DK178372B1 - Lifting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus (100) for lifting and hauling heavy loads. The lifting apparatus (100) comprises a sliding frame (110) fixed in an oblique angle to a base support (120), adapted to elevate or lower a fork section (130) attached to a lower end of the sliding frame (110). A tilting member (140) pivotally mounted to the sliding frame (110), adapted to actuate the fork section (130) with respect to the sliding frame (110). The lifting apparatus (100) further comprises an electric winch (112) adapted to drive the sliding frame (110) and the tilting member (140), by winding or unwinding a wire (114) extending from an upper end of sliding frame (110) and threading through a set of pulleys (132, 134) fixed to the fork section (130).

Description

LIFTING APPARATUS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a lifting apparatus and more specifically relates to an apparatus for lifting and hauling small, heavy loads in narrow spaces, the apparatus capable of being attached to load carrying vehicles or a wheel base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There exists different types of apparatus or devices including cranes, lift trucks, hoist devices, lifts/elevators, hand trucks, wheelbarrow etc., that are commonly used for handling and moving heavy objects. Out of which, fork lifts have been generally known for many years and have been widely used in such areas as warehouses and cargo receiving areas to handle and transport heavy loads. However, conventional lifting and hauling apparatus, including fork lifts and high-lifts, are too expensive and cumbersome to use by individuals to perform relatively simple tasks such as lifting and hauling small but heavy items from one place to another, especially by driving through narrow spaces and different terrains.

[0003] For example, simple tasks such as; hauling a pile of firewoods to and around a house; carrying a hunted big game animal; transporting palletized loads such as bricks in a construction site; driving a bale of hay in horse stables or farms; and loading of small cargo in warehouses or docks, requires lifting and hauling of small, heavy loads at least for ashort distance. Small load carrying devices such as a wheel barrow or hand truckrequires manual loading of goods, labor intensive and are inefficient in handling heavy, palletized goods. On the other hand, forklifts traditionally used for moving palletized goods are difficult to handle and proves costly for simple daily chores.

[0004] In places such as building or construction sites, there is a frequent need to handle small, heavy loads such as pallet of bricks in an easy manner. For example: bricks stacked on a pallet generally comprises four pieces of Va pallet, and bricks on a Va pallet needs to be elevated to about 20 cm from ground for efficient loading by a forklift. In addition, the bricks on the Va pallet is usually placed above two empty Va pallets in order to elevate to an ergonomically correct working height. Furthermore, it is difficult for traditional lifting apparatuses to reach the materials such as bricks stacked on far most side of a pallet, during loading.

[0005] Traditional forklifts with fixed type body frame and fork section generally occupies a large storage space. Moreover, it is difficult to carry heavy loads on uneven surfaces such as harsh terrains using conventional lifting apparatus with a fixed vertical fork section. Further, linear actuators used in front loading fork lifts are slow, weak and the stroke is way too short during extension. Different types of forklift apparatuses exists in the art. For example, US Patent no. US8297904 B1 discloses a container carrier with longitudinal extension and retraction capability. The container carrier comprises two hydraulic cylinders provided in an over and under configuration which enables the fork structure to tilt as well as telescopically extend and retract about a mast assembly. A third cylinder was provided for vertically raising and lowering the fork structure. However, the container carrier as disclosed in US8297904 B1 fails to disclose an electric winch attached to the sliding frame and threaded through a set of pulleys fixed to the fork section.

[0006] Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved apparatus for efficient lifting and hauling of small, heavy loads and capable of being attached to load carrying vehicles or a wheel base for transporting the loads on different terrains.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention relates to a lifting apparatus for handling small, heavy materials or objects, the apparatus comprising: a sliding assembly fixed at an oblique angle to a base support, adapted to elevate or lower a fork section pivotally attached to a lower end of the sliding assembly. The fork section comprises a set of L-shaped fork members for bearing heavy loads of materials and capable of being tilted towards the sliding assembly, by a tilting member pivotally mounted to the sliding assembly. The apparatus further comprises an electric winch attached to the sliding assembly, the winch is adapted to drive the sliding assembly and the tilting member, by winding or unwinding a wire extending from an upper end of sliding assembly and threaded through a set of pulleys fixed to the fork section. The sliding assembly and the tilting member can be actuated one at a time, by the electric winch via pulleys and wire, for lifting and hauling of materials. The lifting apparatus is mountable on a load carrying vehicle or a wheel base by removably attaching the base support on the vehicle or wheel base.

[0008] Upward or downward movement of the sliding frame causes the fork section to elevate or lower towards the ground, whereas compression or extension of the tilting member causes the fork section to tilt towards the sliding assembly thereby allowing the fork section to slide upwards or downwards with respect to the sliding assembly. The fork section in a tilted position is further slide upwards till it reaches a position with center of gravity, thus enabling proper balancing of a loaded fork section while transporting with the help of wheel base, even on rough surfaces.

[0009] The lifting apparatus further comprises a nose wheel mounted to an axle extending forward from the base support towards the ground. The nose wheel prevents tipping over of the apparatus when the fork section is loaded, and also acts as mobile base for moving the apparatus, once the apparatus is detached from the vehicle or wheel base. The apparatus comprises a bolt latch fixed to the base support, for locking the sliding frame in order to prevent it from sliding, thus blocking upward or downward movement of the fork section in a tilted position.

[0010] In an embodiment, the lifting apparatus is detachable from the vehicle or wheel base, when not in use and can be folded on itself for stowing in a storage space. Empty fork section can be tilted towards the sliding frame via the tilting member actuated by the electric winch. In this case, movement of the bolt latch to a locked position prevents sliding movement of the sliding member, thus inhibiting upward or downward movement of the fork section. The nose wheel and the T-shaped fork member acts as a base member or supporting legs for the apparatus in a stowed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1A is a side view of a lifting apparatus mounted on a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. IB is a side view of the lifting apparatus with sliding frame moving downwards to a lifting position, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2A is a side view of lifting apparatus with extended sliding frame and loaded fork section, FIG. 2B illustrates the loaded fork section tilted towards the sliding frame, and FIG. 2C illustrates upward movement of the sliding frame and loaded fork section with a center of gravity above the wheel base, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 3A is a side view of the lifting apparatus in an unloaded position, and FIG. 3B illustrates unloaded fork section tilted towards the sliding frame, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a side view of the lifting apparatus in a stowed position, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments presents a description of certain specific embodiments to assist in understanding the claims. However, the present invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

[0016] Referring to FIGs. 1A-1B illustrating a lifting apparatus with sliding assembly in a normal position and an extended position respectively. FIG. 1A shows a side view of the lifting apparatus 100, comprising a sliding assembly 110 fixed to a base support 120, wherein the base support can be removably mounted on a load carrying vehicle or a wheel base 160. In an embodiment, the sliding assembly 110 comprises a sliding frame 110 fixed at an oblique angle to the base support 120 and adapted to slide upwards or downwards at a predefined angle. A fork section 130, preferably comprises an ‘L-shaped’ fork section with at least a pair of forks members 136 horizontal at floor level, adapted to carry load such as heavy materials or objects.

The fork section 130 is attached to a lower end of the sliding frame 110, such that the sliding movement of sliding frame 110 elevates or lowers the fork section 130 in a vertical position. The fork section 130 is pivotally attached around an axle 116 at the lower end of the sliding frame 110.

[0017] The apparatus further comprises a tilting member 140 pivotally mounted to the sliding frame 110. The tilting member 140 comprises a piston rod and a cylinder assembly operated by pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical or mechanical force. One end of the tilting member 140 is pivotally attached to the sliding frame 110, and other end is connected to the fork section 130, such that compression or extension of the tilting member 140 results in tilting or straightening of the fork section 130. In an embodiment, the tilting member 140 may comprise a gas piston adapted to hold the fork section 130 in an upright position by complete extension of the piston, otherwise the fork section 130 has a tendency to tilt towards the sliding frame 110, especially in a loaded state.

[0018] An electric winch 112 is attached to the sliding frame 110, the winch 112 comprises a wire 114 with a first end winded around a spool, and the wire 114 further threads through a set of pulleys 132, 134 fixed adjacent to upper and lower ends of the fork section 130 and a second end of the wire 114 is attached to an upper end of the sliding frame 110. The electric winch 112 controls the upward or downward sliding movement of the sliding frame 110 by winding or unwinding of the wire 114. The electric winch 112 also controls compression or extension movement of the tilting member 140. FIG. IB shows a side view of the lifting apparatus with the sliding frame 110 sliding downwards thus lowering the fork section 130 towards a lifting position, caused by unwinding or rolling out the wire 114 from the winch 112. Here, the fork section 130 is kept upright and prevented from tilting, by the tilting member 140 which is now in a fully extended position. In an exemplary embodiment, the sliding frame is adapted to slide up and down at an angle of 45 degrees.

[0019] The electric winch 112 can operate fast, and forms a robust structure. In an exemplary embodiment, the winch 112 is capable of a stroke from 15 meters to 0, in contrast to the linear actuating devices with a stroke of 60 cm-70 cm approximately. The winch 112 can wind about 15 meters of wire around a spool and can be placed anywhere on the apparatus. In a fully winded state, the winch 112 occupies only 12 cm diameter area thus consuming less space on the apparatus. The wire is adapted to bear heavy loads and may comprise metal or plastic cable, steel wire, cord, synthetic fiber and the like.

[0020] For example, the fork section 130 can be driven accordingly to place beneath a heavy material or load, for lifting it off the pallet on ground. The loaded fork section 130 tilts back until it comes into contact with the sliding frame 110, caused by the compression of tilting member 140. The load bearing fork section 130 cannot tilt further and hence winding up the wire 114 by the winch 112 drives the sliding frame 110 upwards along with the load bearing fork section 130 to a position with center of gravity over the base support. Similarly, rolling out of the wire 114 from the winch 112 causes the load bearing fork section 130 to slide downwards in a tilted position until reaches the scaffold deck or trailer deck or floor or ground level and the load bearing fork section 130 which cannot slide further, thus begins to straightened back to an upright position via extension movement of tilting member 140, for unloading the material.

[0021] FIG. 2A illustrates a side view of lifting apparatus with an extended sliding frame and a loaded fork section. The electric winch 112 unwinds the wire 114 from the spool, allowing extension of the sliding frame 110 downwards causing the fork section 130 to lower towards the ground for lifting the object 170. Once the fork section 130 is loaded with the object 170, it is tilted towards the sliding frame 110 via compression movement of the tilting member 140, and as the loaded fork section 130 cannot tilt further, it starts to slide upwards towards the direction shown by the arrow, along with the sliding frame 110 by winding of the wire 114 by the electric winch 112 as shown in FIG. 2B.

[0022] FIG. 2C illustrates upward movement of the sliding frame and loaded fork section towards a position with center of gravity above the wheel base, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fork section 130 loaded with the object 170 in a tilted position is made to slide upwards by the sliding movement of the sliding frame 110, which brings the loaded fork section 130 towards a position with center of gravity above the base support or wheel base, thus providing stability during carriage especially on an uneven surface or rough, harsh terrains. The movement of the sliding frame 110 is actuated by the electric winch 112 via winding of the wire 114. Since the load or object 170 is carried on center of gravity over the base support, there is no need for a counter weight as in counterbalanced trucks with vertical mast assembly which carries load in front portion of the vehicle. In addition, the apparatus of the present invention with the ability to carry load positioned on the center of gravity enables easy transport of loads on rough terrains, which cannot be achieved using conventional forklifts or similar lifting apparatuses.

[0023] The lifting apparatus of the present invention allows folding of the fork section upon itself for easy stowing in a storage space, thus occupying less space. FIG. 3A illustrates a side view of the lifting apparatus in an unloaded position. Firstly, the bolt latch 122 is moved to a locking position for preventing any movement of the sliding frame 110, thus preventing upward or downward movement of the fork section 130 in a vertical position. Secondly, the fork section 130 is tilted towards the sliding frame 110, by compression movement of the tilting member 140 (e.g. gas piston), causing the fork section 130 to fold upon itself and lay over the sliding frame 110 as shown in FIG. 3B. Thus the apparatus in an unloaded state can be transported by moving with the help of the wheel base for stowing.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the lifting apparatus in a stowed position, according to an embodiment of the invention. The lifting apparatus detached from the wheel base, can be stowed by folding the sliding frame 110 towards the empty fork section 130, with the help of the axle support 116 and compression movement of tilting member 140. Stowing of the apparatus with the sliding frame 110 folded towards an upright fork section 130 results in consumption of less storage space compared to fixed design lifting apparatus. The nose wheel 150 and T-shaped fork member 136 of the fork section acts as legs or as standing support while stowing. Further, the nose wheel 150 acts as a mobile base for moving the apparatus for stowing.

[0025] The lifting apparatus of the present invention can be removably mounted on a vehicle such as small load carrying vehicles such as motorized wheel barrow, and load vehicles such as pick-up trucks, lift trucks, and the like.

[0026] In places such as building or construction sites, there is a frequent need to handle small, heavy loads such as pallet of bricks in an easy manner. For example: bricks stacked on a pallet generally comprises four pieces of Va pallet, and bricks on a Va pallet needs to be elevated to about 20 cm from the ground for efficient loading by a forklift. Generally, the bricks on a Va pallet is placed above two empty Va pallets in order to elevate to an ergonomically correct working height. Furthermore, it is difficult for traditional lifting apparatuses to reach the materials such as bricks stacked on far most side of a pallet, during loading. Whereas the lifting apparatus of the present invention, is able to easily reach the bricks stacked on far most side of a pallet with help of nose wheels, followed by lifting, tilting to a predefined angle and raised upwards to a position with center gravity above the wheel base. The lifting apparatus can take up and set down again, the pallet/ load in any given height between 0 and 70 cm.

[0027] Other advantages of the lifting apparatus includes lifting loads at choice free heights, moving of the lifted load back and forth or transporting to a distance through narrow spaces and pathways without pavement. For example: the lifting apparatus can be mounted on a vehicle or a wheel base for carrying materials including but not limited to bricks, wood piles, bales of hay, fertilizers, concrete, cement, gravel and sand. The lifting apparatus acts as a small “all-terrain forklift” which can transport heavy loads on rough and narrow terrains. The lifting apparatus doesn’t require counter weight to balance loads, as the loads are carried above center of gravity over the wheel base or base support.

[0028] The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out, without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (8)

A lifting apparatus (100) comprising: a sliding frame (110) fixed at an inclined angle to a foundation support (120) adapted to raise or lower a fork section (130) attached to a lower end of the sliding frame (110); a tilting member (140) pivotally mounted on the sliding frame (110) arranged to hold the fork section (130) in an upright position, or to tilt the fork section back (130) toward the sliding frame (110); and an electric winch (112) attached to the sliding frame (110) arranged to drive the sliding frame (110) and tilt the member (140) to move the fork section (130) to a lifting and hoisting position, by winding or unwinding a wire (114) extending from an upper end of the sliding frame (110) and threading, through a set of pulleys (132, 134) attached to the fork section (130). The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1 further comprises at least one nose wheel (150) secured to a shaft extending forwardly from the foundation support (120). The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1 further comprises a bolt lock (122) secured to the foundation support (120), wherein the bolt lock (122) is arranged to lock the sliding frame (110), thereby preventing the it slides. The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the tilting element (140) comprises a piston and cylinder assembly, driven by hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic or electrical force. The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the tilting element (140) comprises a gas piston. The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the fork section (130) is rotatably mounted on the lower end of the sliding frame (110) by means of a shaft support (116). The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the base support (120) can be secured to a vehicle or wheelbase (160). The lifting apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the fork section (130) is "L-shaped" and comprises at least one pair of fork units (136).