EP0799789B1 - Device for fixation of a fork-lift truck on a lorry, support chassis and lorry therefor - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for securing of a handling cart capable of being on a truck or similar carrier vehicle, at a support frame comprising means for supporting a handling cart capable of being loaded onto a truck, as well as a truck capable of transporting a on-board handling.

The document FR 2.298.454 describes a truck with mounted forklift. The rear of this truck is equipped with box beams, which are open at their ends rear and which extend in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and in which the fork arms of the trolley are suitable. At a certain distance under said box beams, the truck is fitted with two boxes also extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and in each of which a sliding beam is willing. These beams can, in their position extreme remote, be blocked and constitute a surface of support for the chassis of the carriage when it rests by the branches of its fork in the box beams. The layout is such that the carriage chassis is pressed down on the beams by lifting the arms of the fork.

This forklift truck carried art previous has several disadvantages: first, due to the protrusion of the carriage at the rear of the truck, the total rolling length of the truck is increased and truck signal lights are partially obscured by the truck on the back of the truck; second, the cantilever position of the carriage on the back of the truck changes so significant load transfer on truck axles usually causing overloads on the axle rear and an underload on the front steering axle, in especially when the truck is running empty.

The object of the invention is to remedy these disadvantages, by improving the distribution of loads on the axles when the truck is running empty or partially loaded and keeping the total volume of loading the truck bed when the truck is fully charged.

The subject of the invention is a device for securing of a handling cart capable of being on board a truck or similar carrier vehicle, type comprising in combination: on the one hand, means of positioning on the truck or vehicle platform similar and secondly, means for anchoring and fixing a support frame, said support frame being equipped with first anchoring and fixing means able to cooperate with first positioning means to fix said chassis on said plate as well as second anchoring and fixing means able to cooperate with second positioning means for fixing said chassis under said plate.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the chassis anchoring means comprise at minus an angle-shaped profile and the means of chassis attachment include at least one member to quick fixing by quarter turn.

The invention also relates to a chassis for support comprising means for supporting a carriage handling capable of being loaded onto a truck, equipped with first and second anchoring and fixing means respectively on and under the platform of a truck or analog vehicle.

• ce châssis présente sensiblement la conformation d'une chaise dont le dossier est apte à être solidarisé au tablier d'un chariot de manutention apte à être embarqué sur un camion.
• lesdits moyens de fixation sont des moyens de fixation rapide à quart de tour.
• les moyens de support comprennent des moyens de support télescopiques, aptes à coulisser entre une position d'escamotage, intérieurement au châssis, et une position de support, extérieurement au châssis.

According to other characteristics of the invention:

• this chassis has substantially the conformation of a chair whose backrest is capable of being secured to the deck of a handling cart capable of being loaded onto a truck.
• said fixing means are quick quarter-turn fixing means.
• the support means comprise telescopic support means, capable of sliding between a retracting position, inside the chassis, and a support position, outside the chassis.

The invention finally relates to a truck capable of transport an on-board handling truck, of the type comprising a loading platform provided with first and second positioning means.

• lesdits moyens de positionnement comportent au moins une traverse présentant un rebord d'ancrage et au moins un logement pour un organe de fixation rapide dudit châssis.
• le plateau de chargement du camion comporte au moins une partie escamotable pour le passage d'au moins une roue du chariot à embarquer.
• chaque partie escamotable est rabattable autour d'une charnière d'articulation et apte à être supportée par un support escamotable.

According to other characteristics of the invention:

• said positioning means comprise at least one cross member having an anchoring flange and at least one housing for a member for rapid fixing of said chassis.
• the truck loading platform includes at least one retractable part for the passage of at least one wheel of the truck to be loaded.
• each retractable part is foldable around a hinge and able to be supported by a retractable support.

The invention will be better understood thanks to the description which will follow given by way of example not limiting with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a view in side elevation of the rear of the loading platform a truck on which a handling cart is attached according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows schematically a view partial enlarged corresponding to the reference II of the figure 1, and in partial section.

FIG. 3 schematically represents a view in side elevation and partial section of a chassis support according to the invention fixed on the platform of a truck according to the invention.

FIG. 4 schematically represents a view in side elevation and partial section of a chassis support according to the invention fixed at the rear end and under the platform of a truck according to the invention.

FIG. 5 schematically represents a view of above according to arrow V of FIG. 3 of a chassis of support according to the invention fixed on the platform of a truck according to the invention.

Figures 6 to 11 describe the successive stages of mounting and positioning on the platform of a truck according to the invention of a handling cart on board the platform of a truck according to the invention.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the numbers of identical references describe identical items or functionally equivalent.

In Figure 1, a handling cart 1 motorized is secured to a truck 2 whose platform 3 is partially loaded with palletized loads 4.

The carriage 1 is preferably a carriage of the type comprising a frame having a U-shape open forward equipped with two front wheels and a rear steering wheel. A carriage of this type is described in document FR 2 724 374 in the name of the applicant for the present request: it is a handling trolley motorized, able to be loaded on the back of a vehicle carrier of the kind comprising a chassis having a U-shaped configuration fitted with front wheels 5 and a wheel rear 6 director, a driving position 7 forming protective cabin, and lifting means comprising a telescopic arm 8 pivotally mounted under the action of a lifting cylinder around a substantially horizontal axis 9 located at the rear of the carriage substantially above the rear steering wheel 6.

The front end of the telescopic arm 8 carries a fork carriage 10 tiltable under the action of a jack digging and the apron 10 may or may not wear its two forks, when the support frame 11 corresponding to the attachment to the platform 3 of the truck 2 is secured to the apron 10 forming coupling head.

The support frame 11 according to the invention comprises two upper side members 12 a and 12b and two side members lower 12c, 12d connected by uprights and appropriate sleepers, as well as means 13a, 13b of retractable support for the industrial truck. The chassis support 11 is equipped with first anchoring means 14a and first fastening means 15a, as well as second anchoring means 14b and second means of fixing 15b. The first means of anchoring and fixing 14a, 15a are able to cooperate with means of positioning of the plate to fix the frame 11 on the plate 3. The chassis 11 has substantially the conformation of a chair whose backrest 16 is suitable for be secured to the deck 10 supporting the forks of the handling trolley 1. To this end, file 16 comprises a first conformation 17 for engaging the fork carriage 10 and second conformations 18a, 18b forming retaining notches for the fork carriage 10. After engaging the fork carriage 10 from position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 to the position, we lock the apron 10 on the back 16 air means of the lock 19 which thus ensures a joining rigid of the fork carriage 10 and of the backrest 16. Thanks to this rigid connection, the carriage 1 for handling can be used for setting up the chassis 11 on the tray, as shown in Figure 3, or under the tray, as shown in Figure 4.

Preferably, the fixing means 15a and 15b are quick-turn fastening means. Such quick-turn fasteners are advantageously constituted by retractable locks, kind of container lock.

With reference to Figures 3 to 5, the numbers of identical references denote identical elements or functionally equivalent.

The truck's platform 3 is equipped with first means positioning formed by two orifices rectangular 20 made in a chassis cross member of the U-shaped plate and by the rim 21 for anchoring a crosses in the shape of H. These first means of positioning cooperate with the anchoring means 14a and the fixing means 15a for fixing the chassis 11 to the platform 3. The truck also has a cross member lower U-shaped in which two 22 rectangular holes similar to holes 20 mentioned above and an H-shaped cross member having a rim anchor 23. the rectangular holes 22 and the flange 23 constitute second suitable positioning means to cooperate with the second anchoring means 14b and fixing 15b to fix the frame 11 under the plate in a position allowing the carriage 1 of the handling at the back of the truck. In this position, the trolley is lifted by its lifting means to allow the output of the support means 13a, 13b in the direction of the arrow 24 in Figure 4 to a position shown in dotted lines for supporting the chassis of the carriage 1.

In FIG. 5, the truck according to the invention advantageously comprises a retractable part for passage of at least one wheel of the truck to be loaded. The tray 3 preferably has two flaps 25, 26 foldable around hinges 25a, 26a and able to be supported in the position shown in dotted lines by telescopic supports 27, 28 retractable between a flap support position 25, 26 shown in solid lines and a position retracted towards the middle of the tray shown in lines dotted.

Referring to Figures 6 to 11, loading of a handling trolley 1 on the platform 3 of a truck is carried out as described below.

In Figure 6, after securing the head coupling to the fork support apron 10 of the as described in Figure 2 in file 16 of chassis 11 according to the invention, the flaps are folded down, if necessary pivoting 25, 26 around their hinges 25a, 26a of articulation and the sliding supports 27, 28 to their most retracted position towards the inside of the tray 3. This folding is only necessary in the case where the track, i.e. the distance between the wheels 5 front of the handling trolley 1, is less than the width of the plate 3. The invention also covers all variants in which the truck does not have trays with retractable shutters and in which the spacing of the wheels 5 of the carriage does not constitute a obstacle to the loading of the trolley on the platform 3: particular, the invention covers the variant in which the telescopic arm 8 of the carriage has a length sufficient to bypass the back of tray 3 during loading.

In figure 7, by actuating the lifting cylinder of carriage 1 in the direction normally corresponding to lowering a load, the carriage 1 is lifted due the fact that the coupling head or apron 10 is secured to the support frame 11 fixed on the plate 3. Due to the retraction of the flaps 25, 26 and the supports sliding 27, 28, the wheels 5 pass in the interval released by the retraction of members 25 to 28 and the chassis of the carriage 1 frames the rear of the plate 3 during the carriage mounting 1.

In figure 8, continuing the climb by actuation of the lifting cylinder of the telescopic arm, the carriage I remains substantially horizontal and reaches a highest vertical climb position. In this highest position, the carriage 1 does not exceed the height of the authorized load, which authorizes the loading of the carriage 1 on the tray 3 inside industrial buildings.

In Figure 9, the retraction of the telescopic arm 8 is carried out using a telescoping cylinder, which causes the carriage 1 to descend to the platform. In in particular, the front wheels 5 are located above the floor of the tray 3, on either side of the supports sliding 13a, 13b.

In figure 10, the continuation of the descent is performed by pivoting down the front wheels 5 by use of the tilt cylinder placed on the coupling head or apron 10. This pivoting causes a descent of the wheels 5 in order to rest these on the plate 3.

In FIG. 11, the rear steering wheel 6 is rotated 90 ° to the front wheels 5, so that rest on the folded flaps 25 and 26, to maintain these two flaps in position and have no parts extending beyond the rear of the plate 3.

The transport position is thus obtained shown in Figure 1, position in which the handling trolley 1 rests entirely on the platform 3 by its three wheels and remains fixed by its coupling head 10 or support frame 11, even in the event of a leak hydraulic, due to stable mechanical balance thus realized.

The invention described with reference to modes of particular achievements are in no way limited, but on the contrary covers any modification of form and all variants in the context and spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A device for rigidly positioning a materials-handling truck capable of being loaded on to a lorry or similar carrier vehicle, of the type comprising in combination: on the one hand, means of positioning on the deck of the lorry or similar vehicle and, on the other hand, means of anchoring and fixing a support frame, characterised in that the said support frame (11) is equipped with first means of anchoring (14a) and fixing (15a) capable of co-operating with first positioning means (20, 21) for fixing the said frame (11) on to the said deck (3), as well as second means of anchoring (14b) and fixing (15b) capable of co-operating with second positioning means (20, 21) for fixing the said frame (11) beneath the said deck (3).
2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the means for anchoring the frame (11) comprise at least one profile (14a, 14b) in the form of an angle and in that the means for fixing the frame comprise at least one member (15a, 15b) for rapid, quarter-turn fixing.
3. A support frame comprising means (13a, 13b) for supporting a materials-handling truck (1) capable of being loaded on to a lorry, equipped with first and second means of anchoring (14a,14b) and fixing (15a, 15b) respectively on to and beneath the deck (3) of a lorry or analogous vehicle.
4. A support frame according to Claim 3, characterised in that it presents approximately the structure of a seat the backrest (16) of which is capable of being rigidly attached to the bracket (10) supporting the forks of a materials-handling truck (1) capable of being loaded on to a lorry.
5. A support frame according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, characterised in that the said means of fixation (15a, 15b) are rapid, quarter-turn fixing means.
6. A support frame according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, characterised in that in the support means comprise telescopic support means capable of sliding between a retracted position, interior to the frame, and a support position, exterior to the frame.
7. A lorry capable of transporting a materials-handling truck (1), of the type comprising a loading deck (3) provided with first and second positioning means (20-23) arranged respectively on the top side and underside of the said deck (3) for anchoring and fixing a frame (11) for supporting the said truck respectively on and beneath the said deck.
8. A lorry according to Claim 7, characterised in that the said positioning means (20-23) comprise at least one crosspiece having an anchoring ledge (21,23) and at least one compartment (20, 22) for a member for fixing (15a, 15b) the said fame (11) rapidly.
9. A lorry according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, characterised in that the loading deck (3) of the lorry comprises at least one retractable part (25, 26) for passage of at least one wheel (5) of the truck (1) to be loaded.
10. A lorry according to Claim 9, characterised in that each retractable part (25, 26) is hinged about an articulating hinge (25a, 26a) and capable of being supported by a retractable support (27, 28).

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