JP7157318B2 - transport unit - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a transport unit that can be used to transport objects (for example, rectangular thin plate panels).

Patent Literature 1 discloses a transport unit capable of transporting a rectangular thin panel such as a solar panel.

WO2012/073482

The transport unit of Patent Literature 1 includes a resin pallet and a metal frame placed thereon. A number of solar panels are stacked on a metal frame.

The resin pallet is integrally molded using a resin plate material. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the resin pallet in order to reduce the weight of the resin pallet. There is a risk that the pallet will be destroyed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a transport unit that can be reduced in weight.

According to the present invention, a transport unit comprises a frame, a fork guide member and a load receiver, wherein the fork guide member and the load receiver are fixed to the frame, and the fork guide member is a forklift truck. a fork insertion tube portion into which a fork is inserted, the load receiver is arranged to receive the load of the conveyed object placed on the frame, and the load receiver is connected to the fork guide member is a separate member, a transport unit is provided.

In the transport unit of the present invention, the load receiver and the fork guide member are separate members. Since little or no load is applied to the fork guide member from the conveyed object, high strength is not required, and weight can be reduced by thinning. On the other hand, the load receiver may be constructed so as to have the required strength according to the load of the conveyed object. As described above, according to the present invention, by separating the load receiving base and the fork guide member, it is possible to increase the strength of only the portion to which a high load is applied and to reduce the thickness of the other portions.

Various embodiments of the present invention are illustrated below. The embodiments shown below can be combined with each other.
Preferably, in the transport unit described above, the fork guide member is a resin molded body having a sheet-like wall surface, and the load receiver is an injection molded body.
Preferably, the transport unit as described above, wherein the frame is rectangular and the load receivers are located at each corner of the frame.
Preferably, the conveying unit as described above, wherein the frame comprises side portions and reinforcing portions, the side portions and the reinforcing portions extending parallel to each other, and the reinforcing portions extending from the fork guide members. The conveying unit abuts on one of the upper side and the lower side of the upper wall, and the side portion abuts on the other of the upper side and the lower side of the upper wall of the fork guide member.
Preferably, in the transport unit described above, the reinforcing portion is arranged at a position overlapping the fork insertion tube portion in a plan view.
Preferably, in the transport unit described above, the load receiver includes an accommodation recess that accommodates the frame, a claw portion protruding from an inner surface of the accommodation recess, and a claw portion protruding from an inner surface of the accommodation recess. A transport unit, wherein the frame is configured to engage the pawl when pushed toward the bottom.
Preferably, in the transport unit described above, the fork insertion tube portion includes a band insertion opening into which a fixing band is inserted, and the upper surface of the band insertion opening is closer to the fork insertion tube section than the band insertion opening. The conveying unit is located at the same position as or higher than the lowest position of the inner surface of the upper wall of the fork insertion tube portion on the side near the open end of the fork insertion cylinder.
Preferably, the transport unit described above is provided with a corner base member, the frame is arranged between the corner base member and the load receiver, and the screw passing through the corner base member and the frame is installed in the A transport unit that secures the corner base member and the frame to the load receiver by screwing onto the load receiver.
Preferably, it is the transport unit described above, wherein the lower wall of the fork insertion tube portion is provided with a roller insertion portion through which a roller of a hand lift is inserted.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a large number of solar panels 2 are stacked on the transport unit 1. FIG. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of area B in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C shows a state in which the rubber band 6 is removed from FIG. 1B. 2A is a perspective view of the base unit 3. FIG. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of area B in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the base unit 3 as seen from below. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of area B in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the state before one of the short sides 7s of the frame 7 is connected. 4B is a perspective view of the fork guide member 8. FIG. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of portion C (the portion on the right side of the dotted line) in FIG. 4B. 5A is a perspective view of FIG. 4C with the load receiving base 9 and the long side portion 7l added, and the fork insertion tube portion 8a and the load receiving base 9 partially cut away. FIG. 5B is a left side view seen from the open end 8a2 of the fork insertion tubular portion 8a. 6A is an exploded perspective view of the load receiver 9, frame 7, and corner base member 10. FIG. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the corner base member 10 viewed from below. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the load receiver 9 as seen from the right side. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of area B in FIG. 7A. FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing a rectangular unit in which a pair of short side portions 7s and a pair of long side portions 7l are connected. 8B is a perspective view of a state in which the reinforcing portion 7r is inserted through the through hole 8at2 of the fork guide member 8 (see FIG. 4C).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Various features shown in the embodiments shown below can be combined with each other. In addition, the invention is established independently for each characteristic item.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a large number of solar panels 2 (an example of a “conveyed object”) are stacked on a conveying unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, for convenience of illustration, the solar panels 2 are laminated in three layers, but the solar panels 2 are actually laminated in, for example, 25 layers. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport unit 1 includes a base unit 3, corner members 4, corner top members 5, and rubber bands 6 (an example of a "fixing band"). Each configuration will be described in detail below. In the following description, front (FRONT), rear (BACK), left (LEFT), and right (RIGHT) follow the definitions shown in FIG. 1A. The transport unit 1 is symmetrical with respect to the center plane in the left-right direction, and is also symmetrical with respect to the center plane in the front-rear direction.

1. base unit 3
As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the base unit 3 comprises a frame 7, a fork guide member 8, a load receiver 9, and a corner base member 10. As shown in FIGS.

<Frame 7>
As shown in FIG. 4A, the frame 7 is configured by connecting (eg, welding) tubular metal (eg, steel) pipes having a rectangular (eg, square) cross section. The frame 7 has a rectangular outer periphery in a plan view, and includes a pair of long side portions 7l (an example of a “side portion”), a pair of short side portions 7s, and a reinforcing portion 7r. Each reinforcing portion 7r extends parallel to the long side portion 7l. The long side portion 7l and the short side portion 7s are connected at their ends.

<Fork guide member 8>
The fork guide member 8 is a resin molding having a sheet-like wall surface, for example, a blow or vacuum molding. As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the fork guide member 8 has fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b into which the forks of a forklift are inserted. The fork insertion tubular portion 8a extends parallel to the long side portion 7l, and the fork insertion tubular portion 8b extends parallel to the short side portion 7s. The fork guide member 8 is constructed by connecting the fork insertion tubular portions 8a and 8b so as to cross each other. Since little or no load from the solar panel 2 is applied to the fork guide member 8, the fork guide member 8 can be made thinner and lighter.

A pair of fork insertion tube portions 8a are provided spaced apart in a direction along the short side portion 7s. As shown in FIG. 4C, the fork insertion tubular portion 8a has a substantially rectangular cross section and includes an upper wall 8at, a right wall 8ar, a left wall 8al, and a lower wall 8ab. The upper wall 8at is provided with a convex portion 8at1, a through hole 8at2, and a concave portion 8at3. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 4C, the reinforcing portion 7r is arranged at a position overlapping the fork insertion tube portion 8a in plan view. The reinforcing portion 7r is accommodated in the convex portion 8at1, and the upper surface of the reinforcing portion 7r contacts the lower surface of the convex portion 8at1. This restricts the movement of the fork guide member 8 in the downward and longitudinal directions. The short side portion 7s is accommodated in the recessed portion 8at3. The lower surface of the short side portion 7s contacts the upper surface of the recess 8at3. As a result, the upward and lateral movements of the fork guide member 8 are restricted. The reinforcing portion 7r is connected to the short side portion 7s through the through hole 8at2.

A pair of fork insertion tube portions 8b are provided spaced apart in the direction along the long side portion 7l. As shown in FIG. 4C, the fork insertion tubular portion 8b has a substantially rectangular cross section and includes an upper wall 8bt, a right wall 8br, a left wall 8bl, and a lower wall 8bb. A concave portion 8bt3 is provided in the upper wall 8bt. The long side portion 7l is accommodated in the concave portion 8bt3. The lower surface of the long side portion 7l contacts the upper surface of the recess 8at3. As a result, the movement of the fork guide member 8 in the upward direction and in the front-rear direction is restricted.

The fork guide member 8 is fixed to the frame 7 by the above configuration. When the short side portions 7s are connected to both sides of the reinforcing portion 7r, the reinforcing portion 7r cannot be inserted through the through holes 8at2. It is preferable to insert the through hole 8at2, and then connect the pair of short side portions 7s to both sides of the reinforcing portion 7r. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a unit in which one of the short sides 7s is not connected is formed in advance, and after this unit is mounted on the fork guide member 8, the short sides 7s are connected to form the frame 7. is preferably completed. Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, a rectangular unit is previously formed by connecting a pair of short side portions 7s and a pair of long side portions 7l, and as shown in FIG. 4C), the reinforcing portion 7r may be connected to the short side portion 7s to complete the frame 7. FIG.

In this embodiment, instead of screwing the frame 7 to the fork guide member 8, the frame 7 and the fork guide member 8 are fixed to each other by the engagement mechanism described above. In the case of screwing, if the fork guide member 8 is thinned, the fixing strength is remarkably lowered. .

As shown in FIG. 3A, the fork guide member 8 has an opening 8c between a pair of fork insertion cylinders 8b. In this embodiment, the fork guide member 8 is divided by the opening 8c into two members, but the opening 8c may be provided so as not to divide the fork guide member 8. FIG. By providing the opening 8c, the weight of the fork guide member 8 is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the lower wall 8ab of the fork insertion tube portion 8a is provided with a roller insertion portion 8ab1 through which the rollers of the hand lift are inserted. In the hand lift, after the roller and the fork are inserted into the fork insertion tube portion 8a with the fork guide member 8 grounded, only the fork is raised to separate the fork guide member 8 from the ground. At this time, the roller is grounded through the roller insertion portion 8ab1.

As shown in FIG. 4C, standing walls 8at5 and 8bt5 that rise upward are provided at the open ends of the upper walls 8at and 8bt of the fork insertion tube portions 8a and 8b. When the fork guide member 8 is formed by blow molding, the fork insertion cylinder portions 8a and 8b are formed by cutting off the closed end of the cylinder. However, if the fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b are deformed, the foam contacts the fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b and the fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b are likely to be damaged. However, by providing the standing walls 8at5 and 8bt5 at the open ends of the fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b as in the present embodiment, deformation of the fork insertion cylinders 8a and 8b when cutting off the closed ends is suppressed. be.

<Load receiver 9>
As shown in FIG. 3 , the load receiver 9 is arranged at each of the four corners of the frame 7 . As will be described later, the load of the solar panel 2 is applied to the four corners of the frame 7 , so if the load receivers 9 are arranged at the four corners of the frame 7 , the load applied to the frame 7 can be received by the load receivers 9 . If the load receiving base 9 has sufficient rigidity, the load receiving base 9 will not be excessively deformed when the load applied to the frame 7 is applied to the load receiving base 9. little or no participation in the fork guide member 8; Therefore, the strength of the fork guide member 8 can be reduced.

The load receiver 9 is a separate member from the fork guide member 8, and its material, shape and thickness can be set independently of the fork guide member 8. Therefore, the load receiver 9 can be configured to have the required strength depending on the load applied to the load receiver 9 . Moreover, the load receiver 9 is preferably a resin injection molded body. It is easy to design to have

As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper surface of the load receiver 9 is provided with an L-shaped accommodation recess 9a. As shown in FIG. 7B, a claw portion 9b is provided inside the housing recess 9a. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the frame 7 is pressed toward the bottom of the housing recess 9a, the claws 9b enter the pipe of the short side 7s, thereby engaging the frame 7 with the claws 9b. As a result, the frame 7 is temporarily fixed to the load receiver 9 .

<Corner base member 10>
As shown in FIG. 2, the corner base member 10 is arranged at each of the four corners of the frame 7. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the corner base member 10 has a base surface 10a placed on the upper surface of the frame 7 and a projection 10b projecting downward from the base surface 10a. The corner base member 10 can be positioned with respect to the frame 7 by bringing the projection 10b into contact with the frame 7 . In this embodiment, two projections 10b are provided, and the corner base member 10 is positioned with respect to the frame 7 by bringing the two projections 10b into contact with the short side portion 7s and the long side portion 7l. . The projection 10b is preferably brought into contact with the inner surface of the frame 7. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the corner base member 10 is provided with a through hole 10c. Each of the four corners of the frame 7 is provided with a through hole 7c. The load receiver 9 is provided with a recess 9c. When the corner base member 10 is positioned with respect to the frame 7, the positions of the through hole 10c, the through hole 7c, and the concave portion 9c overlap in plan view. For this reason, the corner base member 10 and the frame 7 are attached to the load receiver 9 by screwing screws (for example, wood screws) passed through the through holes 10c and 7c from the corner base member 10 side into the recesses 9c. can be fixed.

2. Solar Panel 2, Corner Member 4, Etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the solar panel 2 has a planar rectangular shape and includes a panel portion 2a and a panel frame 2b surrounding it. A corner member 4 is attached to each of the four corners of the panel frame 2b. When the solar panels 2 to which the corner members 4 are attached are stacked, the corner members 4 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction, and the solar panels 2 are in a non-contact state. Therefore, the load of the solar panel 2 is transmitted downward through the corner member 4 . Since the lowermost corner member 4 is placed on the corner base member 10 , the load of the solar panel 2 is transmitted to the frame 7 via the corner base member 10 .

As shown in FIG. 1C, a corner top member 5 is placed on the topmost corner member 4 . The corner top member 5 is provided with a band hooking recess 5a for hooking the rubber band 6. - 特許庁As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4C, the load receiver 9 and the fork insertion tube portion 8a are provided with band insertion openings 9d and 8a1 into which the rubber band 6 is inserted. By looping the rubber band 6 so as to pass through the band hooking recess 5a and the band insertion openings 9d and 8a1, it is possible to suppress displacement and vibration of the solar panel 2 during transportation.

As shown in FIG. 5, the distance from the bottom surface 9e of the load receiving base 9 to the upper surface 8a1t of the band insertion opening 8a1 provided in the fork insertion cylinder portion 8a is A, and the fork insertion cylinder portion 8a is closer to the band insertion opening 8a1 than the band insertion opening 8a1. B is the distance to the lowest position 8at4 of the inner surface of the upper wall 8at of the fork insertion tube portion 8a on the side near the opening end 8a2, and 9dt is the upper surface of the band insertion opening 9d (in this embodiment, the band insertion opening 9d is formed by a notch). Therefore, if the distance from the upper surface 9dt of the band insertion opening 9d to the lower surface of the frame 7) is C, it is preferable that the following relationship holds. In this case, the fork inserted from the open end of the fork insertion tubular portion 8a is prevented from being caught by the rubber band 6. As shown in FIG.
A≧B (preferably A>B) and C≧B (preferably C>B)

Moreover, it is preferable that C≧A. In this case, since the rubber band 6 is in close contact with the upper surface 8a1t, the fork is further suppressed from being caught on the rubber band 6.

3. Other Embodiments The load receiver 9 may be arranged at a site other than the corner.
- The load receiver 9 may be formed by a method other than injection molding (blow molding, vacuum molding).
- The load receiver 9 may be made of a material other than resin (ceramics or metal).
・The reinforcing portion 7r is arranged to contact the upper side of the upper wall 8at of the fork guide member 8, and at least one of the long side portion 7l and the short side portion 7s is arranged to contact the lower side of the upper wall 8at of the fork guide member 8. may
- Only one reinforcing portion 7r may be provided. In this case, the reinforcing portion 7r is arranged, for example, in the center of the pair of fork insertion tube portions.
- You may provide the reinforcement part 7r so that it may become parallel to 7 s of short side parts.
- One of the fork insertion tube portions 8a and 8b can be omitted. For example, the fork insertion tubular portion 8b may be closed at the end rather than open.
- The fixing band may be a band of any material to which the solar panel 2 can be fixed.
- A solar panel without a panel frame may be transported. In that case, it is preferable to use a corner member configured to appropriately hold a solar panel that does not have a panel frame.

Reference Signs List 1: Conveyor unit 2: Solar panel 2a: Panel part 2b: Panel frame 3: Base unit 4: Corner member 5: Corner top member 5a: Band hook recess 6: Rubber band 7: Frame 7c: Through hole 7l: Long side Portion 7r: Reinforcing portion 7s: Short side portion 8: Fork guide member 8a: Fork insertion cylindrical portion 8a1: Band insertion opening 8a1t: Upper surface 8a2: Opening end 8ab: Lower wall 8ab1: Roller insertion portion 8al: Left wall 8ar: Right wall 8at: upper wall 8at1: convex portion 8at2: through hole 8at3: concave portion 8at4: lowest position 8at5: standing wall 8b: fork insertion cylindrical portion 8bb: lower wall 8bl: left wall 8br: right wall 8bt: upper wall 8bt3: concave portion 8bt5 : Standing wall 8c : Opening 9 : Load receiver 9a : Receiving recess 9b : Claw 9c : Recess 9d : Band insertion opening 9dt : Upper surface 9e : Bottom surface 10 : Corner base member 10a : Base surface 10b : Protrusion 10c : Penetration hole

Claims (1)

a transport unit,
A frame, a fork guide member, and a load carrierand the corner base memberwith
the fork guide member and the load receiver are fixed to the frame;
The fork guide member has a fork insertion tube into which a fork of a forklift is inserted,
The load receiver is arranged to receive the load of the object placed on the frame,
The load receiver is a separate member from the fork guide member.the law of nature,
The fork guide member is a resin molded body having a sheet-like wall surface, the load receiver is an injection molded body,
The frame has a rectangular outer periphery in plan view,
The load receiver is located at each corner of the frame,
The frame includes a pair of long sides, a pair of short sides, and a reinforcing portion,
The long side portion and the reinforcing portion extend parallel to each other,
The long side and the short side are connected at their ends,
A projection and first and second recesses are provided on the upper wall of the fork guide member,
the reinforcing portion is accommodated in the convex portion, the upper surface of the reinforcing portion is in contact with the lower surface of the convex portion;
The long side portion is accommodated in the first recess, the lower surface of the long side portion is in contact with the upper surface of the first recess,
The short side portion is accommodated in the second recess, the lower surface of the short side portion is in contact with the upper surface of the second recess,
The reinforcing portion is connected to the short side portion through a through hole provided at the end of the convex portion,
The reinforcing portion is arranged at a position overlapping the fork insertion tube portion in a plan view,
the load receiver includes an accommodation recess that accommodates the frame;
A claw portion protruding from the inner surface of the accommodation recess is provided,
The frame is configured to engage with the claw portion when the frame is pressed toward the bottom of the accommodation recess,
The fork insertion tube portion has a band insertion opening into which a fixing band is inserted,
The upper surface of the band insertion opening is at the same position as or higher than the lowest position of the inner surface of the upper wall of the fork insertion cylinder on the side closer to the open end of the fork insertion cylinder than the band insertion opening. located in
the frame is positioned between the corner base member and the load receiver;
fixing the corner base member and the frame to the load receiver by screwing a screw passing through the corner base member and the frame to the load receiver;
The lower wall of the fork insertion tube portion is provided with a roller insertion portion through which a roller of a hand lift is inserted.transport unit.

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