JP2024086464A - palette - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pallet with an anti-vibration function capable of: reducing the number of components to be stacked; simplifying manufacturing and assembly; and lowering the height of the pallet so as to reduce storage and transportation costs.SOLUTION: A pallet 1 comprises a vibration isolation layer 3 and a non-slip sheet 6 stacked on a pallet body 2. Therein, the vibration isolation layer 3 is configured so that a plurality of holes 43 provided in a plate-shaped auxiliary member 4 made of an elastic material, is fitted respectively with a plurality of cylindrical supports 5 made of a viscoelastic material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a pallet that is used to store and transport cargo, and more specifically, to a pallet with vibration-proofing capabilities.

Conventionally, pallets used for loading, storing, and transporting cargo are made of wood, synthetic resin, aluminum, etc., and have upper and lower deck boards connected by girders, with fork insertion holes formed in the space between the girders.

Furthermore, some of the cargo transported on these pallets, such as precision equipment and fruit, is vulnerable to vibration and shock and prone to breakage or damage, so the pallets are required to be able to absorb vibration and shock and are anti-vibration.

Therefore, a vibration-proof panel consisting of a vibration-proof component and a box-shaped upper plate is loaded onto a pallet, and the vibration-proof component is configured by a plurality of elastic bodies formed with a continuous outer periphery, which are arranged in a hierarchical manner with a hollow plate material and a lower plate, and the elastic bodies are sandwiched between the plates, and a vibration-proof panel has been proposed in which the elastic bodies and the air between the elastic bodies and the plates act as a cushioning material with a damping function (Patent Document 1).

A configuration has also been proposed in which a vibration-damping panel formed by placing a vibration-damping material between an upper plate and a lower plate is arranged on the upper or lower surface of the pallet (Patent Document 2).

A pallet has also been proposed that is constructed by laminating a plate-shaped foam and a cushioning material, with the cushioning material having a lower hardness and higher density than the foam (Patent Document 3).

JP 2008-150061 A JP 2007-91308 A JP 2018-165161 A

However, the pallet described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is complicated to manufacture and assemble because it is composed of many stacked components of different shapes, materials, and configurations in addition to the pallet. In addition, the height of the pallet is high, occupying a lot of space during storage and transportation, increasing storage and transportation costs. In addition, the top plate is made of metal such as aluminum alloy and has four protruding corners, making the pallet heavy and increasing transportation costs, and it is prone to breakage and damage due to contact with other pallets or cargo loaded on other pallets. Furthermore, the position of the elastic body is prone to shifting with use, causing problems such as tilting of the top surface of the pallet and a decrease in the desired effect of absorbing shock and vibration.

The pallet described in Patent Document 2 is constructed by stacking many other components, each with a different shape, material, and configuration, in addition to the pallet itself, which makes manufacturing and assembly complicated. The pallet is also tall, which takes up a lot of space during storage and transportation, increasing storage and transportation costs. The top plate is made of metal such as aluminum alloy or stainless steel, and has four protruding corners, which makes the pallet heavy and increases transportation costs, as well as making it susceptible to breakage or damage due to contact with other pallets or cargo loaded on other pallets.

The pallet described in Patent Document 3 has problems in that the foam constitutes the main body of the pallet and the cushioning is installed exposed, so the strength of the pallet is not high and the cushioning is easily broken or damaged. In addition, the upper and lower decks of the pallet made of foam are connected by the cushioning at points arranged in a grid pattern, including the four corners, so there is a problem in that the connection strength between the upper and lower decks and the strength of the pallet as a whole are low.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to reduce the number of stacked components in a pallet with vibration isolation function, to facilitate manufacturing and assembly, and to reduce the height of the pallet as much as possible, thereby reducing the space it takes up during storage and transportation, and thus reducing storage and transportation costs.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the weight and simplify the shape of pallets with vibration isolation functions, thereby lowering transportation costs, and to make it less likely that other pallets or cargo loaded on other pallets will be broken or damaged.

Another objective of the present invention is to prevent component parts from shifting out of position during use, maintain high strength, and maintain the effect of absorbing shock and vibration.

The present invention, as a means for solving the above problems, is a pallet that has a vibration-proof layer on the upper surface of the pallet body, the vibration-proof layer having vibration-proof properties, a plurality of rectangular cylindrical supports, and an auxiliary member that supports the supports.

In addition, in the above pallet, the auxiliary member is a pallet that has lower rigidity than the support body.

In the above pallet, the support is made of a viscoelastic material, and the auxiliary member is made of an elastic material or a viscoelastic material.

In the above pallet, the auxiliary member is configured in a plate shape, and the support is installed in a hole that is configured in the auxiliary member and penetrates the auxiliary member in the vertical direction.

In addition, in the above pallet, the support is fitted into a hole formed in the auxiliary member.

In addition, in the above pallet, the shape of the hole and the shape of the support are the same.

In addition, in the above pallet, the support is a cylinder, and the ratio of the diameter of the base to the height is 1:0.8 to 1:1.2.

In addition, in the above pallet, the plate-shaped auxiliary member is a pallet that is divided into multiple pieces.

In addition, in the above pallet, the upper and lower surfaces of the support are flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the auxiliary member, respectively.

The above pallet is also characterized in that the supports are arranged in a grid pattern.

The above pallet is also configured with an anti-slip sheet on the upper surface of the vibration-proof layer.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of stacked members in a pallet with vibration isolation function. It is also possible to facilitate manufacturing and assembly. In addition, by making the height of the pallet as low as possible, the space it takes up during storage and transportation is reduced, making it possible to reduce storage and transportation costs.

In addition, by reducing the weight and simplifying the shape of vibration-proof pallets, it has become possible to reduce transportation costs. It has also become possible to reduce the risk of breakage or damage to other pallets and the cargo loaded on other pallets.

It also prevents the components from shifting out of place during use, maintains high strength, and maintains the effect of absorbing shock and vibration.

A perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention Side view of one embodiment of the present invention An exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention Enlarged view of the vibration-proof layer FIG. 4A-A cross-sectional view Exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the vibration-proof layer. FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the vibration-proof layer. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the vibration transmissibility of an embodiment of the present invention.

The pallet of the present invention is a pallet for storing and transporting cargo, which is constructed by laminating a vibration-proof layer and an anti-slip sheet on the pallet body.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the pallet 1 is configured with a pallet body 2, a vibration-proof layer 3 installed on the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, and an anti-slip sheet 6 installed on the upper surface 31 of the vibration-proof layer 3.

As shown in Figure 3, the pallet body 2 has an upper surface 21 and a lower surface 23 connected by a girder 25, and a fork insertion hole 29 opening on the side surface 22 is formed in the space surrounded by the upper surface 21, the lower surface 23, and the girder 25. The pallet body 2 does not need to be a special dedicated product, and a known general-purpose product can be used. Although a four-way insertion pallet is shown, a two-way insertion pallet may also be used. The pallet body 2 can be constructed by, although not limited to, opposing upper and lower pallet members made of synthetic resin molded by injection molding, melting the opposing parts, applying pressure to bring them into contact, and welding them together to form an integrated unit.

The vibration-proof layer 3 is a layer with vibration-proofing properties that attenuates vibrations from the pallet body 2 received by the cargo 9 loaded on the pallet 1, and is composed of multiple supports 5 and auxiliary members 4 that are installed around the supports 5 and support the supports 5. The vibration-proof layer 3 also has the effect of preventing the loaded cargo 9 from slipping due to the configuration described below.

The support 5 is a member that supports the cargo 9 loaded on the pallet 1 and attenuates vibrations from the pallet body 2 that the loaded cargo receives. It is a straight columnar body made of a cylindrical viscoelastic material and has vibration-proofing properties. The support 5 also has viscoelasticity and is more rigid than the auxiliary member 4.

The support body 5 is not particularly limited as long as it has viscoelasticity, but can be made of vulcanized rubber such as NR (natural rubber), IIR (butyl rubber), NBR (nitrile rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber), SBR (styrene butadiene rubber), and EPDM (ethylene propylene rubber) that has viscoelasticity. In this way, the support body 5 is made of a viscoelastic body that has higher vibration absorption performance than an elastic body.

The number of supports 5 is not particularly limited, but a number that can support the load is required and is determined according to the weight of the load, the bottom area, and the rigidity of the supports 5, but it is preferable to have four or more supports in order to stably support the load. The diameter and height of the supports 5 are not particularly limited, but the diameter can be about 0.5 to 3 cm, and the height is preferably about 0.5 to 3 cm in order to suppress the height of the pallet 1. The ratio of the diameter and height of the bottom surface of the supports 5 is not particularly limited, but can be 1:0.5 to 1:1.5, and since the supports 5 are less likely to break and can reliably support the load and have a high vibration damping capacity, it is preferable to have a ratio of 1:0.8 to 1:1.2, and more preferably 1:1. The supports 5 are preferably configured to have a diameter of 1 cm and a height of 1 cm.

The auxiliary member 4 is a member for supporting the support body. More specifically, the auxiliary member 4 is a member for preventing the support body 5 from shifting out of position, and for preventing the support body 5 from tipping over or tilting and supporting it upright. Furthermore, the auxiliary member 4 is a member for supporting the anti-slip sheet 6 and preventing the anti-slip sheet 6 in the portion not supported by the support body 5 from bending under its own weight. By keeping the anti-slip sheet 6 flat without bending under its own weight, the contact area with the loaded luggage can be maximized, and the anti-slip effect of the luggage can be improved.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the auxiliary member 4 is made of a plate-like member with a uniform thickness and parallel upper and lower surfaces 41 and 42, and is made of an elastic or viscoelastic body. The auxiliary member 4 also has elasticity or viscoelasticity and lower rigidity than the support body 5. Because of this configuration, the auxiliary member 4 does not prevent the deformation of the support body 5. Furthermore, the auxiliary member 4 is unable to dampen the vibrations from the pallet body 2 that the loaded cargo receives, compared to the support body 5, and depending on the material used, it may have almost no vibration-proofing properties. Furthermore, the auxiliary member 4 is unable to support the loaded cargo, compared to the support body 5, and depending on the material used and its height, it may have almost no supporting performance.

The auxiliary member 4 is made of an elastic or viscoelastic material with a lower elastic modulus than the support member 5, but it is preferable that it has a rigidity that does not bend under its own weight. Although not limited to these, elastic rubber, synthetic resin, or foam thereof can be used, and specifically, it can be made of foamed rubber, foamed urethane, etc.

The auxiliary member 4 is configured to have approximately the same shape as the pallet body 2 in a plan view, and one auxiliary member 4 is installed on the pallet body 2. Furthermore, the height of the auxiliary member 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or less than the height of the support body 5 when cargo is loaded, but it is preferable for it to be the same height as the support body 5, and in order to suppress the height of the pallet 1, it is preferable for it to be about 0.5 to 3 cm.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the plate-shaped auxiliary member 4 installed around the support 5 has holes 43 for inserting and installing the support 5, which penetrate from the upper surface 41 to the lower surface 42 of the auxiliary member 4 in the vertical direction and are formed perpendicular to the lower surface 42. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, the holes 43 are provided in the auxiliary member 4 in a square lattice pattern. The shape of the hole 43 is a cylinder that is the same shape as the support 5, and the support 5 is installed by fitting into the hole 43, and the upper surface 51 and the lower surface 52 of the support 5 are configured to be flush with the upper surface 41 and the lower surface 42 of the auxiliary member 4, respectively. Note that the state in which the support 5 is fitted into the hole 43 without any gaps is not limited to a state of tight fit, and includes a state in which the support 5 does not easily fall or fall out of the hole 43 even if it is an intermediate fit or a clearance fit.

Since the vibration-proof layer 3 is constructed in this manner, when the vibration-proof layer 3 is installed on the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, the lower surface 52 of the support 5 comes into surface contact with the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, and the support 5 is installed perpendicular to the upper surface 21 of the pallet body 2, and further, the upper surface 51 of the support 5 comes into surface contact with the anti-slip sheet 6 or the loaded cargo. In addition, the support 5 supports the cargo 9 loaded on the pallet 1 from the vertical direction, and vertical compressive deformation occurs due to the cargo 9.

The multiple supports 5 are arranged in a square lattice on the top surface 21 of the pallet body 2, but the arrangement of the holes 43 in the auxiliary member 4 may be changed to arrange them in other lattices or randomly. The multiple supports 5 installed may all be configured to have the same rigidity, but supports 5 with different rigidity may be installed depending on the installation location. For example, but not limited to this, supports 5 with higher rigidity than the other supports 5 may be installed at the four corners or side ends of the pallet 1, or supports 5 may be installed with varying rigidity in alternating lattice rows or alternating adjacent points.

The vibration-proof layer 3 is constructed by drilling a vertical hole 43 penetrating from the top surface 41 to the bottom surface 42 in the plate-shaped auxiliary member 4, and inserting and fitting the support member 5 into the hole 43. The auxiliary member 4 and the support member 5 may be bonded together.

The anti-slip sheet 6 is a member for preventing the luggage 9 loaded on the pallet 1 from slipping, and is made of a plate-shaped elastic body and is made using a material with lower rigidity than the auxiliary member 4. The anti-slip sheet 6 may be configured so that it only has enough rigidity to bend under its own weight. The anti-slip sheet 6 can be configured using, but is not limited to, elastic PVC (polyvinyl chloride resin), TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), vulcanized rubber or other elastomers, PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene), rigid PVC (polyvinyl chloride resin), etc.

The anti-slip sheet 6 is configured to have approximately the same shape as the pallet body 2 and auxiliary member 4 in a plan view, and one anti-slip sheet 6 is placed on the auxiliary member 4. The height of the anti-slip sheet 6 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to make it a uniform thickness and set it to about 0.5 to 3 cm in order to suppress the height of the pallet 1. The anti-slip sheet 6 bends under its own weight, but is supported by the support body 5 and auxiliary member 4 and is placed on the vibration-proof layer 3 without bending and maintaining a flat state.

The pallet body 2 and the vibration-proof layer 3, and the vibration-proof layer 3 and the non-slip sheet 6 are fixed together by bonding them together using adhesive or double-sided tape, but they may not be fixed together if the pallet body 2 and the vibration-proof layer 3, and the vibration-proof layer 3 and the non-slip sheet 6 are unlikely to shift.

When the pallet 1 is in use, the anti-slip sheet 6 of the pallet 1, which has the vibration-proof layer 3 and anti-slip sheet 6 laminated to the pallet body 2, is loaded with cargo 9. The cargo 9 is supported at multiple support points by multiple supports 5 via the anti-slip sheet 6, and the supports 5 deform without being restrained by the auxiliary members 4, causing the auxiliary members 4 and the anti-slip sheet 6 to deform as well. When the pallet 1 with the cargo 9 loaded thereon is moved, the cargo 9 is prevented from moving on the pallet 1 by the anti-slip sheet 6, and vibrations and impacts from the pallet body 2 are dampened mainly by the supports 5.

Although not shown, the pallet may have a structure in which the vibration-proof layer 3 is laminated to the pallet body 2 without the anti-slip sheet 6 if the vibration-proof layer 3 or auxiliary member 4 is effective enough to prevent the loaded cargo from slipping, or if the loaded cargo is packed integrally with the pallet body 2. In this case, the cargo is loaded on the upper surface 31 of the vibration-proof layer 3, and the cargo comes into contact with the upper surface 51 of the support body 5 and is directly supported by the support body 5.

The auxiliary members may also be installed by installing multiple plate-shaped auxiliary members on the pallet body 2, and configured to have approximately the same shape as the pallet body 2 in a plan view. As one example, as shown in FIG. 6, the pallet 10 can be configured by dividing the vibration-proof layer 3 into nine equal parts and installing nine square plate-shaped auxiliary members 40 of the same shape. Although not shown, it is also possible to install a combination of plate-shaped auxiliary members of the same shape other than a square, for example, rectangular plate-shaped auxiliary members of different shapes.

The auxiliary members are not limited to plate-shaped, so long as they are capable of supporting the support body 5 and the non-slip sheet 6. Although not shown, block-shaped, string-shaped, net-shaped, sheet-shaped, granular elastic or viscoelastic bodies can be used. Also, a frame, preferably made of an elastic or viscoelastic body, can be placed between the pallet body 2 and the non-slip sheet 6, and these auxiliary members can be placed within the frame.

The shape of the support 5 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, so long as it is a straight column, and may be a square column (FIG. 7(a)), triangular column (FIG. 7(b)), hexagonal column (FIG. 7(c)), or other square column (not shown), or a column with a semicircular or fan-shaped bottom. In these cases, the shape of the hole 43 of the auxiliary member 4 may be the same as that of the support 5. The shape of the support 5 may be a cylindrical shape (FIG. 7(d)) with the center of the straight column hollowed out, or a cylindrical shape with the center hollowed out of the above shapes. In these cases, the shape of the hole 43 of the auxiliary member 4 may be the same as the outer periphery of the support 5. The straight column also includes such a shape with the center of the straight column hollowed out in the vertical direction.

The shape of the support 5 and the shape of the hole 43 of the auxiliary member 4 are not limited to being the same, but may be different shapes, and the support 5 may be fitted into the hole 43 with a partial gap, in other words, with the inner surface of the hole 43 not in contact with the entire outer surface of the support 5. As an example, as shown in Figure 8, a cylindrical support 5 may be installed in a rectangular prism-shaped hole 43 (Figure 8(a)), or a rectangular prism-shaped support 5 may be installed in a cylindrical hole 43 (Figure 8(b)).

A 1 cm thick elastic soft urethane foam PUT102525 manufactured by Inoac Corporation was cut into a 20 cm square to form a square auxiliary member, and four cylindrical holes with a diameter of 1 cm were drilled in a square lattice pattern at positions 3.625 cm vertically and horizontally from the four corners. Support bodies made of chloroprene rubber and having viscoelasticity and a straight columnar shape with a diameter of 1 cm and a height of 1 cm were fitted into the holes to create a vibration-proof layer test piece. This was sandwiched from above and below with fixing metal plates with a thickness of 0.3 cm and installed in a vibration tester, and vibration was applied from the bottom of the test piece under the following experimental conditions, and the vibration near the center of the top surface of the test piece was measured, and the transmissibility was calculated by dividing the measured vibration by the applied vibration.
(Experimental conditions)
Equipment used: Vibration tester (J240/SA4M) (manufactured by IMV Corporation)
Test conditions: Acceleration 7.0 m/ ^s2
Frequency range: 3 to 100 Hz
Sweep speed: 0.5 octave/min
The results are shown in the graph of FIG.

As is clear from the graph in Figure 9, the transmissibility is less than 1 at frequencies above 22 Hz, demonstrating the effectiveness of vibration damping.

The pallet of the present invention described above is a pallet with vibration-proofing properties, and because it has few stacked members and is thin, it is easy to manufacture and assemble, and is compact, making it extremely useful in the distribution industry for storing and transporting goods.

Reference Signs List 1 Pallet 2 Pallet body 3 Anti-vibration layer 4 Auxiliary member 43 Hole 5 Support 6 Anti-slip sheet 9 Baggage

Claims (11)

A pallet that is characterized in that it has a vibration-proof layer on the upper surface of the pallet body, the vibration-proof layer being composed of multiple straight-column supports that have vibration-proofing properties, and auxiliary members that support the supports. The pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary member has a lower rigidity than the support. The pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that the support is made of a viscoelastic material, and the auxiliary member is made of an elastic material or a viscoelastic material. The pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary member is configured in a plate shape, and the support is installed in a hole formed in the auxiliary member that penetrates the auxiliary member in the vertical direction. The pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the support is fitted into a hole formed in the auxiliary member. The pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the shape of the hole and the shape of the support are the same. The pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the support is cylindrical and the ratio of the diameter of the base to the height is 1:0.8 to 1:1.2. The pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the plate-shaped auxiliary member is divided into multiple pieces. The pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper and lower surfaces of the support are flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the auxiliary member, respectively. The pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the supports are arranged in a grid pattern. A pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the upper surface of the vibration-proof layer is provided with an anti-slip sheet.

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