AU699955B1 - A transporter - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: PATRICK GERARD BROWN PATRICK GERARD BROWN CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, QIOld. 4000, Australia.

A TRANSPORTER s a r a o

D

e o o Details of Associated Provisional Application: No. PP2552 filed 25 March 1998 The foliuwing statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

TITLE

A TRANSPORTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a transporter.

The invention will be described by way of exanple with reference to the use of the transporter for receiving and transporting produce such as cotton. It should be appreciated that this is by way of example only and that the transporter of the invention may also be used for other purposes.

Cotton transporters or boll buggies as they are sometimes called consist of a bin carried by a frame. The buggies are used in a field to transport cotton to a cotton module builder.

One known boll buggy has a lift and tip mechanism which raises the bin above and to one side of the frame so that the bin may be inverted to tip the contents of the bin into the module builder. Such buggies are particularly unstable when a full bin is its raised position and have been known to topple over and not only damage the boll buggy itself but also damage the module builder.

Some cotton harvesters have a collection basket as part of the harvester.

These baskets have a side opening gate or door and a chain conveyor in the floor of the basket and along the door to allow the cotton in the basket to be 20 conveyed from the basket directly into the cotton module builder.

The module builders are normally positioned along a roadway adjacent an edge of a cotton field. Most cotton picking is carried out by contractors and time is wasted if the cotton harvester has to be driven to the cotton module builder for unloading. It would be preferable to position a boll buggy adjacent the cotton 25 harvester and unload the harvester into the buggy. The buggy could then be transported to the module builder without having the cotton harvester discontinue its harvesting operations.

The known boll buggy described above does have its difficulties in use and if it does topple, it can damage the module builder.

Australian patent specification 686739 discloses a transport apparatus intended as an improvement over the boll buggy referred to above. The apparatus of that specification has a frame supported above the ground by 3 spaced wheel assemblies. A storage bin is connected to the frame an i the bin has side walls with discharge opening normally closed off by gates which include conveyor portions which form an extension to a conveyor in the floor of the bin.

The gates may be opened and contents emptied from the bin. The apparatus inciudes a scissor lift assembly for raising and lowering the bin and means for levelling the frame.

This arrangement has the following disadvantages: 1. The frame was not self-levelling.

2. The operation of the conveyor portions in the gates was not independent of the conveyor in the floor of the bin. As a consequence the conveyor may not be properly tensioned if the gates were not fully opened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a transporter which at least minimises the disadvantages referred to above.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a transporter having a frame carrying ground engaging wheel assemblies, a bin mounted to the frame, othe frame including a self-levelling trapezoidal linkage assembly for moving the bin between a lowered and a raised position and ensuring that the bin is maintained in a horizontal position when in its raised position, a door movable 20 betwveen an open and a closed position, a first conveyor extending along the door and a second conveyor extending along a floor of the bin with the conveyors having separate drives.

The wheel assemblies preferably include a single wheel on each side of the frame although the assemblies may include a pair of wheels on each side of the 25 frame if desired.

The first conveyor may extend completely across and along the door.

Preferably the first conveyor consists of a belt or chain conveyor. In one embodiment a slat conveyor is employed and two opposed chains may be arranged on opposed edges of the door with the slats positioned to extend between the chains and at spaced intervals along them. The slat conveyor may have a plurality of chains arranged between the two opposed chains for supporting the slats in intermediate locations. Preferably three such further chains are present although any number of intermediate chains may be used.

The chains may extend over sprockets one of which may be driven in any suitable manner.

Preferably a drive including an hydraulic motor is used to cause the chains to move over the sprockets and for operating the conveyor.

The second conveyor, as mentioned, extends along the floor of the bin.

The second conveyor may be a belt or chain conveyor. Preferably, the second conveyor is a slat conveyor having opposed chains with the slats extending between them and located at spaced intervals along the chains. The second conveyor may be present as two conveyor sections with each section being independently operable. In this way the bin may be partially emptied if desired by operating one of the sections only.

Each conveyor section may have at least on- intermediate chain arranged between the opposed chains for supporting the slats at a location between the opposed chains in a conveyor section.

The chains may extend over sprockets and at least one of the sprockets associated with each of the chains is driven. The sprockets may be driven by any suitable drive but preferably are driven by a hydraulic motor.

Thus, the conveyor associated with the door and the conveyor on the floor of the bin are separately driven and there is no need to position the door at a particular orientation to cause the chains of the floor conveyor to be properly tensioned for correct operation.

The door may be moved between its two positions in any suitable manner.

Preferably at least one hydraulic cylinder assembly is used to move the door. In one embodiment two opposed cylinder assemblies aie employed and a respective one of these cylinder assemblies is located at each side of the door.

The trapezoidal linkage assembly may consist of two opposed trapezoidal linkages and each of these linkages has a lower member extending generally longitudinally along the transporter and an upper generally longitudinally extending member relative to which the bin may be mounted. Each opposed linkage may have two further members extending between two associated longitudinal members and pivotally coupled to the longitudinal member. The further members may consist of a forward link member and a trailing link member. Preferably the wheel assemblies are coupled to the forward link member or members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to move the bin between its positions an hydraulic lifting assembly may be used. The lifting assembly may comprise an hydraulic cylinder assembly extending between the longitudinal link members.

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic inside view of part of the transporter shown with the door closed; Figure 2 is a view similar to figure 1 but shows the transporter door in its open position; Figure 3 is a side view of a transporter according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a plan view of the transporter of figure 3; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view useful in understanding the operation of the transporter.

SDESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 20 Figure 1 shows a transverse view of a transporter 10. The frame and other components have been omitted from this view and only the bin 11 is shown. The bin 11 has an open top 12 and a rear wall 13. Side wall 14 extends longitudinally along one side of the bin 11. The door 15 extends longitudinally along a side of the bin opposed to side 14. The bin 11 has a floor 16.

25 A conveyor which consists of chains 18 and slats 19 extends across the floor 16. The chains extend over sprockets 20 located at spaced locations along two shafts 21, 22 which extend longitudinally of the bin.

A hydraulic cylinder assembly 23 extends between mount 24 on the door and mount 25 fixed to an upper frame member of the bin. In figure 1 the door is shown in its closed position.

Hydraulic motor 30 drives shaft 21 to operate the conveyor which extends over the floor of the bin.

6 Figure 2 shows the transporter 10 with the door 15 in its open position. In this figure the hydraulic drive for the conveyor which extends across the floor 16 has been omitted. To move the door 15 to its open position the cylinder assembly 23 is extended.

The door 15 has a conveyor separate from the conveyor on the floor 16.

The door conveyor consists of chains 30 trained over sprockets 31, 32. A plurality of slats 33 are arranged at spaced intervals on the chains 30, the sprockets 31, 32 are located on shafts 34, 35 (see figure A hydraulic motor 36 is used to operate the door conveyor and rotates shaft 34.

The door 15 is pivoted on shaft 21 to allow the door to be moved between its two positions.

Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of the transporter 10. In this view the front wall 40 is shown. The bin 11 is mounted to a frame 41. A towing arr.- 42 with a towing coupling 43 extends from one end of the frame. A wheel assembly which includes two wheels 44 is secured to an underside of the frame 41. The wheels are mounted on an axle (not shown) and are present on opposed sides of the transporter.

S•Figure 4 is a plan view of the transporter 10. the slats 19 secured to chains oooo 18 of the floor conveyor are shown in this view.

20 Figure 5 shows the trapezoidal linkage assembly employed for raising and lowering the bin (not shown In this view). The trapezoidal linkage assembly Sconsists of substantially longitudinally extending frame members 50 an', 16 and cross members 51 and 52. these members are pivotally coupled together at locations P1, P2, P3 and P4. Member 50 may have the towing arm 42 extending from its left hand end in this figure. A wheel 53 is coupled to member 51 and the bin is secured to member 16. A hydraulic cylinder assembly 54 extends between members 16 and 51.

When the cylinder assembly is in its retracted position the wheel 53 rests on the ground G1 and the members 16 and 50 are adjacent one another and the bin is in its lowered position. Member 16 is parallel to the ground G1.

To raise member 16 and hence the bin secured to it the cylinder assembly is extended until member 16 is in the dotted outline position. Member 16 is maintained parallel to the ground and the towing arm and in its towing coupling 43 (see figure 4) pivots about its connection to the towing vehicle but remains at a constant height. The wheel 53 moves away from member 50. A similarly configured linkage assembly is present on each side of the transporter.

The figure shows the configuration assumed by the linkage assembly from the point of view of the transporter and hence two ground levels are shown. It should be appreciated that the figure has been presented in this way for the sake of clarity. The drawing could equally have been presented from using ground level as the frame of reference. What is significant is that the orientation of member 50 with respect to the ground level alters to ensure that member 16 and hence the bin is maintained parallel to ground level as the bin is moved between its lowered and raised positions.

e6 eas eoe *o ee

I

Claims (16)

1. A transporter having a frame carrying ground engaging wheel assemblies, a bin mounted to the frame, the frame including a self-levelling trapezoidal linkage assembly for moving the bin between a lowered and a raised position and ensuring that the bin is maintained in a horizontal position when in its raised position, a door movable between an open and a closed position, a first conveyor extending along the door and a second conveyor extending along a floor of the bin with the c nveyors having separate drives.

2. The transporter of claim 1 wherein the wheel assemblies include at least one wheel on each side of the frame.

3. The transporter of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the first conveyor extends completely across and along the door.

4. The transporter of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the first conveyor is a belt conveyor.

5. The transporter of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the first conveyor is a chain conveyor.

6. The transporter of claim 5 wherein the first conveyor includes two opposed chains arranged on opposed edges of the door and has slats positioned to S.extend between the chains at spaced intervals along them. 20

7. The transporter of claim 6 wherein the drive associated with the first conveyor includes drive sprockets over which the chains extend .nd a drive motor for rotating one of the sprockets.

S8. The transporter of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the second conveyor is S* a belt conveyor. 25

9. The transporter of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the second conveyor is a chain conveyor.

10. The transporter of claim 9 wherein the second conveyor includes two opposed chains arranged on opposed edges of the floor of the bin and has slats positioned between the chains of the second conveyor at spaced intervals along them.

11. The transporter of claim 10 wherein the drive associated with the second conveyor includes drive sprockets over which the chains of the second conveyor 9 extend and a drive motor for rotating one of the sprockets of drive associated with the second conveyor.

12. The transporter of any one of claims 1 to 11 including at least one hydraulic cylinder assembly for moving the door between its open and closed positions.

13. The transporter of any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the trapezoidal linkage assembly includes two transversely opposed trapezoidal linkages with each of the linkages having a lower member extending generally along the transporter and an upper generally longitudinally extending member relative to which the bin is mounted.

14. The transporter of claim 13 wherein each of the transversely opposed linkages includes two further members extending between the two associated longitudinal members and pivotally coupled thereto.

The transporter of claim 13 wherein one of the further members of each of the transversely opposed linkages has the wheel assemblies coupled to them.

16. A transporter substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. DATED THIS 6 T m DAY OF AUGUST 1998 PATRICK GERARD BROWN BY HIS PATENT ATTORNEYS 20 CULLEN CO. *C e oo -e ABSTRACT A transporter is disclosed having a frame with a bin mounted to the frame. A self-levelling trapezoidal linkage assembly connects the bin to the frame and allows the bin to be raised and lowered whilst maintaining the bin in a horizontal attitude. The transporter has a door and conveyors for conveying material from the bin when the door is opened. oo *o