Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~75~3
.
I
Closing Means for Trucks
-
The invention relates to a closing means for
trucks for closing an opening of the load compartment,
comprising a tarpaulin secured to an upper support
element and having vertical rows of holes through
which traction elements are threaded.
It has been known to use a tarpaulin for closing
the load compartment of trucks. According to some
known solutions, it has been also possible to use
the tarpaulin for protecting the loads in that they
are reinforced horizontally or vertically by belts
and stretched in the direction of the reinforcing
belt extension by means of suitable devices. However,
the operation of the existing tensioning devices
is very often quite complicated and involved, and
opening as well as closing of the tarpaulins is time
consuming, indeed, because they are of the throwing
type and must be opened in horizontal direction.
Even in released condition, such tarpaulins do not
cover the full loading surface, but they have to
be displaced additionally, as the case may be.
It is the object of an aspect of the invention
to provide a closing means of the foregoing type
which allows to remove in a simple manner the tarpaulin
from the opening and which permits to simply close
without any problems said opening.
An aspect of this invention is as follows:
Closing means for a truck having a load compartment
with at least two vertical members a horizontal ceiling
member and a horizontal floor member defining an
opening comprising:
a tarpaulin secured along a substantial portion
of its upper end to the horizontal ceiling member;
means disposed along substantially the entire
length of the lower end of said tarpaulin for securing
the lower end of said tarpaulin to the horizontal
~,.,~
7~ 3
-la-
floor member;
means coupled to the tarpaulin for upwardly folding
the tarpaulin; and
an inflatable cushion disposed between the ceiling
member and the tarpaulin; and
means for inflating the cushion when the tarpaulin
is secured to the horizontal floor member, whereby
the tarpaulin is placed under tension in the vertical
direction.
Although, they have the same position direction, the
functions "opening," "closing" and "tension-ing" are
separate mechanical operations. This is realized in
that the tarpaulin is firmly clamped at an upper support
,~,.
-
7~ 3
element of the vehicle or of the loading surface resp.,
while, on the other hand, suitable traction elements are
conducted vertically live a serpentine through a row of
eyes extending vertically in the tarpaulin. Said
traction elements are fastened at the lower tarpaulin
end, on the one hand, and in the upper region of the
vehicle or loading surface, they are guided on a rota-
ting shaft permittiny it to wind on and off synchro-
neously the traction elements. Due to the guided
traction elements in connection with horizontally
extending reinforcing elements in the tarpaulin, e.g. in
the form of rods fixed by sewing, it is possible to fold
together the tarpaulin in a defined manner and accordeon-
wise in upward direction against a stop.
According to the closing means of the invention,
the traction elements are drawn off the tension rollers
for closing the opening, thus unfolding the tarpaulin
from a previously iormed accordeon-like parcel to
stretch it before the opening. The lower end of the
tarpaulin may be hooked in the lower end of the opening,
so that the opening may be easily closed by only drawing
the lower end of the tarpaulin. If the opening is
cleared, the lower end of the tarpaulin will be unhooked
and the tarpaulin is folded together by winding the
traction elements on the tension rollers. As a result,
the tarpaulin forms a parcel like an accordeon which
adjoins the abutment provided at the upper end of the
opening.
In other words, the tarpaulin need not be rolled up
or slipped over the vehicle roof, but due to the ten-
sioned traction elements, a defined folding is ensured.
Thus, the opening of the loading surface is cleared
off automatically, the tarpaulin being removed from the
opening area to form a defined parcel that does not
obstruct at all the access to the opening.
Preferably, a respective horizontal reinforcing
element is provided between two holes of a row of holes
~22~ 3
--3--
and secured to the tarpaulin. Said reinforcing elements
facilitate the defined folding of the tarpaulin to form
a paxcel. At the same time, they protect the load by
reinforcing the tarpaulln in transverse direction. The
reinforcing elements may be made of rods or bars of
metal, wood, plastics or the like.
The tension rollers may be mounted on a common
shaft prestressed by at least one torsion spring. As a
result, all of the traction elements of one tarpaulin
are prestressed sychroneously and with the same force,
the uniform hauling of the tarpaulin over its total
width being warranted accordingly.
ccording to a preferred embodiment of the
invention, a hooking means at the lower end ox the
tarpaulin serves for catching hold at the lower edge of
the opening, the tarpaulin firmly clamped at one end
being deviated over an inflateable cushion, and its
length dimension being such that, with a non-inElated
cushion, the hooking means can be secured to the lower
end ox the opening, when the tarpaulin is completely
unfolded. The latter will be stretched if the cushion
is subsequently inflated.
As an essential advantage of this measure, it is
easily possible to stretch the tarpaulin by only
inflating the cushion. While the tarpaulin is hooked at
the lower end, it is stretched at the upper end. The
mentioned principle of mechanically separating the
functions "closing" and "stretching" is important
because the fixing means to be provided at the lower end
of the opening must not include any tensioning devices,
but only hooking elements. The cushion may be connected
to the compressed air unit of the vehicle which is also
used to actuate the brakes, it being possible to control
the air supply into the cushion and air deflation out of
the cushion by a manually operable valve.
The cushion may be also mounted beneath the
aperture so that the tarpaulin is stretched from below
~.~27~3
--4--
while the upper end is firmly clamped. Preferably, the
cushion is fixed at the upper support element near the
clamping point of the tarpaulin.
According to a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the loading surEace forms part of an inter-
changeable load Garrier at which hooking means can be
anchored and the support element, the tension rollers
and the inflateable cushion are provided at a bridge of
the truck, which bridge overengages the load carrier.
This refers to kind of a container vehicle, in which the
load carrier is not a container of the usual type with
closed side walls, but its side walls are open. The
tarpaulin and its fixing and tensioning means are
secured to the bridge of the truck. The lower end of
the tarpaulin will be hooked in the load carrier. By
this means, the load carrier may be laterally covered
and closed with the aid ox the tarpaulin forming part of
the truck.
Embodiments of the invention will be explained
hereunder with reference to the drawings:
Fig, 1 is a view o the closing device at a truck,
Fig. 2 is a section along line II-II of Fig. 1,
with the tarpaulin extended down,
Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2, when the tarpaulin is
being opened,
Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 2 with a tarpaulin
opened completely,
Fig. 5 is a side view of a vehicle with
interchangeable load carrier and
Fig. 6 is a part-section along line VI-VI of
Fig. 5.
Fig. 1 shows a side view of the load receiving
portion of a truck having a loading floor formed by a
bottom wall 10 prom which extends upwardly a vertical
front wall 11 facing the (non-illustrated) driver's
cabin. The closed rear wall 12 at the rear end of the
vehicle extends in parallel to the front wall. The top
~L227S13
-5-
side of the load compartment 14 is limited by a hori-
zontal ceiling wall 13, while the sides of the load
compartment ~4 are open.
At each lateral opening 15 of the load
compartment 14 beneath the ceiling wall 13, there is
provided a horizontal shaft the ends of which are
supported in the front wall 11 and in the rear wall 12,
said shaft 16 carrying tension rollers 17 on which
traction elements 18 may be wound, the traction
elements 18 of the instant embodiment being belts which
are wound spirally on the tension rollers ~7. The
shaft 16 is tensioned by a stationarily supported
torsion spring l imparting to the tension rollers 17
the tendency of winding on the traction elements 18.
The upper end of tarpaulin 20 is fixed with an
attachment strip 21 on a plate-shaped carrier element 22
which is secured to the ceiling wall 13. At the same
time, said attachment strip 21 is used to secure the
cushion on the carrier element 22. Said cushion 23 is a
hose extending all over the w.idth of tarpaulin 20 and
provided above the lateral edge of the ceiling wall 13.
The tarpaulin 20 extends beyond the cushion 23 and is
deviated by the cushion 23 and between the attachment
strip 21 and the opening 15. In the condition shown in
Fig. 2, the tarpaulin 20 extends vertically in downward
direction ahead of the opening 15. At the lower end of
the tarpaulin 20 a hook of hooking means 24 engages a
strip 25 provided at the underside of the bottom wall 10
near the opening 15. If the cushion 23 is relieved (so
as to be flat), the hooking means inflated with air, the
tarpaulin 20 is tightened over its total length, the
cushion 23 tending to press it upwardly while the
tarpaulin simultaneously retained at its lower end by
the hooking means 24.
Each of the traction elements is threaded through
holes 25 of a row of holes in the tarpaulin 30. As
evident from Fig. 1 (right-hand) and from Fig. 2, a
-
~2~;3L3
traction element l extends in one area between two
holes 25 along the outside of the tarpaulin, and in the
next area, ;t is situated between two holes 25 along the
inside of the tarpaulin 20 etc. In the center of an
area between two holes 25, the tarpaulin 20 is strength-
ened by a reinforcing element 26, said reinforcing
elements being rods fastened by sewing in the plane or
secured otherwise at it. They extend in parallel to the
hooking means 24 or to the shaft 16 resp.
If it is intended to terminate the closing
condition such as illustrated in Fig. 2, the cushion 23
is deflated, the tarpaulin 20 not being tensioned any
longer accordingly so that the hooking means 24 may be
disconnected from the strip 25. At that moment, the
traction e]ements 18 are wound up by the tension
rollers 17 such as shown in the initial phase in Fig. 3,
illustrating clearly that the individual sections
between the reinforcing elements 26 are folded accordeon-
wise, the reinforcing elements 26 situated inside
relative to the traction elements l forming the inner
kink points while the reinforcing elements 26 situated
outside in regard to the traction elements 18 are
forming the outer kink points.
Fig. 4 shows the configuration taken by the
tarpaulin 20 with the maximum winding of the traction
elements 18 on the tension rollers 17. The holes 25
through which the traction elements 18 are threaded, are
nearly superimposed in the formed accordeon-like parcel
of the plan 20, so that the traction elements 18 may
straightly extend through the holes 25. The outer end
of the parcel is formed by the hooking means 24 to which
the ends of the traction elements 18 are secured. Said
traction elements 18 are provided substantially straightly
in each phase within the reach of the opening 15 because
they are under the tension of the tensioning means 19.
If the tarpaulin is folded together according to Fig. 4,
the reinforcing elements 26 marketing the kink points of
3L22~ .3
the tarpaulin 20 are at the outsides of the parcel which
adjoins from the outside a stop 27 near the shaft 16.
Accordingly, if the lower end of the tarpaulin is
disengaged, the tarpaulin is folded together in the
manner shown in Fig. 4 to rest against the upper end of
the border of opening 15. For closing the opening 15,
the hooking means 24 only need be drawn downwardly to be
hooked in the strip 25. If air is subsequently infalted
in the cushion 23, the tarpaulin 20 is stretched between
the upper attachment strip 21 and the lower hooking
means 24, thus preventing the tarpaulin from fluttering
and enabling it to protect the load against its drop out
of the opening 15.
Figs. 5 and 6 show a truck lending itself very well
to the transfer of beverages. The truck is provided
with a frame 30 at which the driver's cabin is mounted.
Behind said cabin 31, and adjacent to the frame 30,
there is a vertical support 32 communicating with the
rear vertical support 34 via horizontal supports 33.
20 Supports 32, 34 and 33 form an inverted U-shaped struc-
ture open to the bottom and overengaging the total
length of the load carrier 35--viewed from the side of
the truck. At the rear side of the rear vertical
support 34, the motor 36 driving the rear wheels is
mounted. Not only the front axle 37 but also the rear
axle is suspended at the frame 30 via spring and damping
elements. The load carrier 35 has a rectangular box
profile open to the sides, while the other four walls
(bottom, ceiling, front and rear walls) are of the
closed design. The outsides of the front wall 39 and
the rear wall 40 of the load carrier 35 are provided
with projections 41 which may be engaged by an
element 42 being supported at the frame 30. The lifting
elements 42 are piston-cylinder units which are hinged
between the two front supports 32 and between the two
rear supports 34. The lifting elements 42 extending
substantially vertically engage the projections 41 to
~2~5~L3
--8--
lift the load carrier 35 from the floor where it may be
situated on rolls 43. In travel position as illustrated
in Fig. 5, the locking elements 44 of the frame 30
engage the load carrier 35 to connect it rigidly to the
rigid frame 10.
As depicted in Fig. 6, the shaft 16 with the
tension rollers 17 is supported by the upper wall 45
being mounted benPath the supports 33. Moreover, a
strip-shaped support element 22 fixed on the upper
wall 45 carries the inflatable cushion 23.
The tarpaulin 20, fixed at the inwardly directed
side of the support element 22 extends over the
cushion 23 and along the lateral opening 15 of the load
carrier 35 in downward direction. At the lower end of
the tarpaulin 20, there is the hooking means 24 which
can be applied under an external projection of the
flap 46 at the lower end of the opening 15 of the load
carrier 35 to be hooked at that flap 46. Just as shown
in the first embodiment, the traction elements 18 are
threaded through the holes 25 of the tarpaulin 20.
Above the cushion 23, deviating rollers 47 ensure that
the traction elements 18 are guided vertically in spaced
relationship over the cushion 23 to the tension
rollers 17. Form the deviating rollers 47 extends a
covering panel 48 secured to the corresponding
support 33 and having at its outside a downwardly
deflected leg 49 which forms an abutment for the
parcel 50 resulting from the folded tarpaulin, that
extends through a slot beneath the leg 49. As obvious
from Fig. 6, the parcel 50 formed by the folded
tarpaulin 20 is above the load carrier 35 thus not
interfering with the interchange of the latter. The
tarpaulin and the traction elements 18 as well as all
other elements of the closing means--except for
flap 46--form part of the vehicle while the flap 46 is
mounted at the interchangeable load carrier 35 the
opening 15 of which shall be closed.
~L~2~ 3
g
To fold together the plane 20 in the vicinity of
the upper end of the opening 15, use can be also made of
more than two traction elements 18, by providing one or
more traction elements :in the central region of the
opening 15. What is important is that the traction
elements 18 are wound up like a snap-type blind to fold
the tarpaulin 20 in the shown manner so that a parcel 50
is formed in which all of the traction elements 18
extend nearly straightly -through the superimposed
holes 25 of each row of holes.
To maintain the tightened condition of the
tarpaulin 20 being stretched, a tension is not only
applied by the traction elements 18, but also by the
cushion 23.
As apparent from Figs. 1 and 5, reinforcing
belts 51 are fitted at the inside of the tarpaulin 20,
e.g. by sewing. Said vertical reinforcing belts 51
which are fixed at the hooking means 24 and which are
stretched upon inflation of the cushion 23 are parti-
cularly meant for safeguarding against displacement the
load to be shipped inside the loading compartment 14 in
that it will be prevented from dropping out of it.
