EP0687226A1

EP0687226A1 - Container road transport vehicle

Info

Publication number: EP0687226A1
Application number: EP94911146A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Helmut Muckenhaupt; Hans-Dieter MÜLLER
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-03-10
Filing date: 1994-03-10
Publication date: 1995-12-20
Also published as: WO1994020328A1; DE4311836A1; DE4311836C2

Abstract

In order to allow a container (6) to be tilted in a lifted position in a container transport vehicle with as little equipment as possible, the transport vehicle has a guiding mast (10) on which a lifting fork (11) is vertically movable. The prongs (12) of the fork (11) grip the container (6) from below. In addition, the transport vehicle is equipped with a guiding device permanently secured to its chassis (1) and within which the container (6) may be guided along a defined displacement track during lifting, lowering and tilting. The container (6) is guided on guiding rollers (32a, 32b) constantly guided in the guiding device and to which the container may be detachably linked by insertable bolts (35, 36).

Description

Road container transport vehicles

The invention relates to a road-going container transport vehicle with a chassis on which a vertical mast with a lifting element is arranged at the front end in the direction of travel, the container transport vehicle and the container having means for loading and emptying one Containers are provided.

Such a container transport vehicle is known for example from GB-A 21 32 568. This known container transport vehicle is designed as a car trailer. A small container, optionally equipped with wheels, can be pulled onto the chassis of this car trailer from behind by means of a cable winch arranged on the chassis. For this purpose, the chassis is provided on the rear with a foldable ramp. The small container is provided at the rear end in the direction of travel with a tilting joint, about which it can be tilted for the purpose of emptying. The tilting movement, like the winding movement, is generated by the cable winch.

Such road-going container transport vehicles with associated small containers are particularly suitable for collecting waste in small businesses such as garden centers, farms, craft businesses, small construction companies etc. The use of small containers makes it possible to If necessary, collect the different waste separately and store it temporarily at a collection point until the amount has become so large that a trip to the central waste disposal is worthwhile. In the case of intermediate storage, however, it is necessary to collect the waste brought up with the small containers in suitable large-volume intermediate containers, in particular in large containers. To this end, it must be possible to tip the small containers that have been brought up by road transport vehicle into the large container. However, this tipping into large containers is not possible or is only possible with difficulty with the container transport vehicles of the type discussed above, because the tilting joint and thus the tipping edge are too deep. The same problems arise, for example, when the small containers in trucks, silos or the like are to be tipped over.

According to the prior art (US-PS 28 29 789) a container transport vehicle is also known, which allows tipping into large containers. For this purpose, this container transport vehicle is provided with a lifting mast which has a vertically displaceable lifting fork, the tines of which reach under the container. A hydraulic tipping device is attached to the lifting fork to empty the container in the raised position. In this case, a tilting frame can be tilted about a joint arranged at the tip of the lifting fork. When this tipping device is actuated, the container located on the tipping frame is tilted beyond the tip of the lifting fork, so that the contents of the container are emptied beyond the end of the vehicle.

A problem with this transport vehicle is that a large torque is required to tip a filled container around the hinge axis located at the tip of the lifting fork. In order that even fully loaded, heavy containers can be tipped over, the tilting device installed on the lifting fork must be equipped with powerful drive means in order to apply the required high torque around the hinge axis. However, such a drive mechanism, for example by means of hydraulic cylinders, is technically very complex. In addition, because of the center of gravity far behind, a particularly stable design of the fork and the guide on the mast is required.

It is an object of the invention to provide a container transport vehicle of the type mentioned at the beginning which, with less technical effort, makes it possible to tip the container in a raised position.

To achieve this object, the invention proposes, starting from a container transport vehicle of the type mentioned, that the mast is designed as a guide mast on which a horizontally aligned fork is vertically displaceable, the prongs of which point against the direction of travel and reach under the container, that Container transport vehicle is equipped with a guide device fixedly attached to its chassis, in which the container can be guided in guideways in a defined movement path when lifting, lowering and tipping by means of guide elements arranged laterally in the direction of travel in front and rear, so that the In addition to vertical and horizontal sections, guideways of the guiding device also contain sections which run obliquely downwards against the direction of travel, into which the guide elements of the container lying at the back in the direction of travel are located when the container moves horizontally against the direction of travel he raised position are redirect and the container is tiltable up to an end stop. The container transport vehicle according to the invention with lifting fork, guide device and container guided thereon makes it possible to lift the container and to tip it over the end of the vehicle in the raised position. The container is positively guided by the guideways of the guiding device when lifting, lowering and tipping. It is particularly advantageous that no expensive and heavy drive devices need to be attached to the lifting mast of the lifting mast for tipping the container. In addition, you can get by with a relatively light version of the lifting fork. This considerably reduces the machine effort. Due to the design of the guide device according to the invention, a safe tipping of even heavily loaded containers is possible at any time with a simple and inexpensive construction. The lifting fork only serves to lift the container in the vertical direction up to the upper stop. From this position, the container is then introduced into the horizontal and downwardly inclined sections of the guideway by its weight. Due to its own weight, the container moves into its tilted position when the lifting fork is lowered along the guideway. The potential energy of the container and its contents are used to carry out the tilting movement. As a result, no additional drive means such as hydraulic cylinders or the like are required for the tipping process.

The guide device can be constructed from commercially available metal profiles. A commercially available standard version can also be used as a guide mast, as is known, for example, from forklift trucks. Overall, this results in a simple and inexpensive, yet extremely functional construction. An advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that guide rollers which can be connected to the container are arranged in the guide tracks of the guide device. Such guide rollers, which remain in the guide tracks of the guide device and on which the containers can be fixed, have the advantage that the containers can do without guide rollers outside the transport vehicle. The containers are often exposed to extremely harsh conditions outside the transport vehicle, which could damage the guide rollers located on the containers.

To connect the container to the guide rollers guided in the guideways, the container is provided at the front and rear with receiving tubes which run transversely to the direction of travel and serve to receive plug-in axles which can be inserted into the guide rollers of the guide device. With such thru axles, which are preferably carried along with the container transport vehicle, it is possible in a simple manner to produce the necessary connection between the container and guide rollers quickly and with little work. Such plug-in axles which can be inserted into the container's receiving tubes are also very robust and thus optimally correspond to the rough operating conditions which such containers have to withstand.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that between the vertical sections of the guideway on the one hand and the horizontal or obliquely downward sections of the guideway on the other hand passable pawls are provided, through which the guide rollers of when the container is lowered from the upper attachment point the vertically running sections of the guideway can be deflected into the horizontally or obliquely downward sections. These pawls work particularly reliably and automatically steer the container to be tipped into the horizontal sections of the guideway which are intended for tipping and run downwards. When the container is lowered, these pawls can be unlocked in a simple manner, which results in a simplified operation both when initiating the tipping movement and when the container is lowered.

An alternative embodiment of the transport vehicle according to the invention provides that the chassis of the transport vehicle has a U-shaped frame which is open to the rear in plan view, on the web of which the guide mast is arranged and the free leg between which there is space for receiving of the container. In this embodiment of the container transport vehicle according to the invention, the container only needs to be inserted into the free space between the legs of the U-frame. Alternatively, the transport vehicle can also be moved relative to the fixed container in such a way that the legs of the U-frame encompass the fixed container. Here, too, of course, the container on the one hand and the legs of the U-frame on the other hand are guided so that the prongs of the lifting fork reach under the container.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Figure 1 shows schematically the transport vehicle according to the invention in side view.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a plan view of a transport vehicle according to the

Invention in a modified embodiment without a container and without a guide device; 3 schematically shows a longitudinal section through a container;

Fig. 4. schematically shows a view of the container in direction A in Fig. 3;

5 schematically shows a view in the direction B in FIG. 3.

The vehicle shown in the drawing has a chassis 1 which can be moved on wheels 3 and is provided at the front end in the direction of travel with a drawbar 2 for connection to a car, a truck, a tractor or the like.

The chassis 1 is provided with guide rails 4, which merge into fold-down ramps 5 at the rear end in the direction of travel. A container 6 can be pulled onto or pushed onto the guide rails 4 via these ramps 5. An electrohydraulically driven winch 7 is used to pull it up. Its pulling rope can optionally be deflected via a deflection roller 8 in order to be able to pull the container off the vehicle even on rising terrain. A battery 9 provides the power required to drive the winch. Alternatively, an external power connection or a power connection to the towing vehicle can also be provided.

At the end lying at the front in the direction of travel, a guide mast 10 is arranged on the chassis 1, on which a lifting fork 11 can be displaced vertically, the tines 12 of which point against the direction of travel. A pressure medium cylinder 13, which is supplied with hydraulic fluid via a hydraulic unit 14, serves to raise and lower the lifting fork 11. The container 6 is seen on its underside with wheels 15. As can be seen from Fig. 1, the guide rails 4 of the vehicle frame 1 and the wheels 15 of the container 6 are guided together such that when the container 6 is pulled onto the transport vehicle, the tines 12 of the lifting fork 11 engage under the container 6.

The chassis 1 is also firmly connected to a guide device 31 for guiding the container 6 when lifting, lowering and tipping over. This guide device 31 has front vertical guide tracks 31 a and rear guide tracks 31 b. At the upper ends of the front vertical guideways 31 a follow horizontal guideways 31 c. In contrast, the upper ends of the lower vertical guideways 31b merge into guideways 31d inclined obliquely backwards and downwards.

Front guide rollers 32 a are guided in the guide tracks 31 a and 31 c. In the guideways 31 b and 31 d, rear guide rollers 32 b are guided. The guide rollers 32 a and 32 b can be fixed at the four corners of the container.

A spring-loaded pawl 33a is located between the front vertical guideways 31a and the subsequent horizontal guideways 31c. In the same way there is a spring-loaded pawl 33 b between the rear vertical guide track 31 b and the guide track 31 d inclined obliquely backwards and downwards. The pawls 33 a and 33 b are designed so that they let the guide rollers 32 and 32 b pass through in the open position and prevent them from passing through in the closed position. At the end of the horizontal guideways 31 c there are buffers 34 against which the guide rollers 32 a strike at the end of the horizontal displacement path. The attachment of the container 6 to the guide rollers 32 a and 32 b is carried out by thru axles 35 and 36, which can be inserted into the guide rollers 32 a and 32 b and by receiving tubes 37 and 38 located on the container 6 (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5) be included. The receiving tubes 37 and 38 extend transversely to the direction of travel and are attached to the front and rear of the underside of the container. The inserted plug-in axles 35 and 36 thus establish a connection between the guide rollers 32 a and 32 b guided in the guide device 31 and the container 6.

The guide device shown in FIG. 1 operates as follows:

First, the lifting fork 11 is lowered so far that it engages under the container 6, which is pulled onto the vehicle by means of the cable winch 7. Then the rear guide rollers 32 a in the rear, lower area with the container 6 and the front guide rollers 32 b are connected to the container 6 in its front, lower area. Because the lifting fork 11 is moved upwards by means of the guide mast 10, the container 6 - guided by the guide rollers 32 a and 32 b - is raised. In this upward movement, the front guide rollers 32 a pass the pawl 33 a and the rear guide rollers 32 b the pawl 33 b.

The lifting fork 11 is then lowered to initiate the tilting process. The rear guide rollers 32 b move downward through the weight of the container 6 to the pawl 33 b. This guides the rear guide rollers 32 b into the guide tracks 31 d inclined towards the end of the vehicle. At the same time, the front guide rollers 32 a are pulled in the horizontal guide tracks 31 c in the direction of the end of the vehicle. Through the horizontal movement of the Guide rollers 32 a and the obliquely downward movement of the guide rollers 32 b, the container 6 is tilted and at the same time moved towards the end of the vehicle until the guide rollers 32 a strike the buffer 34.

During the entire lifting and tipping process, the pull rope of the winch 7 remains attached to the container 6 at the rear. This makes it possible to brake the container 6 in a controlled manner against the tilting movement when it is tipped over. By means of the cable winch 7, the tilted container can now be pulled back out of the tilted position into the upper ends of the vertical guideways 31 a and 31 b, the tines 12 of the lifting fork 11 engaging in a supportive manner. After unlocking the pawls 33 a and 33 b, the container 6 is then lowered by means of the lifting fork 11 in the reverse order to that during the lifting process.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the chassis of the transport vehicle has a frame 21 which is open at the rear and is U-shaped in plan view, on the web 21 a of which the lifting mast 10 is arranged and whose free legs 21 b and 21 c between leave a space for receiving the container 6. In this embodiment, the container 6 can be inserted into the free space between the legs 21 b and 21 c of the frame 21. Alternatively, the transport vehicle can also be moved relative to the fixed container 6 in such a way that the legs 21b and 21c of the U-shaped frame 21 encompass the standing container 6. Here, too, the container 6, on the one hand, and the legs 21b and 21c of the U-shaped frame 21, on the other hand, are guided so that the prongs 12 of the lifting fork 11 engage the container 6 properly. Containers are lifted and tipped over Embodiment in the same way as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1.

- Expectations -

Claims

1. Road-going container transport vehicle, with a vehicle on which a vertical mast with a lifting element is arranged at the front end in the direction of travel, the container transport vehicle and the container being provided with means for loading and tipping emptying of a container, characterized in that the mast is designed as a guide mast (10) on which a horizontally aligned lifting fork (11) is vertically displaceable, the tines (12) of which point against the direction of travel and reach under the container (6) so that the container transport vehicle has a fixed on the chassis (1) mounted guide device (31) is equipped, in which the container (6) by means of guide elements (32) arranged on the side of it in the direction of travel front and rear in guide tracks (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) in a defined manner Movement path when lifting, lowering and tipping is feasible that the guideways (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) of the guide device (31) in addition to vert ical and horizontal sections (31a, 31b, 31c) also contain sections (31d) which run obliquely downward, into which the guide elements (32b) of the container (6) lying at the rear in the direction of travel when the container (6) moves horizontally can be diverted against the direction of travel in its raised position and the container (6) can be tilted up to its end stop (34).

2. Container transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that in the guideways (31a, 31b, 31c,

31d) of the guide device (31) guide rollers (32a, 32b) are arranged, which can be connected to the container (6).

3. Container transport vehicle according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the container (6) is provided at the front and behind with transverse to the direction of the receiving tubes (37, 38) which for receiving in the guide rollers (32 a, 32nd b) the guide device (31) insertable thru axles (35, 36).

4. Container transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that between the vertically extending sections (31 a, 31 b) of the guideways (31) on the one hand and the horizontally or obliquely down sections (31 c, 31 d) of the guideways (31) on the other hand, pawls (33a, 33b) which are passable in the stroke direction are provided, by means of which the guide rollers (32a, 32b) of the vertically extending sections (31a, 31b) of the guide tracks (31) when the container (6) is lowered from the upper attachment point. the horizontally or obliquely downward sections (31c, 31d) of the guideways (31) can be deflected.

5. Container transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the chassis (1) of the transport vehicle has a rearwardly open U-shaped frame in plan view, on the web of which the lifting mast (10) is arranged and whose free leg ( 21b, 21c) leave space between them for receiving the container (6).