Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D90/00—Component parts, details or accessories for large containers
  • B65D90/0006—Coupling devices between containers, e.g. ISO-containers
  • B65D90/0013—Twist lock

Definitions

• Automatically locking and releasing connector assembly for connecting two components, at least one of which has a hole that can be gripped behind
• the invention relates to an automatically locking and releasing connector assembly for connecting two components, at least one of which has an engaging hole for partial insertion of the connector assembly and is preferably a corner fitting of an ocean freight container.
• connection assemblies are inserted into the hollow corner fittings of the containers, which prevent the containers from slipping sideways and detaching from one another.
• Such connection assemblies are designed in such a way that they have to be released manually for unloading the containers, for example by turning the hammer head protruding through an elongated hole into a corner fitting in such a way that it no longer engages behind the elongated hole and the container for removal upwards released by means of a crane.
• This manual loosening of the connection assemblies is not only tedious because the containers are stacked in up to ten layers on top of each other, but also dangerous because high ladders have to be used between narrowly stacked containers on a ship's deck.
• DE 43 07 781 C2 proposes a container coupling with which the aforementioned problem is to be solved.
• This container coupling has a housing which is provided with a through opening and consists of a plurality of housing parts, a locking bolt being rotatably mounted in the through opening, at the ends of which outside of the housing asymmetrically transverse bolts are arranged, which are alternatively fitted in a corner fitting of a container into a locking and an unlocking position can be moved.
• the locking bolt is mounted on a ball that can be moved obliquely in a housing part in such a way that the locking bolt assumes a locking position in the event of a lateral inclination of a ship, in which it holds both corner fittings for fastening the ones standing on top of one another Reaches containers together and, when the ship is upright, assumes its unlocked position, in which it releases the containers from being removed from one another.
• the invention has for its object to provide an automatically locking and releasing connector assembly that is versatile and in which the aforementioned problems do not occur.
• the locking component is not only moved into the locking position by gravity or, if necessary, its inertia, but positively by the stop component, which in turn is moved with the great force of the components to be connected, for example sea freight containers, which are to be moved towards one another.
• the locking component does not move every time the connection assembly, for example when rocking or rolling a ship, is moved out of a vertical position. This has a beneficial effect on long-term functionality.
• the locking device is formed by a separate assembly with which the mobility of the locking component can be positively locked out of the locking position. This also increases the functional reliability of the connection assembly, whereby the locking device can be largely sealed off from the outside, is not subjected to high forces, can be made correspondingly sensitive and can block various external influences.
• the subclaims are directed to advantageous embodiments and developments of the connection assembly according to the invention, the advantages of which can be seen from the following description.
• the invention can be used wherever two components, at least one of which has a hole that can be reached behind, are to be automatically connected to one another simply by moving towards one another and are to be detachable from one another without manual manipulation of the connecting assembly, this detachment only being possible is when predetermined conditions regarding the position and / or the movement of at least one of the components are met.
• the invention is not only for the mutual fastening of containers stacked on top of one another, but also for containers to be connected next to one another, for containers to be transported on a railroad car, a loading platform, etc., with other components provided with suitable holes, such as carriers, components etc. can be used.
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a connector assembly
• FIG. 3 shows a top view of a lower shell of a housing
• FIG. 4 shows a top view of an upper shell of the housing
• FIGS. 3 and 4 shows cross sections through the upper shell and the lower shell of FIGS. 3 and 4, cut perpendicular to the view of FIGS. 3 and 4,
• FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views of the connection assembly in different functional states
• FIG. 10 shows the view of FIG. 9 in a sectional view rotated by 90 ° about a vertical axis
• FIGS. 12 and 13 are sectional views of a second embodiment of the connection assembly in two different functional states
• FIG. 16 and 17 are sectional views of a fourth embodiment of the connecting assembly in two different functional states
• FIG. 18 is a perspective view, partly in a view, of a modified embodiment of a locking device, assembled with a locking component
• Fig. 19 a ram contained in the locking device of Fig. 19, in section
• FIG. 21 a ball
• FIG. 22 a vertical section through a locking housing, cut in the plane XXII-XXII of FIG. 18,
• FIG. 23 shows a horizontal section through the spitting device of FIG. 18, cut in the plane XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 18,
• FIG. 24 shows a modified embodiment of a plunger
• FIG. 25 shows a perspective view of a modified embodiment of a connecting assembly
• FIG. 26 is a front view of the connector assembly according to FIG. Fig. 25,
• Fig. 27 shows a longitudinal section through the connection assembly acc. Fig. 25,
• FIG. 28 is a plan view of two locking components
• FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a slide
• FIG. Fig. 25 shows a schematic cross section through the assembly according to FIG. Fig. 25,
• 31 is an exploded view of a locking device
• Fig. 33 is a sectional view of a compared to the embodiment according. 25 modified connection assembly in the unlocked state
• Fig. 34 is a sectional view of the assembly acc. 33 in the locked state
• FIG. 35 is an end view of the assembly according to FIG. 33 with the receiving fitting cut open
• FIG. 36 is a view corresponding to FIG. 33 with the connecting assembly pushed into the receiving fitting
• FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the connector assembly according to FIG. 33 to 36.
• Fig. 38 the connector assembly acc. 37, inserted in a receiving fitting, 39 is a perspective view for explaining an advantageous use of the arrangement according to FIG. Fig. 38,
• FIG. 40 shows a section of a railroad car using connection assemblies according to the invention similar to FIG. 37
• FIG. 41 shows an advantageous detail of a housing of an assembly according to the invention
• the connecting assembly has a housing 2 with an upper end region 3 and a flange 4.
• a hammer head 6 projects from the upper end region 3.
• a plunger-like stop member 8 protrudes from the lower end of the housing body.
• a handle 10 protrudes from the flange. With 11 screws are designated. 12 denotes a passage opening through which a locking slide 14, which will be described in more detail later, can be moved.
• Fig. 2 shows the connection assembly shown in Fig. 1 in side view in front view.
• a head 14 of the hammer head 6 is not circular but has larger dimensions in the front view than in the side view.
• the housing 2 is composed of a lower shell 16 (FIG. 3) and an upper shell 18 (FIG. 4). To assemble the housing, the upper shell 18 is rotated 180 ° counterclockwise from the paper plane from the position shown and placed on the lower shell 16. Then the two shells are screwed together with the screws 11, which are received in corresponding holes in the housing shells.
• the shells 16 and 18 together form an upper cavity 20 and an interior space 21.
• the hammer head 6 can be rotated in the upper cavity 20 and, due to its flange 22, is received positively and captively.
• a torsion spring 24 biases the hammer head 6 into a predetermined locking position.
• the handle 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) protrudes into a through channel 26 with an attachment (not shown) and is connected to the flange 22, for example with the aid of a Bowden cable (not shown), so that by pulling the handle 10 the hammer head 6 counteracts the bias of the torsion spring 24 can be rotated into a release position from which it returns to its locking position when the handle 10 is released.
• a passage opening 30 of the lower shell 16 corresponding to the passage opening 12 of the upper shell 18 is formed in the example shown in such a way that when the housing is assembled, the two passage openings 12 and 30 do not align with one another but are mirror-symmetrical are arranged to the middle of the housing.
• FIG. 5 shows in the left half a vertical section through the lower shell 16, cut along the plane VV in FIG. 3 and in its right half a vertical section through the upper shell 18, cut in the plane VV in FIG. 4.
• the passage openings 12 and 30 are arranged at the same height. 5 shows the holes 31 formed in the housing shells for receiving the screws 11 (FIG. 1).
• FIG. 7 shows the entire connection assembly in a perspective view, the passage opening 12 in the assembly shown not being rounded as in FIG. 4, but rather being rectangular overall.
• FIG 6 shows three components of an assembly, which are accommodated in the interior 21 of the housing 2.
• a bridge-shaped expansion component 32 has a horizontal leg 34, from which two expansion parts 36, which are mutually rotated by 180 degrees, each extend, which are each formed with an inclined surface 38 and have projections 40 projecting upwards.
• the plunger-like stop component 8 projects downward from the leg 34.
• An associated locking slide 13 (FIG. 1) (only one is shown) interacts with the inclined surface 38 of each expansion part and has an inclined surface 46 and a guide projection 48. Furthermore, a locking device 50 is provided with a housing 52 in which a roller (FIG. 10) is mounted, on which a belt 54 is rolled up. The rotatability of the roller can be locked by means of a locking mechanism, not shown in FIG. 6.
• the hammer head 6 with the spring 24 attached to it is arranged in the cavity 20 of the lower shell 16 and the handle 10 is attached to the flange 22 via a connection (not shown).
• the expansion component 32 is then inserted into the lower shell 16 in such a way that the stop component 8 projects downwards through a recess or opening 56 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in the lower shell 16.
• a compression spring 56 (FIG. 8) acting between the leg 34 and the lower shell 16 or later the housing is introduced.
• one of the locking slides 13 is introduced into the lower shell 16 in such a way that it protrudes into the passage opening 30.
• a compression spring 59 (FIG. 8) acting between the guide projection 48 of the locking slide 13 and the lower shell 16 is used.
• the housing 52 of the locking device 50 is inserted, for example, into a corresponding recess (not shown) in the lower shell 16, so that it is firmly accommodated therein, and the band 54 is fastened to the leg 34 at 58 (FIG. 6).
• the further locking slide is then inserted into the passage opening 12 of the upper shell 18 with the arrangement of a further compression spring 59 (not shown) between the guide attachment of this locking slide and the upper shell 18.
• the upper shell 18 is then placed on the lower shell 16 and the housing 2 is closed and finished by means of the screws 12.
• the forces of the compression springs 59 and 56 are coordinated with one another in such a way that the locking slides 12 move into the interior 21 under the action of the compression springs assigned to them and in the process push the expansion component 32 downward by overpressing the compression spring 56 until the expansion component 32 rests on the housing base.
• the dimensions of the components are such that the expansion slides 13 do not protrude from the passage openings 12 and 30 when the expansion component 32 is moved into its lowest possible position, in which the stop component 8 is as far down as possible from the housing 2 protrudes.
• This state of the connecting assembly is shown in FIG. 8, in which the locking slides 13 are in the maximum inward position and abut against the inclined surfaces 38 and do not protrude from the housing 2. 8 shows a magnet 60 attached to the lower end face of the stop component 8. All movable components are securely movably guided by corresponding guide surfaces of the housing 2.
• connection module The function of the connection module is explained below:
• the hammer head 6 is rotated by means of the handle 10 from its locking position shown in FIG. 8 into a release position by 90 °.
• the hammer head can then be inserted into the interior of the corner fitting 64 through an elongated hole 66 formed in the underside of a corner fitting 64 until the flange 4 comes into contact with the underside of the corner fitting 64.
• the end region 3 of the housing 2 projects into the elongated hole and secures the housing 2 against rotation. Then the
• Handle 10 released so that the hammer head 6 according to the action of the torsion spring 24 in its locked position.
• Fig. 8 rotates, in which it engages behind the elongated hole 66 and locks the connection assembly on the corner fitting 64 or an associated container.
• this container or corner fitting 64 is now approached from above, for example by means of a crane, to a lower container or upper corner fitting 68 of this container, the housing 2 can move into the latter through the slot 70 of this corner fitting 68.
• the stop component 8 comes into contact with the bottom 72 of the corner fitting 68.
• the stop component 8 is displaced into the housing 2 and thus the expansion component 32 moves relative to the housing shifted up, the band 54 is rolled up inside the housing 52 so that it remains taut.
• FIG. 10 shows the arrangement of FIG. 9 in a view rotated by 90 ° about a vertical axis.
• a lateral displacement between the containers placed one on top of the other is not possible because of the positive engagement of the housing 2 with the respective elongated holes 66 and 70.
• a roller 76 on which the band 54 is wound, is mounted in the housing 52 by a torsion spring (not shown) which is biased in the winding direction.
• the roller 76 has a disk 78 on the side, on the peripheral edge of which a toothing 80 is formed.
• a locking pin 82 is movably guided in the housing, which is articulated to a lever 84, which in turn is articulated to a lever 86 which is mounted on the housing 52.
• an inertial mass 88 is attached, which is suspended from springs 92 and 94. The movement of the inertial mass 88 downward is limited by a stop 96.
• the roller 76 is biased for clockwise rotation so that the belt 54 is constantly tensioned. Normally, the roller 76 is rotatable, so that it is possible to increase the distance between the expansion component 32 and the housing 52, at which the roller 76 rotates in the clockwise direction.
• the inertial mass 88 moves upward from the equilibrium position under the influence of the springs 92 and 94, whereby the angle between the levers 84 and 86 increases and the locking pin 82 is moved to the left so that it dips into the toothing 80 and rotation of the roller in the direction of an extension of the belt 54 locks. With normal or even increased gravity, the roller 76 is again freely rotatable.
• the locking device 50 has the following effect:
• the upper corner fitting 64 or the upper container for example when the ship is immersed in a trough, wants to move upward from the lower corner fitting 68.
• the inertial mass 88 is then under the influence of reduced gravity, so that an extension of the band 54 is blocked. If the connection assembly is lifted upwards as a result of the play between the locking slide 13 and the inner top of the corner fitting 68, the band 54 takes the spreading component 62 upwards, overcoming the adhesive force between the magnet 60 and the bottom 72 of the corner fitting, so that the locking slide 13 remain in the position shown and block loosening of the connection assembly from the lower corner fitting 68.
• the containers are thus reliably connected to one another even in the event of strong ship movements.
• the upper corner fitting 64 or container is lifted, for example, by a crane, no reduced gravity acts on the inertial mass 88, thereby releasing an extension of the band 54 and, when the connection assembly is lifted, the stop component 42 due to the adhesive force of the magnet 60 remains in contact with the floor 72, so that the expansion component 32 moves downward relative to the housing 2, the locking carriages 54 moving inward under the influence of the compression springs 59 and occupying the position shown in FIG. 7, in which they remove the connecting assembly released from corner fitting 68.
• the stop component 8 detaches from the bottom 72 when the expansion component 32 lies against the lower end of the housing 2.
• the magnet 60 causes the stop component 8 to initially adhere to the bottom 72 of the corner fitting 68 when the housing 2 is lifted, so that It is constant that the expansion component 32 moves downwards relative to the housing 2 and the locking slides 13 return to their inner release division.
• the dimensions of the individual components and the inclined surfaces 38 and 46 which serve to spread the locking slides 44 apart are matched to one another such that the distance a between the top of the locking slides 13 and the corner fitting 68 (FIG. 9) is as small as possible is.
• This distance a is due to the fact that when the connecting assembly is retracted, the locking slides 13 can only move out of the housing 2 into a position that engages behind the elongated hole 70 when they are located inside the corner fitting 68 and the stop component 8 through it System on the bottom 72 of the corner fitting 68 moves the expansion component upwards with further lowering of the housing 2, which in turn moves the locking slide outwards.
• FIGS. 12 and 13 show an embodiment of the connecting assembly in its unlocking and locking position, only those to explain the differences from the previously described embodiment being provided with reference numerals.
• the locking carriages 13 are provided on their upper sides with enlarged inclined surfaces 98 compared to the previously described embodiment.
• the passage openings 12 and 30 cannot be designed such that they constantly drive the locking slides on their top and bottom. A constantly correct guidance of the locking slides 13 is ensured by the fact that the underside of the locking slides is guided on the underside of the passage openings and the top is guided in corresponding guides (not shown) in the housing 2 of the housing 2.
• the locking slides 13 are located completely within the housing 2, the inclined surfaces 98 being at a distance from the upper edge of the respective passage opening 12 or 30.
• the stop component 8 comes into contact with the bottom 72 of the corner fitting 68 (approximately position according to FIG. 12)
• the expansion component 62 is raised and, when the housing 2 is lowered further into the lower corner fitting, the locking slide 13 moves outwards. ß until they are moved so far out in the fully lowered position of the housing 2 (support of the flange 4 on the lower corner fitting 68) that the initial existing distance between the upper edge of the passage openings 12 and 30 is at least approximately used up.
• FIGS. 14 and 15 show a further embodiment of the connection assembly in the representation corresponding to FIGS. 12 and 13.
• the blocking carriages 13 have inclined surfaces 100, 102 on their top and bottom sides, which are parallel to one another and to which the passage openings 13, 30 are designed accordingly.
• the sloping surfaces 100, 102 are directed outwards and obliquely upwards.
• the locking slide 13 are moved obliquely outwards and upwards when the housing 2 is lowered further, so that they are in the fully lowered state of the housing 2 in the position according to FIG. 15 arrive. At least part of the downward movement of the housing 2 is compensated for by the upward movement of the locking slides 13, so that the distance between the upper side of the locking slides 13 and the upper wall of the corner fitting 68 is reduced compared to the first described embodiment of the connecting assembly. It goes without saying that a slight distance is advantageously maintained so that the locking slide 13 can move into the housing 2 when the housing 2 is raised under the restoring force of the compression springs 59.
• the blocking slide 13 has recesses 103 on its upper side. Furthermore, 13 cam elevations 104 are provided on the outer end regions of the inclined surfaces 38 of the expansion component 32 and / or on regions of the locking slide interacting therewith. The following is achieved with this design: near the end of the outward movement of the blocking slides 13, these are slightly raised as a result of the cam elevations 104. This increase is possible because of the recesses 103, which enables the blocking slides 13 to rise relative to their passage openings 12 and 30, respectively. In this embodiment as well, the distance between the top of the locking slides 13 and the inside of the corner fitting 68 is thus reduced by lifting the locking slides during at least part of their movement stroke.
• the housing 2, the locking slide 13 and the hammer head 6 are subjected to high mechanical loads, they are preferably made of forged steel or high-quality cast iron.
• the expansion component 32 also consists of this material. It is understood that the interior of the housing 52 of the locking device 50 is carefully protected against the entry of water or dirt.
• the locking device 50 can additionally include a mechanism that blocks the rotatability of the roller in the unwinding direction of the belt 54 when a certain speed is exceeded, so that when the hammer head 6 is lifted up quickly, the releasability of the connecting assembly from the lower corner fitting 68 is blocked.
• Such turnstiles are known per se and are therefore not explained. Only one locking slide or more than two locking slides can be provided.
• the turning mechanism for the hammer head can be omitted because the connection assembly with the hammer head can be inserted directly into a corner fitting and then rotated so that the head of the hammer head faces the elongated hole. ter opinion.
• the hammer head can be formed in one piece with the housing.
• the housing flange can be omitted so that the lower corner fittings of a container can rest directly on the upper corner fittings of a container underneath.
• FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of a modified embodiment of a locking device 110 in its state attached to the expansion component 32 (see, for example, FIG. 6).
• the locking device 110 has a locking housing 115 composed of two housing halves 112 and 114.
• the housing halves 112 and 114 are mirror-symmetrical to each other and screwed together by means of screws (not shown) passed through holes 116.
• a plunger 118 is received in the locking housing 115, which protrudes from the locking housing 115 with a shaft 120 and is screwed to the leg 34 of the expansion component 32.
• the plunger 120 (FIG. 19) has a head 122 with four arms 124, each offset by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction of the plunger 120. Each arm is formed with a slot 126 running through it, the slots extending from a central area 128 arranged above the shaft 120 and extending obliquely upwards outwards, so that a concave bottom surface 130 and a correspondingly convex top surface 132 are created overall.
• the angle of inclination of the slots 126 with the horizontal is approximately four degrees, for example.
• the height of the slots 196 and the width of the arms 124 are dimensioned such that a ball 134 with play fits into the slots, which projects laterally beyond the slots or the arms.
• the housing halves 112 and 114 are formed with recesses such that a cavity 136 for receiving the plunger 118 is formed in the locking housing 115, which corresponds approximately to the top view of the head 122 of the plunger 118 in the horizontal section (FIG. 23) and in the vertical one Section (Fig. 22) corresponds to a side view of the plunger 118, wherein the vertical dimension of the cavity 136 is greater than that of the arms 124.
• the walls of the cavity 136 are provided with grooves 138 such that the slots 126 of the plunger 118 through the side Grooves are extended in a predetermined installation position of the plunger 118 within the housing 112, 114 such that in the assembled state of the housing with the plunger accommodated therein, the ball 134 protrudes laterally into the grooves 138 such that a vertical relative movement between the plunger and the housing is blocked , This blocking is only lifted when the ball 134 is in the center of the plunger 122, ie on the bottom of the concave bottom surface 130. In this state, the ball 134 held in the plunger 122 can move perpendicularly to the locking housing 115 by immersing it in an elongated hole-like, downward-pointing recess 140, in which the grooves 138 end at their intersection.
• the function of the locking device 110 basically corresponds to the function of the locking device 50 already described.
• the locking housing 115 is rigidly held on the housing 2 of the connection assembly at least in the vertical direction.
• the plunger 118 is screwed to the leg 34 of the expansion component 32, for example by screwing in its end region.
• the area in which the shaft 120 penetrates into the locking housing 115 is sealed by a bellows 142 (FIG. 20) which surrounds the shaft 120 and a flange 144 of the locking housing 115.
• the ball 134 When the plunger 122 is aligned vertically, the ball 134 is located in the central region 134, so that a vertical relative movement between the plunger 122 and the locking housing 115 is possible.
• the position of the grooves 138 is such that the grooves 138 are aligned with the center of the slots 126 when the state in FIG. 9 is reached, that is to say rigidly with one another by means of two corner fittings 64 and 68 to be connected to one another via the connecting assembly are connected and - on the flange 4 - stand on each other. If the vertical alignment existing in FIG.
• the locking housing 115 moves with the housing 2 of the entire connection assembly when the upper corner flap 64 is lifted, the relative movement between the plunger 118 and the locking housing 115 being released, so that the expansion component 32, held by the stop component 8, moves downward relative to the housing 2 and thereby releases the inward movement of the locking slide 13, so that the connecting assembly can move out of the lower corner fitting 68.
• the ball 134 moves into one of the slots 126 and respective associated grooves 138 depending on the tilt axis, this movement being effected by correspondingly rounded transition areas 134 (FIG. 23) is facilitated.
• the relative movability between the ram 18 and the locking housing 115 is blocked, so that when the upper corner fitting 64 is raised, the stop component 8 is released from the bottom 72 of the lower corner fitting 68 and the movement of the locking slide 13 is not released, so that the corner fittings 64 and 68 remain securely connected.
• the ram 118 can be formed with three or another number of arms.
• the relatively moving further between the plunger 118 and in the locking housing 115 need not necessarily be made possible by the recess 140 formed in the locking housing 15.
• the head 122 of the plunger 118 can be formed upward in its central region with a central projection 146 (FIG. 24), in which the intersection of the slots 126 continues upward, so that a vertical, slot-like slot 148 is formed into which the ball 134 held in the grooves 138 can dip when the locking housing 115 moves upward and in this way releases a relative movement between the plunger and the locking housing.
• FIGS. 25 to 32 A further embodiment of the connecting assembly according to the invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 25 to 32. As far as already used reference characters are used, these are used for components or assemblies that are functionally identical or functionally similar to previously described assemblies or components, so that these scopes are not explained again.
• the stop component of the present embodiment is designed as a stop lever 150 which is mounted on a bolt 152 fixed to the housing in such a way that it projects with a stop surface 154 downward from the underside of the flange 4.
• the stop lever 150 has an inclined surface for bearing against a corresponding inclined surface of a slide 156 which is guided in the housing 2 so as to be displaceable.
• a coil spring 158 is arranged between the housing 2 and the slide 156, which urges the slide to the left according to FIG. 27.
• the overall Z-shaped slide in side view which is shown in perspective in FIG. 29, has two lateral arms 159 with holes 160, in which downwardly projecting driver pins 162 are fastened.
• the leg of the slide 156 facing away from the stop lever 150 has an abutment surface 164 which is formed with a recess 166, the function of which is explained below.
• Locking components 170 are pivotally and displaceably mounted on the housing 2 by means of bolts 168 fixed to the housing, in that the bolts 168 protrude through elongated holes 172 (FIG. 28) of the locking components 170.
• the height of the economy components 170 is matched to the height of corresponding openings 174 in sides of the housing 2 facing away from one another (FIG. 25).
• a locking housing 180 of a locking device is rigidly received in a recess of the housing 2 and is explained with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32:
• the locking housing 180 consists of an upper part 184 and a lower part 186, in which a plunger 188 is guided.
• the plunger 188 has a shaft 190 and a head 192.
• the top of the head 192 forms a concave surface on which, when the plunger 188 is in the vertical position, a ball 196 forming a mass body moves automatically into the center.
• the inner side 198 of the upper part 184 facing the ram is convex in accordance with the concave surface 194 and has a recess 200 in the center.
• a spring 202 is arranged between the plunger 188 and the upper part 184.
• the distance between the concave surface 194 corresponds and the inside 198 about the diameter of the ball 196, so that the ball can move in the space between the concave surface 194 and the inside 198 when a lateral acceleration acts on the locking device 182 or the locking device is tilted from the vertical.
• a movement of the plunger 188 is blocked upwards. If, on the other hand, the ball 196 is located in the center or the center of the concave surface 194, the plunger 188 can be pressed upward against the force of the spring 202, the ball 196 moving into the recess 200.
• the locking device described can be used for a wide variety of applications, so that protection for the locking device itself is claimed.
• connection assembly The assembly of the connection assembly described is as follows:
• the stop lever 150 is attached to one of the housing shells with the aid of the bolt 152.
• the locking device is inserted into the corresponding recess in a housing shell.
• the slider 156 with the spring 158 is likewise used, the driver pins 162 engaging in the elongated holes 172 of the inserted locking components 170.
• the housing shells are assembled and screwed together with the screws 11. From below through appropriate openings the bolts 168 are inserted into the housing for mounting the locking components 170, whereby they are passed through the elongated holes 172 of the locking components 170 used.
• the slide 156 is displaced to the left by the spring 158 according to FIG. 27 to such an extent that the stop lever 150 is tilted in the clockwise direction and bears against a stop of the housing.
• the locking components 170 are then in their inwardly pivoted state according to FIG. 30, in that their outer surfaces are flush with the contour of the housing 2, so that the locking components 170 do not protrude from the housing.
• the bolt 188 is displaced upward through the contact surface 164 of the slide 156, so that the ball 196 is located within the recess 200.
• the stop lever 150 comes to rest against the top of a corner fitting and is pivoted counterclockwise according to FIG. 27.
• the slide 156 is moved to the right, as a result of which the locking components 170 are pivoted out of the housing 2 and engage behind the edge of the elongated hole similarly to the locking slide 13 of the aforementioned embodiments, so that two corner fittings are rigidly connected to one another as in the aforementioned embodiments.
• the recess 166 moves further from the intermediate position shown to the right, so that the shaft 190 penetrates fully into the recess, the depth of the recess being dimensioned such that the plunger 188 in reaches its lowest position, in which the ball 196 can move out of the center of the concave surface 194 in order to block an upward movement of the plunger 188.
• the locking direction 182 is tilted out of the vertical position or in the case of accelerations acting from the side, an upward movement of the plunger 188 is thus blocked, whereby its engagement in the recess 166 also prevents the slide 156 from being displaceable and two components connected to one another via the described connecting assembly are securely connected stay connected.
• the slide 156 can move clockwise by pivoting the stop lever 150.
• the direction of the pointer under the force of the spring 158 which is dimensioned such that it pushes the plunger 188 upwards by overcoming the force of the spring 202 of the locking device by means of a suitable beveling of the wall of the recess 166.
• the locking components 170 are pivoted into the housing so that the housing 2 can be removed from the elongated hole.
• the bolts 168 and the locking components 170 and their guidance at the openings 174 of the housing 2 are dimensioned such that the locking components can absorb high forces when the hammer head is pulled.
• the hammer head 6 can be replaced by a fastening part with which the housing 2 can be fastened directly to a component, for example a chassis or a frame.
• the entire arrangement can be rotated in such a way that the components to be connected to one another via the connecting assembly, for example fittings, are laterally fastened to one another, the locking device, for example locking device 182, in turn being arranged in such a way that it is aligned vertically and is free of lateral forces takes a release division.
• the locking of the hammer head 14 can take place together with the movement of the locking components, for example by the driver pins 162 of the slide being extended upwards and protruding into the cavity 20, where they engage in the flange 22 of the hammer head 6 (FIG. 3) in such a way that the hammer head 6 is rotated when the slide is displaced.
• the flange 4 of the housing can be extended and rigidly connect two housings of connecting assemblies arranged next to one another, so that the containers standing next to one another are rigidly connected to one another by moving the housings of such a double connecting assembly into adjacent containers.
• FIGS. 33 to 38 A further embodiment of a connecting assembly according to the invention is explained below with reference to FIGS. 33 to 38, the basic structure of which is similar to that of FIG. The same reference numerals are used for functionally identical components.
• the housing 2 of the connecting assembly is not provided with a completely circumferential flange, like the housing described above, but only with a flange 4 designed as a lateral projection, in which the stop lever 150 is mounted such that it projects above the flange 4 , Accordingly, the inclined surface of the slide 156 cooperating with the stop lever 150 is gem.
• Figure 33 formed on the top left of the slide.
• the slide 156 interacts with the hammer head 6 via a pin 210, which engages in a recess of the slide 156 and a recess formed eccentrically on the flange 22 of the hammer head 6, so that the hammer head 6 is rotated when the slide is displaced.
• the function of the hammer head 6 thus corresponds to that of the locking component 170 of the embodiment according to FIG. 27.
• lateral lugs 212 are formed which engage in recesses 214 which are formed on the inner sides of a connecting fitting 218 corresponding to the corner fittings described previously.
• an engagement arranged in the interior 219 of the connecting fitting 218 Nete spring 220, which is supported on the bottom 224 of the connecting fitting 218 formed with drain openings 222 and urges the housing 2 of the connecting assembly according to the figures upwards, wherein an abutment of the lugs 212 at the upper end of the recesses 214 limits the upward movement of the housing 2 ,
• connection assembly is such that when, for example, a lower corner fitting of a container is placed on the top of the connection fitting 218, the stop lever 150 is rotated clockwise and thereby moves the slide 156, so that the hammer head 6 is rotated and into the locked position according to FIG 34 arrives, in which it engages behind an elongated hole formed in the upper corner flap, not shown, as described with reference to the above embodiments
• the lugs 212 which hold the housing 2 captively in the connecting fitting 218, are formed on all four sides of the housing 2.
• the function of the spring 220 is to enable the housing 2 as a whole to be moved into the connecting fitting 218 when the hammer head 6, as shown by an arrow as shown in FIG. 36, or the upper side of the housing 2 projecting beyond the hammer head a force is exerted from above.
• the spring 220 is designed so stronger than the spring 158 that the housing 2 is not moved into the connecting fitting 218 when the stop lever 250 is pivoted, for which purpose frictional forces and the force of the spring 158 have to be overcome.
• FIG. 37 shows a connection assembly 225 of the type described in a perspective view.
• FIG. 38 shows the connection assembly 225 inserted into the connection fitting 218.
• the connection fitting 218 is composed of two parts 226, 228 which are rigidly connected to one another after the connection assembly 225 has been inserted.
• connection fittings 218 are fastened to longitudinal members 230, for example a railway wagon or another transport platform, at predetermined locations, for example welded to them. Connection assemblies 225 are inserted into the connection fittings 218.
• a 40-foot container 232 is placed on the longitudinal beams, the corner fittings of which, as described above, are reliably connected to the connecting fittings 218 arranged under its corners.
• the middle use fittings 218 in FIG. 39 are arranged such that they do not correspond to a corner fitting of the 40 foot container, but the corner fittings of 20 foot containers which can be transported instead of the 40 foot container 232.
• connection assemblies 225 arranged in the middle connecting fittings 218 are pressed into the connecting fittings, as shown in FIG. 36, so that 40-foot containers or 20-foot containers can be loaded, unloaded and transported without any manual manipulation.
• connection module 225 can be changed in a variety of ways.
• the lugs 212 can be designed to be displaceable inward against spring force, so that when the connecting fitting 218 is formed with suitable holes, the lugs can be pushed into the housing 2 and the connecting assembly 218 can be removed from the connecting fitting.
• the lugs can be designed in such a way that they can be moved into the housing with the aid of a tool, similar to the case of a lock. The connecting fitting can then be formed in one piece.
• FIG. 40 shows the use of connecting assemblies according to the invention on a railroad car, the loading platform of which is provided with flaps 234, to which connecting assemblies 225 are fastened, which are similar to those of FIG. 37.
• the housing of each connection assembly can be inserted into a corresponding hole formed in the flap, the lugs 212 resiliently springing back and the housing latching onto the flap (the housing of the connection assembly is then provided with a corresponding flange).
• the flap 234 is folded up, the connection assembly 225 is ready for automatic locking and unlocking with a container.
• the connector assembly is not in the way of placing a container that is not formed with a corresponding hole.
• the flaps 234, which can alternatively be welded to the housing of the connection assembly ensure that the arrangement of the connection assemblies according to, for example, FIG. 36, which is displaceable against spring force, is not required.
• connection assemblies Numerous modifications of the described embodiments of the connection assemblies are possible. Individual features of the described embodiments can be combined with one another in different ways. The entire assembly can also be used, for example by rotation and 90 degrees and correspondingly different alignment of the locking device, for connecting components which are arranged laterally next to one another.
• the openings through which the connection modules can be inserted do not necessarily have to be elongated holes; it can be any non-circular or even circular, graspable holes.
• FIG. 41 schematically shows a modification, for example of the assembly according to FIGS. 33 to 38, in a cross section, for example of a railroad car.
• the upper end region 3 of the housing 2, which extends through the elongated hole 66 of the corner fitting 64 as a whole, is undersized in its central region relative to the elongated hole 66 and widens towards its upper end, so that only an upper edge 236 essentially is dimensioned the same as the elongated hole 66.
• FIG. 42 shows an arrangement of a connection assembly corresponding to FIG. 15, for example, without its upper hammer head engaging behind an upper corner fitting of a container.
• the housing 2 of this connection assembly is below the flange 4, on which, for example when used on a ship, the corner fitting of an upper container (not shown) is of reduced cross-section formed and merges via an inclined surface 238 in the lower area formed with a larger cross section.
• the corner fitting of an upper container (not shown) is of reduced cross-section formed and merges via an inclined surface 238 in the lower area formed with a larger cross section.
• the housing 2 of the connection assembly which is locked with play in the lower corner fitting 68, cannot move upwards relative to the lower corner fitting, which supports the stability of the interconnected containers.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Clamps And Clips (AREA)
• Connection Of Plates (AREA)
• Earth Drilling (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Hooks, Suction Cups, And Attachment By Adhesive Means (AREA)

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• 2000
  • 2000-07-05 DE DE10032566A patent/DE10032566A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2001
  • 2001-04-06 EP EP01929518A patent/EP1268311B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-04-06 JP JP2001574467A patent/JP2003530280A/ja active Pending
  • 2001-04-06 CN CNB018089445A patent/CN1209272C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-04-06 AT AT01929518T patent/ATE258529T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-04-06 US US10/257,049 patent/US20030164375A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-04-06 WO PCT/EP2001/003967 patent/WO2001076980A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-04-06 DE DE50101402T patent/DE50101402D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

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