, and (C) is a cross-sectional front view. Figure 10 shows the coupling mechanism 110 of the operating lever 31 according to the second modification, where (A) is a perspective view of the fork 32, (B) is a perspective view and a plan view of the base end 56 of the handle 41, and (C) is a plan view of the state in which the fork 32 and the handle 41 are connected. Figure 11 shows the coupling mechanism 60 of the operating lever 31 according to another modification, where (A) is a cross-sectional perspective view of the fork 32 and the base end 56 of the handle 41, and (B) is a cross-sectional front view of the fork 32 and the base end 56 of the handle 41. Figure 12 is a side view showing the coupling mechanism 60 of the operating lever 31 according to another modification. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that these embodiments represent only one aspect of the present invention, and the embodiments may be modified without altering the essence of the invention. [Vehicle-mounted crane 10] Figures 1 and 2 are left side view and rear view of the vehicle-mounted crane 10. This vehicle-mounted crane 10 is mounted on a work vehicle and driven by a hydraulic mechanism powered by the engine of the work vehicle. In Figure 1, the direction indicated by reference numeral 8 is the direction of travel of the work vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted crane 10 is mounted, and this direction is defined as the front-rear direction 8. The direction indicated by reference numeral 7 is defined as the up-down direction 7 (generally the vertical direction), and the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8 is defined as the left-right direction 9. The vehicle-mounted crane 10 according to this embodiment mainly comprises a main beam 11, a jack 12, a turntable 13, a turntable post 14, a boom 15, a luffing cylinder 16, a winch 17, a wire rope 18, and a hook 19. The vehicle-mounted crane 10 has a main beam 11 fixed to the frame of the work vehicle. Inside the main beam 11, which is formed in the shape of a rectangular box in cross-section, slide beams extending in the left-right direction 9 are arranged, and jacks 12 supported by the slide beams extend and make contact with the ground, thereby ensuring the stability of the vehicle. The slewing platform 13 is provided on the main beam 11 and is rotatable around a pivot axis along the vertical direction 7. The slewing post 14 is erected on the slewing platform 13 and rotates together with the slewing platform 13. The boom 15 is provided at the upper end of the slewing post 14. The base end 15A of the boom 15 is connected to the slewing post 14 via a luffing center pin, enabling luffing operation. The boom 15 comprises a base boom 21, an intermediate boom 22, and a top boom 23. The intermediate boom 22 and the top boom 23 are nested within the base boom 21. This makes the boom 15 extendable and retractable. The luffing cylinder 16 is used to luff and lower the boom 15. The boom 15 has a telescopic cylinder built into it, and the boom 15 extends and retracts as the telescopic cylinder extends and retracts. The winch 17 is located inside the slewing post 14. The winch 17 pays out or retracts the wire rope 18. The wire rope 18 is wrapped around the tip 15B of the boom 15 and hangs down, with a hook 19 at its tip. When the winch 17 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the wire rope 18 is wound into the winch 17 and the hook 19 rises. When the winch 17 is rotated in the opposite direction, the wire rope 18 is paid out from the winch 17 and the hook 19 descends. [Operating lever device 30] Figure 3 is a front view showing the operating lever device 30, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the stacked operating levers 31 in the operating lever device 30, and Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the operating levers 31 when rotated horizontally. The vehicle-mounted crane 10 is hydraulically driven by a hydraulic circuit and is equipped with an operating lever device 30 for operating this hydraulic circuit. The operating lever device 30 is used to operate the extension and retraction of the boom 15, the luffing of the boom 15, the rotation of the winch 17, the slewing of the turntable 13, and the extension and retraction of the jack 12. The operating lever device 30 includes a boom extension / retraction operating lever 31A, a boom luffing operating lever 31B, a winch operating lever 31C, a slewing operating lever 31D, and jack operating levers 31E and 31F, and is sometimes collectively referred to as the operating levers 31. As shown in Figure 3, each of the above operations is operated by an operating lever 31, one on each side of the vehicle-mounted crane 10. A fork 32 (corresponding to the "base" described in the claims) is attached to the base end 56 (see Figure 5) of the operating lever 31 (see Figure 4). The fork 32 is rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft 33 (corresponding to the "predetermined pivot axis" described in the claims) that extends in the vertical direction 7. The pair of forks 32, arranged on the left and right sides, are connected by a rod 34, and as shown in Figure 5, when one operating lever 31 is rotated, the corresponding other operating lever 31 rotates in conjunction. This allows the operator to operate from either the left or right side of the vehicle. [Operating lever 31] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the operating lever 31. Figure 7 is a top view, rear view, and bottom view of the operating lever 31. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the operating lever 31, showing the connecting mechanism 60 which will be described later. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the operating lever 31 comprises a fork 32 and a handle 41. In the following description of the operating lever 31, we will assume that the operating lever 31, located on the left side of the vehicle, is not rotated horizontally (it is in a neutral position with respect to rotation). [Fork 32] The fork 32 comprises a main body 42 and a retaining frame 43. The main body 42 comprises an upper plate 44, a lower plate 45, and side plates 46. The upper plate 44 has a substantially rectangular shape that extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The lower plate 45 is located below the upper plate 44, spaced apart from it, and has a substantially rectangular shape that extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The side plates 46 have a substantially rectangular shape that extends in the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8, and their short edges are attached to the side edges 47 of the upper plate 44 and the side edges 48 of the lower plate 45. The retaining frame 43 will be described later. The fork 32 is provided with a pivot shaft insertion hole 51 that penetrates vertically 7 through the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 45, and the pivot shaft 33 is inserted through it. As a result, the fork 32 can rotate horizontally around the pivot shaft 33. [handle] As shown in Figure 7, the handle 41 comprises a main body 54, a gripping portion 55, and a base end 56. The main body 54 has a straight cylindrical shape and extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical shape. The gripping portion 55 is one end of the main body 54 and has a handle 57 attached to it. The handle 57 is provided to make it easy for the operator to grip the gripping portion 55 of the handle 41. The base end 56 is formed at the other end of the main body 54 and has a flat plate shape. Details of the base end 56 will be described later. [Connection mechanism 60] The operating lever 31 is equipped with a coupling mechanism 60. The handle 41 is connected to the fork 32 via the coupling mechanism 60. This coupling mechanism 60 allows the orientation of the handle 41 relative to the fork 32 to change. That is, as shown in Figure 8, the angle between the upper surface of the upper plate 44 of the fork 32 (corresponding to the "virtual plane" described in the claims) and the main body 54 of the handle 41 is adjusted. The connecting mechanism 60 has a support portion 61 and a rotation restricting portion 62. The support portion 61 consists of a retaining frame 43, a bolt 63 (corresponding to the "support pin" described in the claims), and the base end portion 56 of the handle 41. The retaining frame 43 consists of a front plate 65 and a rear plate 66 (corresponding to the "pair of walls" described in the claims). The front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 are installed on the side plate 46 of the fork 32 on the side opposite to the side where the upper plate 44 and the lower plate 45 are located relative to the side plate 46. The front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 extend perpendicularly to the side plate 46 and have a semi-elliptical flat plate shape that expands in the vertical direction 7 and the left-right direction 9, and are positioned with a gap between them. The front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 are provided with bolt insertion holes 67. The bolt insertion holes 67 are circular through holes that penetrate the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 in the front-rear direction 8. A female thread is formed on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion hole 67 in the front plate 65. The bolt 63 is inserted from the bolt insertion hole 67 in the rear plate 66 toward the bolt insertion hole 67 in the front plate 65 and screwed into the bolt insertion hole 67 in the front plate 65. The handle 41 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 68. The bolt insertion hole 68 is a circular through-hole that penetrates the flat plate shape of the base end 56 of the handle 41. A bolt 63 can be inserted through the bolt insertion hole 68. The rotation restricting section 62 is formed on the fork 32 and the base end 56 of the handle 41 and consists of a pair of gears 71A and 71B that mesh with each other. Gear 71A of the fork 32 is located between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43 on the side plate 46 of the fork 32. Gear 71A is an internal gear having gear teeth on a virtual inner circumferential surface 73 (see Figure 8(B)) centered on the central axis 72 (see Figure 8(B)) of the bolt insertion hole 67. Gear 71B of the base end 56 of the handle 41 is located on the end face of the base end 56. Gear 71B is an external gear having gear teeth on a virtual outer circumferential surface 74 (see Figure 8(B)) centered on the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68. The base end 56 of the handle 41 is sandwiched between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43, and with the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67 and the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 aligned, the gear 71A of the fork 32 and the gear 71B of the handle 41 are fitted together. Since both gear 71A and gear 71B are formed on a virtual inner circumferential surface 73 or virtual outer circumferential surface 74 centered on the same central axis 72, the gears 71A and 71B are fitted together with the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67 and the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 aligned. As a result, the gears 71A and 71B can be fitted together at a desired relative angle, and in that state, the bolts 63 are inserted through the bolt insertion holes 67 and 68 and screwed into the front plate 65, thereby fixing the handle 41 to the fork 32 at a desired angle. [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, when the handle 41 is operated, the fork 32 swings about the pivot axis 33. The coupling mechanism 60 adjusts the angle of the handle 41 relative to the fork 32. As a result, even if multiple handles 41 of the same shape are closely arranged on the fork 32, the positions of the gripping portions 55 of each handle 41 are adjusted to be separated from each other. Therefore, even if multiple handles 41 of the same shape are arranged side by side, the positions of the gripping portions 55 are separated from each other (see Figure 3). As a result, the number of types of parts constituting the operating lever 31 is reduced, and the costs of manufacturing and managing the operating lever 31 are suppressed. In this embodiment, the base end 56 of the handle 41 is rotatably supported by the support portion 61 of the connecting mechanism 60, so that the base end 56 of the handle 41 is positioned at a desired angle relative to the fork 32. Then, the angle of the handle 41 is determined by the rotation restricting portion 62 of the connecting mechanism 60, so that the base end 56 of the handle 41 is fixed at the desired angle. In other words, the structure of the connecting mechanism 60 is extremely simple. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the base end 56 of the handle 41 is rotatably supported relative to the retaining frame 43 by inserting the bolt 63 through the bolt insertion hole 67 of the retaining frame 43 and the bolt insertion hole 68 of the handle 41. The angle of the base end 56 of the handle 41 is determined by the meshing of the gear 71A formed on the fork 32 and the gear 71B formed on the base end 56 of the handle 41 with each other. Thus, in this embodiment, the connecting mechanism 60 is simpler and the positioning of the handle 41 is more reliable. The retaining frame 43 has a front plate 65 and a rear plate 66, and the base end 56 of the handle 41 is sandwiched between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43, and the base end 56 is held from both sides in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, the handle 41 can be fixed to the fork 32 more firmly. Since the fork 32 has a circular pivot shaft insertion hole 51 through which a cylindrical pivot shaft 33 is inserted, the fork 32 can be easily rotated around the pivot shaft 33. [Variation 1] Figure 9 shows the coupling mechanism 100 of the operating lever 31 according to Modification 1 of this embodiment, where (A) and (B) are perspective views and (C) is a cross-sectional view. Instead of the above-mentioned coupling mechanism 60 (see Figure 8), the coupling mechanism 100 shown in Figure 9 may be used. The coupling mechanism 100 has a support portion 101 and a rotation restricting portion 102, similar to the coupling mechanism 60. The configuration of the support portion 101 is substantially the same as that of the support portion 61. In this modified example, components identical to those of the operating lever 31 shown in Figure 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. The rotation restricting section 102 is composed of a plurality of through holes 103 (corresponding to the "engagement grooves" described in the claims) formed in the side plate 46 of the fork 32 and a single projection 104 formed on the base end 56 of the handle 41. The side plate 46 of the fork 32 is formed such that, at least between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43, the left surface of the side plate 46 is located on a virtual inner circumferential surface 105 centered on the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67. The through holes 103 are formed between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the side plate 46 of the fork 32. The through holes 103 penetrate the side plate 46 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67. The plurality of through holes 103 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis 72. The through holes 103 are formed with an inner surface shape, for example, a rectangle, into which the projection 104 of the handle 41 can be fitted. The projection 104 formed on the base end 56 of the handle 41 protrudes from the end face of the base end 56 in the axial direction of the handle 41. The projection 104 has a cross-sectional shape (for example, a rectangle) that can be fitted into the through hole 103 of the fork 32. The base end 56 of the handle 41 is sandwiched between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43, and with the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67 and the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 aligned, the projection 104 of the handle 41 is fitted into one of the through holes 103 of the fork 32. Since each through hole 103 is formed along a virtual inner circumferential surface 105 centered on the central axis 72, the projection 104 fits into the desired through hole 103 when the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 are aligned. The bolt 63 is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 and screwed into the front plate 65, thereby fixing the handle 41 to the fork 32 at the desired angle. Thus, in this modified example, the base end 56 of the handle 41 is rotatably supported by the retaining frame 43 by a bolt 63 positioned on the retaining frame 43 passing through the base end 56 of the handle 41. The angle of the base end 56 of the handle 41 is determined by the selective engagement of a plurality of through holes 103 arranged side by side in the side plate 46 of the fork 32 with a projection 104 provided on the base end 56 of the handle 41. In this modified example, the fork 32, including the main body 42 and the retaining frame 43, can be formed from a single plastically deformable flat plate (for example, a metal plate) by sheet metal press processing. Therefore, the fork 32 can be manufactured with simple processing. When the fork 32 is manufactured in this way, the front plate 65 of the retaining frame 43 is formed by making a semi-elliptical cut in the side plate 46 of the fork 32 and bending this semi-elliptical portion to the left rear. As a result, a semi-elliptical through hole 106 is formed in the side plate 46 of the fork 32. [Modified example 2] Figure 10 shows a coupling mechanism 110 of the operating lever 31 according to a modified example 2 of this embodiment. The coupling mechanism 110 shown in Figure 10 may be used instead of the coupling mechanism 60 shown in Figure 8. The coupling mechanism 110 shown in Figure 10 has the same support portion 61 as the coupling mechanism 60 shown in Figure 8. In the description of this modified example, components identical to those of the operating lever 31 shown in Figure 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted. The rotation restricting portion 111 is composed of four fitting surfaces 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B (corresponding to the "engaging portion" described in the claims) formed on the retaining frame 43 of the fork 32 and the base end portion 56 of the handle 41. Each fitting surface 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B has the shape of a face gear. Fitting surface 112A is formed on the rear surface of the front plate 65 of the retaining frame 43. Fitting surface 113A is formed on the front surface of the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43. Fitting surfaces 112A and 113A are located around the bolt insertion hole 67 with respect to its central axis 72. Fitting surface 112B is formed on the front surface of the base end portion 56 of the handle 41. Fitting surface 113B is formed on the rear surface of the base end portion 56 of the handle 41. The mating surfaces 112B and 113B are located around the bolt insertion hole 68, with the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 as the center. The base end 56 of the handle 41 is sandwiched between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43. With the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67 and the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 aligned, the bolt 63 is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68, and the nut 64 is tightened. As a result, the two pairs of fitting surfaces 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B fit together. That is, fitting surface 112A and fitting surface 112B fit together, and fitting surface 113A and fitting surface 113B fit together. Before being tightened with bolts 63 and nuts 64, if there are gaps between the mating surfaces 112A and 112B, and between the mating surfaces 113A and 113B, the base end 56 of the handle 41 is easily inserted between the front plate 65 and rear plate 66 of the retaining frame 43. Since the mating surfaces 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B are formed around the central axis 72, the two pairs of mating surfaces 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B fit together when the bolt insertion holes 67 and 68 are aligned. Therefore, when bolts 63 are inserted through bolt insertion holes 67 and 68 and nuts 64 are tightened, the handle 41 is fixed to the fork 32 at the desired angle. In this modified example, a bolt 63 positioned on the retaining frame 43 passes through the base end 56 of the handle 41, thereby supporting the base end 56 of the handle 41 so that it can rotate relative to the retaining frame 43. The angle of the base end 56 of the handle 41 is determined by the interlocking of the mating surfaces 112A, 112B, 113A, and 113B. In this modified example, the fork 32, like the fork 32 in Modified Example 1, can be formed from a single flat plate (for example, a metal plate) that is plastically deformable by sheet metal press working, with the main body 42 and the retaining frame 43 being formed from a single flat plate. [Other variations] In the embodiments and modified examples described above, the retaining frame 43 had a front plate 65 and a rear plate 66, but it may have only one of the front plate 65 or the rear plate 66. Furthermore, the bolt 63 may be screwed into a female thread formed in the bolt insertion hole 67 of the front plate 65, or it may be screwed into a nut 64. If the bolt 63 is screwed into a nut 64, it is not necessary for a female thread to be formed in the bolt insertion hole 67. Also, the means for fixing the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 does not have to be a bolt. For example, after a pin is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68, both ends of the pin may be deformed so that they become larger than the diameter of the bolt insertion hole 67, thereby fixing the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 together. Furthermore, in the rotation restricting section 62 shown in Figure 9, the through-hole 103 of the fork 32 may be a recess that does not penetrate. Also, the wall 107 (see Figure 9) separating each through-hole 103 does not need to extend continuously between the front plate 65 and the rear plate 66. That is, it may be a projection that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the front plate 65, or a projection that protrudes forward from the front surface of the rear plate 66. Alternatively, the rotation restricting portion 62 may be a bolt insertion hole. In this case, for example, the base end portion 56 of the handle 41 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 68 in addition to a bolt insertion hole 62 which serves as the rotation restricting portion 62. The retaining frame 43 also has a plurality of bolt insertion holes in addition to the bolt insertion hole 67 which serve as the rotation restricting portion 62. These plurality of bolt insertion holes are arranged spaced apart on the circumference of a circle centered on the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67. The bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 are aligned, and the bolt insertion hole in the handle 41 which serves as the rotation restricting portion 62 is aligned with one of the plurality of bolt insertion holes in the retaining frame 43 which serve as the rotation restricting portion 62. The handle 41 is then fixed to the fork 32 at a desired angle by tightening the two bolt insertion holes with two pairs of bolts and nuts. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the rotation restricting portion 62 may consist of a protrusion 121 (see Figure 12) projecting from the base end 56 of the handle 41 in a direction parallel to the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 68 (forward in Figures 11 and 12), and a plurality of recesses 122 (corresponding to the "engagement groove" described in the claims) recessed forward on the rear surface of the front plate 65 of the retaining frame 43. The recesses 122 are spaced apart on the circumference of a circle centered on the central axis 72 of the bolt insertion hole 67 (see Figure 11(B)). As shown in Figure 12, with the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 aligned, the protrusion 121 of the handle 41 acting as the rotation restricting portion 62 is fitted into one of the plurality of recesses 122 of the retaining frame 43 acting as the rotation restricting portion 62. Then, the bolt 63 is screwed into the female thread formed on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion hole 67, thereby fixing the handle 41 to the fork 32 at the desired angle. In the above embodiment, the retaining frame 43 had a rear plate 66 (see Figure 7(C)), but as shown in Figure 12, this modified example employs a configuration without the rear plate 66. Because there is no rear plate 66, after the bolt insertion hole 67 and the bolt insertion hole 68 are aligned, when the base end 56 of the handle 41 is moved forward and the convex portion 121 of the handle 41 is inserted into the recess 122 of the retaining frame 43, a gap between the base end 56 and the rear plate 66 is avoided. Therefore, the retaining frame 43 and the base end 56 of the handle 41 are more securely fixed by the bolt 63. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the number of gear teeth of gear 71A in the fork 32 was greater than the number of gear teeth of gear 71B in the base end 56 of the handle 41. However, the number of gear teeth of gear 71A may be the same as the number of gear teeth of gear 71B, or it may be less than the number of gear teeth of gear 71B. Similarly, multiple bolt insertion holes, which serve as the rotation restricting portion 62, may be formed in the base end 56 of the handle 41. Furthermore, the bolt insertion hole may be a square hole, and a square prism-shaped pin may be inserted through the square bolt insertion hole. 31... Operating lever 32... Fork (base) 33... Rotating shaft 41... Handle 43... Holding frame 51... Rotation shaft insertion hole 56... Base end portion 60... Linking mechanism 61... Support portion 62... Rotation restricting portion 63... Bolt (support pin) 65... Front plate (wall) 66... Rear plate (wall) 71A, 71B... Gear 103... Through hole (engagement groove) 104... Projection 122... Recess (engagement groove) 112A, 112B, 113A, 113B... Fitting surface (engagement portion)

Claims

Revised 25 / 09 / 2018 Claims 1. An operation lever, comprising a base whose virtual plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation can swing by rotating around a predetermined line of rotation; a rod-like handle is provided on the base and rotates the base by acting in a circular motion around the axis of rotation; and a linkage mechanism, inserted between the handle and the base, connects the handle to the base so that the angle between the axis of the handle and the virtual plane can be adjusted. 2.The operating lever under claim 1, in which the linkage mechanism has a support that supports the base end of the handle in a rotatable manner and a rotation control that controls the rotation of the handle and adjusts the angle formed between the handle and the virtual plane.

3. The operating lever under claim 2, in which the support provided on the base includes a bracket for securing the base end of the handle and a support pin provided in the bracket and supporting the base end of the handle in a rotatable manner relative to the bracket. The rotation control is provided with a pair of interlocking links formed on at least one of the bases and brackets and the base end of the handle. The interlocking links are formed on each other by a certain number of rotational angles in which the base end of the handle is rotated relative to the bracket. 4.

5. An operating lever under claim 3 in which the connecting part consists of a number of interlocking grooves arranged parallel to the base in a circumferential direction centered on the central axis of the support pin, and the projections provided at the base end of the handle are selectively made to interlock with the interlocking grooves by the rotation of the base end.

6. An operating lever under claim 3 to 5 in which the operating lever is formed to interlock with each opposing surface of the handle and the base ends facing each other. Page 2 of Number 2.

7. Any operating lever under claim 1 to 6 in which the handle has a circular through hole with a central rotating shaft.