JP7618441B2 - Safety device for working at height and method for working at height - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to aerial work equipment with safety devices and aerial work method.

For example, when inspecting or maintaining high-altitude areas from the ceiling to the side walls inside a tunnel through which vehicles pass, a vehicle-operated work platform is used. A vehicle-operated work platform is equipped with a bucket that can carry a worker and move up, down, left and right. The worker operates a bucket operating unit inside the bucket to move the bucket to the desired position and perform work on the ceiling, side walls, etc.

However, for example, if a worker, when moving a bucket, misjudges the distance from the worker on the bucket to the ceiling or side wall (tunnel inner wall) or makes a mistake in the movement operation itself and brings the bucket too close to the tunnel inner wall, it could lead to an accident where the worker comes into contact with the inner wall or damage to the tunnel or its facilities.

Conventionally, a safety device for aerial work vehicles has been devised in which an obstacle detection unit extending upward is installed on the bucket of the aerial work vehicle, and when the obstacle detection unit hits the inner wall of the tunnel, an alarm buzzer and alarm lamp are activated, alerting the worker with sound and light that the bucket is abnormally approaching the inner wall of the tunnel.

JP 2017-088351 A

In tunnels where vehicles pass, especially on trunk roads and expressways, it is difficult to completely close the road to traffic to carry out work, so if there is two-way traffic, one lane is closed or some of the multiple lanes are closed to carry out work.

In these types of tunnels, lighting and exhaust equipment are installed near the ceiling, making the ceiling bright and well ventilated, but there is a lot of noise, including the echoes of high-speed trains and the sound of ventilation fans.

For this reason, in a safety device for aerial work vehicles that uses a warning buzzer and warning lamp to alert the worker of an abnormal approach of the bucket to the inner wall of a tunnel, the warnings by sound and light are not easily conveyed, and there is a risk that the worker operating the bucket will not be able to immediately stop the bucket's movement.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a high-altitude work device and a high-altitude work method with a safety device that can reliably prevent the bucket from approaching the inner wall of a tunnel, which could lead to a collision accident for the worker or damage to the tunnel or its facilities, even in a tunnel with a brightly lit ceiling and a very noisy environment.

The safety device-equipped high altitude work apparatus according to the first aspect of the embodiment is as follows:
A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
and a movement limiting means for, when contact with the obstacle is detected by the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod, limiting the direction in which the bucket is moved by the bucket control means to the direction opposite to the direction in which the contact with the obstacle was detected.
The safety device-equipped high altitude work apparatus according to the second aspect of the embodiment is as follows:
A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
and a movement limiting means for limiting the direction in which the bucket is moved by the bucket control means to a downward direction when contact with the obstacle is detected by the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod.

1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a safety device-equipped high-altitude work vehicle 10 according to an embodiment. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a bucket 11 of a vehicle for working at height 10 and detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a bucket 11 of a vehicle for working at height 10 and detection rods 14a to 14h provided horizontally at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a bucket 11 of a vehicle for working at height 10, detection rods 13a, 13b and 14a, 14d provided on the upper part of the bucket 11, and light projection units 16a, 16b provided on the lower part of the bucket 11. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the bending function of detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the bending mechanism 15 and the folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the bending mechanism 15 and the folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a bucket/boom control device 20 centered around a control unit 21 provided together with an operation unit 12 of a bucket 11. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a bucket/boom control process executed by a bucket/boom control device 20 of the safety device-equipped aerial work platform vehicle 10. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic state in which the detection rods 14a, 14h come into contact with the side wall TS of the tunnel and are bent as the bucket 11 of the aerial work vehicle 10 moves. 1 is a side view showing a state in which projected light L from light projecting units 16a to 16d forms light points Pa to Pd on a road R inside a tunnel as the bucket 11 of the aerial work vehicle 10 moves. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a storage procedure using the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a, 13b provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11 facing upward. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a storage procedure using the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 14a to 14h arranged horizontally at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a storage function of another embodiment of the detection rods 13a to 13d provided facing upward at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11. FIG.

The embodiment of the high altitude work device with safety device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an embodiment of aerial work platform vehicle 10 with safety devices.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the bucket 11 of the aerial work platform vehicle 10 and the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the bucket 11 of the aerial work platform 10 and the detection rods 14a to 14h installed horizontally at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11.

Figure 4 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of the bucket 11 of the aerial work vehicle 10, the detection rods 13a, 13b and 14a, 14d provided on the upper part of the bucket 11, and the light projection units 16a, 16b provided on the lower part of the bucket 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the high-altitude work vehicle 10 is used for work at high altitudes inside a tunnel on a highway, and is equipped with a box-shaped bucket 11 on which workers W1 and W2 are placed, and a boom 10B that moves the bucket 11 to any position by raising or lowering it or moving it left or right or rotating it. The bucket 11 is rotated by a rotation mechanism including an electric motor, for example, that is provided at the attachment part of the tip of the boom 10B to the bucket 11.

The bucket 11 is provided with an operating unit 12 that performs operations for operating the bucket 11 and boom 10B and for turning the power of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h on and off. The detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h have the function of detecting contact with the inner wall of the tunnel (obstacle) by bending the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h when the bucket 11 is being moved inside the tunnel.

Workers W1 and W2 riding on the bucket 11 operate the operating unit 12 to move the bucket 11 to any position, and perform installation, removal, maintenance, inspection, etc., on the tunnel's inner wall, for example, on the tunnel's ceiling TC or side wall TS.

The supervisor WR on the road R monitors the aerial work vehicle 10 and its surroundings, and plays a role in preventing dangers arising from the work status of the workers W1 and W2 in the bucket 11 and their relationship with vehicles traveling nearby.

The bucket 11 is provided with vertically extending detection rods (upward detection rods) 13a-13d and horizontally extending detection rods (horizontal detection rods) 14a-14h at the four corners of its upper part. The vertical detection rods 13a-13d are provided in the direction in which the vertical edges of the four corners of the bucket 11 extend upward, and the horizontal detection rods 14a-14h are provided in pairs at each of the horizontal edges that intersect at right angles at the upper four corners of the bucket 11 and extend toward the outside of the bucket 11.

Figure 5 shows the schematic configuration of the bending function of detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h.

Figure 6 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h.

In Figures 5 to 7, the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h all have the same configuration, so here we will show and explain one detection rod, 13a.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, each of the detection rods 13a is configured to bend into a tip portion 13a1 and a base portion 13a2 via a bending mechanism 15 in the middle portion.

The tip 13a1 of the detection rod 13a is configured using a light-emitting body or a chemical light-emitting body, for example, a built-in LED (light-emitting diode). The base 13a2 of the detection rod 13a may also be configured using a light-emitting body or a chemical light-emitting body.

The bending mechanism 15 is constructed, for example, using a double-sided spring hinge, and when nothing is in contact with the tip 13a1 of the detection rod 13a, the tip 13a1 and base 13a2 are held in a straight line by the force of the spring. When something comes into contact with the tip 13a, the tip 13a1 is rotated and bent within a range of approximately 180 degrees left and right around the axis of the bending mechanism 15, as shown by the arrow AR in Figure 7, depending on the pressure of the contact.

The base 13a2 of the detection rod 13a is attached to an upper corner of the bucket 11 via a folding mechanism 15B. The folding mechanism 15B is configured, for example, using a one-way spring hinge, and, for example, in response to the force applied by the workers W1 and W2 to fold the base 13a2 along the edge of the bucket 11, the base 13a2 is rotated and folded together with the detection rod 13a within a range of approximately 90 degrees around the axis of the folding mechanism 15B in the direction along the edge of the bucket 11, as shown by the arrow ARb in Figure 7.

The spring force resisting bending of the bending mechanism 15 is clearly stronger than the spring force resisting folding of the folding mechanism 15B, so the force bending the tip portion 13a1 does not cause the base portion 13a2 to fold.

The bending mechanism 15 may also be provided with a bending lock mechanism (not shown) that maintains the bent position against a spring force that tries to return the tip 13a1 to its original position when the tip 13a1 is bent to a position along the base 13a2, as shown in FIG. 5(C), for example.

The folding mechanism 15B may also be provided with a folding lock mechanism (not shown) that maintains the folded position against the spring force that attempts to return the base 13a2 to its original position when the base 13a2 is folded to a position along the edge of the bucket 11.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, light projection units 16a to 16d using, for example, spot light sources are provided at the four corners of the bottom of the bucket 11. The light projection units 16a to 16d are provided so that the light projection direction is in the direction in which the vertical edges of the four corners of the bucket 11 extend downward, and the light L projected from the light projection units 16a to 16d is projected onto the road R to form light points Pa to Pd, thereby indicating the current horizontal position of the bucket 11 relative to the road R.

Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h.

The detection rod bending detection unit 15D includes a magnetic gear 15g that rotates concentrically with the shaft 15j of the bending mechanism 15, which is, for example, a double-opening spring hinge, and a proximity sensor 15s that faces the outer periphery of the gear 15g and converts the change in magnetic flux caused by the rotation of the gear 15g and the passing of its crest into a pulse signal.

The pulse signal acquired by the proximity sensor 15s of the detection rod bending detection unit 15D is output to a pulse counter Dp, which measures the number of pulses and the pulse interval of the pulse signal to acquire the rotation angle and rotation speed of the gear 15g, i.e., the bending angle and bending speed of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h by the bending mechanism 15.

The pulse counter Dp is built into, for example, the control unit 21 (see FIG. 9) described below, which is provided together with the operation unit 12 of the bucket 11.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the bucket/boom control device 20, which is centered on the control unit 21 provided together with the operation unit 12 of the bucket 11.

The bucket/boom control device 20 has a control unit 21.

The control unit 21 includes, for example, a processor (CPU: central processing unit) (not shown), memory 21M, and a pulse counter Dp, and the processor controls the operation of each part of the bucket/boom control device 20 according to a bucket/boom control program stored in memory 21M.

The control unit 21 inputs a bucket/boom operation signal for moving the bucket 11 to a desired position output from the bucket/boom operation unit 12A provided on, for example, the operation console of the operation unit 12, and a detection rod ON/OFF signal for turning on/off the light emission of the detection rods 13a to 13d (14a to 14h) and the projection of the projection light L by the light projection units 16a to 16d output from the detection rod ON/OFF switch 12B.

The control unit 21 also inputs a pulse signal output from the proximity sensor 15s (see FIG. 8) of the detection rod bending detection unit 15D, and obtains the bending angle and bending speed of the detection rods 13a to 13d (14a to 14h).

The control unit 21 controls the movement of the boom 10B via the bucket/boom drive unit 22, which is composed of, for example, an electric motor or a rotation mechanism that utilizes the rotation of the engine of the aerial work vehicle 10, and moves the bucket 11 to, for example, a position of the worker W2 operating the operation unit 12.

The control unit 21 also controls the light emission (ON/OFF) of the detection rods 13a to 13d and 14a to 14h via the light emission drive unit 23.

The control unit 21 also controls the projection (ON/OFF) of the projection light L by the light projection units 16a to 16d via the light projection drive unit 24.

Next, the operation of the safety device-equipped high-altitude work platform 10 of the embodiment will be described.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the bucket/boom control process executed by the bucket/boom control device 20 of the safety device-equipped aerial work platform vehicle 10.

Figure 11 is a plan view that shows the state in which the detection rods 14a and 14h come into contact with the tunnel side wall TS and are bent as the bucket 11 of the aerial work platform 10 moves.

Figure 12 is a side view that shows a schematic diagram of the state in which projected light L from light projection units 16a to 16d forms light points Pa to Pd on road R inside a tunnel as the bucket 11 of the aerial work vehicle 10 moves.

As shown in FIG. 1, when workers W1, W2 standing on the bucket 11 of the aerial work platform 10 operate the detection rod ON/OFF switch 12B of the operation unit 12 to turn the power ON, the control unit 21 starts operating in accordance with the bucket/boom control program (21M) of the bucket/boom control device 20, and the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h are illuminated (ON) via the light emission drive unit 23, and the projection light L is projected (ON) from the light projection units 16a-16d via the light projection drive unit 24.

When the bucket/boom operating unit 12A of the operating unit 12 is operated by the workers W1 and W2 (step S1 (Yes)), the control unit 21 determines whether a bend has been detected in any of the horizontal detection rods 14a-14h and whether a bend has been detected in any of the vertical (upward) detection rods 13a-13d based on the pulse signals input to the pulse counter Dp from the detection rod bend detectors 15D of each of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h (steps S2 and S3).

When it is determined that no bending is detected in any of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h (step S2 (No) → S3 (No)), the control unit 21 controls the movement of the bucket 11 and boom 10B via the bucket/boom drive unit 22 in response to the bucket/boom operation signal from the bucket/boom operation unit 12A, and moves the bucket 11 to a position of the worker W2 (step S4).

After that, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, when the tip 14a1, 14h1 of one of the horizontal detection rods 14a, 14h comes into contact with the side wall TS in the tunnel, the bending of the detection rod 14a, 14h is detected by the detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of the detection rod 14a, 14h (step S2 (Yes)), or when the tip 13a1-13d1 of one of the vertical (upward) detection rods 13a-13d comes into contact with the side wall TS in the tunnel, the bending of the detection rod 14a, 14h is detected by the detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of the detection rod 14a, 14h (step S2 (Yes)). When the bending of the detection rods 13a to 13d is detected by the detection rod bending detector 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of the detection rods 13a to 13d as a result of the rods coming into contact with the ceiling TC inside the tunnel (step S3 (Yes)), the control unit 21 limits the control of the movement of the bucket 11 and boom 10B via the bucket/boom driver 22 to only the control of moving the bucket 11 downward (lowering) (steps S5, S6).

As a result, if the bucket 11 gets too close to the side wall TS or ceiling TC of the tunnel while working inside the tunnel with the aerial work vehicle 10, which could lead to an accidental contact between the workers W1, W2 and the tunnel inner wall or damage to the tunnel or its facilities, the movement of the bucket 11 can be immediately limited to only lowering.

As a result, even in a tunnel with a brightly lit ceiling and very noisy surroundings, it is possible to reliably prevent the bucket 11 from approaching the tunnel's inner wall abnormally, which could lead to accidental contact between workers W1 and W2 and damage to the tunnel and its facilities.

After that, in response to a bucket/boom operation signal from the bucket/boom operation unit 12A to lower the bucket 11, the position of the bucket 11 is moved downward, the contact between the tip 13a1-13d1 (14a1-14h1) of any of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h and the tunnel inner wall is released, and the bending of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h is no longer detected by the detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15 of all the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h (step S7 (Yes)), and the control unit 21 releases the restriction on the operation of moving the bucket 11 executed in steps S5 and S6 (step S8 → S1).

In this way, the restrictions on the operation of the bucket 11 movement are not lifted until all of the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h are no longer detected as bent, completely preventing the bucket 11 from being moved upward or left or right in a state where there is even the slightest risk of accidental contact between the workers W1 and W2 and the tunnel inner wall or damage to the tunnel or its facilities.

The restriction on the operation of the bucket 11 movement is configured to be performed by restricting the bucket 11 to only being moved (lowered) downward. However, this is not limited to this. If the bending is detected by the detection rods 13a to 13d that are oriented in the opposite direction to the extension direction of any of the detection rods (13a to 13d and 14a to 14h) that have come into contact with the tunnel inner wall and have been detected as being bent by the detection rod bending detection unit 15D, that is, in the vertical (upward) direction, the bucket 11 is only restricted to being moved downward. If the bending is detected by the detection rods 14a and 14h that are oriented in the horizontal direction, the bucket 11 is only restricted to being moved downward. Similarly, if bending is detected by the detection rods 14d and 14e on the opposite side of the bucket 11, the movement may be limited to one horizontal direction by the detection rods 14f and 14g on the opposite side of the bucket 11. Similarly, if bending is detected by the detection rods 14d and 14e, the movement may be limited to one horizontal direction by the detection rods 14a and 14h on the opposite side of the bucket 11. Similarly, if bending is detected by the detection rods 14f and 14g, the movement may be limited to one horizontal direction by the detection rods 14b and 14c on the opposite side of the bucket 11.

The supervisor WR, who is on the road R inside the tunnel and supervises the work, can easily recognize and monitor the position of the bucket 11 relative to the ceiling TC and side walls TS of the tunnel and the distance from the bucket 11 by visually checking the light-emitting detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h that are attached vertically and horizontally to the upper periphery of the bucket 11.

In addition, by visually checking the light points Pa-Pd formed on the road R by the projected light L from the light projectors 16a-16d of the bucket 11, the supervisor WR can easily recognize and monitor the current horizontal position of the bucket 11 relative to the road R. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the supervisor WR can use the white line H drawn on the road R as a reference to easily check whether the bucket 11 is getting too close to the side wall TS of the tunnel or too close to the adjacent lane where vehicles are traveling.

(Storage function of the detection rods 13a to 13d (14a to 14h))
FIG. 13 is a side view that shows a schematic diagram of a storage procedure using the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 13a, 13b that are provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11 and point upward.

First, as shown by the arrow AR in FIG. 13(A), the tip portions 13a1, 13b1 of the detection rods 13a, 13b (13c, 13d as well) are bent and rotated around the bending mechanism 15 to a position along the base portions 13a2, 13b2. Next, as shown by the arrow ARb in FIG. 13(B), the base portions 13a2, 13b2 along which the tip portions 13a1, 13b1 are aligned are rotated around the folding mechanism 15B to a position along the edge of the upper opening of the bucket 11, and folded.

Figure 14 is a plan view that shows an outline of the storage procedure using the bending mechanism 15 and folding mechanism 15B of the detection rods 14a to 14h that are installed horizontally at the four corners of the top of the bucket 11.

Similar to the detection rods 13a to 13d described above, the detection rods 14a to 14h are first bent and rotated at the tip portions 14a1 to 14h1 to a position along the base portions 14a2 to 14h2, using the bending mechanism 15 as a fulcrum, as shown by the arrow AR in Figure 14(A). Next, as shown by the arrow ARb in Figure 14(B), the base portions 14a2 to 14h2 along which the tip portions 14a1 to 14h1 are aligned are rotated and folded at the folding mechanism 15B as a fulcrum to a position along the edge of the upper opening of the bucket 11.

In this case, it is not necessary for each detection rod 13a to 13d (14a to 14h) to be folded horizontally so that the tip 13a1 to 13d1 (14a1 to 14h1) and the base 13a2 to 13d2 (14a2 to 14h2) completely overlap and are aligned with the edge of the upper opening of the bucket 11; they may be folded in a zigzag pattern.

This allows the detection rods 13a-13d (14a-14h) to be easily stored so as not to get in the way when the bucket 11 is not in use.

(Summary of the embodiment)
In the embodiment of the aerial work vehicle with safety device 10, the bucket 11 can be moved to any position by rotating it up and down, left and right via the boom 10B in response to the operation of the workers W1, W2. At each of the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11, detection rods 13a to 13d extending upward and detection rods 14a to 14h extending horizontally along the upper edge of the bucket 11 are provided. When any of the tip portions 13a1 to 13d1, 14a1 to 14h1 of the detection rods 13a to 13d, 14a to 14h comes into contact with the inner wall of the tunnel, the detection rods 13a to 13d, 14a to 14h bend around a bending mechanism 15 interposed between the tip portion 13a1 to 13d1, 14a1 to 14h1 and the base portion 13a2 to 13d2, 14a2 to 14h2 as a fulcrum, and the bending is detected by a detection rod bending detection unit 15D built into the bending mechanism 15. By detecting the bending of the detection rods 13a to 13d, 14a to 14h, it is determined that the bucket 11 has approached the ceiling TC or side wall TS of the tunnel, and operations for moving the bucket 11 are limited to only operations for moving the bucket 11 downward or only operations for moving the bucket 11 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the contact with the inner wall of the tunnel was detected.

As a result, if, during work inside a tunnel using the aerial work vehicle 10, the bucket 11 gets too close to the side wall TS or ceiling TC of the tunnel, which could lead to an accidental contact between the workers W1, W2 and the tunnel inner wall or damage to the tunnel or its facilities, the bucket 11 can be immediately prohibited from moving any further in the direction approaching the tunnel inner wall, and the bucket 11 can be moved away from the tunnel inner wall.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the safety device-equipped aerial work platform vehicle 10, the detection rods 13a-13d and 14a-14h are configured using, for example, a light-emitting body with a built-in LED or a chemical light-emitting body.

This allows the monitor WR on the road R to easily recognize and monitor the position of the bucket 11 relative to the ceiling TC and side walls TS inside the tunnel, as well as the distance from the bucket 11.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the safety device-equipped aerial work vehicle 10, light projection units 16a to 16d using, for example, spot light sources are provided at the four corners of the lower part of the bucket 11 to project projection light L downward and form light points Pa to Pd on the road R.

This allows the monitor WR to easily recognize and monitor the current horizontal position of the bucket 11 relative to the road R, and to easily check whether the bucket 11 is getting too close to the side wall TS of the tunnel or to the adjacent lane where vehicles are traveling.

As a result, even in a tunnel with a brightly lit ceiling and very noisy surroundings, it is possible to reliably prevent the bucket 11 from approaching the tunnel's inner wall abnormally, which could lead to accidental contact between workers W1 and W2 and damage to the tunnel and its facilities.

Other Embodiments
FIG. 15 is a perspective view that shows a schematic representation of the storage function of another embodiment of the detection rods 13a to 13d that are provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11 and point upward.

The detection rods 13a to 13d described in the previous embodiment are configured so that their bases 13a2 to 13d2 are attached to the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11 via the folding mechanism 15B.

In response to this, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, vertically elongated detection rod storage holes 17a-17d may be provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket 11, utilizing the thickness of the edges of the bucket 11, and the detection rods 13a-13d may be configured to be stored by sliding them vertically into the detection rod storage holes 17a-17d, as indicated by the arrows x.

In this case, the bases 13a2 to 13d2 of the detection rods 13a to 13d are attached to rails (not shown) formed in the vertical direction on the inner walls of the detection rod storage holes 17a to 17d via pedestals (not shown) that can engage with and slide on the rails.

This not only allows the detection rods 13a to 13d to be stored in the detection rod storage holes 17a to 17d, but also provides a position retention mechanism (not shown) that gradually fixes and retains the position at which the bases of the bases 13a2 to 13d2 slide relative to the aforementioned rail section, making it possible to change the length at which the detection rods 13a to 13d extend out of the detection rod storage holes 17a to 17d, thereby adjusting the range at which the detection rods 13a to 13d detect contact with the tunnel inner wall.

The above embodiment of the safety device for working at height has been described as a safety device for working at height vehicle 10, as shown in FIG. 1. However, the boom 10B and bucket 11 of the embodiment are not limited to those provided on a vehicle driven by a person, but may be provided, for example, on a wheeled cart that can be moved on the ground by a person, and the wheeled cart on which the boom 10B and bucket 11 are provided may be referred to as the safety device for working at height.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

10... high altitude work vehicle with safety device, 10B... boom, 11... bucket, 12... operation unit, 12A... bucket/boom operation unit, 12B... detection rod ON/OFF switch, 13a to 13d... upward detection rod, 14a to 14h... horizontal detection rod, 13a1 to 13d1, 14a1 to 14h1... detection rod tip, 13a2 to 13d2, 14a2 to 14h2... detection rod base, 1 5...bending mechanism, 15B...folding mechanism, 15D...detection rod bending detection section, 16a to 16d...light projection section, 17a to 17d...detection rod storage hole, 20...bucket/boom control device, 21...control section, 22...bucket/boom drive section, 23...light emission drive section, 24...light projection drive section, R...road, TC...tunnel ceiling, TS...tunnel side wall, L...projected light, Pa to Pd...light spot.

Claims (9)

A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a movement limiting means for limiting a direction in which the bucket is moved by the bucket control means to a direction opposite to a direction in which the contact with the obstacle is detected, when the contact with the obstacle is detected by the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod;
Aerial work equipment equipped with a safety device. A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a movement limiting means for limiting a direction in which the bucket is moved by the bucket control means to a downward direction when contact with the obstacle is detected by the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod;
A working device equipped with a safety device. The upward detection rod and the horizontal detection rod have a bending mechanism interposed in the middle of the rod-shaped body to bend the tip end of the rod-shaped body relative to the base of the rod-shaped body, and the bending mechanism has a detection rod bending detection unit that detects bending of the rod-shaped body by bending of the bending mechanism.
3. The high altitude working apparatus with a safety device according to claim 1 or 2. the bending mechanism for the upward detection rod and the horizontal detection rod has a spring force that holds the rod-shaped body in a straight line when the tip of the rod-shaped body is not in contact with anything,
A restriction release means is provided for releasing the restriction on the direction in which the bucket is moved when the bending of the rod-shaped body is no longer detected by the detection rod bending detection unit after the direction in which the bucket is moved is restricted by the movement restriction means.
4. The high altitude working apparatus with a safety device according to claim 3. At least the tip of the upward detection rod and the horizontal detection rod is made of a light-emitting body.
5. The high altitude working apparatus with a safety device according to claim 1. A light projection unit is provided on the edge of the lower part of the bucket and projects spot-shaped light downward of the bucket.
6. A high altitude working apparatus with a safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The bucket is box-shaped,
The upward detection rod and the horizontal detection rod are provided at the four corners of the upper part of the bucket.
7. The high altitude working apparatus with a safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
With the high altitude work equipment,
when contact with the obstacle is detected by the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod, the direction in which the bucket is moved by the bucket control means is limited to a direction opposite to the direction in which the contact with the obstacle was detected.
This is a method of working at height. A bucket for a worker to ride on and perform work on a work object;
A bucket control means for moving the bucket to an arbitrary position;
an upward detection rod that is a rod-shaped body provided on an upper edge of the bucket facing upward and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
a horizontal detection rod that is a rod-shaped body that is provided on an upper edge of the bucket in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the bucket and detects contact with an obstacle by bending the rod-shaped body;
With the high altitude work equipment,
When the upward detection rod or the horizontal detection rod detects contact with the obstacle, the bucket control means limits the direction in which the bucket is moved to a downward direction.
This is a method of working at height.