JP7847759B2 - Remote control rod support - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a remote control rod support device for supporting a remote control rod in overhead line construction work performed indirectly using an aerial work platform.

In overhead line construction, such as the installation and repair of power lines, live-line work is frequently performed. Therefore, tools are being developed to ensure the safe execution of indirect work.

For example, when cutting electrical wires, a tensioning device weighing several kilograms and equipped with a metal wire gripper is used. In such cases, the worker must remotely operate the heavy tensioning device using a tool attached to a remote control rod, and then manage the electrical wires. Furthermore, if the work is performed from a bucket on an aerial work platform, it is generally done by two or more people, and even if the work is divided, the burden on each individual is significant.

To reduce the burden on individual workers and ensure safe operation, tools and devices for supporting remote-controlled rods have been developed. Figure 7 shows a conventional fixing device 100 for live-line work tools. The fixing device 100 can be attached to the handrail of bucket B and can fix the remote-controlled rod S. Since the clamp 101 is provided via a ball joint 102, the orientation of the fixed remote-controlled rod S can be freely changed. Such a device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-324635

However, with the fixing device 100 shown in Figure 7, while it is stable against external forces acting out of plane on the clamping surface (vertical plane) of the handrail of the bucket B, there is a risk that if an external force is applied in the in-plane direction, the handrail may rotate within its plane, causing the fixing position to shift.

Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide a remote control rod support that maintains a stable fixed state against external forces generated in the direction along the clamping surface of the bucket's handrail.

To achieve the above objective, the remote control rod support of the present invention is a remote control rod support that is attached to the handrail of the bucket of an aerial work platform and supports the remote control rod in an adjustable position, and is characterized by comprising: an operating rod fixing part having a gripping part for fixing the remote control rod at the top and a support column for supporting the gripping part at the bottom; a base that detachably supports the support column side of the operating rod fixing part; a main body that is positioned above the base and has a handrail mounting part that is attached so as to hang on the upper end of the handrail ; and a detachment prevention part that is provided on the main body so as to be able to extend and retract toward the space below the edge protruding outward from the upper end of the handrail and to be fixed in a position that fills the lower space and has a gap with respect to the bucket, and which prevents the edge housed in the handrail mounting part from detaching.

Furthermore, the remote control rod support of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the operating rod fixing portion has at least one flange portion extending radially in a flange shape from a part of the side surface of the support column, and the base comprises a fixing seat on which the flange portion is placed and fixed, and a flange cover provided above the fixing seat with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion, and having an opening formed therein that allows the flange portion to pass out of the plane of the flange surface.

Furthermore, the remote control rod support of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the base is provided with an index plunger that can be fitted into a recess formed in the flange portion, located at a position separated from the opening.

Furthermore, the remote control rod support of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, is characterized in that the gripping portion comprises a ball stud having a ball head at its tip, and a toggle clamp configured to be operated by a lever in the direction in which the ball stud extends, thereby providing a gripping force for the remote control rod; and the support column comprises a socket that houses the ball head and has a notch formed in part into which the ball stud can be fitted.

As described above, the remote control rod support of the present invention is configured so that the base and the operating rod fixing part are detachable, allowing for compact transport in a separated state. Furthermore, since the anti-detachment part is configured to extend and retract toward the space below the edge protruding from the upper outer end of the bucket's handrail, after attachment to the bucket, the anti-detachment part can be extended to stabilize the attachment of the handrail mounting part. This prevents detachment even if a force is applied to the bucket's handrail in the vertical plane during overhead line construction work, as the anti-detachment part will catch on the edge.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion is formed between the fixing seat and the flange cover in the base. The flange cover has an opening that allows the flange portion to pass through from the out-of-plane direction. This allows the flange portion to be accommodated in the gap between the fixing seat and the flange cover simply by rotating the support column after housing the flange portion into the base through the opening, preventing the operating rod fixing portion from falling out of the base.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, the flange portion housed within the base through the opening of the flange cover can be fixed by a simple operation: rotating the support column to slide it into the gap between the flange cover and the fixing base, separating it from the opening, and then fitting the index plunger into the recess. This reduces the time required to assemble the operating rod fixing part.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in addition to the above effects, a notch is formed on the socket side into which the ball stud supporting the gripping portion can be tilted by insertion. Therefore, when the clamping operation is performed with the ball stud housed within this notch, the work becomes more stable. Also, since the lever of the toggle clamp is configured to be operated in the direction in which the ball stud extends, it is possible to prevent the ball stud from swinging during both the clamping and release operations.

This is an overall perspective view of the remote control rod support of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the operating rod fixing part of the remote control rod support. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main body of the remote control rod support. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the disassembled base of the main unit. Figure 2 shows the flange portion of the operating rod fixing part, with (a) being a perspective view and (b) being an enlarged view of the tip of the flange portion. Figure 1 shows the operation of the detachment prevention part of the remote control rod support, with (a) being the released state and (b) being the locked state. This diagram shows a fixing device for a conventional live-line work tool.

The following describes a remote control rod support according to an embodiment of the present invention, using the figures. Parts of the same structure will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of the remote control rod support 1 of the present invention. In Figure 1, the inside of the bucket to which the support is attached is indicated as the rear, and the outside as the front, indicated by arrows.

The remote control rod support 1 will be described starting from the top.

At the upper end, a toggle clamp 4 is positioned as a gripping part for holding the remote control rod. In Figure 1, the direction in which pressure is applied by clamping when gripping the remote control rod is indicated by auxiliary line L1. As can be seen in Figure 1, the toggle clamp 4 is configured to grip the remote control rod by pressing it downwards. Furthermore, the lever 4a for operating the toggle clamp 4 is provided so that force can be applied along the direction of auxiliary line L1, and in the clamped state, the tip is also set to point in the direction along auxiliary line L1.

Below the toggle clamp 4, a ball joint 28 is provided, consisting of a ball stud 28a and a socket 28b. The ball stud 28a extends downward from the toggle clamp 4. The socket 28b, which rotatably houses the ball head 28a1 at the tip of the ball stud 28a, is provided above the support column 6 via a ball joint locking mechanism 30. By operating the lock lever 30a of the ball joint locking mechanism 30, the ball joint 28 can be fixed at any bending angle. Furthermore, the socket 28b has a notch 28b1 formed therein, which allows the ball stud 28a to be accommodated on the inside (rear) side of the bucket. This allows the components above the ball stud 28a to be tilted towards the worker side on the inside of the bucket.

A flange portion 8 (see Figure 2, described later) is provided at the lower end of the support column 6, extending radially from the support column 6. The configuration from the toggle clamp 4 to the flange portion 8 described above is included in the operating rod fixing portion 2 of the remote control rod support 1 according to this embodiment. The operating rod fixing portion 2 is detachable from the main body 10, which will be described next. Here, the operating rod fixing portion 2 separated from the main body 10 is shown.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the operating rod fixing section 2. As described above, a flange section 8 is formed so as to protrude radially from the lower end of the support column 6 in opposite directions. This flange section 8 is formed in a flat plate shape, and its largest surface is positioned perpendicular to the support column 6. Hereafter, the direction along this main surface will be referred to as the in-plane direction with respect to the flange section 8, and the direction intersecting the main surface will be referred to as the out-of-plane direction.

Returning to Figure 1, a base 12 is positioned above the main body 10, detachably supporting the support column 6 side of the operating rod fixing part 2. Below this base 12 is a handrail mounting part 20, which can be attached by hooking it onto the upper end of the handrail of the bucket to be installed. This handrail mounting part 20 is formed so that the upper end of the handrail can be accommodated within the inverted U-shaped cutout.

Below the handrail mounting section 20, a bucket fixing clamp 22 is provided for securing the bucket from the outside while it is resting on the bucket's handrail. This bucket fixing clamp 22 allows the main body 10 to be stabilized so that it becomes an integral part of the bucket.

Furthermore, a detachment prevention part 24 is provided below the handrail mounting part 20. This detachment prevention part 24, like the bucket fixing clamp 22, is located on the outside of the bucket. After the main body 10 is fixed by the bucket fixing clamp 22, locking it with the detachment prevention part 24 prevents the main body 10 from detaching from the bucket even if the bucket fixing clamp 22 becomes loose or slippery. The mechanism of this detachment prevention part 24 will be explained later using Figure 6.

Next, referring to Figure 3, we see the main body 10 with the operating rod fixing part 2 (see Figure 1) removed. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main body 10 of the remote control rod support 1, and for the sake of explanation, it shows the bucket fixing clamp 22 and the detachment prevention part 24 mentioned above also removed. The base 12 is mounted horizontally on the upper end of the handrail mounting part 20, which consists of two identical inverted U-shaped plate members arranged side by side. An opening 16a, which is the same shape as the outline of the flange part 8 of the operating rod fixing part 2 mentioned above, is formed on the upper surface of the base 12. The opening 16a is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the flange part 8 so that the flange part 8 can pass through in the out-of-plane direction of the main surface. This allows the flange part 8 of the operating rod fixing part 2 to be fitted into the opening 16a by aligning it from above. The fitted flange part 8 can be slid into the inside of the base 12 by rotating it around the support column 6 as an axis. Furthermore, an index plunger 26 for fixing the flange portion 8 is provided on the side of the base 12. Next, the detailed structure of the base 12 will be explained using Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the base 12 of the main body 10 in an exploded view. The base 12 has a fixing seat 14 at its lowest point, on which the flange portion 8 is placed and secured. On the upper side of the base 12, the aforementioned opening 16a is formed, and a flange cover 16 covers the flange portion 8 placed on the fixing seat 14. Between the fixing seat 14 and the flange cover 16, two identical spacers 18 are provided in a 180-degree rotationally symmetrical arrangement, creating a space with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion 8.

In Figure 4, the two directions in which the flange portion 8 is positioned relative to the spacer 18 are represented by auxiliary lines L2 and L3. The longitudinal orientation of the flange portion 8 in its position passing through the opening 16a of the flange cover 16 is along the direction of auxiliary line L2. When rotated approximately 90 degrees around the support column 6 from this position to the position shown by auxiliary line L3, the tip of the flange portion 8 appears in the gap between the two spacers 18, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 4. A plunger mounting portion 14a for positioning the index plunger 26 (see Figure 3) for fixing the flange portion 8 is formed at the position on the fixing seat 14 where this gap between the spacers 18 is formed. As shown in Figure 4, the plunger mounting portion 14a is formed at the opposite end of the fixing seat 14, but as shown in Figure 3, if an index plunger 26 is provided on at least one side, the rotational position of the flange portion 8 can be stably fixed with less movement than a fastening structure.

Furthermore, the spacer 18 in this embodiment is provided with a rotation restricting portion 18a that protrudes to block the rotation range, thereby restricting rotation at a position where the tip of the flange portion 8 aligns with the gap formed between the spacers 18. With this configuration, alignment to the fixed position can be easily achieved simply by rotating the flange portion 8 until it abuts against the rotation restricting portion 18a. Next, the shape of the flange portion 8 will be described using Figure 5.

Figure 5 shows the flange portion 8 of the operating rod fixing portion 2 in Figure 2. Figure 5(a) is a perspective view, and Figure 5(b) is an enlarged view of the tip of the flange portion.

As described above, the flange portion 8 is a plate-shaped member formed to extend radially toward the opposite pole of the support column 6. The direction in which the flange portion 8 extends toward the opposite pole is represented by auxiliary line L4 in Figure 5. At the two ends on the opposite poles, a horizontal fitting portion 8a and a vertical fitting portion 8b are formed. In the enlarged view of Figure 5(b), the direction of fitting toward the horizontal fitting portion 8a is represented by the aforementioned auxiliary line L4, and the direction of fitting toward the vertical fitting portion 8b is represented by auxiliary line L5. The index plunger 26 shown in Figure 3 can extend and retract in the direction of auxiliary line L4 and is configured to fit toward the horizontal fitting portion 8a of the flange portion 8.

Furthermore, it is possible to replace this horizontal fitting structure with a plunger configured to extend and retract in the direction of the auxiliary line L5. Alternatively, an index plunger 26 that fits horizontally in the direction of the auxiliary line L4 may be used, while a screw fastening mechanism may be used in the direction of the auxiliary line L5.

Figure 6 illustrates the operation of the detachment prevention unit 24 of the remote control rod support 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 6(a) shows the unlocked state, and Figure 6(b) shows the locked state.

Here, the handrail B2, which is part of the bucket B that is to be fixed, is shown by a cross-section with diagonal lines. Bucket B has an edge B1 that protrudes outward from the handrail B2. Below this edge B1, the bucket is shown being pressed and fixed from the outside using a bucket fixing clamp 22.

As shown in Figure 6(a), the width of the inner space of the handrail mounting portion 20, which accommodates the portion of the bucket B including the edge B1 and the handrail B2, must be formed to be at least wide enough to accommodate the edge B1. Therefore, when the bucket is pressed and fixed from the outside by the bucket fixing clamp 22, a space is formed below the edge B1. Since the bucket fixing clamp 22 is less likely to shift under out-of-plane forces that do not follow the vertical plane of the bucket B, the mounting state is stable.

However, depending on the work performed, a force may be generated in the in-plane direction along the vertical plane of bucket B. If such a force exceeds the frictional force between the bucket fixing clamp 22 and bucket B, there is a risk of displacement along the vertical plane of bucket B. In the configuration of this embodiment, a detachment prevention part 24 is provided to stabilize against such displacement.

The detachment prevention unit 24 is rotatably mounted below the handrail mounting portion 20 of the main body 10, as shown in Figure 3. In the released state shown in Figure 6(a), the detachment prevention unit 24 hangs downward, leaving a space below the edge portion B1. To stabilize the hanging state of the detachment prevention unit 24, a position selection pin 24a is fitted into the release-side recess 20a formed in the handrail mounting portion 20 (see Figure 3).

In the locked state shown in Figure 6(b), the detachment prevention unit 24 is lifted by a rotation of approximately 90 degrees from the state shown in Figure 6(a). As can be seen in Figure 6(b), the pivoting end of the detachment prevention unit 24 is housed in the space below the edge B1 of the bucket B, and is fixed by the position selection pin 24a being fitted into the lock-side recess 20b (see Figure 3) formed in the handrail mounting portion 20. In this way, in the locked state, the detachment prevention unit 24 is positioned to fill the space below the edge B1, thus preventing the edge B1 from detaching from the handrail mounting portion 20. Therefore, even if an external force is applied in a direction along the vertical plane of the bucket B, the detachment prevention unit 24 will catch on the edge B1, preventing the handrail mounting portion 20 from detaching from the bucket B.

In this embodiment, two independent detachment prevention parts 24 are provided for the handrail mounting part 20. This ensures that the remote control rod support 1 remains stably fixed to the bucket regardless of whether an external force is applied in the left or right direction along the vertical surface of the bucket B's handrail.

Furthermore, as described above, the flange portion 8 is fixed to the base 12 in a rotational position that protrudes in the direction along the handrail B2 of the bucket B (see Figures 3 and 4), thus providing stability against loads in the left-right direction along the handrail B2.

The configuration described above is just one example of the present invention, and the following modifications are also included.

(1) In the above embodiment, the flange portion 8 is shown as an example in which two plate-like members are formed in two opposing directions with respect to the support column 6. However, a configuration in which one or more plate-like members extend radially outward from the support column 6 is also acceptable. With this configuration, the scaffolding spreads outwards with respect to the support column 6, so the force applied to the fixing base 14 can be widely distributed. Therefore, the stability of the operating rod fixing portion 2 relative to the main body 10 is improved.

(2) In the above embodiment, the plate-shaped member of the flange portion 8 extending radially outward from the support column 6 was shown to be configured with a rotationally symmetrical shape. However, these multiple extending plate-shaped portions may be configured with different shapes. This configuration makes it easier to confirm the orientation of the operating rod fixing portion 2 relative to the main body 10 when attaching or detaching it.

(3) In the above embodiment, the lever 4a of the toggle clamp 4 that grips the remote control rod was shown as being configured to extend downward in the direction to which clamping pressure is applied when the rod is fixed. However, as long as it does not protrude in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which clamping pressure is applied, it may also be configured to extend upward when the rod is fixed. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the lever 4a from interfering with the worker or other tools when the remote control rod is fixed during work.

(4) In the above embodiment, the shape of the opening 16a formed in the flange cover 16 was shown as an example in which the shape is substantially the same as the outer shape of the flange portion 8. However, the shape of the opening 16a does not have to be the same as the flange portion 8, as long as the flange portion 8 can be moved out of its own plane and passed through the opening 16a, and there is a region between the flange cover 16 and the fixing seat 14 that can accommodate the flange portion 8.

(5) In the above embodiment, the detachment prevention unit 24 was shown as an example in which it switches between a locked state and an unlocked state by pivoting relative to the handrail mounting portion 20 of the main body 10. However, it may also be configured to extend and retract by linear motion, as long as it is configured to extend and retract toward the space below the edge B1 of the bucket B and can prevent the edge B1 from detaching.

1. Remote control rod support 2. Operating rod fixing part 4. Toggle clamp (gripping part)
4a Lever 6 Support column 8 Flange part 8a Horizontal fitting part 8b Vertical fitting part 10 Main body 12 Base 14 Fixing seat 14a Plunger mounting part 16 Flange cover 16a Opening 18 Spacer 18a Rotation restricting part 20 Handrail mounting part 20a Release side recess 20b Lock side recess 22 Bucket fixing clamp 24 Detachment prevention part 24a Position selection pin 26 Index plunger 28 Ball joint 28a Ball stud 28a1 Ball head 28b Socket 28b1 Notch 30 Ball joint lock part 30a Lock lever B Bucket B1 Edge part B2 Handrail L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 Auxiliary line S Remote control rod

Claims (4)

A remote control rod support that is attached to the handrail of the bucket of an aerial work platform and supports the remote control rod in an adjustable position,
An operating rod fixing part having a gripping part for fixing the remote control rod at the top and a support column for supporting the gripping part at the bottom,
A base that detachably supports the support column side of the operating rod fixing part,
The main body has a base positioned above and a handrail mounting part that is attached so as to hang on the upper end of the handrail,
A remote control rod support device characterized by comprising a detachment prevention part that is provided on the main body so as to be able to extend and retract toward the space below the edge protruding outward from the upper end of the handrail, and so as to be able to be fixed with a gap between it and the bucket in an arrangement that fills the space below, and which prevents the edge housed in the handrail mounting part from detaching. The aforementioned operating rod fixing part is,
The support column has at least one flange portion extending radially in a flange-like manner from a part of its side surface,
The aforementioned base is,
A fixing base on which the flange portion is placed and secured,
The remote control rod support according to claim 1, further comprising a flange cover provided above the fixed base with a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the flange portion, and having an opening formed therein that allows the flange portion to pass out of the plane of the flange surface. The remote control rod support according to claim 2 , characterized in that the base is provided with an index plunger that can be fitted into a recess formed in the flange portion, at a position spaced apart from the opening. The gripping portion is,
A ball stud with a ball head at its tip,
The ball stud is configured to be operated by a lever in the direction of extension of the ball stud and includes a toggle clamp that provides a gripping force to the remote control rod,
The aforementioned support column is
The remote control rod support according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a socket that houses the ball head and has a notch formed in part therein into which the ball stud can be fitted.