JP7842990B2 - Slope block transport device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a device for transporting slope blocks.

Precast concrete blocks (slope blocks) are sometimes used to protect slopes such as those created by cutting or filling. In this process, the slope blocks were moved one by one to their installation location, either manually by workers or using mobile cranes such as tow trucks. Such moving work was physically demanding and cumbersome, resulting in long working times (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Therefore, Patent Document 2 discloses a conveying device for transporting slope blocks to their installation location. This conveying device comprises two guide rails installed on the slope, a lifting mechanism capable of raising and lowering the guide rails using a hoisting machine, a load-receiving section with rollers, and a frame for supporting a mounting plate, provided to horizontally connect the lifting mechanism and the load-receiving section, and the load-receiving sections themselves. Using this conveying device, slope blocks placed on the mounting plate can be transported to the vicinity of the installation location.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-218348 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-156138

However, in the conveying device described in Patent Document 2, the frame that receives the load of the slope blocks is provided to connect the lifting mechanism and the load-receiving section, and the load-receiving sections themselves, in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the connection structure between the frame and these members needs to be robust, which leads to a problem of increased structural complexity and weight.

Furthermore, the mounting surface is almost parallel to the sloping embankment. Therefore, there was a problem in that a mechanism was needed to prevent the embankment blocks from sliding off the mounting plate. Additionally, lifting the diagonally mounted embankment blocks from the mounting plate was difficult from the perspective of the worker's posture and other factors.

In view of the above points, the present invention aims to provide a conveying device for slope blocks that can simplify the structure and reduce the inclination angle of the mounting surface.

The present invention relates to a slope block transport device for transporting slope blocks to be stacked on a slope, and is characterized by comprising: two guide rails installed on the slope so as to extend vertically in parallel to each other at a distance from each other; sliding parts guided vertically on each of the two guide rails; a lifting means for raising and lowering the sliding parts along each of the guide rails; a load-receiving part having a plurality of rollers that are rotatable around a horizontally extending rotation axis and connected to each of the sliding parts; a mounting part having a mounting surface on which the slope blocks can be placed, with its front part supported by the front part of the load-receiving part; and a support part that vertically connects the rear part of the mounting part and the rear part of the load-receiving part.

According to the slope block conveying device of the present invention, the mounting section, which has a mounting surface on which the slope block is placed, has its front part supported by the front part of the load-receiving section, and its rear part supported by the rear part of the load-receiving section via a support section. Therefore, since the load of the slope block acts downward on the load-receiving section, compared to the case where the block is supported by being sandwiched horizontally between the load-receiving section and the mounting section, it is possible to simplify the structure of the load-receiving section itself and the connection structure between the load-receiving section and the mounting section, and consequently reduce its weight.

Furthermore, in a load-receiving section where the roller moves while in contact with an upward-sloping embankment, the rear portion supports the mounting section via a support portion, making it possible to bring the slope of the mounting surface closer to horizontal compared to the slope angle of the embankment.

In the slope block conveying device of the present invention, it is preferable that the connection position between the aforementioned mounting section or the load-receiving section and the support section can be changed.

In this case, the connection position between the mounting section or load-receiving section and the support section can be changed according to the slope angle of the embankment, making it possible to bring the slope angle of the mounting surface even closer to horizontal.

Furthermore, in the slope block conveying device of the present invention, it is preferable to have a means for preventing the slope blocks placed on the aforementioned surface from falling off, around the aforementioned surface.

In this case, the fall prevention mechanism makes it possible to prevent the slope block placed on the mounting surface from falling off.

A schematic front view showing a slope block transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention installed on a slope. A schematic front view showing the first load-receiving section and connection section in an enlarged state, with the slope block transport device installed on the slope. Schematic view from line III-III in Figure 1. Schematic view of line IV-IV in Figure 1. A flowchart showing how to stack slope blocks.

A conveying device 100 for slope blocks (hereinafter also simply referred to as the conveying device 100) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the figures are simplified, and detailed structural elements are omitted.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the conveying device 100 is a device for conveying precast concrete blocks (slope blocks) B to the installation location or its vicinity in order to protect the slope A of cut or fill earth. The conveying device 100 comprises two guide rails 10, two sliding parts 20, two lifting means 30, three mounting parts 40, two first load-receiving parts 50, two second load-receiving parts 60, two connecting parts 70, and six support parts 80. Note that the first load-receiving parts 50 correspond to the load-receiving parts of the present invention.

The two guide rails 10 are installed on the slope A, spaced apart and parallel to each other, extending vertically. The two guide rails 10 are installed at a larger interval than the continuous spacing between multiple slope blocks B stacked horizontally, for example, an interval of 5m to 10m. The guide rails 10 are fixed on supports 11 that are secured to the ground with anchors or the like.

The guide rail 10 has sufficient strength to allow the mounting section 40 to move up and down stably without lateral sway, even when multiple slope blocks B are placed on it. Here, it is reinforced in a ladder-like manner. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of simplifying the transport of the conveying device 100, it is preferable to reduce the weight of the guide rail 10 by using, for example, aluminum as the material.

Each sliding part 20 is provided to slide freely along the longitudinal direction of each guide rail 10. Here, each sliding part 20 is configured as a trolley 21 having a total of eight wheels in two rows (details not shown). The wheels of one row roll on the U-shaped rail on the outside of the guide rail 10, and the wheels of the other row roll on the U-shaped rail on the inside of the guide rail 10, allowing the sliding part 20 to slide freely along the guide rail 10.

Furthermore, each sliding part 20 (not shown) is equipped with a guide roller located below each wheel. These guide rollers are positioned on the inner and upper surfaces of the U-shaped rail of the guide rail 10, providing guidance. This allows each sliding part 20 to slide along the guide rail 10 without misalignment.

Each lifting mechanism 30 raises and lowers its sliding portion 20 along the guide rail 10. Here, a winch 31 is used as the lifting mechanism 30, but it is not limited to this.

Each hoisting machine 31 is installed on top of the guide rail 10. Preferably, the hoisting machines 31 are fixed to the ground separately from the guide rails 10 using anchors or the like. This reduces the stress acting on the guide rails 10, making it possible to lighten the guide rails 10. However, the hoisting machines 31 may also be fixed to the guide rails 10. Existing hoisting machines 31 can be used.

One end of a wire 32 is connected to each hoisting machine 31. The other end of the wire 32 is fixed to the hoisting machine 31 or the upper end of the guide rail 10 via a pulley 22 installed on the trolley 21 of the sliding unit 20. As a result, when the hoisting machine 31 winds up the wire 32, the sliding unit 20 rises along the guide rail 10, and when the hoisting machine 31 unwinds the wire 32, the sliding unit 20 descends along the guide rail 10. Note that the connection between the hoisting machine 31 and the sliding unit 20 is not limited to this; for example, the other end of the wire 32 may be fixed to the trolley 21 of the sliding unit 20.

When the hoisting operation of the two hoisting machines 31 is started simultaneously, the two sliding parts 20 rise along the guide rail 10 without any misalignment. When the unwinding operation of the two hoisting machines 31 is started simultaneously, the two sliding parts 20 descend along the guide rail 10 without any misalignment. The lifting and lowering speed of the sliding parts 20 is, for example, 1 m/sec to 10 m/sec.

The operation of the two hoisting machines 31 can be started or stopped by two operators simultaneously using the operation buttons installed on each machine, or by one operator simultaneously using the two remote controls for each machine. Alternatively, a control device that operates both hoisting machines 31 simultaneously may be provided.

Each mounting section 40 has a mounting surface S on which a slope block B can be placed. In this case, the mounting section 40 has a long, narrow rectangular frame 41 with the horizontal direction as its longitudinal direction when viewed from above. The lower part of this frame 41 is reinforced by a truss structure or the like, and a mounting plate 42 with the mounting surface S on its upper surface is placed on top of this reinforcement structure. The frame 41 and reinforcement structure of the mounting section 40 are constructed using rod materials such as H-shaped members made of materials such as aluminum or steel.

The mounting plate 42 is made of, for example, a metal plate such as expanded metal or a wooden board. The upper part 41a of the frame 41 is positioned above the mounting surface S, thereby preventing the slope block B placed on the mounting surface S from falling. The upper part 41a of the frame 41 corresponds to the fall prevention means of the present invention.

The mounting surface S is large enough to accommodate at least one slope block B, and preferably large enough to accommodate multiple blocks B arranged horizontally. For example, the mounting surface S is several meters wide and approximately 1 meter deep.

The weight of a single slope block B is, for example, 10 to 30 kg. The mounting section 40 has sufficient strength to support, for example, several to 20 such slope blocks B on the mounting surface S.

The first load-bearing portions 50 are connected to the inside of the sliding portions 20, and the second load-bearing portions 60 are located between the two first load-bearing portions 50; there are two of them in this case.

The connecting portion 70 connects the sliding portion 20 to the first load-bearing portion 50. The mounting portion 40 connects the front of the first load-bearing portion 50 to the front of the second load-bearing portion 60, and also connects the front portions of the second load-bearing portions 60 to each other. The support portion 80 connects the rear portions of the first load-bearing portion 50 and the second load-bearing portion 60 to the rear portion of the mounting portion 40.

In this example, the conveying device 100 is equipped with two second load-receiving sections 60. However, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, even if there are three or more second load-receiving sections 60, or even if there are no second load-receiving sections 60 at all, the first load-receiving sections 50 may be directly connected to each other by the mounting section 40.

As shown in Figure 3, the first load-bearing section 50 comprises a frame 51 made of a rod made of a material such as aluminum or steel, and two first rollers 52 rotatably mounted on the frame 51. The first rollers 52 have their respective rotation axes extending horizontally and are arranged parallel to each other with a gap between them in the vertical direction.

The frame 51 is connected to the sliding part 40 via a connecting part 70. Here, the connecting part 70 has a structure 71 made of a rod material such as aluminum or steel, and the inner end of this structure 71 is fixed to the frame 51. One end of a wire 72 is connected to the trolley 21 of the sliding part 20, and the other end of this wire 72 is connected to the outer end of the structure 71.

In this connection, rings are provided at both ends of the wire 72, and pins 73 are inserted through the rings and through holes formed in the trolley 21 and the structure 71, respectively, thereby detachably connecting the sliding part 40 and the first load-receiving part 50. However, the means of connection are not limited to this; for example, the trolley 21 and the structure 71 may be directly connected using bolts or welding. However, connecting using pins 73 has the advantage that the behavior of the first load-receiving part 50 is not directly transmitted to the sliding part 40.

In the first load-receiving section 50, the front portion of the frame 41 of the mounting section 40 is rotatably connected to the front of the frame 41 so as to support the front portion of the frame 41. Specifically, a horizontally extending round bar 51a is provided at the front of the frame 51 of the first load-receiving section 50, and a circular hole 43a, open at the bottom, is formed in a member 43 fixed to the lower surface of the front portion of a member located at the outer end of the frame 41. This hole 43a is supported by the round bar 51a, allowing the front portion of the frame 41 to rotate relative to the front of the frame 51. A stopper 44 is provided on the member 43 to prevent excessive rotation and the hole 33a from disengaging from the round bar 51a.

Furthermore, the lower part of the support portion 80 is connected to the rear of the frame 51 of each of the first load-receiving portions 50. Specifically, a round bar 51b is provided extending horizontally from the rear of the frame 51. The support portion 80 has a long support portion body 81, and a circular hole 82a, open at the bottom, is formed in a member 82 fixed to the lower part of the support portion body 81. This hole 82a is supported by the round bar 51b, allowing the lower part of the support portion 80 to rotate freely relative to the rear of the frame 51. A stopper 83 is provided on the member 82 to prevent excessive rotation and the hole 82a from disengaging from the round bar 51b.

An adjustment member 84 is fixed to the upper part of the support body 81. This adjustment member 84 has multiple through holes 84a that penetrate horizontally and are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the support body 81. Meanwhile, a member 45 is fixed to the rear of a member located at the outer end of the frame 41, and this member 45 has a horizontal through hole 45a. By inserting a pin 85 through one of the multiple through holes 84a and through hole 45a, the upper part of the support 80 is rotatable relative to the rear of the frame 51. The support body 81, member 82, stopper 83, and adjustment member 84 constituting the support 80 are made of rod material such as aluminum or steel.

As shown in Figure 4, the second load-bearing section 60 comprises a frame 61 made of a rod material such as aluminum or steel, and four second rollers 62 rotatably mounted on the frame 61. The second rollers 62 each have a rotation axis extending horizontally, and are arranged in parallel in pairs, spaced apart in the vertical direction.

The connection between the second load-receiving section 60 and the mounting section 40 is the same as the connection between the first load-receiving section 50 and the mounting section 40.

Specifically, the round bar 61a provided at the front of the frame 61 of the second load-bearing section 60 is supported by a hole 43a formed in the member 43 of the frame 41 of the mounting section 40, thereby allowing the front of the frame 41 of the mounting section 40 to rotate relative to the front of the frame 61 of the second load-bearing section 60. Furthermore, the round bar 61b provided at the rear of the second load-bearing section 60 is supported by a hole 82a formed in the member 82 of the support section 80, thereby allowing the lower part of the support section 80 to rotate relative to the rear of the frame 61 of the second load-bearing section 60.

Furthermore, by inserting a pin 85 through one of the multiple through holes 84a formed in the adjustment member 84 of the support portion 80 and through hole 45a, the upper part of the support portion 80 becomes rotatable relative to the rear part of the frame 61 of the second load-receiving portion 60.

The first and second rollers 52 and 62 support the load from multiple slope blocks B placed on the mounting surface S, so it is preferable that they have high load-bearing capacity. Therefore, it is particularly preferable that the second roller 62 uses a roller bearing for its shaft and is a high-load roller with a high-strength resin such as urethane directly baked onto its outer circumference. Furthermore, using such a roller makes it possible to suppress damage to the slope blocks B.

Furthermore, in the second load-receiving section 60, there are four second rollers 62, and these four second rollers 62 are wider than the first rollers 52. As a result, even if one second roller 62 falls into a recess in the slope block B, the other three second rollers 62 maintain contact with the protrusions of the slope block B, thereby suppressing deformation such as bending of the support section 40 and ensuring smooth upward and downward movement of the support section 40.

However, the number of the first rollers 52 is not limited to two; it may be one or three or more. Similarly, the number of the second rollers 62 is not limited to four; it may be three or fewer, or five or more.

Thus, the mounting section 40 is supported at both its left and right ends via support sections 80 by the first load-receiving section 50 and the second load-receiving section 60, or by both being supported by the second load-receiving section 60. The support section 80 connects the rear ends of the first and second load-receiving sections 50 and 60 to the rear end of the mounting section 40, and transmits the load acting on the mounting section 40 when block B is placed on it to the first and second load-receiving sections 50 and 60.

Furthermore, by selecting which of the multiple through-holes 84a to insert the pin 85 into, the inclination angle of the mounting surface S of the mounting section 40 can be adjusted. This makes it possible to make the mounting surface S horizontal or nearly horizontal even if the inclination angle of the slope A on which the conveying device 100 is installed differs. It is preferable to adjust the mounting surface S to be slightly downward sloping forward to prevent the block B placed on the mounting surface S from falling down the slope A.

The following describes the method for stacking the slope blocks B using the aforementioned conveying device 100, with reference to Figure 5.

First, a guide rail installation step (S1) is performed in which two guide rails 10 are installed on the slope A at a distance from each other, extending parallel to each other in the vertical direction. At this time, it is preferable to pre-stack the bottom row of slope blocks B that will be stacked on the slope A. Furthermore, if the transportation work is not particularly difficult, the bottom two rows of slope blocks B that will be stacked on the slope A may also be pre-stacked.

Next, the mounting section installation process (S2) is performed to complete the conveying device 100 by installing the mounting section 40 and the lifting mechanism 30. After this mounting section installation process (S2), the bottom row of slope blocks B, etc., to be stacked on the slope A may be placed on top of the slope.

Next, a slope block placement process (S3) is performed, in which multiple slope blocks B are placed on the placement surface S of the placement section 40. The placement of the slope blocks B may be done manually by workers or using a mobile crane such as a tow truck.

Here, it is preferable to place all the slope blocks B, which are to be stacked in a single row on the slope over the distance between the two guide rails 10, on the mounting surface S. However, it is also acceptable to place only a portion of the slope blocks B that are to be stacked in two or more rows, or a portion of the slope blocks B that are to be stacked in a single row, on the mounting surface S.

Next, a mounting section raising process (S4) is performed, in which the mounting section 40 is raised along the two guide rails 10. By operating the two hoisting machines 31 simultaneously, the mounting section 40 is raised and stopped so that the mounting surface S is positioned near the installation location of the slope block B placed on the mounting surface S.

Next, the slope block lowering process (S5) is performed, in which the slope block B, which is placed on the mounting surface S of the mounting section 40, is lowered onto the slope A. The mounting of the slope block B can be done manually by a worker.

Next, the slope block stacking process (S6) is performed, in which the lowered slope blocks B are stacked on slope A. The stacking of slope blocks B can be done manually by workers. Since slope blocks B can be lowered near their installation location, the effort required to move the slope blocks B is reduced.

Next, a mounting section lowering process (S7) is performed, in which the mounting section 40 is lowered along the two guide rails 10. By operating the two hoisting machines 31 simultaneously, the mounting section 40 is lowered to its initial lower position and stopped.

Subsequently, the process from the slope block placement process (S3) to the placement section lowering process (S7) is repeated until the slope blocks B are stacked on slope A to a predetermined height (S8: YES).

Then, once the stacking of slope blocks B is complete, the final step is the dismantling process (S9) of the transport device 100, and the work is finished.

As explained above, in the slope block conveying device 100, each mounting section 40, which has a mounting surface S on which the slope block B is placed, has its front portion supported by the front portion of the first or second load-receiving section 50, 60, and its rear portion supported by the rear portion of the first or second load-receiving section 50, 60 via the support section 80.

Therefore, since the load of the slope block B acts downward on the first and second load-receiving portions 50 and 60, compared to the case where the blocks are supported by being sandwiched horizontally as in the technology described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to simplify the structure of the first and second load-receiving portions 50 and 60 themselves, as well as the connection structure between the first and second load-receiving portions 50 and 60 and the mounting portion 40.

Furthermore, in the first and second load-receiving sections 50 and 60, which move while the first or second rollers 52 and 62 are in contact with the upward-sloping embankment, the rear portion supports the mounting section 40 via the support section 80. Therefore, it becomes possible to bring the inclination angle of the mounting surface S closer to horizontal compared to the inclination angle of the embankment.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the conveying device 100 described above, and can be modified as appropriate. For example, while the upper part 41a of the frame 41 is provided around the entire circumference of the mounting plate 42 as a fall prevention means of the present invention, a fall prevention means may be provided only on the rear side of the mounting plate 42 to prevent the slope block B from slipping off. Alternatively, a separate member serving as a fall prevention means may be installed on the frame 41.

10... Guide rail, 11... Support base, 20... Sliding part, 21... Trolley, 22... Pulley, 30... Lifting mechanism, 31... Hoisting machine, 32... Wire, 40... Mounting part, 41... Frame, 41a... Upper part of frame (anti-fall mechanism), 42... Mounting plate, 43... Member, 43a... Hole, 44... Stopper, 45... Member, 45a... Through hole, 50... First load-receiving part (load-receiving part), 51... Frame, 51a... Round bar, 51b... Round bar, 52... First roller, 60... Second load-receiving part, 61... Frame, 61a... Round bar, 61b... Round bar, 62... Second roller, 70... Connecting part, 71... Structure, 72... Wire, 73... Pin 80...Support part, 81...Support part body, 82...Member, 82a...Hole, 83...Stopper, 84...Adjustment member, 84a...Through hole, 85...Pin, 100...Slope block conveying device, A...Slope, B...Slope block, S...Placement surface.

Claims (3)

A slope block transport device comprising: two guide rails installed on the slope so as to extend vertically in parallel to each other at intervals, a sliding part guided vertically on each of the two guide rails, a lifting means for raising and lowering the sliding part along each of the guide rails, a plurality of load-receiving parts having a plurality of rollers that are rotatable about a horizontally extending rotation axis and connected to each of the sliding parts, and a mounting part having a mounting surface on which the slope blocks can be placed, wherein
The sliding portion and the load-receiving portion are connected via a connecting portion, and adjacent load-receiving portions are connected via the aforementioned mounting portion on which the slope block is placed.
Furthermore, in the connection between the load-receiving portion and the aforementioned mounting portion on which the slope block is placed, the front of the load-receiving portion is rotatably connected to the front of the frame of the aforementioned mounting portion by supporting a round bar extending horizontally from the front of the frame of the load-receiving portion, through a circular hole with an open bottom formed in a member fixed to the lower surface of the front of the frame of the mounting portion located at the outer end of the frame of the mounting portion; and the rear of the load-receiving portion is rotatably connected to the rear of the frame of the load-receiving portion by supporting a round bar extending horizontally from the rear of the frame of the load-receiving portion, through a circular hole with an open bottom formed in a member fixed to the lower part of the support body of the support portion, through a round bar extending horizontally from the rear of the frame of the load-receiving portion, and the upper part of the support is rotatably connected to the rear of the aforementioned mounting portion, thereby bringing the inclination of the mounting surface of the aforementioned mounting portion closer to horizontal. The slope block conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection position between the mounting portion or the load-receiving portion and the support portion can be changed. The conveying device for slope blocks according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a means for preventing the slope blocks placed on the aforementioned mounting surface from falling off, around the mounting surface.