EP0905083B1 - Lift truck with mast adapted to be mounted on the back of a transport vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a mast carriage, capable of being carried on the back of a carrier vehicle, of the type comprising a chassis carrying at least one rear wheel drive and steer and two front wheels of fixed direction.

Mast carts suitable for being carried on the back of a carrier vehicle include necessarily a double-acting mast, to be able to raise the chassis of the carriage to its on-board position.

In addition, to allow forks orientation and boarding, the carts fit to be on board have at least one steering wheel and have a reduced curb weight and bulk.

The aforementioned constraints exclude the use of articulated carts with wheels of fixed steering with a heavy and wide rear chassis, of the kind described in documents GB 2.234.214 a and DE 10.49.307 b, as a cart capable of being on board the back of a carrier vehicle.

We know trolleys with telescopic mast or fixed mast, suitable for being loaded on the back of a carrier vehicle, such as a truck. These known type carts generally have a frame having a U-shaped configuration open towards the front, equipped with two front wheels and a driving and steering rear wheel. In due to the absence of counterweights and the reduced length of these known carriages, the load is placed in the transport position, between the wheel arms, behind the trolley front wheels. To be able to deposit or take a load on the platform of a truck in the event that the front wheels cannot pass over the said platform, it is then necessary to provide additional devices for advancing the forks of loading in front of the front wheels, which introduces an overhang and limits the load which can be lifted by an on-board trolley at a relatively low value.

Another disadvantage comes from the large spacing of the front wheels, which prevents the passage of this type of on-board trolley through doors, narrow aisles or inside a closed truck.

There is therefore a need to reduce the width of the on-board carriages to allow passage through narrow aisles, while maintaining good stability, low weight so as not to reduce the carrying capacity of the carrier vehicle and a reduced size in the transport position, on board the rear of the truck.

The object of the invention is to improve the manufacture of on-board carriages overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

The subject of the invention is a mast carriage, capable of being carried on the back of a carrier vehicle, of the type comprising a chassis carrying at least one rear wheel drive and steering and two front wheels with fixed steering, characterized in that the front part of the carriage comprising the mast and the two front wheels is articulated pivoting with respect to the chassis about a substantially vertical axis, so as to pivot between a position of use in which the front part of the carriage is substantially aligned with the chassis and a loading position in which the front part and the chassis are substantially perpendicular.

• ledit axe de pivotement est situé sensiblement entre les roues avant et à proximité du mât ;
• les roues avant sont disposées à l'arrière d'un tablier de chargement porté par le mât et sont espacées d'une distance inférieure à un mètre ;
• le tablier de chargement porté par le mât comporte un premier tablier portant un deuxième tablier inclinable sous l'action d'un vérin d'inclinaison ;
• le châssis présente un évidement du côté correspondant à la position perpendiculaire de la partie avant par rapport au châssis ;
• ledit évidement est conformé en logement d'une roue avant en position d'embarquement du chariot;
• un moyen de commande à distance, amovible, à câble ou sans fil, est prévu pour commander l'embarquement du chariot à l'arrière d'un véhicule porteur à partir du sol ;
• la commande à distance est conformée pour exécuter les fonctions suivantes : levage et descente, inclinaison avant et arrière, pivotement du châssis entre la position d'utilisation et la position d'embarquement, coupure d'énergie et alimentation en énergie ;
• le moyen de commande à distance comporte une boíte à boutons avec des interrupteurs électriques et une clef de contact pour couper ou permettre l'alimentation en énergie du chariot, et un moyen de liaison entre la boíte à boutons et le chariot ;
• le chariot est un chariot électrique portant un ensemble de batteries électriques sous le siège du conducteur.

According to other characteristics of the invention:

• said pivot axis is located substantially between the front wheels and near the mast;
• the front wheels are arranged at the rear of a loading apron carried by the mast and are spaced apart by a distance of less than one meter;
• the loading apron carried by the mast comprises a first apron carrying a second tilting apron under the action of a tilt cylinder;
• the chassis has a recess on the side corresponding to the perpendicular position of the front part relative to the chassis;
• said recess is shaped as a housing for a front wheel in the carriage loading position;
• a remote control means, removable, wired or wireless, is provided for controlling the boarding of the trolley at the rear of a carrier vehicle from the ground;
• the remote control is configured to perform the following functions: lifting and lowering, tilting forward and backward, pivoting of the chassis between the use position and the loading position, power cut and power supply;
• the remote control means comprises a button box with electrical switches and an ignition key to cut or allow the supply of energy to the cart, and a connection means between the button box and the cart;
• the cart is an electric cart carrying a set of electric batteries under the driver's seat.

The invention will be better understood thanks to the description which follows, given as non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a side elevation view of a carriage according to the invention in the position of use.

FIG. 2 schematically represents a top view of a carriage according to the invention.

FIG. 3 schematically represents an enlarged partial view in elevation with section along line III-III of Figure 4 of a carriage according to the invention.

FIG. 4 schematically represents an enlarged partial view in section along the line IV-IV of Figure 3 of a carriage according to the invention.

FIG. 5 schematically represents a view in section through a vertical plane of a carriage apron according to the invention.

Figures 6 to 9 schematically represent the operation sequence boarding a trolley according to the invention at the rear of a carrier vehicle.

Figures 10 to 13 schematically represent the operation sequence boarding on the platform of a carrier vehicle.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a trolley according to the invention comprises a chassis 1 articulated with a front part 2 around a vertical axis shown diagrammatically by the axis geometric 3. The chassis 1 comprises a cabin 4 forming a driving position with a steering wheel 5, a driver's seat 6 and a lower structure 7 carrying a wheel rear 8 motor and director. The rear wheel 8 is driven by an electric motor 9 and driven by a hydraulic steering motor 10 by the transmission intermediary 9a and 10a. A set of supply batteries 11 is provided under the driver's seat 6 at the rear of a hydraulic tank 12 adjacent to the hydraulic control unit 13.

This example of a cart according to the invention is, therefore, an electric cart powered by the batteries 11. However, the invention extends to any type of cart powered by an internal combustion engine or the like.

The chassis 1 is extended at its front end by a pivoting support 14 arranged essentially on one side of the carriage, so that the chassis has the other side a recess 15 which allows the front part 2 of the carriage to take a position substantially perpendicular to the chassis 1.

Advantageously, the recess 15 is shaped to allow the housing of a front wheel 16 in this perpendicular position.

The front wheels 16 and 17 are fixed steering wheels located on either side of the pivot axis 3. The front wheels 16 and 17 each have a brake service 18 and 19 hydraulically operated. Brakes 18 and 19 can also be mechanically operated to immobilize the trolley in the absence of supplies energy, or other brakes not shown may be provided for this purpose.

The front part 2 of the carriage has two crosspieces 20 between the front wheels 16 and 17, these crosspieces 20 having a C-shaped configuration supporting a mast 21 carrying an apron 22 provided with forks 23.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the front part 14 of the chassis 1 carries at its end before a tubular bearing 24 receiving the substantially vertical pivot axis 3. The axis 3 is welded at its upper end to a stop plate 25. A clevis 29a secured to the pivoting support 14 is subjected to the thrust of a jack 26 mounted on the front part 2 to move the front part 2 of the carriage between the position of use shown and a loading position in which this part front 2 and the frame 1 are substantially perpendicular.

The cylinder 26 exerts its thrust between an axis 27 mounted on the yoke 29a and an axis 28 mounted on an element 29b secured to the front part 2 of the carriage.

Referring to Figure 5, the deck 22 of the carriage has a first deck 30 slidably mounted inside the mast 21 by support rollers 31 and rollers guide 32. The apron 30 is a first apron mounted with vertical displacement in the mast 21. This first deck 30 carries a second deck 33 which can be tilted under the action of the tilt cylinder 34. The cylinder body 34 is mounted on the first deck 30 by two pins 34a, 34b arranged in bearings 35a, 35b (only the elements 34a, 35a are shown). The rod of the jack 34 pushes on an axis 36 integral with the deck tilting 33. The apron 33 tilting under the action of the tilting cylinder 34 pivots, therefore, around the substantially horizontal axis 37 on which it is mounted by compared to the first deck 30.

Thick connecting crosspieces 38 and 39 stiffen the first deck 30.

With reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, a trolley according to the invention is carried on the rear of a truck by engaging forks in a scabbard according to a technique known from document FR 2.298.454 or according to a technique known from unpublished application FR 96-04160, filed in the name of the applicant request.

In FIG. 6, the carriage engages its forks 23 in a sheath fixed under the carrier vehicle platform. The driver then descends from the carriage and fixes to the board on board a removable remote control means, generally with cable for order the loading of the trolley at the rear of the carrier vehicle from the soL

In Figure 7, a button box 40 is fixed by a connecting cable 41 to the board edge of the carriage. The button box 40 includes electrical switches 42 mast lifting and lowering, electric tilt switches 43 and rear of the tilting deck 33 relative to the first deck 30, switches electric 44 for pivoting the chassis between the position of use and the position boarding, as well as a means 45 for cutting off or supplying energy electric, usually an ignition key

The energy supply by means of the ignition key 45 allows the control to by means of a mast switch 42 for raising the carriage to a position corresponding substantially to the level of the carrier vehicle platform, above the level of sliding supports fixed under the sleeves. The forward tilt or rear of apron 33 is adjusted by switches 43 so that the carriage is substantially horizontal.

In Figures 8 and 9, the carriage according to the invention has a position boarding in which the chassis 1 is perpendicular to the front part 2 immobilized in the sheaths. This pivoting of the rear part 1 relative to the front part 2 in the direction of the arrow P is obtained by controlling the jack 26 at by means of switches 44. After having obtained this pivoting, the supports slides are taken out at the back of the truck and the chassis 1 of the carriage is rested on these supports by raising the mast, which causes the chassis to descend on these supports. Advantageously, an additional stowage 46 can be provided in the event transport over long distances.

Boarding of the trolley according to the invention is thus carried out by presenting a reduced bulk at the rear of the carrier vehicle, while allowing a long carriage with stability and lifting capacity superior to those of the carts of the prior art.

Figures 10 to 13 similar to Figures 6 to 9, the boarding is shown carriage from a loading platform if the carriage can be placed directly on the platform of a truck fitted with fork sheaths.

In this case, it is not necessary to use remote control means cable or wireless to control the loading of the trolley. The driver can stay on the cart during the boarding operation. The volume occupied by the loading the trolley according to the invention on the platform of the carrier vehicle is very reduced. The platform of the carrier vehicle does not require any modification, given that the fork legs can be quickly assembled and disassembled using retractable anchors that do not extend beyond the truck bed.

Claims (10)

1. A truck equipped with a mast, suitable for mounting on the rear of a carrier vehicle, of the type having a frame (1) bearing at least one rear guiding and driving wheel (8) and two front wheels (16, 17) whereof the direction is fixed, characterised in that the front part (2) of the truck having the mast (21) and the two front wheels (16, 17) is articulated to pivot with respect to the frame (1) about a substantially vertical axis (3), such that it pivots between a position in use, in which the front part (2) of the truck is substantially aligned with the frame (1), and a mounting position, in which the front part (2) and the frame (1) are substantially perpendicular.
2. A truck according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said pivot axis (3) is located substantially between the front wheels (16, 17) and dose to the mast (21).
3. A truck according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the front wheels (16, 17) are disposed at the rear of a loading platform (22) borne by the mast (21) and are spaced by an amount smaller than a metre.
4. A truck according to Claim 3, characterised in that the loading platform (22) borne by the mast (21) has a first platform (30) bearing a second platform (33) inclinable under the action of an inclining jack (34).
5. A truck according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the frame (1) has a recessed area (15) at the side, corresponding to the perpendicular position of the front part (2) with respect to the frame (1).
6. A truck according to Claim 5, characterised in that the said recessed area (15) is constructed to form a housing for a front wheel (16) in the mounting position of the truck.
7. A truck according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a remote control means (40) which is removable and has a cable (41) or is wireless is provided for controlling the mounting of the truck on the rear of the carrier vehicle from the ground.
8. A truck according to Claim 7, characterised in that the remote control (40) is constructed to perform the following functions: raising and lowering, forward and backward inclining, pivoting of the frame between the position of use and the mounting position, disconnection and supply of power.
9. A truck according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, characterised in that the remote control means has a box with buttons, having electrical switches (42-44) and a contact key (45) for disconnecting or allowing the supply of power to the truck, and a means for connection (41) between the box with buttons and the truck.
10. A truck according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the truck is an electric truck bearing a set of electrical batteries (11) beneath the driver's seat.

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