DE102021115700A1 - TRANSPORT FRAME - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport frame (10) made of a plastic material with a receiving surface (14) for goods to be transported, a contact surface (16), four side walls (18), and entry openings (12) in at least one side wall (18) for the forks of an industrial truck , for example a pallet truck, forklift, wheel loader or a tractor with attachment. It is provided that an engagement of the forks of the industrial truck in at least one first entry opening (12) enables the transport frame (10) with the goods to be transported to be lifted, and an engagement of the forks of the industrial truck in at least a second entry opening (12) enables lifting on the Recording surface (14) arranged transport allows. The second drive-in opening (12) is arranged in the same side wall as the first drive-in opening (12) and above it.

Description

The invention relates to a transport frame made of a plastic material with a receiving surface for transport goods.

STATE OF THE ART

Transport frames, in particular in the form of transport pallets, such as Euro pallets, can be transported by industrial trucks such as forklifts or the like. The fork tines of the industrial truck reach into entry openings in the transport frame in order to lift it off the ground with or without the goods to be transported.

Europool pallets made of wood, often also called Euro pallets, make up the majority of the transport frames used in practice, not least because of the standardized dimensions and specification of the number of boards and feet according to EN 13698-1, as well as because of the availability of the raw materials . However, wooden pallets are increasingly being replaced by plastic pallets.

Plastic pallets are initially distinguished from wooden pallets by their reduced weight and greater robustness. Many plastic pallets have also been specially developed for specific purposes, for example by being provided with non-slip or reinforcement structures in a variety of ways. By way of example, reference is made to DE 10 2018 119 699 A1 . The plastic pallet disclosed there comprises an upper deck and a lower part, the lower part being designed in the shape of skids and access openings for the access of industrial trucks being provided between the support feet.

Out of DE 10 2007 054 521 A1 a shuttle pallet for a storage system is known, which consists of only three load bearing bridges and three longitudinal beams. In practice, the shuttle pallet is arranged under conventional transport pallets in order to be placed in a high-bay warehouse together with the conventional transport pallets.

A transport frame that is not designed as a pallet is off DE 20 1015 003 069 U1 famous. The transport frame is specially designed for the transport of shock-sensitive components, such as vehicle bumpers with a frame element and equipped with entry openings for forklift tines on the underside. The transport frame is provided above the frame-like floor structure with a structure in which the bumpers are arranged.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

A disadvantage of the devices from the prior art is that the goods to be transported have to be lifted off the pallet either by hand or by means of tension belts. This requires a series of work steps. Maneuvering the transported goods while hanging with the help of tension belts also entails the risk of careless behavior or unsafe fastening of the belt.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of known transport frames.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a transport frame made of a plastic material is provided for this purpose with a receiving surface for goods to be transported, a contact area, four side walls and entry openings in at least one side wall for the forks of an industrial truck, with engagement of the forks of the industrial truck in at least a first entry opening causing the transport frame to be raised transport goods located thereon and an engagement of the forks of the industrial truck in at least one second entry opening allows lifting transport goods arranged on the receiving surface. It is provided that the second drive-in opening is located in the same side wall as the first drive-in opening and above it.

In the context of the present disclosure, industrial trucks include both lift trucks (e.g. ants) and forklifts, but also vehicles with appropriate attachments that have appropriate forks, for example wheel loaders or tractors with appropriate attachments such as front loaders or the like.

The first and second entry openings for the forks of the industrial truck, which are arranged one above the other and are provided according to the invention, make it possible for the goods to be transported, which are on the receiving surface of the transport frame, to be lifted by the industrial truck from the transport frame for the intended use. There is no need to manually lift the goods to be transported or crane-like lifting using tension belts or the like. Because the fork tines come into direct contact with the goods to be transported, maneuvering of the goods to be transported is also possible in narrow surroundings, while a solution using tension belts due to the hanging attachment at least on the top side leaves a considerable amount of space are available and the forklift must also be designed accordingly. The transport frame according to the invention is particularly advantageous for heavy goods to be transported, such as parts supplied by the automotive industry or the like, since this can often not be lifted by specialist personnel.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the transport frame has two first drive-in openings arranged next to one another. In other words, a solid part of the transport frame is provided between the first drive-in openings, for example in the form of a support section, which can form part of the contact area of the transport frame, which therefore forms a reinforcing structure within the transport frame. In an alternative embodiment, in which the transport frame has only a single first drive-in opening into which both forks of the industrial truck engage, less material is used, so that there are advantages here too.

According to a preferred embodiment, the transport frame has two second drive-in openings arranged next to one another. Advantageously, the solid part of the transport frame forms a support section between the two second drive-in openings, for example as part of the receiving surface. In an alternative embodiment, a very wide second drive-in opening can be provided, into which both forklift tines of the industrial truck engage, which has advantages in terms of weight, among other things.

The first and the second drive-in openings are preferably spaced apart from one another by material bridges, which can be provided either continuously or in sections. Reinforcement structures can be provided in the material bridges, which advantageously distribute the punctiform or one-dimensional load over the entire dimension of the transport frame when the transport frame is lifted by the industrial truck.

The transport frame preferably has support sections which form the receiving surface. In particular, for example, two or preferably three support sections can be provided, which in particular laterally enclose the second entry openings. The support sections can be connected to one another by the material bridges, which can enclose the second entry openings, in particular on the underside.

The lower part of the transport frame is designed appropriately. According to one embodiment, the underside of the transport frame is designed to be essentially full-surface or to be provided with typical lattice structures, so that there is a solid contact area. Such lattice structures are well known from transport boxes or plastic pallets. Alternatively it can be provided that the transport frame has foot sections which form the contact area. In some configurations, the foot sections can be connected to one another by means of skids, for example as in DE 10 2018 119 699 A1 described.

The transport frame is preferably produced in one piece by injection molding, but can also be composed of a number of individual injection molded parts, for example glued, welded or molded onto a second section on a first section. The transport frame can be provided with any number of reinforcement structures, in particular steel girders, whereby these can be provided both in the area of the receiving area and in the area of the contact area, and in particular in the area of the bridge sections. Anti-slip structures can be provided on the receiving surface, on the contact surface and in the area of the entry openings, as is generally known from the prior art.

According to a preferred embodiment, the transport frame has a first stacking mechanism in the receiving area and a second stacking mechanism in the contact area, which interact in the stack of two identically designed transport frames to prevent the transport frames from slipping against one another. Projecting nose cams, support sills or small wall sections, for example, can be provided for this purpose on the receiving surface for the goods to be transported. Recesses are provided in the contact area, for example, which are designed with a corresponding complementary configuration to those of the first stacking mechanism in the receiving area. Advantageously, a large central recess can also be provided in the receiving surface, which is adapted to the contour of the goods to be transported. The transport frame can therefore represent a special transport solution for a specific component which, for example, is particularly heavy and has a defined contour, in which case this component can then be lifted out of the transport frame by being lifted using an industrial truck, i.e. without the use of manual force.

It is advantageous if the transport frame has the module size of a pool pallet in at least one dimension. In particular, it can be provided that the transport frame has the dimensions of a Euro pool pallet, for example 1200 mm or 800 mm. According to the present disclosure, the term Euro pool pallet is according to DIN EN 13698-1 (2009-10) to understand. In particular, it can be provided that the transport frame also has the module dimensions of a pull pallet in two dimensions, for example 1200 mm×800 mm. The height of the transport frame is typically higher than according to DIN EN 13698-1, in order to allow unrestricted access for the forks of the industrial truck in both entry openings.

character list

• 1 eine perspektive Ansicht auf ein erfindungsgemäßes Transportgestell,
• 2 eine Frontansicht des Transportgestells aus 1,
• 3 eine Seitenansicht des Transportgestells aus 1,
• 4 eine Schnittansicht durch den Schnitt A-A in 3,
• 5 eine Ansicht von unten auf das Transportgestell aus 1 und
• 6 eine Ansicht von oben auf das erfindungsgemäße Transportgestell.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the figures. show it

• 1 a perspective view of a transport frame according to the invention,
• 2 a front view of the transport frame 1 ,
• 3 a side view of the transport frame 1 ,
• 4 a sectional view through section AA in 3 ,
• 5 a view from below of the transport frame 1 and
• 6 a view from above of the transport frame according to the invention.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, a pallet-like transport frame 10 is shown according to an embodiment of the invention.

This in 1 Transport frame 10 shown can be raised by means of forks of an industrial truck of a forklift. For this purpose, the transport frame 10 has two entrance openings 12 arranged next to one another for the tines of the forklift truck. A material bridge 24 is provided above the entry openings 12, with recesses located above it, which are described in more detail with reference to the following figures, and via which the forks of the industrial truck can engage.

The transport frame 10 has a receiving surface 14 for an item to be transported (not shown) on the upper side, and a contact surface 16 on the underside, which, as with reference to FIG 5 described in more detail is formed essentially over the entire surface, but this is not to be understood as limiting the invention.

The areas in which the drive-in openings 12 are provided are bordered by two support sections 20 of the transport frame 10 provided on the outside and in the middle by a central support section 20 . The drive-in openings 12 are located on the longer side walls 18 of the transport frame 10 in this exemplary embodiment, not restricting the invention, and are designed to be continuous from a first side wall 18 to the opposite side wall 18 .

Carrying handles 22 are formed on the other two opposite side walls 18, which allow manual handling of the transport frame, for example lifting and manual carrying by one or more users.

2 shows a front view of the transport frame 10 from 1 . As can be seen, there are two first drive-in openings 12a in a lower area of the transport frame. Two second drive-in openings 12 b are spaced apart from the two first drive-in openings 12 a by the material bridges 24 . In addition, the support sections 20 are also spaced apart from one another by the material bridges 24 .

The first drive-in openings 12a have a height h _a and a width l. The second drive-in openings 12 b have a height h _b and also a second width l, by way of example but not by way of limitation. In the embodiment shown, the heights h _a and h _b are also of the same height, which is useful but not limiting for the invention.

A minimum height of the entry openings 12a, 12b is determined by a typical height of the tines of an industrial truck. Typically, h _a or h _b is greater than 5 cm, preferably between 5 and 15 cm. The width I of the drive-in openings 12 is also designed depending on a typical width of a tine of an industrial truck and is between 15 cm and 30 cm, preferably between 20 and 25 cm, although this is not to be understood as limiting.

The height of the transport frame is shown with the reference c and is, for example, about 200 to 300 mm. The height of the transport frame 10 including the height of a stacking device 26 is shown with _C1 , the stacking device 26 comprising cams located in the corner regions of the transport frame 10 and immersed in the stack with a transport frame 10 of similar design in corresponding exceptions.

3 shows a side view of the transport frame 10 from 1 . The handle 22 is located approximately in the middle of the side wall. With d a width of the material bridge 24 is located, which is advantageously approximately between a third and the Half of a width b of the transport frame 10 is configured. This dimensioning enables a stable load transfer of the load applied at certain points by the stacking tines, in particular when the transport frame 10 is raised 5 illustrated second stacking mimic 26 b cooperates to allow a safe stacking of similar transport racks 10.

4 shows a sectional view through the in 3 shown level AA. In particular, it can be seen that the transport frame 10, in contrast to wooden pallets, for example Euro pallets, is not solid, but has air-accessible chambers 28, shown here as an example in the area of the support sections 20 and material bridges 24, which make the transport frame 10 very light.

5 12 shows a view of the transport frame 10 from below 1 . The contact area 16 is designed over the entire area, but not solidly, and has typical struts or lattice structures which extend here, for example, essentially over the entire underside of the transport frame 10 . In alternative embodiments that are not shown, there may be no material below the first drive-in openings 12 .

Furthermore, the second stacking mimic 26b is visible in the form of recesses, which are connected to the in 6 illustrated first stack mimic 26 a cooperate.

6 shows a plan view of the transport frame 10 from 1 , where the dimensions, namely the length a and the width b, are also shown here. In preferred embodiments, at least one of the lengths or widths a, b is either 800 mm or 1200 mm, and is therefore in the modular dimension of the Euro pallet. It is further preferred if the second of the lengths or widths a, b forms a fraction of the module size, the module size being an integral multiple of the length or width a, b, in particular eg 2, 3 or 4 the transport frame 10 according to the invention is compatible with an existing pool system.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the figures, but includes a large number of possible alternatives which are within the ability of a person skilled in the art.

In particular, the illustrated embodiment in the size of one third of a Euro pool pallet is not to be understood as limiting, so that the invention also includes transport frames with other external dimensions.

Reference List

10

transport frame;

12

driveway opening;

12a

first drive-in opening;

12b

second entry opening;

14

recording surface;

16

footprint;

18

Side wall;

20

support section;

22

carrying handle;

24

material bridge;

26

stacking mimic;

26a

first stack mimic;

26b

second stack mimic;

28

Chamber;

a

Length;

b

Broad;

c

Height;

c1

height with stacking mimic;

i.e

Material bridge width

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102018119699 A1 [0004, 0016]
• DE 102007054521 A1 [0005]
• DE 201015003069 U1 [0006]

Claims (10)

Transport frame (10) made of a plastic material with a receiving surface (14) for goods to be transported, a contact area (16), four side walls (18), and entry openings (12) in at least one side wall (18) for the forks of an industrial truck, for example a lift truck , forklift truck, wheel loader or a tractor with attachment, whereby an engagement of the fork tines of the industrial truck in at least one first entry opening (12a) enables the transport frame (10) with the goods to be transported to be lifted and an engagement of the fork tines of the industrial truck in at least one second entry opening ( 12b) enables transport goods arranged on the receiving surface (14) to be lifted off, characterized in that the second entry opening (12b) is arranged in the same side wall (18) as the first entry opening (12a) and above it. Transport frame (10) after claim 1 , characterized in that the transport frame (10) has two first insertion openings (12a) arranged next to one another. Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) has two second drive-in openings (12b) arranged next to one another. Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the entry openings (12) are spaced apart from one another by material bridges (24). Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) has support sections (20) which form the receiving surface (14). Transport frame (10) after claim 4 and 5 , characterized in that the support sections (20) are connected to one another by the material bridges (24). Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) has foot sections which form the contact surface (16). Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) has a first stacking element (26a) in the receiving surface (14), in particular in corner regions of the receiving surface (14), and in the contact surface (16) a second stacking mechanism (26b) which cooperate in the stack of two identically designed transport racks (10) in order to prevent the transport racks (10) from slipping against one another. Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) is produced in one piece by injection moulding. Transport frame (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport frame (10) has the module dimensions of a pool pallet in at least one dimension, preferably in two dimensions, in particular a Euro pool pallet with dimensions of 1200 mm and/or 800 mm according to DIN EN 13698 -1 (2009-10).

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