EP0244323A1 - Lifting device, in particular for handling and opening containers, consisting of two hinged moulds - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A lifting device, in particular for handling and opening containers comprising two shells (28) the top walls of which are linked through a hinge (29) and carry a grip iron fitting (30), said device being of the type comprising two jaws (1, 2) which are linked together and means (18) for moving the two jaws (1, 2) between an open position where they are spaced apart, and a closed position where they are engageable with the grip iron fitting (30) when extending on either side thereof, characterized in that it further comprises two levers (4, 5) articulated on one jaw (1, 2) respectively, a finger (6, 7) provided on each lever (4, 5), said fingers (6, 7) being operable to cooperate with retainers (31) provided on the shells, on either side of the grip iron fitting (30), and control means (8, 9) for pivoting the levers (4, 5) in order to open the container by urging the fingers (6, 7) against the retainers (31) when the jaws (1, 2) are in their closed position.

Description

The present invention relates to a lifting device, in particular for the handling and opening of containers comprising two shells whose upper walls are connected by a hinge and carry a gripping fitting in their median vertical plane, device of the type comprising two articulated jaws relative to each other and means for moving the two jaws between an open position in which they are distant from each other and a closed position in which they feel likely to come er. taken with the gripping fitting.

At present, there are no lifting devices making it possible both to handle and to open the containers comprising two shells articulated relative to each other at their upper wall.

The present invention proposes more particularly to remedy this shortcoming and, to do this, it relates to a lifting device of the aforementioned type which is characterized in that it further comprises at least one lever articulated on one of the jaws, a finger provided on the lever and able to cooperate with a retaining member provided on one of the shells, and a control means intended to pivot the lever in order to open the container by urging the finger against the member when the jaws are in their closed position.

Thanks to the lifting device according to the invention, it is no longer necessary to have recourse to special installations for opening the containers with two shells, which obviously makes it possible to reduce the investment costs in significant proportions.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lifting device comprises two levers each articulated on a jaw, a finger provided on each of the levers, the fingers being able to cooperate with retaining members provided on the shells, on the other hand and other of the gripping fitting, and two control means intended to pivot the levers in order to open the container by urging the fingers against the retaining members when the jaws are in their closed position.

This embodiment is particularly suitable when it comes to handling and opening containers comprising two shells identical articulated along the free edge of their upper wall.

Advantageously, the lever which is articulated on a jaw extends beyond the other jaw and carries the finger at its free end.

This arrangement allows the fingers of the levers to move away from each other while the jaws move from their open position to their closed position. By judiciously positioning the retaining members on the upper walls of the container shells, it is therefore possible to ensure that the fingers of the levers come into engagement with them while the jaws themselves come into engagement with the gripping fitting.

Preferably, the levers each comprise two parallel U-shaped parts, these two parts being articulated on the corresponding jaw by the free end of one of their branches and carrying the finger corresponding to the free end of their other branch.

The levers can thus be nested one inside the other, which makes it possible to produce the lifting device with a compact and balanced structure.

To allow the lifting device to operate with flexibility and precision, the control means are advantageously constituted by two jacks each interposed between a jaw and the lever which is articulated on the other jaw.

Furthermore, to harmonize the action of these jacks, the levers are connected by at least two rods hinged one on the other and having the same length.

The risk of accident would be to be feared if the jaws were to open unexpectedly during the handling and / or the opening of the containers. The present invention also proposes to eliminate these risks by providing on the lifting device that it concerns. safety members capable of locking the jaws when they are in their closed position, these safety members being controlled by the means provided for moving the jaws between their open and closed positions.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the safety members are constituted by hooks pivotally mounted between an active position which they occupy during the closing of the jaws and an inactive position which they occupy during the opening of said jaws, keeping them in their active and inactive positions being ensured by the means provided for moving said jaws.

The present invention also relates to a container of the type comprising two shells, the upper walls of which are connected by a hinge and carry a gripping fitting, this container being characterized in that it further comprises at least one retaining member shaped to cooperate with the lifting device described above.

Preferably, the container according to the present invention comprises two retaining members located on either side of the gripping fitting.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic, the gripping fitting is articulated on the axis of the hinge of the shells and is extended inside the container by a plate intended to be immobilized between the opposite edges of the shells when the container is closed.

Thus, when the container is closed, the gripping fitting remains in the vertical position and can therefore always be grasped by the jaws of the lifting device when they move towards their closed position.

• . la figure 1 est une vue en élévation d'un dispositif de levage et de l'extrémité supérieure d'un conteneur, les mâchoires du dispositif de levage étant dans leur position ouverte tandis que les coquilles du conteneur sont dans leur position fermée ;
• . la figure 2 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, mais dans laquelle les mâchoires du dispositif de levage sont dans leur position fermée ;
• . la figure 3 est une vue du dispositif de levage selon la flèche III de la figure 1 ;
• . la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne IV-IV de la figure 1, mais sur laquelle les crochets de verrouillage n'ont pas été représentés ;
• . la figure 5 est une vue en perspective partielle de la paroi supérieure du conteneur ;
• . la figure 6 est une vue analogue à la figure 2 mais dans laquelle les mâchoires et le conteneur ont été représentés en coupe, les tiges de centrage ayant été omises tandis que les crochets de verrouillage ont été représentés partiellement pour plus de clarté du dessin ; et
• . la figure 7 est une vue analogue à la figure 6 mais montrant le conteneur en position ouverte.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• . Figure 1 is an elevational view of a lifting device and the upper end of a container, the jaws of the lifting device being in their open position while the shells of the container are in their closed position;
• . Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but in which the jaws of the lifting device are in their closed position;
• . Figure 3 is a view of the lifting device according to arrow III of Figure 1;
• . Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 1, but in which the locking hooks have not been shown;
• . Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the upper wall of the container;
• . Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 but in which the jaws and the container have been shown in section, the centering rods having been omitted while the locking hooks have been shown partially for clarity of the drawing; and
• . Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the container in the open position.

The lifting device that can be seen in the drawings comprises two jaws 1, 2 articulated relative to each other on a horizontal rod 3, two levers 4, 5 each articulated on a jaw, two fingers 6, 7 provided at the free end of the levers, and control means 8, 9 for pivoting the levers between two extreme positions visible one in Figures 1 to 3 and 6; and the other in Figure 7.

The jaws 1, 2 are suspended by means of the rod 3 from the lower part of a device known per se 10 intended to rotate the lifting device around a vertical axis. They each consist of two triangular elements 11 articulated on the rod 3 at their upper vertex and held parallel to one another by a spacer 12 and a rectangular plate 13 fixed respectively at their intermediate vertex and in the vicinity of their lower vertex.

The rectangular plates 13 face each other and extend on either side of the triangular elements 11 which they connect (see Figures 3 and 4). They are different from each other in that that of the jaw 1 carries a pin 14 while that of the jaw 2 is provided with a hole 15 intended to receive the free end of the pin 14 when the jaws are in their closed position (see Figures 6 and 7).

Two centering rods 16 are interposed between the two plates 13, on either side and at equal distance from the spindle 14. These rods, the role of which will be explained below, are both integral with the plate of the jaw 1 but can move freely in oblong openings 17 formed in the plate of jaw 2 (see Figure 3). They are advantageously provided, at their free end, with a stop 16a making it possible to limit the opening angle of the jaws 1, 2.

Two jacks 18, which can be hydraulic or pneumatic, are also provided to ensure the movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions. These cylinders, which are identical and parallel, are capable of being connected to a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit, not shown. They are located on the external lateral faces of the jaws which they connect, their cylinders being articulated on the triangular elements constituting the jaw 1 while their piston rods are on the triangular elements milk constituting the jaw 2.

The presence of two cylinders is obviously not compulsory. The pivoting of the jaws could indeed be controlled by a single jack judiciously connecting the two jaws.

There is also nothing to prevent the position of the jacks 18 from being different from that shown in the drawings.

The levers 4, 5 are articulated at the lower end of the jaws 1, 2, on axes 19, 20 extending parallel to the rod 3. They each consist of two parallel parts shaped into a U and whose base is turned to the top. These parts are articulated on the corresponding jaw by the free end of one of their branches and connected by the corresponding finger which is provided at the free end of their other trdnche. They extend beyond the plate 13 of the jaw on which they are not articulated and it is therefore understandable that the fingers 6 and 7 move away from each other when the jacks 18 move the jaws towards their closed position and approach when the jacks 18 move the jaws to their open position.

With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be noted for all practical purposes that the parts constituting the lever 5 are arranged between those constituting the lever 4, which makes it possible to balance the structure of the lifting device.

The control means 8, 9 are constituted by two cylinders which can be hydraulic or pneumatic, these cylinders being connected to a control circuit not shown and each extending between a jaw and the lever which is articulated on the other jaw.

More specifically, the cylinder of the jack 8 is articulated on an axis 21 resting on the triangular elements 11 of the jaw 1 while its piston rod is articulated on an axis 22 resting on the side walls of the finger 7. From even, the cylinder of the jack 9 is articulated on an axis 23 resting on the triangular elements 11 of the jaw 2 while its piston rod is articulated on an axis 24 resting on the side walls of the finger 6.

It will be noted here that the axes 21 and 23 are adjacent to the rod 3 and that they extend parallel to the latter, just as the axes 22 and 24 do.

The mounting of the jacks 8 and 9 could of course be different from that which was adopted in the embodiment shown. The cylinders of these jacks could indeed be articulated on the axes 22 and 24, while the piston rods could be articulated on the axes 21 and 23.

To equalize the action of the jacks, the U-shaped pieces constituting the lever 5 are connected to the U-shaped pieces constituting the lever 4 by two pairs of rods 25, 26 of the same length, these rods being connected above the U-shaped pieces by a connecting rod 27 serving as an axis of articulation.

At each of its ends, the rod 27 is provided with a cylindrical shoulder 27a whose diameter is slightly smaller than the distance e separating the jaws 1, 2 when they are in their closed position (see FIGS. 2, 6 and 7 ). The shoulders 27a, which are positioned so as to bear against the opposite sides of the triangular elements 11 when the jaws 1, 2 are closed, move along these sides when the jacks 8 are actuated and thus ensure perfect guidance of the rod 27 when the container is opened or closed.

To be complete, it will also be specified that the jaws 1, 2, the fingers 6, 7, the jacks 8, 9 and the links 25, 26 are respectively symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the rods 3 and 27.

The present invention also relates to a container designed to be handled and opened with the lifting device which has just been described.

This container, which can be seen partially in Figures 1, 2 and 5 to 7, firstly comprises two identical shells 28 connected by a hinge 29 fixed along the edges opposite their upper wall. It also comprises a gripping fitting 30 situated in its median vertical plane and two retaining elements 31 fixed on the upper wall of the shells 28, on either side and at equal distance from the hinge 29.

The gripping fitting 30, which, in the embodiment envisaged here, is articulated on the axis of the hinge, comprises two symmetrical bevels at the ends of its longitudinal side 33, a lumen 34 centered on the axis of symmetry of the bevels 32, and a plate 35 extending it inside the container.

The bevels 32 are intended to cooperate with the centering rods 16 of the lifting device and to facilitate the attachment of the container to the latter. If the lifting device is positioned above the container so that that its centering rods 16 rest on the bevels 32, in fact the pin 14 is aligned with the lumen 34 of the fitting 30, which allows it to penetrate directly into this lumen and into the bore 15 of the plate 13 of the jaw 2 when the jacks 18 move the jaws 1, 2 from their open position to their closed position.

The plate 35 is for its part intended to be immobilized between the facing edges of the shells 28 and to hold the fitting 30 vertically when the container is closed. The introduction of the pin 14 into the slot 34 is thus always possible when the shells 28 are applied one against the other.

As regards the retaining members 31, they consist of a handle-shaped element. It goes without saying, however, that they could have any other shape, provided that the fingers 6, 7 of the lifting device can come into engagement with them.

• On actionne tout d'abord les vérins 18 pour amener les mâchoires 1, 2 dans leur position ouverte visible sur la figure 1.

To handle and open the container with the lifting device which are the subject of the present invention, the procedure is as follows:

• First of all, the actuators 18 are actuated to bring the jaws 1, 2 into their open position visible in FIG. 1.

The cylinders 8, 9 are then actuated in order to take out their piston rod and to bring the levers 4, 5 into their position shown in FIG. 1.

The lifting device is now positioned above the container so that its centering rods 16 bear on the bevels 32 of the gripping fitting 30. This operation makes it possible to automatically align the spindle14 with the light 34 of the fitting and drilling 15 made in plate 13 of jaw 2.

The jacks 18 are then actuated in order to close the jaws 1 and 2, which allows the spindle 14 to penetrate without any difficulty into the lumen 34 and the bore 15 and the fingers 6 and 7 to cooperate with the retaining members 31 , as shown in Figures 2 and 6. The spacing of the retaining members is of course determined so that the fingers 6 and 7 can engage with them during the closing of the jaws.

The lifting device is then moved in order to bring the container above the place intended to receive the content of the latter.

Finally, the jacks 8 and 9 are actuated in order to retract their piston rod and open the container by rotating the shells 28 around the hinge 29, as shown in FIG. 7.

• . on actionne les vérins 8 et 9 en sens inverse afin de permettre aux coquilles 28 de revenir dans leur position fermée visible sur la figure 6 ;
• . on déplace le dispositif de levage de manière à déposer le conteneur vide à l'endroit indiqué ;
• . on fait en sorte que les tiges de centrage 16 prennent appui sur les biseaux 32 de la ferrure 30 ;
• . on actionne les vérins 18 afin d'extraire la broche 14 du perçage 15 et de la lumière 34 ; et
• . on soulève le dispositif de levage pour l'éloigner du conteneur.

After emptying the container, it is removed from the emptying device by performing the following operations:

• . the cylinders 8 and 9 are actuated in the opposite direction in order to allow the shells 28 to return to their closed position visible in FIG. 6;
• . the lifting device is moved so as to deposit the empty container at the indicated location;
• . it ensures that the centering rods 16 bear on the bevels 32 of the fitting 30;
• . the jacks 18 are actuated in order to extract the spindle 14 from the bore 15 and from the light 34; and
• . the lifting device is lifted away from the container.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the lifting device has been fitted with safety members 36 intended to prevent inadvertent opening of the jaws 1, 2 when they are in their closed position.

In the example envisaged here, these safety members are constituted by two L-shaped hooks 37 articulated at their top on two coaxial pins 38 each carried by a lug 39 fixed on the jaw 2, the lugs 39 being slightly below pins 40 by means of which the piston rods of the jacks 18 are articulated on said jaw 2.

It will be noted in the drawings that the pins 38 extend parallel to the rod 3, just like the pins 40.

The small branches of the hooks 37 extend upward and constantly bear against the free ends of the piston rods of the jacks 18 which are each provided with an oblong slot 41 in which the corresponding pin 40 extends.

The large branches of the hooks 37 extend in turn under the jacks 18 and each end with a finger 42 directed downwards, the fingers 42 being provided with an inclined transverse side 43, in order to rotate the hooks 37 in the direction of arrow F when they meet the plate 13 of the jaw 1.

The hooks 37 constantly take qppui against the free ends of the piston rods of the cylinders 18 under the action of their own weight. They can be moved between an active position (visible in FIG. 2) which they occupy when the straight ends of the slots 41 are in contact with the pins 40 and an inactive position (visible in FIG. 1) which they occupy when the ends left of the slots 41 are in contact with the pins 40.

We will now describe in detail the operation of the hooks 37 assuming that the piston rod of the jacks 18 has just been fully extended and that the pins 40 are against the left end of the slots 41, that is to say assuming that the hooks 37 are in their inactive position, as shown in FIG. 1.

When one begins to retract the piston rod of the jacks 18, the straight ends of the slots 41 come immediately against the pins 40 while the hooks 37 come into their inactive position by pivoting around the pins 38 in the opposite direction to the arrow F .

Then, while the retraction of the piston rod of the jacks 18 continues, the transverse side 43 of the fingers 42 of the hooks 37 comes into contact with the upper edge of the plate 13 of the jaw 1, slides along this upper edge due to its inclination, and thus allows the hooks 37 to retract by pivoting in the direction of the arrow F.

Finally, when the piston rod of the jacks 18 is fully retracted, the fingers 42 extend beyond the plate 13 of the jaw 1 while the hooks 37 return to their active position, under the action of their own weight , to lock the jaws 1, 2 as shown in FIG. 2.

To open the jaws, it suffices to actuate the jacks 18 in the opposite direction. As soon as the piston rods of these cylinders start to come out, the left ends of the slots 41 come into contact with the pins 40 while the hooks 37 are returned to their inactive position. The fingers 43 of the hooks 42 being consequently distant from the plate 13 of the jaw 1, they in no way hinder the opening of the jaws.

To be complete, it will also be specified here that the lifting device according to the invention could advantageously be installed at the free end of the boom of a crane or a similar handling machine.

Claims (19)

1. Lifting device, in particular for handling and opening containers comprising two shells (28), the upper walls of which are connected by a hinge (29) and carry a gripping fitting (30), device of the type comprising two jaws (1, 2) articulated with respect to each other and means (18) for moving the two jaws (1, 2) between an open position in which they are distant from each other and a position closed in which they are likely to come into engagement with the gripping fitting (30), characterized in that it also comprises at least one lever (4, 5) articulated on one of the jaws (1, 2), a finger (6, 7) provided on the lever (4, 5) and able to cooperate with a retaining member (31) provided on one of the shells (28) and a control means (8, 9) intended to rotate the lever (4, 5) to open the container by urging the finger (6, 7) against the retaining member (31) when the jaws (1, 2) are da in their closed position. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two levers (4, 5) each articulated on a jaw (1, 2), a finger (6, 7) provided on each of the levers (4, 5) , the fingers (6, 7) being able to cooperate with retaining members (31) provided on the shells, on either side of the gripping fitting (30), and two control means (8, 9) intended to rotate the levers (4, 5) in order to open the container by urging the fingers (6, 7) against the retaining members (31) when the jaws (1, 2) are in their closed position. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the jaws (1, 2) are articulated relative to each other at their upper end while the levers (4, 5) are articulated at their lower end. 4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the lever (4, 5) which is articulated on a jaw (1, 2) extends beyond the other jaw (2, 1 ) and carries the finger (6, 7) at its free end. 5. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the levers (4, 5) each comprise two parallel parts shaped as a U, these two parts being articulated on the corresponding jaw (1, 2) by l free end of one of their branches and wearing the finger corresponding (6, 7) to the free end of their other branch. 6. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the control means (8, 9) consist of two jacks each interposed between a jaw (1, 2) and the lever (4, 5) which is articulated on the other jaw (2, 1). 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that each cylinder (8, 9) extends between the upper end of a jaw (1, 2) and the lever (4, 5) which is articulated on the other jaw (2, 1). 8. Device according to any one of claims.2 to 7, characterized in that the jaws (1, 2), the fingers (6, 7) and the control means (8, 9) are respectively symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the axis of articulation (3) of the jaws (1, 2). 9. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the levers (4, 5) are connected by at least two links (25, 26) articulated one on the other and having the same length . 10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that one (1) of the jaws carries a pin (14) while the other (2) is provided with a hole (15) suitable receiving the spindle (14), said spindle (14) passing through a lumen (34) formed in the gripping fitting (30) and projecting into the bore (15) when the jaws (1, 2) are in their closed position . 11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises centering means (16, 32) intended to cooperate with the gripping fitting (30) to allow the spindle (14) to penetrate directly into the light (34) and in the bore (15) when the jaws (1, 2) move from their open position to their closed position. 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the centering means comprise two symmetrical bevels (32) produced at the ends of the longitudinal side (33) of the gripping fitting (30) and two centering rods (16) interposed between the two jaws (1, 2), on either side of the spindle (14), these rods (16) ensuring an automatic alignment of the spindle (14) with the light (34) and the bore (15) when 'they rest on the two symmetrical bevels (32). 13. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the means (18) for moving the jaws (1, 2) between their open and closed positions consist of at least one cylinder interposed between them. 14. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it comprises safety members (36) for locking the jaws (1, 2) when they are in their closed position, these safety members being controlled by the means (18) provided for moving the jaws between their open and closed positions. 15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the safety members (36) consist of hooks (37) pivotally mounted between an active position which they occupy during the closing of the jaws (1, 2) and a position inactive that they occupy during the opening of said jaws, their maintenance in their active and inactive positions being ensured by the means (18) provided for moving said jaws between their open and closed positions. 16. Container comprising two shells (28) whose upper walls are connected by a hinge (29) and carry a gripping fitting (30), characterized in that it further comprises at least one retaining member (31) shaped to cooperate with the lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 15. 17. Container according to claim 16, characterized in that it comprises two retaining members (31) located on either side of the gripping fitting (30). 18. Container according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the gripping fitting (30) is articulated on the axis of the hinge (29) of the shells (28) and is extended inside the container by a plate (35) intended to be immobilized between the edges facing the shells (28) when the container is closed. 19. Container according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that the retaining members (31) are in the form of a handle.

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