AU2009100038A4 - Load Apparatus for a Vehicle - Google Patents

Description

SDescription Load Apparatus for a Vehicle Field of the Invention This invention relates to a loading apparatus for a van and, in particular, an apparatus to assist with the loading and unloading of a goods-carrying van.

00 Background Art Vans to which this invention relates typically have a load-carrying space located _behind the front seats for the driver and a passenger. The load-carrying space is typically accessible from two positions: A rear portion of the load-carrying space is accessible from a rear doorway, closed off by means of a rear door or a pair of rear doors, and a front portion of the load-carrying space is accessible from a side doorway, the side doorway being located immediately behind the front doors of the van, usually located immediately behind the passenger's front door. The rear door(s) may comprise either a single door mounted on transverse hinges so that it opens upwardly, or may comprise paired doors mounted on vertical hinges, both of which provide access to said rear portion of the load-carrying space of the van.

A problem with vans of this type is that of ease of access to the load-carrying space, which is generally of a relatively confined nature: A person reaching in to place or move a load about this space, from or to a doorway, has usually to reach in from the outside, through either the rear or the side doorway. The act of reaching in, while carrying a package to be deposited within, or reaching in to lift out a distantly located item of goods, particularly if the item is heavy, can result the person suffering a back or other musculo-skeletal injury.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes this problem of handling substantial loads in the confined space of the load-carrying space of a van.

The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere as at the priority date of the application.

Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be Sunderstood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the Oexclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Summary of the Invention Little regard is had to safety issues for the drivers of load-carrying vehicles and vans in particular. Screens have been introduced, known as cargo barriers. These are located between the back of the driver's cab and the load-carrying space in the van 00 and are designed to prevent the load moving forward and impinging into the drivers cab, in the event of a collision. However, under extreme stress, such as in a vehicle _roll-over, such screens may fail. The present invention is intended to be used together with such screens, because, in addition to having utility in assisting with the loading of goods into the load-carrying space, it will also help improve the structural integrity of the van in the event of a roll-over and improve the driver's chances of survival.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided A loading apparatus for use in loading items into a vehicle, which has a load-carrying space accessible through a forward-located side doorway and a rear-located transverse doorway, the loading apparatus comprising a frame which defines a rigid, cubiform structure, said structure being adapted to be mountable in a rear portion of said load-carrying space, between said side and rear doorways, and which frame supports a boom adapted to be horizontally moveable fore and aft in relation to said structure, from a forward position where said boom is located within said load carrying space, to an aft position where said boom extends at least partially to a position rearward and outside of said load-carrying space, and said boom supports load-lifting means arranged to be movable fore and aft along said boom.

In a preferred form of the invention, the frame comprises opposed pairs of upright legs, the legs of each pair being connected by a transverse bar extending from upper extents of said legs and the pairs being braced together to define the said cubiform structure.

In a further preferred form of the invention, the load lifting means comprises a carriage. Preferably the carriage supports a hoist for lifting the load.

In an embodiment of the invention, the boom is mounted on roller means that enable said horizonal fore and aft movement of the boom.

Further, according to the invention, the frame is mountable to a portion of the vehicle selected from the group consisting of the floor of the load bearing space and the vehicle chassis.

SIt is a feature of the invention that the frame is adapted to increase the structural Ointegrity of the van to which it is mounted in use, by forming a roll-cage.

Preferably said loading apparatus is provided with a locking mechanism to lock said boom in said forward position. In this manner, the boom is restrained against _movement as the vehicle accelerates or brakes.

Preferably the locking mechanism comprises a releasable latch, which, when the 00 boom is locked in said forward position, must be released before the boom can be Smoved rearward. The latch may be released through manual actuation of a button, or _be automated, particularly in applications where movement fore and aft of the boom on rollers is motorised.

Preferably said frame comprises a pair of inverted and opposed U-shaped members, each member formed by a pair of upright legs connected by a generally transverse bar, said inverted U-shaped members being of integral construction and including transverse bracing interconnecting them.

Preferably said inverted U-shaped members are connected by at least two longitudinal bars, and bracing is included to provide structural rigidity.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of the loading apparatus shown installed in the loadcarrying space of a van; Figure 2 is a side view of the loading apparatus shown in Figure 1, with the boom extended rearward; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of the loading apparatus showing the boom retracted to the forward position and locked therein; Figure 4 is a perspective view from below of the loading apparatus showing the boom extended to a rearward position; and Figure 5 is a cross-section view of the boom.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2, a loading apparatus, in the form of a gantry crane 11, is adapted to be fitted within the body 12 of a van 13. The gantry crane comprises a hoist 14 mounted on a carriage 15, which is mounted on a boom 17.

SThe carriage 15 has four wheels 19, allowing the carriage 15 to move along an Senclosed track 21 located along the underside 23 of the boom 17, as shown in figure The enclosed track 21 comprises parallel surfaces 25 separated by a gap 27, through which the carriage 15 is suspended from axles (not shown) which join opposed pairs of wheels 19.

The hoist 14 has a motor 31 and spool 33 containing cable 35, which is connected to a 00 hook 37. The hook 37 can be attached to goods to enable them to be lifted by means of the hoist 14. A hand-operated controller 39 controls operation of the motor 31.

_Referring to figure 5, the boom 17 is in the configuration of an H-beam (or I-beam placed on its side) with inward projections 41 at both extents of the vertical legs 43 running parallel with the connecting portion 45. This allows the carriage 15 to be suspended from axles 29 through the gap 27 therebetween.

The boom 17 is supported on rollers or wheels 47 which are suspended from framework indicated generally at 49 (see figure which forms a roll-cage structure.

The framework, as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, comprises two braced inverted Ushaped members 51, each having a transverse bar 53 (which connects its respective pair of legs 55), to which the rollers or wheels 47 are affixed centrally, and on which the boom 17 is located. The rollers or wheels 47 run on the upper inward projections 41, which arrangement allows the boom 17 to be extended fore and aft relative to the framework 49.

Each transverse bar 53 tends at each end thereof toward downwardly extending legs which terminate at a plate member 57 having apertures (not shown) through which bolts can extend to secure the frame to the chassis of the van 13. The two U-shaped members 51 are spaced apart and braced by struts 59 which are bolted to tabs welded to the legs In an alternative embodiment, the frame is similarly secured to the floor of the loading space of the van.

It will be understood that an alternative arrangement of the boom 17 may comprise an I-beam, with the horizontal portions of the boom forming the track for the carriage and supporting the boom on the rollers or wheels 47.

The boom 17 has, mounted atop it, a stop member 60, which incorporates a latch into which is received a protection 61, which, when contacted, limits the forward extent of movement of the boom 17 and which, when connected, latches the boom in place in the forward retracted position, as shown in figure 1. The projection 61 can be Sunlatched from the stop member 60 to allow the boom to be moved to a rearward, Oextended position. The maximum rearward extent of movement of the boom 17 is as shown in figure 2. The stop 62, which contacts the rearward-most transverse bar 53, limits the rearward extent of movement of the boom 17.

Material, from which the carriage, boom and framework of the embodiment described are made, comprises 6mm thick aluminium plate or 6mm wall thickness aluminium 00 tubing or extrusion. The frame is made from 50mm diameter tubing with a 6mm wall thickness. In other embodiments, materials of different dimensions and properties _may be used to adapt to different lifting applications and requirements.

In use, the gantry crane 11 is bolted to the chassis rails of the van 13 in the loadcarrying space and located between a position rearward of the side doorway 61, and the rear door 63, illustrated in open, lifted position in figure 2. Typically the legs straddle the wheel arch 65 of the van 13, at each side. When the van is in use, the boom is locked in the forward retracted position with the projection 61 locked in the stop member 60. When it is desired to use the gantry crane to load or unload the van, the rear door and side door are opened. The boom is then extended to allow the hoist 14 access to the area behind the rear door 63 of the van 13, where a load can be picked up from or deposited on the ground. By moving the carriage 15 along the boom 17, the load can be moved into the van 13, and further, by moving the boom to the forward retracted position, the load can be picked up from or deposited in the space adjacent the rear door or rear doors, forward of the frame 49.

With the gantry crane 11 fitted in the van 13 as described, the person operating the gantry crane is able to load and unload the van 13 through the rear doorway and move the load to any point within the load-carrying area. Use of the gantry crane obviates the need to reach forward from without to within the van to move the load around, except as may be necessary to urge the load to the required position, before lowering it.

Further, the frame also forms a rigid roll-cage structure, suitable to help protect against the van body being crushed in the event of a roll-over collision, and prevent the load being forced toward the front of the van and perhaps injure the driver.

Although installation of the gantry crane of the invention is not intended to replace the currently used cargo barrier, its use should be considered to compliment the cargo barrier, as the cargo barrier is still appropriate for preventing the load moving forward in the event of a front-on collision.

It should be appreciated that changes may be made to various features in the above described embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment described herein.

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MC

Claims (4)

1.A loading apparatus for use in loading items into a vehicle, which has a load- carrying space accessible through a forward-located side doorway and a rear-located 00 transverse doorway, the loading apparatus comprising a frame which defines a rigid, O cubiform structure, said structure being adapted to be mountable in a rear portion of Osaid load-carrying space, between said side and rear doorways, and which frame Osupports a boom adapted to be horizontally moveable fore and aft in relation to said 0structure, from a forward position where said boom is located within said load carrying space, to an aft position where said boom extends at least partially to a position rearward and outside of said load-carrying space, and said boom supports load-lifting means arranged to be movable fore and aft along said boom.

2.The loading apparatus of claim 1 in which the frame comprises opposed pairs of upright legs, the legs of each pair being connected by a transverse bar extending from upper extents of said legs and the pairs being braced together to define the said cubiform structure.

3.The loading apparatus of claim 1 or 2 in which the load lifting means comprises a carriage supporting a hoist for lifting a load.

4.The loading apparatus of any one of the preceding claims in which the boom is mounted on roller means that enable said horizonal fore and aft movement. loading apparatus of any one of the preceding claims in which the frame is adapted to increase the structural integrity of the van to which it is mounted in use by forming a roll-cage.