CH619672A5 - - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for picking up and handling loads comprising a pallet, this device comprising, on the one hand, means for picking up the load placed on a pallet, and, on the other hand, a particular pallet suitable for means of taking charge.

Are already known systems for picking up and handling loads placed on pallets, which generally consist of the fork of a forklift, movable vertically by means of a conventional system of hydraulic cylinders. However, depending on the nature of the loads placed on the pallets, it is sometimes difficult to engage the fork under the load, that is to say between the load and the upper face of the pallet, and it is also sometimes difficult to move the load by means of the fork without deforming it, in particular when the load consists of a stack of sheets of paper. Such a load lacks rigidity and deforms more or less during handling, even if it is already packed. On the other hand, when the stack of sheets of paper is not wrapped, it is very difficult to move it securely by means of a known forklift.

The object of the present invention is precisely to solve these problems and for this purpose proposes a device for picking up and handling loads placed on pallets, characterized in that the surface of the pallet on which the load rests comprises parallel projecting ribs spaced between them from a predetermined distance, and in that the load-taking means comprise a lower fork and an upper plate, the fork comprising a series of parallel teeth intended to be each engaged under the load between two ribs of the pallet, the upper plate being vertically movable to clamp the load on the aforementioned lower fork.

Thus, the device according to the invention makes it possible to engage the lower fork conveniently under the load resting on the pallet, without risking damaging this load, and the movable upper plate which comes to clamp the load on the aforementioned lower fork allows conveniently move this load, even if it consists of a simple stack of sheets of paper.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the explanatory description which follows, given with reference to the appended schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic side view of part of the device according to the invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic top view of the lower fork shown in FIG. 1, and fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a load resting on a pallet according to the invention.

There is therefore shown in the drawings, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention, and we will begin by describing in detail the pallet according to the invention, which is shown schematically in FIG. 3.

This pallet 10 is separated from the ground by means of two parallel longitudinal feet 11, and comprises a horizontal plate 12, the upper surface of which, on which a load rests, comprises parallel projecting ribs 14, which are separated from one the other by a predetermined constant distance. These ribs therefore determine between them free or hollow spaces 15, in which will engage the teeth of the lower fork of the device according to the invention, as will be seen in what follows.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the ribs 14, extending parallel to the longitudinal feet 11 of the pallet 10, have a rectangular or square cross section, and determine between them the aforementioned free spaces 15, which also have a rectangular or square section, so that the whole, seen in section, has a shape in rectangular or square slots.

The device according to the invention also essentially comprises a lower fork 16 and an upper plate 17, which are carried by a common chassis 18, which is itself mounted on a forklift of a conventional type, which has not been shown in the drawings. The chassis 18 comprises vertical tubes 19 on which the upper plate 17 is guided in vertical displacement, the movement of this plate up or down being controlled by a system of hydraulic jacks (not shown), in a conventional manner.

The lower fork 16 is itself mounted laterally movable on the chassis 18, by means of a transverse displacement device 20 which is controlled manually or hydraulically, and it is also angularly movable around a substantially vertical axis, at by means of an automatic ball joint mechanism 21, of a known type, only a part of which has been shown in the drawings.

It will be noted that the lower fork 16 is still movable vertically, like the plate 17, over a large distance, by means of the hydraulic cylinder of the forklift.

The lower fork 16 includes a number of spaced parallel teeth 22, which extend over substantially the same length, and which have substantially the same width. Advantageously, these teeth are removably mounted on the lower fork 16, and their number can thus be adapted to the size of the load to be handled. The width of the teeth 22 is slightly less than the width of the free space 15 formed between two adjacent ribs 14 of the upper face of the pallet 10.

This device according to the invention is used in the following way:

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A load 13 is placed on the pallet 10, as shown in the drawing in fig. 3. To grasp the load thus located on the pallet, the operator adjusts the height of the lower fork 16 by means of the jack of the forklift, in order to present the teeth 22 of the fork at a level substantially lower than the face 5 upper part of the pallet 10. By means of the hydraulic cylinder, the height of the upper plate 17 is adjusted to a value slightly greater than the height of the load 13.

The manual or hydraulic control of the lateral displacement system 20 makes it possible to bring the teeth 22 of the lower fork 10 opposite the free spaces 15 of the pallet, the automatic mechanism of ball joints 21 makes it possible to automatically align the teeth 22 of the fork in the free spaces 15. The teeth 22 of the fork 16 are then introduced between the ribs 14, in the free spaces 15 of the pallet by movement 15 of the forklift, the height of the feet 11 of the pallet making it possible to engage the wheels or the front part of the trolley under this pallet.

Then simply actuate the cylinder of the carriage, to slightly lift the fork 16 and take off the load 13 from the pallet 10, 20

then the hydraulic cylinder for controlling the movement of the upper plate 17 is actuated, to lower the plate 17, the load 13 then being clamped between the plate 17 and the fork 16.

The essential advantage of the invention is that it makes it possible to avoid deformations of the load transported. This is particularly important in the continuous production of multi-sheet printed matter. The sheets produced by a rotary press are deposited directly on a pallet according to the invention, from where they are taken up by the device according to the invention, they are then stored on a particular rack, from where they can be taken up to be directed to an assembly machine.

The invention therefore allows the delicate handling of stacks of paper or objects whose shape and nature allow gripping between two flat surfaces. By way of example, it will be indicated that a stack of paper, having a height of 1 m on a narrow base of 0.20 x 0.30 m, can easily be handled without risk of deformation; it will also be noted that the invention allows the storage of loads on several levels, with a reduction in physical effort and an increase in the productivity of the machines by reducing the losses of raw material.

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1 sheet of drawings

Claims (7)

619,672 1. Device for picking up and handling loads comprising a pallet, characterized in that the surface of the pallet on which the load rests comprises parallel projecting ribs spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance, and in that the means for load taking comprises a lower fork and an upper plate, the fork comprising a series of parallel teeth intended to be each engaged under the load between two ribs of the pallet, the upper plate being vertically movable to clamp the load on the fork lower aforementioned. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower fork and the upper plate are carried by a common frame, arranged so that it can be mounted on a transport vehicle such as a forklift. 2 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the lower fork and the upper plate are movable vertically, for example by means of hydraulic cylinders. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower fork is movable laterally, for example by means of a manual control. 5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aforementioned lower fork is angularly movable about a substantially vertical axis, for example by means of an automatic system of ball joints. 6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the teeth of the lower fork are removable. 7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the teeth of the fork have a width slightly less than the distance separating two adjacent ribs of the pallet.