AU626379B2 - Hopper unloader - Google Patents

Description

V

L-N _T V1 1 ,0 COMMONWEALTH OF AUST6 2 0 3 7 °9 Pate'nts Act 1952-1969 U A 3 COMPLETE SPEClF" ATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application No Lodged Complete Application No Specification Lodged Published Priority: Related art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: .100.00 0 0 0 O0 *66* *0 P.B.C. DEMOLITION HIRE PTY. LTD.

198A Grange Road, Flinders Park, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Actual Inventor: PETER PIO CASTELLUZO Address for Service: Care of COLLISON CO., 117 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: I, TE'T^ TADE MARKS C'4EIGS SUB-OFFICE 9 FEB 1990 SOUTH

AUSTRALIA

HOPPER UNLOADER The following statements is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: D./0 This invention relates to a device for unloading skips or hoppers.

The hoppers may be produce hoppers or hoppers containing rubbish or any other material and the aim of this invention is to provide a device which will permit the unloading of such hoppers centrally into a larger bin or for other purposes.

The invention will be particularly discussed in relation to the handling of rubbish hoppers or rubbish skips but it is to be realised that the invention has a broader application for materials handling.

On building sites particularly in city areas there is very confined space and particularly during demolition or construction work it is desirable to be able to empty rubbish skips into a larger bin for removal. This has S 15 been done using forklift trucks but this solution requires a separate piece of machinery and takes up considerable space with the area needed for manoeuvring the forklift. There is also a question of safety o• with forklift trucks lifting heavy skips to empty them into bins. The actual emptying process, toc, is complicated because there has not been provided in the past skips which can be easily or safely tipped.

This present invention provides a device to overcome these problems.

see* 0 In one form therefore the invention is said to reside in a skip or hopper handling device adapted to lift a skip or hopper loaded with rubbish or 0 other produce by means of a forklift arrangement and to tip the rubbish or produce from the skip or hopper into a bin, characterised by 0emptying of the skip or hopper by rotation of the skip or hopper on an 1 -horizontal axis parallel to the forks of the forklift.

This construction has the particular advantage that less space is required between the bin and the forklift arrangement because the bin can be tipped sideways in a controlled manner. Further the device is mounted on and can be fixed to the ground so that there in no danger of the device toppling over when a heavy skip is lifted.

In a further form the invention may be said to reside in a skip or hopper handling device comprising a fixed base, a trolley on the base adapted

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3 to travel longitudinally along the base, and forklift means including forks to lift a skip or a hopper on the trolley, the forklift means including means to tip the skip or hopper by rotation on a horizontal axis parallel to the forks of the forklift means to empty it of the contents thereof.

In a preferred form of the inventions there may be further included means to transfer power from the base to the trolley comprising an arrangement mounted on the base having a support cable extending between posts mounted on the ends of the base and a power supply line supported by the cable extending to the trolley with hydraulic power being generated from the power supply line being provided on the trolley for driving the various operations.

In a preferred form of the invention the forks of the forklift are of a conventional style lifting in fork pockets mounted on the underneath of the hopper or skip.

In a preferred form of the invention the forks of the forklift are adapted to lift the skip or hopper by means of fork pockets placed to either side of the hopper or skip.

Preferably the forks are able to be spread apart from each other to enable lifting of different size hoppers or skips.

25 In a preferred form of the invention a safety chain is provided affixed to the forks to connect to the hopper or skip to prevent the skip or hopper from falling off the forks.

In a preferred form of the invention the base includes a pair of parallel 30 rails and the trolley includes wheels to run along the rails.

In a preferred form of the invention the forks may be rotated through 1800 on an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the forks to enable tipping of a bin or container supported on the forks.

ANi V 4 In a preferred form of the invention the forks can be rotated 1800 either side of their horizontal position to enable emptying either side.

In a preferred form of the invention the trolley may include a chassis having wheels for traveling along rails along the base and a turn-table on the chassis upon which the forklift arrangement is mounted so that the forklift arrangement can pick up a skip or hopper from either side of the base and then slew around to empty the skip or hopper into the bin.

In a further form the invention may be said to reside in container tipping arrangement comprising an elongate base including a pair of parallel rails, a trolley having wheels for traveling on the rails along the base, and means to transfer power from the base to the trolley, the trolley including a forklift arrangement on one side thereof and a S 1 5 counterweight on the other side thereof, the forklift arrangement o including traveller means and a pair of lifting forks on the traveller means to lift a container and the traveller means including rotation means to rotate the forks and a container on the forks with respect to the traveller means to enable emptying of the container, the rotation means adapted to rotate the lifting forks on an horizontal axis paralle! to the longitudinal direction of the lifting forks oooo ••As discussed above with the earlier form of the invention the carriage may include a turn-table so that the forklift arrangement on one side may be rotated through perhaps 270' to pick up skips or containers on either side of the rails.

Preferably the forks may be rotated through 1800 on an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the forks to enable tipping of a bin or container supported on the forks.

Alternatively the forks can be rotated 1800 either side of their horizontal position to enable emptying either side.

In a preferred form of the invention the means to transfer power from the base to the trolley comprises an arrangement mounted on the base having a support cable extending between posts mounted on the ends of the base and a power supply line supported by the cable extending to the trolley with hydraulic power being generated from the power supply line being provided on the trolley for driving the various operations.

The forklift arrangement according to the various embodiments of the invention discused above may be sufficient so that a container or hopper or skip may be retrieved from a first floor level of a building site and carried and rotated to tip into the rubbish bin.

It will be realised that many variations within the scope of this invention may be provided depending upon the amount of lift required, the height of lift and the length of the rails and methods for providing power to the trolley or carriage that are within the scope of this general invention. To

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generally assist however with understanding of this invention reference 15 will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show preferred embodiments of the invention.

"In the drawings:- 0 agee o FIG. 1 shows an elevation of a hopper unloader according to this invention.

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"FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the hopper unloader and e g.

FIG. 3 shows an end elevation or side view of the hopper unloader according to this embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the hopper unloader according to this embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the hopper unloader according to an alternative embodiment of this invention.

Now looking more closely at the drawings it will be seen that the hopper unloader according to this invention includes a rail arrangement comprising a first rail 1 and a second rail 2 parallel and spaced apart.

On the rails a carriage or trolley generally shown as 3 is adapted to travel. Wheels 4 on the trolley run on flat plates 5 on the rails. As a 6 safety feature hooked lugs extend from the carriage over the sides of the flat plates 5 to assist with preventing the carriage 3 from overturning on the rails 1 and 2 if it is badly loaded or overloaded.

At one end of the base is a power supply box 8 with a catenary cable 9 extending to a post 10 at the other end and a cable arrangement 11 extends from the power box 8 hanging from the catenary cable to the carriage 3.

Now looking more closely at the carriage 3, it will be seen that this comprises a chassis 20, upon one side of which there is provided a forklift arrangement generally shown as 21 and on the other side a counter weight 22.

15 The trolley is driven along the rails by motors (not shown) driving the wheels 4. Preferably the motors are hydraulically driven.

*0O* •The chassis also includes hydraulic motors, reservoirs and the like to control the various operations of the forklift, the trolley and the like.

The forklift arrangement consists of a pair of posts 23 and an hydraulic hoist of conventional design but with a telescopic arrangement so that sees** the forklift can be lifted to twice the height of the post.

*0* The forklift traveller 24 which travels on the posts 23 includes a motor S°arrangement 25 which will enable rotation of the fork traveller with respect to the posts along the longitudinal axis shown as 26 which is parallel to the the forks 27.

By this means a hopper supported on the forks 27 may be raised so that it will clear a bin into which the contents of the hopper are to be emptied. The carriage is then moved along the rails until the hopper is over the bin and then rotated by the motor 25 on the axis 26 to empty the hopper sideways into the bin.

As discussed above if the rubbish hopper is at a first floor level then the forks may be lifted high to enable retrieval of the hopper for emptying into the bin. Similarly if the hopper unloader of the present invention is rn. 7 perhaps positioned in a basement then the hoppers may be unloaded into a bin at ground level by raising of the forks to empty the hopper into a suitable bin.

It will be seen that by this invention there is provided a device which will enable easy emptying of hoppers into a bin with minimal space on a building sito, used up.

It will be realised of course as discussed above, that the invention is not limited to use on building sites but may be used in packing sheds for the loading of pallets of produce onto a truck or the like.

It will be noted that the forks 27 are positioned so that their blades are vertical rather than horizontal. By this means they can engage in 15 pockets in the sides of a hopper (not shown) and give good support go* 0: during the rotation of the hopper. It will be noted, too, that the forks 27 may be varied in their spacing apart by means of hydraulic rams 28 so that bins of different widths may be lifted.

Safety chain 29 is fastened to the traveller 24 and is adapted to engage a bin when supported by the forks.

0 In the embodiment shown in Figure 5 the chassis 40 is supported on °wheels 41 on rails 42 and 43. A turntable 44 is mounted on the chassis 40 and upon this is a base 45 upon which is mounted the forklift o arrangements and associated equipment.

In this embodiment as the base can slew on the turntable to either side then power supply may be by some other means (not shown).