JP7825237B2 - Wheel stopper fall prevention device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wheel chock fall prevention device.

A wheel chock, also known as a wheel stopper or tire stopper, is a stopper that is clamped onto a vehicle's tire to prevent it from running away. It is mainly installed every time a vehicle is stopped during work on the road to reduce damage to the surrounding area caused by a work vehicle running away due to forgetting to apply the parking brake, or when a work vehicle is rear-ended by a regular vehicle.

Figure 18 shows an example of a wheel chock. The wheel (tire) 101 mounted on the vehicle body has a tread portion 101a, and the wheel chock 102 has an inclined surface 102a that abuts against this tread portion 101a and a handle portion 102b. Note that the handle portion 102b may also be a U-shaped handle.

Wheel chocks are used on a variety of vehicles, from standard to large. They also come in a variety of materials, such as rubber and steel, depending on their intended use.

For example, the wheel chocks on vehicle signage vehicles are made of steel, are heavy, and have complex shapes, as opposed to the typical rubber wheel chocks. Figure 15 shows a steel wheel chock 2, and Figure 16 shows it in use.

The steel wheel chock 2 has a tire storage area 2b between its two side walls 2a, where a tire contact wall 2c is located, and a ground contact surface 2d is located below. There is also a U-shaped handle 2e on the back.

A wheel chock storage frame 1 for storing wheel chocks 2 is provided on the vehicle bed 9a of a truck vehicle 9 such as a sign vehicle. A U-shaped frame 1a is attached to the installation plate 1b for the wheel chocks 2 of the wheel chock storage frame 1, and the wheel chocks 2 to be stored are inserted into the frame 1a by sliding them onto the installation plate 1b.

Note that there are no prior art documents relating to the steel wheel chock 2 or wheel chock storage frame 1.

In this way, wheel chocks 2 are stored in wheel chock storage frames 1, which are dedicated storage areas installed on the loading platform. However, there have been incidents where wheel chocks have come loose from the storage frames and fallen due to vehicle vibrations or strong winds.

To prevent the wheel chock from falling, as shown in Figure 17, a wire 10 is looped around the handle 2e of the wheel chock 2, and this wire 10 prevents the wheel chock 2 from slipping out of the wheel chock storage frame 1. However, this requires that the wire 10 be attached and removed each time the wheel chock 2 is removed for use or stored, which is extremely time-consuming.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional examples and to provide a wheel chock fall prevention device that can be easily removed and stored in a wheel chock storage frame installed on the vehicle bed.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention as described in claim 1 is characterized in that a band plate with a protrusion at its tip, the base of which is a right triangle and serves as a locking piece, is attached to the insertion opening of a wheel chock storage frame installed on the vehicle bed.

According to the present invention described in claim 1, even if the ring chock moves in the removal direction, the protrusion catches on the fixed part of the ring chock and does not come off.

To remove the stored wheel chock, hold the wheel chock in one hand and lift the stopper with the other. This will release the protrusion from the wheel chock's fixed part, allowing you to pull the wheel chock out. Once it passes the fixed part, release the stopper and complete the removal of the wheel chock.

To store the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame installed in the vehicle bed, lift the wheel chock slightly and slide it along the frame. The wheel chock will hit the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangular protrusion on the fastener, causing the fastener to spring up and push the wheel chock in. Once pushed in, the right-angled triangular protrusion on the fastener will catch on the wheel chock, preventing it from falling.

The gist of the present invention, as described in claim 2, is that the protrusion, whose base of the right triangle serves as the locking piece, is formed integrally with the band plate by bending the band plate.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 2, the protrusion, with the base of the right triangle serving as the locking piece, is formed by bending the strip. This allows it to be formed integrally with the strip without using a separate part, resulting in a stable, strong structure.

The present invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the fastener is connected to a fixing plate that bolts the base of the band plate to the wheel stopper storage frame so as to be biased by a spring.

According to the present invention described in claim 3, the fastener can be easily attached to and detached from the wheel chock storage frame by bolting the fixing plate to the wheel chock storage frame. The fastener's band plate is spring-loaded, and when storing the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame, the fastener is pushed up against the spring's force to push the wheel chock into the frame. Once the wheel chock is fully inserted, the right-angled triangular protrusion on the fastener falls due to the spring force, and automatically hooks onto the wheel chock.

The present invention as set forth in claim 4 is characterized in that a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet is attached as a sliding material to the hypotenuse of the right triangle of the protrusion having the base of the right triangle as the locking piece.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when storing the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame installed in the vehicle bed, the wheel chock comes into contact with the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangular protrusion of the fastener, causing the fastener to spring up, reducing frictional resistance and allowing the wheel chock to be pushed in smoothly.

The present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the surface of the locking piece, which is the base of the right triangle, is roughened.

According to the present invention as described in claim 5, the surface of the locking piece, which is the base of the right-angled triangle of the protrusion of the fastener, is roughened, which increases the frictional resistance and locks into the wheel chock, making it less likely to come loose even due to vibration, etc.

As described above, the wheel chock fall prevention device of the present invention allows wheel chocks to be easily removed and stored in a wheel chock storage frame installed on the vehicle bed.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a wheel stopper fall prevention device of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view from another angle showing one embodiment of the wheel stopper fall prevention device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base portion of the fastener of the wheel stopper fall prevention device of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of the wheel chock fall prevention device of the present invention, in which the stopper is locking the wheel chock. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first step of the process of removing a stored wheel chock. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second step of the process of removing the stored wheel chock. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a third step of the process of removing the stored wheel chock. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth step of the process of removing the ring chock. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a first step of storing the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second step of storing the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a third step of storing the wheel chock in the wheel chock storage frame. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fastener with a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet attached. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ring chock with a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet attached. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of a fastener and a ring stopper having a rough surface. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steel chock. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a steel ring clamp in use. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional example. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the wheel chock fall prevention device of the present invention, in which 1 indicates a wheel chock storage frame.

The wheel chock storage frame 1 is installed on the vehicle bed 9a of a truck vehicle 9 such as a sign truck. The U-shaped wheel chock storage frame 1 is attached to the installation plate 1b for the wheel chock 2, and the wheel chock 2 is inserted into the wheel chock storage frame 1 by sliding it along the installation plate 1b.

As explained in Figure 15 above, the wheel chock 2 stored in this wheel chock storage frame 1 has a tire storage area 2b between both side walls 2a, a tire contact wall 2c located here, a ground contact surface 2d below, and a U-shaped handle 2e on the back.

The present invention involves attaching a stopper 3 to the insertion opening of the wheel stopper storage frame 1. The stopper 3 is a metal strip 4, such as a steel or stainless steel plate, with a protrusion 5 at the tip of the strip, with the base of a right triangle serving as the locking piece 5a.

The protrusion 5, which has the base of the right triangle of the fastener 3 as the locking piece 5a, is formed integrally with the band plate 4 by bending the band plate 4.

The fastener 3 is formed by bending the base 4a of the band plate 4, and this bent portion is connected to the fixing plate 6, which is bolted to the wheel stopper storage frame 1 with a bolt 11, so that it is biased by a spring.

The fixing plate 6 and the base 4a of the band plate 4 are axially connected at their flanges, and a coil spring 12 is interposed between them, connecting them so that they are biased by the spring. In this way, the fixing plate 6 and the base 4a of the band plate 4 form a clip mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 12, a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet 7 was attached as a sliding member to the hypotenuse of the right triangle of the protrusion 5, the base of which served as the locking piece 5a.

As shown in FIG. 13, this Teflon (registered trademark) sheet 7 was also attached to the location where the stopper 3 of the wheel stopper 2 abutted.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, the locking piece 5a, which is the base of the right triangle of the protrusion 5, is roughened by attaching sandpaper or the like to the surface 8.

In response to this, sandpaper or the like was applied to the area where the locking piece 5a of the fastener 3 of the wheel chock 2 abuts, creating a rough surface 8.

Next, we will explain how to use it. The fastener 3 of the present invention is attached by bolts to a wheel stopper storage frame 1 provided on the vehicle bed 9a of a truck vehicle 9 such as a sign truck, and protrudes from the frame 1a parallel to the installation plate 1b of the wheel stopper storage frame 1 as shown in Figure 1.

To store the wheel chock 2 in the wheel chock storage frame 1, lift the wheel chock 2 slightly as shown in Figure 9 and slide it along the installation plate 1b. The wheel chock 2 will then hit the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangular protrusion on the stopper 3, causing the stopper 3 to spring up, allowing the wheel chock to be pushed in.

When this is done, the Teflon (registered trademark) sheet 7 attached to the hypotenuse of the right triangle of the protrusion 5, the base of which is the locking piece 5a of the right triangle of the stopper 3, overlaps with the Teflon (registered trademark) sheet 7 of the ring chock 2, eliminating frictional resistance and making it easy to slide, making it easier to push the ring chock 2 in.

Once the fastener is fully inserted, the right-angled triangular protrusion 5 on the fastener 3 catches on the wheel chock 2, preventing the wheel chock from falling. A spring acts to bias the protrusion 5 into the wheel chock 2.

As mentioned above, the locking piece 5a, which forms the base of the right triangle of the protrusion 5, is roughened by applying sandpaper or the like to the surface 8. The area where the locking piece 5a of the fastener 3 of the wheel chock 2 comes into contact with is also roughened by applying sandpaper or the like to the surface 8, and the roughened surfaces 8 bond together, making it difficult for the protrusion 5 to come off.

On the other hand, to remove the stored chock 2, hold the chock 2 in one hand as shown in Figure 5, and use the other hand to lift the stopper 3 against the spring as shown in Figure 6. This will cause the protrusion 5 to disengage from the fixed part of the chock 2 as shown in Figure 7, allowing you to remove the chock 2. Once it passes the fixed part, release the stopper and complete the removal of the chock.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Wheel stopper storage frame 1a...Storage frame 1b...Installation plate 2...Wheel stopper 2a...Both side walls 2b...Tire storage section 2c...Tire contact wall 2d...Contact surface 2e...Handle 3...Clasp 4...Band plate 4a...Base 5...Protrusion 5a...Latching piece portion 6...Fixing plate 7... Teflon (registered trademark) sheet
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8: Rough surface 9: Truck vehicle 9a: Vehicle bed 10: Wire 11: Bolt 12: Coil spring 101: Wheel (tire) 101a: Tread portion 102: Wheel chock 102a: Inclined surface 102b: Handle portion

Claims (5)

A wheel chock fall prevention device characterized by a stopper having a protrusion with the base of a right triangle as the locking piece at the tip of a band plate, which is attached to the wheel chock insertion port of a wheel chock storage frame installed on the vehicle bed. A wheel chock fall prevention device as described in claim 1, in which the protrusion, whose base of the right triangle serves as the locking piece, is formed integrally with the band plate by bending the band plate. A wheel chock fall prevention device as described in claim 1, in which the stopper is spring-biased and connected to a fixing plate that bolts the base of the band plate to the wheel chock storage frame. 3. A wheel stopper fall prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet is attached as a sliding material to the hypotenuse of the right triangle of the protrusion, the base of which is the locking piece. 3. A wheel stopper fall prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface of the locking piece portion which is the base of the right triangle is roughened.