Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2.
This invention relates to -the handling of containers,
more par-ticularly large sea containers adapted -to be
transported on container ships.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
5. In the handling of sea containers various forms o-E
cranes and the like have been utilized for liftin~ the
containers and placin~ them in the desired position/
either of flat -top railway cars, road transport velicles
or the like.
10. At the final destination of the container, such as
factory ware house or the like facilities are often not
available for liftin~ these containers and removin(l them
from the road transpor-t vehicles.
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3.
To this end road transport vehicles can be
proviaed with a tilting frame comprising rails or the llke
which are tilted and in which there some means for drawing
the container onto the tiltea or sloping rails, and the
rails are then lowered to the horizontal position. For
removal the rails are tilted and the container is then slid
off the railc for example while the road vehicle moves
forwardly.
It is an object of this invention to provide means
on the vehicle which facilitates the drawing of the
container onto the rails and also the removal of the
container. Also with this invention the container can be
stored in position on one end i so aesired.
SUMMARY OF THE INV~NTION
According to this invention there is provided a
system for handling sea containers to secure such a
container in a loaded position on a vehicle, comprisiny a
tiltable support frame on the vehicle adapted to support a
sea container having a forward and a rearward end, the
support frame in its tilted position havir,g one of its ends
adjacent the surface on which the vehicle rests, means for
moving the container along said support frame, a cross
member movable along said support frame and having means to
lock onto the sea container, the means for moving the
container being attached to said cross member whereby a the
container may be drawn along said support frame ~y and
during movement of said cross member, the cross member
including stop and locating pins fixedly mounted thereon to
engage openings in the forward end of the base of the
container and also including a set of forwaed locking pins
B~
~ 4.
on locking plates pivotally mounted on the cross member to
be engageable with apertures at the sides o~ the ~ase of the
container at the forward position thereof, actuating means
being provided to pivot the plates toward and away from each
other to engage the second named pins in the apertures in
the sides o~ the base of tne container, a set of rearward
locking pins engageable with apertures at the rear of the
container base to secure the container in a loaded position,
each pin in the rearward set being supported by a movable
carriage, and means for moving the carriages toward and away
from the container to engage an~ disengaye the pins.
BRIEF DESCRIPTI~N OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be more readily understood from
the following description of a preferred embodiment shown in
the drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 shows a vehicle fitted with a cross beam
embodying the invention,
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view o~ the cross beam,
FIGURE 3 is a si~e elevation of the cross beam, and
FIGURE 4 is a view of the container locking device
at the rear of the container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMEN1'
As shown in Fig. 1, a motor vehicle 1 having
chassis members 2 has pivoted thereto a pair of rails 3
which are adapted in the horizontal position to lie between
the chassis members 2. ~he rails 3 are pivotea to chassis
members 2 by pivot pins 4 which are mounted in brackets 5
attached to the chassis members 2 at a distance below the
levelof the chasis members 2. Further brackets 6 on the
rails also engage the pins 4, the arrangement being such
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4a.
that on tilting the rails not only tilt, but also move
rearwardly and downwardly to bring the rail ends closer to
the ground at a lesser angle of tilt. The rails 3 can be
tilted by rams 11.
A eross beam 7 is adapted to be locked to the
container 8, the beam having a bracket 9 adaptea to be
attaehed to a ehain or eable of a wineh 10, whereby the beam
7 ean be drawn with the eontainer attached up the rails.
The beams 7 extend across the width of the
eontainer and is provided at eaeh end with a locking
assembly comprising a locking plate 12 pivoted by a pin 13
to the beam 7, the plates 1~ earrying a loeking pin 14 which
engages in respective holes in the siaes of the base of the
container. Container stop and locating pins 15 are providea
to engage in respective holes in the ends of the base of the
container 8.
5.
The loc}cing pla-tes 12 are pivoted about the
pivot pin 13 by rods 16 which are pivotally attached
by braeke-ts to the plates 12, the rods being adapted
to be moved longi-tudinally by a screw mechanisr.l 17
5. operated by a ra-tchet handle 18. The screw mechanism
has opposite hand threads a-t each end so that
operation in one direction will move both rods apart,
while movemen-t in the opposite direc-tion will move
the rods towards each other.
10. It will be realised that other forms of mechanism
for moving the locking plates can be provided, such as
a single ram aetua-ting the rods 16, or alternatively a
small hydraulic ram can be attached to each lockinc~
plate~
15. The beam 7 ls provided with pairs of brackets 19
CarryincJ rollers 20 so -that the beam runs on -the
rails 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the beam 7 can be
lowered down -the -tilted rails to be locked onto a
container res-ting on the ground. The winch -then p~llls
2n. the container up the rails with the vehiele rolling
baekwardly while the eontainer is drawn onto the rai].s.
When the container rests on -the rai]s, the rails can be
lowered to the horizontal position and the container
moved fully forward either before or after the rails are
25. lowered to their horizontal position.
The container can be removed by raising the rai.ls
to the tilt position, and -then by con-trollincJ the winch
and moving the vehicle forwardly the contalner can be
placed on the groulld.
30. As shown in E'ig. ~, means are provided to lock
and secure the con-tainer in posi-ti.on. This includes a
6.
pair of eear locking pins 21 (only one being shown) mounte~
on a movable Inember 22 mounted on cross struts 23 by legs
24. The member 22 is controlled by hydraulic ram 25
attached by a bracket 26 on the rail 3. When the container
is loaded on the rails, the rear locking pins engage in the
holes in the sides of the base of the container, and thus
locked and locate the rear of the container.
Thus it will be seen that no ancilliary equipment
is required for the loading and unloading of a sea container
from a road transport vehicle. As noted above it is merely
necessary to tip the rails to the tilt position, operate the
winch to lower the container so that its lower end rests on
the ground, and then while moving the vehicle forwardly and
controlling the wincn the container can be placed on the
ground.
It will be realized also that the present system
can be utilized to stack the containers on an end to reduce
the storage problems of these larye containers, and in this
case the rails could be such that they can be tilted to the
vertical position and then the cross beam removed from the
container and the truck then moved away from the container.
It will be realized also that instead of a winch
controlling the movement of the container on the rails, that
this movement can be controlled by one or more hydraulic
rams particularly if the rams act on a cable-------------
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and the like throucJh pulleys w~ereby the movement of-the ram is amplified to move -the container.
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