Material or article handling – Elevator or hoist and loading or unloading means therefor – Convertible attachment
Patent
1994-09-14
1996-05-14
Werner, Frank E.
Material or article handling
Elevator or hoist and loading or unloading means therefor
Convertible attachment
414 11, 414783, 414737, 414627, 4147442, B66F 918
Patent
active
055162541
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
The present invention refers to a supplementary unit for a travelling fork lift truck, comprising a frame which is adapted to be connected to the forks of the fork lift truck, and a pick-up means provided with gripping elements for holding platelike mounting elements, said pick-up means being arranged on a carrier arm which is supported on said frame such that it is pivotable about a horizontal shaft so as to pick up the platelike mounting elements from a pick-up position and so as to set them down in a mounting position.
This type of device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,263. This publication shows a supplementary unit used for a fork lift truck and provided with a pick-up means having a carrier arm which is arranged thereon at an angle of 45.degree.. The frame of the supplementary unit has articulated thereon two hydraulic lifting cylinders which are arranged one on top of the other and which are secured to the carrier arm at a predetermined distance from one another. By activating the hydraulic cylinders at different times and/or to different degrees, it is possible to pivot the pick-up means to a limited extent. This device cannot be used for picking up mounting elements, especially thermo-isolation sandwich panels, from a horizontal pick-up position. Moreover, it is comparatively difficult to control the pivoting movement of said device. This disadvantage will have unfavourable consequences primarily with respect to the handling of comparatively large thermo-isolation sandwich panels which are used in refrigerating chambers and cold storage houses. The thermo-isolation sandwich panels have a high weight of up to 800 kg and a large area of up to 40 m.sup.2, and, consequently, the plates are difficult to handle and the use of a lifting device is absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, the prior art discloses supplementary units having an extension arm at the end of which a pick-up means is arranged, which is adapted to be pivoted by a rotary drive means. In this respect, reference is made to the literature source, German periodical "Fordern und Heben", No. 6, June 1961, page 361. However, such known supplementary units do not permit mounting elements to be set down in an overhead mounting position. In addition, the rotary drive means used in this type of supplementary units normally entail considerable costs.
It is the object of the present invention to improve a supplementary unit in such a way that a simple actuator can be used for handling the platelike mounting elements.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved by the features that the pick-up means is provided with two spaced bearing locations with pivot bearings permitting vertical pivoting, the first bearing location being articulated on the carrier arm which is adapted to be pivoted on the frame about a first horizontal shaft and the second bearing location being connected to a guide rod which is articulated on the frame such that it is adapted to be pivoted about a second horizontal shaft extending in spaced relationship with said first horizontal shaft, and that an actuator used for pivoting the carrier arm about the first horizontal shaft is arranged between the carrier arm and the frame, the two bearing locations and the two horizontal shafts being arranged relative to one another in such a way that, when the pick-up means is turned round by 180.degree. from the pick-up position into an overhead mounting position, the carrier arm can be pivoted about the first horizontal shaft on the frame by an angle of less than 180.degree., preferably 90.degree..
The supplementary unit according to the present invention permits a reduction of the pivoting power due to the fact that the pick-up means is lifted not only by the carrier arm arranged on the frame, but is, in addition, also guided by a guide rod which is articulated on the frame as well. It is important that there is a separation between the two horizontal shafts on the frame as well as the two bearing locations on the pick-up means. Depending on the articula
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Folise Michael J.
Werner Frank E.
Wirth Maschinenbau
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