Handling device for containers and the like

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התקן טפלול למיכלים וכדומה

Handling device for containers and the like

TOUTENKAMION

C:- 80770

Roll-on, roll-off handling device for containers or the like

The present invention is an improvement to a roll-on, roll-off handling device which is intented to be mounted on wheels and adapted to lift one end of a container and to maintain it in the raised position during displacement or handling of the container.

A device of this type known from WO-A- 87 06 570 comprises :

- a chassis ;

- means, such as wheels, supporting the chassis upon the ground and permitting pivotal movement of said chassis with respect to the ground about a first axis parallel to the ground, said chassis pivoting about the first axis from a tilted position in which a first end of the chassis is adjacent to the ground and a raised position in which said first end is spaced from the ground ;

- a carriage mounted on said chassis and displaceable along the longitudinal axis of said chassis, said longitudinal axis being transverse to said first axis ;

- an apron removably attached to one face of a container, said apron being connected to said carriage and adapted for pivotal movement with respect to both said carriage and said chassis about a second axis substantially parallel to said first axis ;

- means for pivotally displacing said apron with respect to said chassis about said second axis ;

- means for moving said carriage and said chassis with respect to each other along the longitudinal axis of said chassis, said carriage being movable between an advanced carriage position in which said second axis is adjacent said first end of the chassis and spaced from said first axis, and a container supporting position in which the second axis is displaced toward an opposed second end of the chassis, thereby to allow movement of a container from a position in which said container rests on the ground with the chassis in its tilted position and the carriage in said advanced carriage position, to a position in which, after movement of the chassis to said raised position and of the carriage to its container supporting position, said end of the container is raised and overlies part of the chassis.

In order to carry out a handling operation, the chassis is inclined in such a manner as to ensure that said extremity is adjacent to the ground, whereupon the apron is attached to the container. After this, the angle between apron and chassis about the second axis is varied, whereby the chassis pivots about the first axis towards the horizontal while the container is lifted. A similar device carries out the same operation at the other end of the container.

When lifting of the container is completed, the carriage of each device is displaced along the chassis so as to move the chassis into insertion beneath the container, whereafter the container rests on the chassis during a road trip, a handling operation, and so on. The container and the two devices form together an assembly adapted for use as a road trailer with a reasonable wheelbase and reasonable bending stresses in the container.

The means for pivotally displacing the apron with respect to the chassis comprises a jack pivotally attached to the apron at a distance from the first end thereof, and the means for moving the carriage and the chassis with respect to eacnother comprise means for selectively locking the apr<fc in a stationary position with respect to the carriage. Upon completion of said locking operation, the jack displaces the carriage along the chassis instead of pivoting the apron about the second axis.

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This embodiment needs to selectively unlock and lock the apron during operation for changing the effect of the jack from pivoting the apron to moving the carriage and conversely. Moreover, the jack extends obliquely with respect to the chassis and to the direction of displacement of the carriage, and thus produces heavy bending loads when it displaces the carriage while the apron is secured to a container.

In another embodiment also disclosed in the WO - A - 87 06 570 the means for pivoting the apron with respect to the carriage comprises a jack pivotally attached to the apron and to the carriage at a distance from their axis of relative pivotal displacement whilst a second jack such as a screw and nut system extending in the direction transverse to the aforesaid pivotal axis adjustably positions the carriage along the chassis. In this manner, there is no longer any need of selective locking and unlocking, and the efforts of displacement of the carriage are parallel to the direction of this displacement, thus reducing stresses and eleminating problems related to jamming hazards.

However, there is now the need of providing and controlling two different jacks.

The object of the invention is to improve the known device in order to remove therefrom the disadvantages of both known embodiments.

According to the invention, the roll-on, rolloff handling device is characterized in that the means for pivotally displacing the apron with respect to the chassis about the second axis comprises a connecting-rod pivotally connected to the apron remote from said second axis and to the chassis remote from the first end thereof, thereby to pivotally displace said apron with respect to said chassis upon actuation of said means for moving said carriage and said chassis with respect to eachother.

Thus, the whole handling of a container solely needs to displace the carriage relative to the chassis, with the connecting-rod always in position. During displacement of the carriage, and thus of the second axis, along the chassis, the connecting-rod correspondingly pivots the apron with respect to the chassis.

Such a displacement may be achieved through various ways : hydraulic jack, rack, endless screw.., which may be in line with the direction of displacement of the carriage.

Further features and advantages of the invention will also be brought out by the non-limitative description given hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings :

- figure 1 is a view in elevation of a roll-on, roll-off handling element in the tricycle position, in the course of being moved towards a container ;

- figures 2, 3 and 4 are views which are similar to figure 1 but show respectively the step of coupling the element to the container, the step of lifting the container, and the road-transport position ; and

- figure 5 is a view in elevation to a smaller scale showing the other end of the container being lifted by a further element.

The roll-on roll-off handling element 2 (figure 1) comprises a steerable wheel system 3 with unlimited rotation as employed for road transport with or without its brake system, suspension, its drawbar 5 and its lighting system. A ball-mounted turn-table 4 permits directional orientation (steering) of an axle 14 equipped with wheels 15 with respect to a chassis 6 having a length usually smaller than eight feet, equipped with two parallel rails in spaced relation and perpendicular to the axis of the ball-mounted turn-table 4. The rails are parallel to a longitudinal axis of the chassis.

A self-steerable caster 7 mounted beneath a first end of said chassis forms with the two wheels 15 of the axle 14 a tricycle which permits manual approach of the roll-on, roll-off handling device 2 (figure 1), the axle 14 being oriented at right angles to the rails of the chassis 6. When the caster 7 engages the ground, the chassis 6 is in an inclined first position which is called hereinafter the tilted position/ The chassis may pivot with respect to the ground about a first axis, which is substantially the axis of the wheels 15, up to a raised position (figure 4) in which the first end of the chassis and the caster 7 are spaced apart from the ground. Said pivotal displacement of the chassis is available only when the wheel-system is oriented to have the axle 14 being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the chassis. Therefore, the first axis is said to be transverse to the longitudinal axis of the chassis.

A carriage 8 which is slidable along the rails of the chassis 6 is equipped at one of its extremities with brackets 8.1 to which an apron 9 is pivoted about a second horizontal axis 10 which is parallel to the first axis and thus transverse to the rails and to the axis of the ball-mounted turn-table 4.

The apron 9 is constituted by a frame and provided with one or a number of locking-bolts 11 and hooks Ila adapted for insertion and attachment within the standardized hole or holes of the front and rear faces of the corner-pieces la of the container 1.

A connecting rod 24 has a first extremity pivoted about a third axis 18 to a second end of the chassis 6,'remote from the first end thereof, and a second extremity pivoted to the apron 9 about a fourth pivotal axis 19. The axes 18 and 19 are parallel to the second axis 10 and remote from this latter.

The articulations between sliding carriage 8 and apron 9, apron 9 and connecting rod 24, and connecting rod 24 and chassis 6, form the three vertices of a triangle, one side of which is of variable length by sliding of the carriage on the chassis. Moreover, there are provided carriage driving means 26 in the form of a jack 26b (shown schematically) extending longitudinally of chassis 6 and having one end connected to the carriage 8 and another end connected to the chassis 6 at the second end thereof, near axis 18. A pressure source 26a is adapted to be releasably connected to the jack 26b for selectively actuating the jack 26b. The pressure source 26a may be a hand-operated pump.

In use, the apron 9 of the device is first coupled to the container 1 lying on the ground (figure 2).

At this stage, the chassis 6 is in the tilted position. The carriage 8 is in the advanced carriage position whereby, due to the length of the connecting-rod 24, the apron is at an angle of approximatively 90° to the ground and 45° to the chassis 6.

The carriage-driving means 26 are then actuated to move the carriage 8 along the chassis 6 towards the second end thereof. As shown in figure 3, due to the connecting-rod having a predetermined length and the apron 9 being secured to the container, movement of the carriage with respect to the chassis causes, simultaneously with a sliding displacement of the chassis 6 underneath the container, a pivotal displacement of the chassis 6 with respect to the apron 9 about the second axis 10 and with respect to the ground about the first axis (axis of the wheels 15), until the situation shown in figure 4 is reached. In this situation the apron is in a position past the first axis whereby the weight of the container, which is transmitted to the chassis by the apron, produces on the chassis about the first axis a torque urging the chassis into engagement against the bottom face of the container.

More specifically, during pivotal displacement of the apron (figure 3), said pivotal displacement between apron 9 and chassis 6- produces a variation in the angle between chassis 6 and container 1 and performs a lever action on the container 1 about the first axis (axle 14) (see comparatively figures 2, 3 and 4).

Progressively as the axis of the axle 14 reaches vertical alignment with the apron and the end face of the container, the compressive forces undergone by the connecting-rod 24 decrease to zero, then change-over to extension forces wich become progressively larger as the carriage 8 reaches successive positions past the axis of the ball-mounted turn-table 4 (figure 4) until the first end of the chassis come to rest against the underside of the container.

It is then possible to release the pressure within the jack 26b and suppressing its tractive force on the apron 9.

Since the carriage 8 now rests on the chassis 6 past the first axis (past axle 14}, the weight of the container has now on the chassis a torque about the first axis in the direction applying the chassis 6 beneath the container 1. The container 1 thus rests on the chassis and is locked on the roll-on, roll-off handling device!2.

Independently from the foregoing or in conjunction therewith, the same steps are performed with the other roll-on, roll-off handling device 2 at the other end of the container (figure 5).

Depositing of the container on the ground is obtained by performing the reverse process with respect to that described.

A system of piping and electric wiring serves to connect the roll-on, roll-off handling device 2 internally or externally to each other and to the tractor.