Material or article handling – Load-transporting type vehicle and external means... – Power-driven conveyor for loading a wheeled vehicle
Patent
1987-09-11
1989-07-04
Werner, Frank E.
Material or article handling
Load-transporting type vehicle and external means...
Power-driven conveyor for loading a wheeled vehicle
356399, 356400, 356401, 356345, 33286, 1988611, 901 47, 414584, B65G 6702
Patent
active
048446815
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to transferring loads, in particular to rapidly transferring palletized loads transported on road vehicles.
The requirements for transferring palletized loads, i.e. loads stacked on trays generally made of wood and called "pallets" are continually increasing: loading and unloading operations must be performed in shorter and shorter times, while the loads being transferred are large (15 to 20 tons, for example). Further, both for reducing the time taken by such operations and for avoiding the danger inherent in rapidly manipulating heavy concentrated loads on pallets, it is desirable to develop load-transferring devices which enable as large a portion as possible of the loading and unloading operations to be performed automatically.
Prior devices which have been developed for providing high performance as specified above generally comprise an elongate superstructure disposed on a load-handling platform, said superstructure extending in the general transfer direction and supporting a moving assembly having a plurality of teeth which are substantially parallel to said direction, together with lifting means for raising or lowering said teeth relative to the superstructure in such a manner as to ensure that the teeth rapidly transfer a load by virtue of associated running means.
A good illustration of such devices is given in European patent application No. 0 193 999 or in French Pat. No. 2 219 094.
In general, guide equipment is provided on the surface over which or from which loads are transferred: in the above-mentioned European patent application, the floor of the vehicle has longitudinal tracks in which the teeth of the moving assembly slide, while in the above-mentioned French patent a similar disposition is provided on the bottom of a container, with projecting portions being defined by a floor which is crenellated in section.
With such devices, it is still necessary to guide palletized loads in the vehicle or the container when performing transfer operations, and more particularly when loading. In practice, a vehicle is never placed in a position of perfect alignment relative to the transfer device; thus, with ever increasing transfer strokes (up to about 15 meters, for example), a small degree of misalignment can have serious consequences for loading, and such a risk cannot be accepted if the transfer operations are to be automated.
The presence of such guidance equipment naturally gives rise to several drawbacks: the equipment must be adapted to each type of vehicle, or else such equipment must be provided during vehicle manufacture, which makes it difficult or even completely impossible to make use of un-specialized vehicles or containers, i.e. vehicles or containers having normally flat bottoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,777 describes a load-transferring device comprising a running assembly moving on a moving superstructure; the superstructure is supported on two transverse rails by means of four wheels disposed at the corners of the superstructure. Two electrical clutches allow one or other of the two pairs of wheels to move, thereby allowing the superstructure to be centered to a small extent relative to the vehicle. However, the longitudinal component of the forces is applied directly to the wheel shafts, thereby considerably reducing the practical advantage of the system.
Other systems have been made to facilitate load-acquisition operations, using structures which constitute flexible beams, having coupled running elements and pneumatic lifting means; a device of this type is illustrated, for example, in French Pat. No. 2 043 818. However, lateral positioning and alignment accuracy make this kind of equipment unsuitable for rapidly transferring relatively heavy palletized loads.
French Pat. No. 2 128 281 describes a system for automatically serving storage shelving. Signal emitters cooperating with an associated surface serve to position the carrying plate correctly. This document is an interesting illustration of automatic positioning for automating load transfer operati
REFERENCES:
patent: 2416071 (1947-02-01), Shonnard
patent: 3710961 (1973-01-01), Bomstein
patent: 3727777 (1973-04-01), Hanson
patent: 3854610 (1974-12-01), Carder
patent: 3945522 (1976-03-01), Suizu et al.
patent: 4331417 (1982-05-01), Shearer, Jr.
Andre Thole
Pierre Ravez
Unisabi S.A.
Werner Frank E.
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