AU2017100507A4 - Automated Railing - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A rail for a vehicle deck, such as a drop deck trailer, has automated operation. The rail is hinged in two sections. A rotating arm at either end of the rail acts to bend or straighten the rail into a lowered or raised position respectively. Fig. 5 __- _- -46 42 [ 42 Fig. 6

Description

2017100507 08 May 2017

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

Invention title: “AUTOMATED RAILING”

Applicant:

CIMC VEHICLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Associated provisional applications: Application number 2016901699 filed 9 May 2016

The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2017100507 08 May 2017 2 “AUTOMATED RAILING”

Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to railing for use on vehicles. It has been developed in connection with flatbed trailers, however is considered to have wider application.

Background to the Invention [0002] Flatbed trucks and trailers have a deck which may be in the order of a metre above the ground. Depending on the nature of the cargo being transported, it is frequently necessary to provide rails about the deck, both to prevent cargo from falling and, on occasion, to provide a safe working environment for operators.

[0003] The rails must be able to be lowered or removed to allow for access to the deck, for instance by forklift. The most common way of achieving this is to provide rails which can be lifted away by a user. Alternatively, it is known to provide rails which are mounted on a pivot axle which runs along the side of the deck. A locking mechanism acts to keep the rails upright in use. When the rails are to be lowered the locking mechanism is released, and the rails can rotate about the pivot axis until they are suspended below the height of the deck.

[0004] Manual raising and lowering of rails using this system presents several hazards to users. The weight of the rails is not insignificant, and requires a certain degree of strength to move them. During raising and lowering, as well as locking, there may be entrapment hazards. Additionally, locking frequently requires a user to climb onto the deck, an action which requires some agility and which presents a falling hazard.

[0005] The present invention seeks to provide a mechanism for the automated raising and lowering of rails about a vehicle deck. 2017100507 08 May 2017 3

Summary of the Invention [0006] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a rail for a vehicle deck, the rail extending in a longitudinal direction, the rail having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion being hinged to the deck and the upper portion being hinged to the lower portion, such that the rail is moveable between a raised position where the upper portion locates generally above the lower portion, and a lowered position where the upper portion locates alongside the lower portion.

[0007] Preferably the lower portion and the upper portion are both located beneath the deck when in the lowered position.

[0008] The rail may include an operating arm located at one or both elongate ends of the rail. The operating arm may have an outer end pivotally connected to an upper end of the upper portion of the rail.

[0009] The operating arm may have an inner end fixed to a toothed gear wheel, such that rotation of the gear wheel causes rotating of the operating arm about an operating axis. The gear wheel may be operated by a chain drive.

[0010] The operating axis is preferably parallel to the elongate direction.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the rail includes two operating arms, one located at each elongate end of the rail. Each operating arm is arranged to be operated by a hydraulic ram, the hydraulic ram being associated with a chain drive mechanism. It is anticipated that the two hydraulic rams are hydraulically linked so as to operate in unison.

[0012] The rail may include a preliminary impetus providing device. The impetus providing device may be arranged to provide a force to the rail near the hinged connection between the lower portion and the upper portion, the force being provided in a transverse direction. This may ensure that the rail bends in the desired orientation. 2017100507 08 May 2017 4

Brief Description of the Drawings [0013] It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently the particularity of the following discussion is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: [0014] Figures 1 to 5 are sequential schematic views of vehicle rail in accordance with the present invention, shown during lowering.

[0015] Figure 6 is a partially cut-away end view of a vehicle having a vehicle rail as shown in Figures 1 to 5.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments [0016] Referring to the Figures, there is shown a trailer deck 10 having a front end 12 and a rear end 14. The deck 10 extends in an elongate direction from the front end 12 to the rear end 14. The trailer has a front headboard 16 at the front end 12 of the deck 10, and a rear headboard 18 at the rear end 14 of the deck 10.

[0017] The deck 10 has two elongate sides 20. In the drawings, one of the sides 20 has a rail 22 associated with it. It will be understood that, in use, a rail 22 will extend along each side 20.

[0018] The rail 22 is elongate, and extends between the front headboard 16 and the rear headboard 18. The rail 22 is in two parts: a lower portion 24 and an upper portion 26. Each of the lower portion 24 and upper portion 26 represents about half the height of the rail 22.

[0019] The lower portion 24 has a lower end 28 which is mounted to the side 20 of the deck 10. The lower portion 24 is mounted to the deck 10 by a first series of pin connections, which are arrayed along a lower pivot axis. The lower pivot axis extends in the elongate direction, at the same height as the deck 10 and spaced a small distance from the side 20. The arrangement 2017100507 08 May 2017 5 is such that the lower portion 24 is free to rotate about the lower pivot axis, between a raised position wherein the lower portion 24 is generally vertical, and located above the height of the deck 10; and a lowered position wherein the lower portion 24 is generally vertical, and located below the height of the deck 10.

[0020] Figure 1 shows the lower portion 24 close to its raised position. Figure 5 shows the lower portion 24 in its lowered position.

[0021] The lower portion 24 has an upper end 30.

[0022] The upper portion 26 has a lower end 32 which is mounted to the upper end 30 of the lower portion 24. The upper portion 26 is mounted to the lower portion 24 by a second series of pin connections, which are arrayed along an upper pivot axis. The upper pivot axis extends in the elongate direction, and when the lower portion 24 is in its raised position the upper pivot axis sits directly above the lower pivot axis.

[0023] The arrangement is such that the upper portion 26 is able to rotate relative to the lower portion 24 about the upper pivot axis, between a raised position wherein the upper portion 26 is generally in the same plane as the lower portion 24, with the upper pivot axis between them; and a lowered position wherein the upper portion 26 locates alongside the lower portion 24, the upper pivot axis being below both the lower portion 24 and the upper portion 26.

[0024] It will be appreciated that the raised and lowered position of the upper portion 26 correspond to the raised and lower position of the lower portion 24. In this way the upper portion 26 remains generally upright between its raised and lowered position, with the lower portion 24 moving through 180°.

[0025] The upper portion 26 has an upper end 34. 2017100507 08 May 2017 6 [0026] An operating arm 40 is mounted to the rear headboard 18. It will be appreciated that a similar operating arm may be mounted to the front headboard 16.

[0027] The operating arm 40 has an inner end 42 and an outer end 44.

[0028] The inner end 42 is located along a midline of the front headboard 16; that is, it is located at the same height as the upper pivot axis when the upper and lower rail portions 26, 24 are in their raised position.

[0029] The inner end 42 is mounted to a shaft 46, which also contains a toothed gear wheel 48 as seen in Figure 6. The shaft 46 is oriented in the elongate direction. The toothed gear wheel 48 is connected by suitable means such as a chain (not shown) to an operating mechanism, such as the arm of a hydraulic ram. The arrangement is such that rotation of the shaft 46 by means of the gear wheel 48 causes rotation of the operating arm 40 about the inner end 42, in a plane perpendicular to the elongate direction. Rotation of the shaft 46 is effected by means of movement of the chain resulting from operation of the hydraulic ram.

[0030] The outer end 44 is fixed to the upper end 34 of the upper portion 26.

[0031] It will be appreciated that the operating arm 40 is arranged to rotate between a first position, wherein the outer end 44 is located adjacent an upper corner of the headboard 18; and a second position, wherein the outer end 44 is located adjacent a lower corner of the headboard 18, close to the lower pivot axis.

[0032] When the operating arm 40 is in its first position, the outer end 44 holds the upper portion 26 of the rail 22 in its raised position. This in turn holds the lower portion 24 of the rail 22 in its raised position. The rail 22 is thus maintained in a raised position, suitable for normal use. 2017100507 08 May 2017 7 [0033] When the rail is to be lowered, the motor can be operated to rotate the operating arm 40. As shown sequentially in Figures 1 to 9, this has the effect of moving the upper portion 26 away from the headboards 16, 18, and then lowering the upper portions (and thus the lower portion 24) into their lowered positions.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rail operating mechanism includes a preliminary impetus providing device, to ensure that the upper portion 26 rotates relative to the lower portion 24 when the operating arm commences rotation. The impetus providing device is formed by a rod located on each headboard 16,18, the rod being arranged to move in a transverse direction and to push the upper end 30 of the lower portion 24 and the lower end 32 of the upper portion 26 away from the headboards 16, 18. The rod may be pneumatically powered. The rod may be arranged such that it remains in a neutral positon following activation, and can be ‘reset’ into an operating condition by the closing action of the rail 22.

[0035] The rail 22 may be provided with additional manual locks to ensure that it remains in the raised position. These locks must be released prior to lowering of the rail 22.

[0036] The rail 22 may also be provided with a cushioning member between a side edge of the rail 22 and the headboard 16, 18. In a preferred embodiment the cushioning member is a rubber plunger with a first portion fixed to the upper portion 26 of the rail 22, and a complementary second portion fixed to the headboard 16, 18. The arrangement is such that the first and second portions lock together when the rail is in the raised position, to provide cushioning and some vibration dampening between the headboards 16, 18 and the rail 22.

[0037] Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. Claims

   1. A rail for a vehicle deck, the rail extending in a longitudinal direction, the rail having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion being hinged to the deck and the upper portion being hinged to the lower portion, such that the rail is moveable between a raised position where the upper portion locates generally above the lower portion, and a lowered position where the upper portion locates alongside the lower portion.
2. 2. A rail for a vehicle deck as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower portion and the upper portion are both located beneath the deck when in the lowered position.
3. 3. A rail for a vehicle deck as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rail includes an operating arm located at one or both elongate ends of the rail.
4. 4. A rail for a vehicle deck as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operating arm has an outer end pivotally connected to an upper end of the upper portion of the rail.
5. 5. A rail for a vehicle deck as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the operating arm has an inner end fixed to a toothed gear wheel, such that rotation of the gear wheel causes rotating of the operating arm about an operating axis.