JP7790931B2 - Cart with assist mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a trolley with an assist mechanism that automatically adjusts the assist rotation drive according to the degree of operating pressure.

Railway carts such as lightweight trolleys, which are pushed along railway tracks to transport materials and equipment to work sites, are very popular.

On the other hand, for such transport trucks, trucks have been developed that are equipped with an assist mechanism that automatically adjusts the assist rotation drive according to the degree of pushing force used for travel.

For example, a trolley with an automatically adjusting assist mechanism has been developed that is equipped with a strain sensor on the (hand) push handle used for driving the vehicle to detect the degree of pressure applied during driving, and based on this detection result, controls the assist rotational driving force (the rotational force of the assist electric motor) to reduce the burden on the worker.

It would be convenient to equip commonly used railway bogies (the aforementioned light railway trolleys) with such an assist mechanism, but installing such an assist mechanism would be difficult to manufacture and would be costly, making it difficult to popularize.

The present invention was developed in light of the current situation and has resolved the above-mentioned problems. Its objective is to provide a highly practical bogie with an assist mechanism that can be easily equipped to existing bogies, with an assist mechanism that automatically adjusts the assist rotation drive according to the degree of pushing force, and that can be easily installed (retrofitted) on commercially available bogies, such as light rail trolleys.

The gist of the present invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

The bogie with assist mechanism is provided with a brake device 4 on a bogie section 1 that prevents rotation of a wheel 2 and holds the bogie section 1 stopped, and an assist mechanism that releases the brake device 4 and drives the wheel 2 to rotate in a traveling direction when a push handle 6 that is provided on the bogie section 1 or that is detachably provided on a handle attachment section 5 of the bogie section 1 is pushed , the assist mechanism comprising a pressing force detection section 8 that is provided on the push handle 6 or that is provided on the handle attachment section 5 of the bogie section 1 and detects an operating pressing force on the push handle 6 for traveling, a transmission gear 10 attached to an axle 9 of the wheel 2, an assist rotational drive force transmission mechanism 12 that transmits the rotational force of an assist electric motor 11 that serves as an assist rotational drive source to the transmission gear 10 to assist the rotation of the wheel 2, and an assist electric motor 11 that operates based on a signal output from the pressing force detection section 8. and an assist control mechanism 13 that increases or decreases the output of the motor 11 according to the degree of the operating pressure , and a brake release mechanism 7 that separates the brake pressure contact portion 3 that holds the bogie section 1 in a stopped state and releases the brake device 4 by pushing the push handle 6 in the traveling direction of the bogie section 1, and the brake release mechanism 7 releases the brake device 4 by pushing the push handle 6 in the traveling direction of the bogie section 1, and when the push handle 6 is further pushed in the same traveling direction in addition to this pushing operation, the assist mechanism drives the wheel 2 to rotate in the traveling direction, and the transmission gear 10 of the assist mechanism is configured to be fitted to the outside of the axle 9 and to rotate together with the axle 9 .

The bogie with assist mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that it is configured to include the brake device 4 that presses the brake pressure contact portion 3 against the wheel 2 of the bogie section 1 that can run on a railway track to stop and hold the bogie section 1, the brake release mechanism 7 that moves the brake pressure contact portion 3 away from the wheel 2 and releases the brake device 4 by operating the pushing handle 6 that is provided on the bogie section 1 or is detachably provided on the handle mounting portion 5 of the bogie section 1, and the assist mechanism that drives the wheel 2 to rotate in the running direction when the pushing handle 6 is pushed.

This relates to the cart with assist mechanism described in claim 1, characterized in that the pushing force detection unit 8 is provided at the bottom of the pushing handle 6, or at an intermediate part 14 whose lower part is attached to the handle mounting part 5 and whose upper part is provided with the handle mounting part 5 .

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The assist control mechanism 13, which controls the output of the assist electric motor 11 of the assist mechanism according to the degree of the operating pressure, is configured to operate based on the output from a brake release detection unit 15 that detects that the brake device 4 has been released, which relates to the bogie with assist mechanism described in claim 1 .

The power supply unit of the assisting electric motor 11 of the assisting mechanism is configured so that a charging pack 17 is detachably attached to a charging pack attachment portion 16 connected to the assisting electric motor 11, and the power of the charging pack 17 is supplied to the assisting electric motor 11. This relates to the trolley with assisting mechanism described in claim 1 , characterized in that

The present invention is configured as described above, so that existing bogies can easily be equipped with an assist mechanism that automatically adjusts the assist rotation drive according to the degree of pressing force, resulting in a highly practical bogie with an assist mechanism that can be easily installed (retrofitted) on commercially available bogies, such as light rail trolleys.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory rear view of the main part of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory right side view of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory bottom view of the brake device of the present embodiment before release. FIG. 10 is a bottom view illustrating the state of the vehicle when the brake device is released and the vehicle is being pushed forward in this embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory right-side cross-sectional view showing that the drive transmission gear of the assist mechanism of this embodiment is retrofitted to the axle, making it easy to retrofit the assist mechanism.

The optimal embodiment of the present invention will be briefly explained below, illustrating its operation with reference to the drawings.

When the push handle 6 provided on the trolley section 1 or detachably provided on the handle mounting section 5 of the trolley section 1 is pushed and rotated, the brake release mechanism 7 is activated, the brake pressure contact section 3 moves away from the wheel 2, and the brake device 4 is released.

For example, if the brake is released in this way and the push handle 6 is then pushed, the wheels 2 will roll and the vehicle will move.

At this time, the pushing force detection unit 8 provided on the push handle 6 or on the handle mounting portion 5 of the cart unit 1 detects the pushing force (degree) applied to the push handle 6 for travel, and this detection result is output to the assist control mechanism 13. Based on this, the assist control mechanism 13 controls the output (rotational force) of the assist electric motor 11 according to the degree of operating pushing force.

This automatically adjusted and controlled assistance reduces the pushing force required for the worker to move. In other words, even if a heavy load is placed on the cart unit 1 or the cart is tilted, the assistance is provided with a rotational driving force that corresponds to the load, thereby efficiently reducing the load and reducing the burden on the worker while consuming electricity efficiently.

This assist mechanism also has the pressing force detection unit 8 attached to the pushing handle 6 or the handle mounting portion 5 of the trolley unit 1, a transmission gear 10 attached to the axle 9 of the wheel 2, and an assist rotational drive force transmission mechanism 12 (reduction transmission mechanism) attached to the transmission gear 10 to transmit the rotational force of an assist electric motor 11, which serves as an assist rotational drive source, to the transmission gear 10, thereby assisting the rotation of the wheel 2. It also has an assist control mechanism 13 that controls the output (rotational force) of the assist electric motor 11 based on the signal output from the pressing force detection unit 8 according to the degree of pressing force. Therefore, this configuration can be easily installed (retrofitted) on commercially available trolleys, such as light rail trolleys.

In other words, the rotational force of the assisting electric motor 11, which is controlled based on the pressure detection unit 8 that detects the degree of operating pressure on the push handle 6 for travel, is transmitted to the transmission gear 10 attached to the wheel 2, and the assist mechanism is configured to automatically assist the travel of the trolley unit 1 when the push handle 6 is pushed with an amount that corresponds to this operating pressure, resulting in a trolley with an assist mechanism that can be easily attached to, for example, a trolley of existing configuration.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a light rail trolley of an existing configuration that runs on railroad tracks (railroad rails). Axles 9 are provided at the front and rear of the flat-plate-shaped bogie section 1 on which materials and work equipment are placed, and a total of four wheels 2 for running on the railroad tracks are provided on each side of the axles. One of these wheels 2 is equipped with a brake device 4 that applies a brake pressure contact portion 3 (brake pad) to press against the wheel 2, thereby stopping and holding the bogie section 1.

In this embodiment, a push handle 6 is detachably inserted into a handle mounting portion 5 provided on the trolley portion 1, and by rotating the upper horizontal operating rod portion of the push handle 6, the brake pressure contact portion 3 moves away from the wheel 2 and the brake device 4 is released by a brake release mechanism 7, and further, by continuing to push the push handle 6 in the traveling direction, the trolley portion 1 travels, and an assist mechanism is provided which rotates (assists) the wheel 2 in the traveling direction.

The assist mechanism of this embodiment is configured as follows.
The intermediate part 14, whose lower part is inserted into the handle mounting part 5 into which the push handle 6 is inserted and whose upper part has the handle mounting part 5 attached, is inserted into the handle mounting part 5 in this way and attached, and the push handle 6 is inserted into the handle mounting part 5 at the upper part of this intermediate part 14.The intermediate part 14, which is retrofitted to this existing configuration, is provided with a strain gauge as a pressing force detection part 8 that detects the pressing force (degree) applied to the push handle 6 when it travels.

In other words, the existing push handle 6 remains in place, and the lower part of the intervening portion 14 equipped with a strain gauge is inserted into the handle mounting portion 5 of the push handle 6. The push handle 6 can then be inserted into the handle mounting portion 5 at the top of this intervening portion 14 in the same manner as the existing configuration, but this intervening portion 14 is equipped with a pressure detection unit 8 that detects the pressure applied to the push handle 6 when it is moving.

In addition, while the pressing force detection unit 8 is provided in the intervening portion 14 in this embodiment, it may also be provided in the pushing handle 6. In this case, all that is required is to create a new, simple and easy-to-manufacture pushing handle 6 and insert it into the existing handle attachment portion 5 using existing methods. As such, just like this embodiment, it is quite easy to install an assist mechanism into an existing configuration.

In addition, in this embodiment, a transmission gear 10 is retrofitted to the axle 9 of the wheel 2, and an assisting rotational drive force transmission mechanism 12 is provided to transmit the rotational force of an assisting electric motor 11, which serves as an assisting rotational drive source, to this transmission gear 10 via a reduction gear or the like, thereby assisting the rotation of the wheel 2. The configuration also includes an assist control mechanism 13 that controls the output of the assisting electric motor 11 according to the degree of the pressing force based on the signal output from the pressing force detection unit 8.

Specifically, the transmission gear 10 of the assist mechanism is configured to be fitted from the outside of the axle 9 and later attached to the axle 9 so as to rotate together with the axle 9. In other words, the configuration is such that a gear portion is provided on a fitted member that can be separated, fitted, and connected.

In addition, the assist control mechanism 13, which controls the output of the assist electric motor 11 of the assist mechanism according to the degree of pressing force, is configured to operate based on the output from a brake release detection unit 15, which detects that the brake device 4 has been released.

Therefore, when the brake is released and the push handle 6 is pressed, the pressure is detected and an assisted rotation drive is performed according to the magnitude of the pressure, reducing the burden on the operator.

That is, in this embodiment, when the existing push handle 6 is rotated horizontally, for example, the brake release mechanism 7 releases the brake device 4, and when the push handle 6 is then pushed in the direction of travel, the pressing force detection unit 8 detects the pressing force applied to the push handle 6 for travel, and outputs this detection result as feedback to the assist control mechanism 13. Based on this, the assist control mechanism 13 controls the output of the assist electric motor 11 according to the degree of the pressing force.

This feedback control reduces the pushing force exerted by the worker, and even if a heavy load is placed on the trolley unit 1 or the trolley unit is tilted, the load is assisted by a rotational driving force corresponding to the load, thereby efficiently reducing the load and reducing the burden on the worker while consuming electricity efficiently.

The pushing force detection unit 8 is mounted in an intermediate portion 14 that is inserted into the handle mounting portion 5 into which the pushing handle 6 is inserted, and the pushing handle 6 is inserted into the handle mounting portion 5 mounted on the upper portion of this intermediate portion 14. A transmission gear 10 is attached to the axle 9 of the wheel 2, and this transmission gear 10 is equipped with an assisting rotational drive force transmission mechanism 12 that transmits the rotational force of an assisting electric motor 11, which serves as an assisting rotational drive source, to the transmission gear 10 to assist the rotation of the wheel 2. An assist control mechanism 13 is also provided that adjusts the output of the assisting electric motor 11 according to the degree of pushing force based on a signal output from the pushing force detection unit 8. This configuration allows for easy installation (retrofitting) on commercially available bogies, such as the aforementioned light rail trolley.

The power supply section of the assisting electric motor 11 of the assist mechanism of this embodiment is configured so that charging packs 17 are detachably attached to each of a plurality of charging pack attachment sections 16 connected to the assisting electric motor 11, and the power of these charging packs 17 is supplied to the assisting electric motor 11.

For example, the charging pack mounting section 16 can be configured to accommodate mass-produced charging packs 17 used as power sources for sequentially rechargeable power tools, etc., making the device even more practical.

In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a lightweight trolley of an existing configuration that runs on railway rails, as described above. The brake release mechanism 7 is configured so that, when the upper horizontal operating rod portion of the push handle 6 is rotated, the lower rod mounting rotation portion 18 rotates, and the rod 19 attached to this rod mounting rotation portion 18 is pushed forward against the return bias spring 20, causing the brake rotation portion 21 to which this rod 19 is axially attached to rotate against the return bias spring 20. This rotation causes the brake moving shaft 22 attached to the opposite side of the brake rotation portion 21 to move in a direction that separates the brake pressure contact portion 3, causing the brake pressure contact portion 3 to separate from the wheel 2 and release the brake device 4.

The brake rotation part 21 of the brake release mechanism 7, which rotates as the rod 19 moves forward and backward, is provided with an interlocking operating rod 23. This interlocking operating rod 23, which moves forward in conjunction with the forward movement of the rod 19 when the brake is released, is provided with a detection moving part 24. A brake release detection part 15 is provided that is configured to recede upon contact with this detection moving part 24, and is configured to detect whether the brake pressure contact part 3 has moved from a brake state in which it is pressed against the wheel 2 by the return bias spring 20 to a brake release state in which it has separated as described above.

In this embodiment, the handle attachment portion 5 for the push handle 6 is provided on each of the front and rear wheels 2, and for example, an interposition portion 14 with the pushing force detection portion 8 is provided on each of these handle attachment portions 5, so that either one can be selected depending on the direction of travel and the push handle 6 can be inserted and pushed to travel. That is, whichever one is inserted, the brake device 4 is released by rotating it horizontally, and then the push handle 6 is pushed as is, and the pushing force is detected and automatically assisted by the assist mechanism with a rotational driving force corresponding to the pushing force, allowing for speedy and easy pushing and travel.

In order to operate in this manner, a travel direction detection unit 25 is provided that detects which handle attachment portion 5 at the top of which intervening portion 14 the push handle 6 is inserted into, thereby controlling the forward/reverse rotational drive.

Note that the present invention is not limited to this example, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Truck section 2 Wheel 3 Brake pressure contact section 4 Brake device 5 Handle mounting section 6 Push handle 7 Brake release mechanism 8 Pressing force detection section 9 Axle 10 Transmission gear 11 Assist electric motor 12 Assist rotational drive force transmission mechanism 13 Assist control mechanism 14 Intervening section 15 Brake release detection section 16 Charging pack mounting section 17 Charging pack 18 Rod mounting rotation section 19 Rod 20 Return bias spring 21 Brake rotation section 22 Brake moving axis
23 Interlocking operating rod 24 Detection moving part 25 Travel direction detection part

Claims (5)

The carriage is provided with a brake device that prevents the wheels from rotating and holds the carriage in a stopped state.
The assist mechanism-equipped truck is provided with an assist mechanism that releases the brake device and drives the wheels to rotate in the traveling direction when a push handle that is provided on the truck section or that is detachably provided on a handle mounting section of the truck section is pushed,
This assist mechanism is
a pushing force detection unit that is provided on the pushing handle or on the handle mounting portion of the cart unit and detects an operating pushing force applied to the pushing handle for traveling;
a transmission gear attached to the wheel axle;
an assisting rotational drive force transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational force of an assisting electric motor, which serves as an assisting rotational drive source, to the transmission gear to assist the rotation of the wheel; and
an assist control mechanism that controls the output of the assist electric motor in accordance with the degree of the operating pressure based on a signal output from the pressure detection unit ,
a brake release mechanism is provided that, by pushing the push handle in the traveling direction of the carriage unit, separates a brake pressure contact portion that stops and holds the carriage unit, thereby releasing the brake device;
The push handle is pushed in the traveling direction of the carriage section to release the brake device by the brake release mechanism, and when the push handle is further pushed in the same traveling direction in addition to this pushing operation, the assist mechanism drives the wheels to rotate in the traveling direction,
A bogie with an assist mechanism, characterized in that the transmission gear of the assist mechanism is retrofitted to the axle so as to be fitted from the outside of the axle and rotate together with the axle . The bogie with assist mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that it is configured to include the brake device that presses the brake pressure contact portion against the wheel of the bogie portion that can run on a railway track to stop and hold the bogie portion, the brake release mechanism that moves the brake pressure contact portion away from the wheel and releases the brake device by operating the push handle that is provided on the bogie portion or is detachably provided on the handle mounting portion of the bogie portion, and the assist mechanism that drives the wheel to rotate in the running direction when the push handle is pushed. The cart with assist mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the pushing force detection unit is provided at the lower part of the pushing handle or at an intermediate part having a lower part attached to the handle mounting part and an upper part provided with the handle mounting part. The bogie with assist mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the assist control mechanism, which controls the output of the assist electric motor of the assist mechanism according to the degree of the operating pressure, is configured to operate based on the output from a brake release detection unit that detects that the brake device has been released. 2. The cart with assist mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a power supply unit for the assist electric motor of the assist mechanism is configured to detachably mount a charging pack to a charging pack mounting unit connected to the assist electric motor, and power from the charging pack is supplied to the assist electric motor.