EP0941173A1

EP0941173A1 - Cargo elevating device for goods vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP0941173A1
Application number: EP97946224A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lennart Lindblad
Original assignee: Lindual AB
Current assignee: Lindual AB
Priority date: 1996-11-28
Filing date: 1997-11-28
Publication date: 1999-09-15
Also published as: SE507774C2; SE9604367L; AU5144198A; SE9604367D0; WO1998023463A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a cargo elevating device comprising a liftable and lowerable cargo transport platform (2) and a support structure (3) attachable adjacent the vehicle cargo bed. According to the invention the support structure (3) consists of two spaced apart elongate guide members (4) and of brackets (6), said brackets being pivotally mounted adjacent the associated cargo bed (5) of the vehicle and supporting said guide members (4) for parallel displacement of said members in their lengthwise direction. The guide members are arranged to be pivoted by said brackets between an upright position, the operative position, and a recumbent position, the transport position, the cargo lifting platform (2) being supported by the guide members at the lower guide member ends as seen in the operative position.

Description

CARGO ELEVATING DEVICE FOR GOODS VEHICLES

The present invention relates to a cargo elevating device for goods vehicles which comprises a lowerable and liftable cargo transport platform and a support structure attachable adjacent the cargo bed of the vehicle. Conventional so called tailgate lifts available on the market today are very difficult to mount and in most cases impossible to install on small goods vehicles of so called pick-up type, since as a rule they must be placed underneath the cargo transport platform where more often than not no space is available for mounting a tailgate lift.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cargo elevating device which is easy to mount, simple and consequently economically favourable and by means of which cargo may be conveniently elevated to and lowered from the vehicle cargo transport platform while at the same time it may accompany the vehicle without seriously impairing the exterior appearance of the vehicle and without significantly reducing the available vehicle cargo space.

A device of this kind makes it possible to load and unload heavy goods that only with difficulty could be handled manually, onto and from the above type of goods vehicles. With this type of vehicles, the handling prob- lem is more serious than in the case of heavier vehicles that often have access to lifting trucks and loading ramps and sometimes are equipped with vehicle-mounted crane lifts.

This object is achieved in a cargo elevating device in accordance with the invention which is essentially characterised in that the support structure consists of two spaced apart elongate guide members and of brackets, said brackets being pivotally mounted adjacent the associated cargo bed of the vehicle, preferably at the rear end thereof, and supporting said guide members for parallel displacement of said members in their lengthwise direction, said guide members arranged to be pivoted by said brackets between an upright position, the operative position, and a recumbent position, the transport position, the cargo lifting platform being supported by the guide members at the lower guide-member ends as seen in the operative position.

Owing to this arrangement a device is provided in which the components of the cargo elevating device may be retracted in the inoperative position of said device to a position internally of the vehicle geometry such that no parts project beyond the vehicle outline during transports by means of the vehicle. The invention will be described in greater detail in the following by way of some embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the rear end part of a goods vehicle fitted with a cargo elevating device in accordance with the invention, the cargo elevating device shown in its operative position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same vehicle, the cargo elevating device being shown in the transport position, Fig. 3 is a lateral view of the cargo elevating device assuming the operative position of Fig. 1, the rear part of the vehicle being indicated by broken lines,

Fig. 3A is a sectional view on line IIIA-IIIA of Fig. 3, Fig. 4 is a corresponding lateral view of the cargo elevating device, illustrating the cargo lifting platform thereof in the upper position,

Fig. 5 is a lateral view corresponding to Fig. 4, showing the cargo lifting platform in the folded position thereof,

Fig. 6 is a corresponding lateral view, showing the cargo lifting platform in the forwards folded position, Fig. 7 is a corresponding lateral view, showing the cargo elevating device folded across the cargo transport platform of the vehicle and assuming the position of transport, and Fig. 8 is a lateral view of a cargo elevating device in accordance with a somewhat modified embodiment.

In Fig. 1, numeral reference 1 designates a goods vehicle of so called pick-up type the rear flap of which has been removed. In the opening thus formed a cargo elevating device in accordance with the invention is mounted. The cargo elevating device consists of a vertically liftable and lowerable cargo lifting platform 2 and a support structure 3 which is foldable o a position adjacent the cargo bed of the vehicle. The support struc- ture consists of two elongate spaced guide members 4, and of brackets 6 pivotally mounted adjacent the cargo bed 5 of the vehicle, on which brackets 6 the guide members are mounted for parallel displacement in their lengthwise direction, as will be explained in closer detail in the following. By means of the brackets the guide members may be pivoted about a shaft 7, between an upright position, the operative position (Fig. 1), and a recumbent position, the transport position (Fig. 2). The cargo lifting platform 2 is supported by the guide members at the lower guide member ends, as seen in Fig. 1.

As appears for instance from Fig. 3, the cargo lifting platform 2 is suspended from the guide members 4 adjacent the lower guide member ends by means of a joint 8. In accordance with the shown embodiment the cargo lifting platform 2 has a width corresponding to or being smaller than the spacing between the guide members 4, allowing the cargo lifting platform, when pivoted about the horizontal shaft 8, to pass in and through the space between the guide members. Preferably, the cargo lifting platform and the guide members are formed with interacting abutment faces 9 and 10, respectively, which prevent the cargo lifting platform from being pivoted past the essentially horizontal position illustrated in the drawing figures. In accordance with the embodiment illustrated the cargo lifting platform consists of two parts, 2a and 2b, respectively, said parts being pivotal- ly interconnected for pivotal movement about a pivot shaft 11. The two parts are formed with abutment faces 12 and 13, respectively, preventing the outermost part 2b from being pivoted beyond the position illustrated in Fig. 3. It should be appreciated that the abutment faces 12, 13 could be arranged in such a manner as to allow a different angular position of the outermost part, should this be desired. As most clearly apparent from Fig. 3, the guide members 4 are configured as profile sections having a C-shaped cross section. An upper pair of running wheels 14 and a lower pair of running wheels 15 are rota- tably mounted on the brackets, said running wheel pairs arranged to travel on facing tracks formed by the inner faces of the edge flanges of the guide members. A portion βa of the brackets 6 projects from the guide members in such a manner that the spacing 1 between the guide members and the joint 7 allows the guide members to be pivoted freely downwards externally of the outer limits of the vehicle, consisting of e.g. its tow hook 16 or bumper 17. The bracket arms 6a support a covering element 18 which extends between said arms and which in the posi- ion illustrated in Fig. 3 may serve as part of the cargo bed of the vehicle and in the upwardly folded position may serve as the rear flap or tailgate as will be de- cribed in the following. Reference numeral 19 designates a fastening fitting element by means of which the cargo elevating device is anchored to the cargo bed of the vehicle. Numeral reference 20 designates a pull absorbing element one end of which is connected in 21 to its associated fitting 19 and the opposite end of which is con- nected in 22 to the associated guide member by way of the bracket 6. Numeral reference 23 designates a knee joint by means of which the element 20 may be folded. Prefer- ably, the element 20 is adjustable lengthwise for adjustment of/setting the pivotal position of the guide members. The pull absorbing elements 20 could of course also be configured as a flexible line, such as for example a wire, a chain, a cable or the like. Numeral reference 24 designates a rope winch from which via a pulley wheel 26 a line 25 extends adjacent, preferably on, the inner side of the guide member, downwards to an attachment means 27 located at the lower end of the guide member. Preferably, one line 25 is provided adjacent each one of the guide members. The winding-on parts of the winch 24 for the two lines 25 preferably are interconnected or synchronised to give an even lifting move^¬ ment. The winch could be motor-operated, e.g. by the power derived from the ordinary battery of the vehicle, as well as manually operated by means of a crank or the like. The running wheels 14, 15 form running means which, owing to being rotatably mounted, cause a slight displacement of the guide members relative to the brackets, but a displacement movement of this kind may of course be achieved also with the aid of other types of running means, such as slide bodies made from or fitted with some kind of low-friction material. It should be appreciated that the guide members could be given a different shape, and for instance be formed with flanges the facing surfaces of which serve as tracks on which the running means travel .

The function of the elevating device is as follows. As the winch 24 actuates the lines 25 in the winding-on direction, the two guide members 4 together with the cargo lifting platform are lifted to the position illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein cargo may easily be transferred from the cargo lifting platform to the transport platform of the vehicle. Reversely, when the winch is rotated in the opposite direction, cargo may be carried from the vehicle transport platform to a lower level. When the loading or unloading operation is completed, the outer- most part 2b of the cargo lifting platform may be folded on top of the inner part 2a, as illustrated in Fig. 5, by being pivoted about the pivot joint 11. Subsequently both parts, by being pivoted jointly about the pivot joint 8, may be folded inwards, between the guide members 4, to the position illustrated in Fig. 6. From the position of Fig. 6, the guide members 4 together with the cargo lifting platform parts 2a and 2b associated therewith, may be pivoted to the position illustrated in Fig 7, wherein the guide members have been pivoted to a position in which they project inwards, above the cargo bed of the vehicle, preferably above the wheel housing 28, should the latter be positioned interiorly of the normal lateral boundaries of the transport-platform space. In this manner, the guide members and their fastening means occupy a minimum of space on the transport platform whereas the covering element 18 will replace the conventional rear flap or tailgate of the vehicle. During the pivotal movement from the position illustrated in Fig. 6 to the position illus- trated in Fig. 7, the pull absorbing element 20 will fold about the knee joint 23. A similar effect is obtained, of course, when the pull absorbing means is a wire, a chain or a cable. Because the fastening means 19 are located behind the wheel housings, the entire cargo bed area between the wheel housings is unoccupied rearwardly, allowing the transport platform space to be used to its maximum.

Fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment which differs from the preceding one only in that the pull absorbing element 20 is a wire which via a pulley wheel 29 on the fastening means 19 and a pulley wheel 30 on the bracket extends to a winch 31, by means of which the bracket 6 including the guide member 4 and the cargo lifting platform 2 may be orientated as well as pivoted. In other respects this cargo elevating device functions in the same way as described previously and components corresponding to those of earlier embodiments are identified by the same numeral references .

The invention is not limited to the cargo elevating device described in the aforegoing but could be varied as to its details within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the basic idea of the invention. Although the advantages of the cargo elevating device are particularly favourable when the device is used in connection with vehicles of pick-up type, where no space is available underneath the transport platform, it should be appreciated that the cargo elevating device may be advantageously used in connection with other kinds of goods vehicles of lighter as well as heavier type. The cargo elevating device could be used both in closed and open- platform goods vehicles. In trucks having laterally accessible cargo spaces, the cargo elevating device need not necessarily be located at the rear of the vehicle but could be mounted on the side thereof. In this case, the mounting is easy, since there is no obstruction from the lengthwise chassi beams or the like. Instead of being operated by winches 24, the lines 25 could be operated by other powered devices, such as e.g. hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically operated actuators, the former for instance in the form of piston-and-cylinder units and the latter for instance in the form of an elongate screw, preferably extending in and exerting its action in the longitudinal direction of the line. Such power-exerting means are conceivable also in the case of the line 20 in Fig. 8. Power means of this kind could also exert their action directly between the brackets 6 and the guide members 4 as also directly between the brackets 6 and the fastening means 19 in order to shift the elevating device between the operative and transport positions thereof.

Claims

1. A cargo elevating device for goods vehicles, comprising a liftable and lowerable cargo transport platform (2) and a support structure (3) attachable adjacent the vehicle cargo bed, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that support structure (3) consists of two spaced apart elongate guide members (4) and of brackets (6), said brackets being pivotally mounted adjacent the associated cargo bed (5) of the vehicle, preferably at the rear end thereof, and supporting said guide members (4) for parallel displacement of said members in their lengthwise direction, said guide members arranged to be pivoted by said brackets between an upright position, the operative position, and a recumbent position, the transport position, the cargo lifting platform (2) being supported by the guide members at the lower guide-member ends as seen in the operative position.

2. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that each bracket (6) is formed with an arm (βa) which arms project downwardly from the guide members in the transport position and horizontally adjacent the cargo bed of the vehicle in the operative position, said arms (6a) being hingedly con- nected from the guide members to fastening elements (19) which are attachable to the vehicle.

3. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the guide members (4) are formed with a runner track and in that the brackets (6) are formed with running means (14, 15) arranged to travel along said tracks.

4. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the running means (14, 15) are in the form of running rollers which are rota- tionally mounted on the brackets (6) and which in each bracket abut against facing sides of track-forming flanges in each guide member (4) for the purpose of achieving controlled movement and orientation of said guide members relative to their associated bracket.

5. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a force-absorbing line (25), via deflecting elements (26) on the respective bracket (6), extends from a winch (24) to the part of the guide members (4) that is the lowermost one in the operative position, for the purpose of lifting and lowering the guide members together with the cargo lifting platform (2).

6. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the part (6a) of the brackets (6) that projects from the guide members (4) supports a flap-forming covering element (18) on that one of its faces that is turned away from the transport platform of the vehicle.

7. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the cargo lifting platform (2) is supported by the guide members (4) for pivotal movement between an operative position, in which it projects essentially horizontally from the guide members, which are upright in the operative position, and a transport position, in which said platform is inserted interiorly of or adjacent the external boundary edge of the cargo bed (5) .

8. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the cargo lifting platform (2) is pivotable to an operative position in which it is located below the level of the guide members (4) as the latter assume the transport position, i.e. are pivoted to a position above the cargo bed (5) .

9. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the cargo lifting platform (2) is pivotable to a transport position, in which said platform hangs down from the guide members (4) in the transport position of said guide members.

10. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of claims 7 - 9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it is formed from at least two parts (2a, 2b) that are foldable relative to one another.

11. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a device for pivotally mounting the brackets (6) adjacent the transport platform of the vehicle consists of a fitting element (19) which is attachable to the transport platform of the vehicle and from which a pull absorbing element (20) extends to the part of the respective bracket that is positioned at the guide member, said element (20) having a maximum extension in the operative position of the guide members (4).

12. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 11, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the pull absorbing element (20) is freely foldable.

13. A cargo elevating device as claimed in claim 11 or 12, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the pull ab- sorbing element (20) is a winch-actuated line.

14. A cargo elevating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the guide members (4) are configured as C-shaped profiled sections the open sides of which are arranged in facing relationship.