EP1599408A1

EP1599408A1 - Fork-lift transport truck for tyres

Info

Publication number: EP1599408A1
Application number: EP04709237A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paul Charvet
Original assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA Switzerland; Michelin Recherche et Technique SA France; Societe de Technologie Michelin SAS
Current assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA Switzerland; Michelin Recherche et Technique SA France; Societe de Technologie Michelin SAS
Priority date: 2003-02-13
Filing date: 2004-02-09
Publication date: 2005-11-30
Also published as: CA2515535A1; CN100415631C; RU2005128498A; FR2851240B1; BRPI0407313A; FR2851240A1; CN1750992A; PL377607A1; WO2004076332A1; RU81716U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a fork-lift truck (1) for the forward transport of a vertical pile (2) of tyres (3), arranged to the front of the truck, characterised in comprising gripping means (4), mounted on the frame or the mast (11) of the truck and which permit gripping of the pile and dividing the same in the vertical direction into two vertical sections called high (2H) and low (2B), such as to open a gap (E) between the two high and low sections of the pile. Said gap is arranged at a height from the ground, such that the field of vision (CV) of the driver of the truck (or fork-lift operator) passes through said gap at an angle such that said fork-lift operator can see the ground in front of the truck to a distance (D) called security and beyond that to also give a distant view.

Description

TIRE CARRIER

The present invention relates to the technical sector of transport and storage of tires, and more precisely to the technical field of trolleys suitable for transport operations over short distances of stacks of tires, for example in a workshop between two storage areas, or between the end of the production line and a storage area, and similar routes.

In what follows, the term "stack" of tires means a set of tires arranged one on top of the other with their axes of symmetry substantially coincident and oriented vertically for the vertical stacks and arranged against each other with their axes of symmetry substantially combined and oriented substantially horizontally for horizontal piles.

Tire stacker trolleys are known which comprise a very long arm capable, in a horizontal position, of being introduced into the center of the horizontal stack of tires, and of taking this stack by lifting, then pivoting towards the vertical of the arm carrying the horizontal stack, so that, for transport, the stack is vertical.

We can see that, in such a configuration, the stack of tires completely masks the driver's field of vision in the axis of movement of the truck, which forces the operator to bend over or turn around (ergonomic problems) or to clear his field of vision by a more or less "sinusoidal" movement which is not without danger. It often even happens that, the width of the load being too large, the operator is forced to drive the vehicle in reverse, turning around ("rear head" position). All these palliatives are dangerous and / or pose serious ergonomic problems and therefore of arduousness. Document DE 101 27 949 C2 discloses a pallet transporting trolley comprising two sets of two forks each intended to carry a pallet of goods and such that between the two pallets, in operation, a view space can be provided for the operator . However, this trolley cannot be used to transport stacks of tires.

There is therefore an important and recognized need for a trolley which would make it possible to transport, load, unload, and other similar operations, in the driver's position "front head" of the stacks of tires and would provide the operator with good visibility in the direction of longitudinal displacement. of the carriage and at a certain useful angle on each side of this longitudinal direction.

Naturally, such a trolley should not include mechanical means liable to damage the tires, for example by excessive deformation, or even to simply mark their tread or their sidewalls, which is a cause of refusal of the tires by the Client, upon receipt.

Furthermore, it would be interesting to combine these advantages with an increase in productivity, that is to say the number of tires transported per unit of time over a given route. In this area, the limits are to this day quickly reached due to the fatigue linked to the poor driving position of the operator.

We therefore see that the problem of safety and arduousness is linked to that of increasing productivity.

In what follows, “vertical” stacks are used to mean vertical or substantially vertical stacks, the stacks of tires are in fact not strictly vertical. As a rule they are practically so, but a few degrees of inclination do not affect. not the invention. A greater inclination would also not affect the implementation of the invention, but would encounter problems of greater overhang, and loss of space due to the inclination of the lower tire. Except case particularly with a very low workshop ceiling, these situations cannot be envisaged. In what follows, we will only use the term "vertical", stressing that this term covers the options above.

By "safety distance" is meant here the distance, in front of the carriage, that is to say in the direction of movement thereof, beyond which it is reasonably necessary that the field of vision of the operator can see the ground so that, for example, he can stop safely if he detects an obstacle, and below which, when the truck is in continuous motion, that is to say outside the start-up phases or restart, at normal speed, the operator's field of vision need not be on the ground. It will be understood that this simple term designates the fact that, at start-up, and at each restart, the operator will have to check that there is no obstacle within the safety distance - this is inevitable - but that, in continuous forward movement, the field of vision will be able to "sweep" the ground and the space in front of the trolley from said "safety" distance and beyond.

In addition, "horizontal" means the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. Naturally, the terms "vertical" or "horizontal" include directions which are not exactly vertical or horizontal, but close enough to these directions not to affect the balance of the craft.

“Top” designates the top part of the stack and of the various elements of the carriage, and “bottom” the bottom part.

“Internal” or “interior” designates the space located between the gripping means of a handling carriage, in particular forks and clamps and spacers, or the faces of certain members turned or directed towards said “internal” space.

"Front" means that which is at the front of the carriage, or in front of the carriage, or a component face turned or directed towards the "front". “Mast” designates the vertical fixing and guiding members mounted on any carriage of the type in question, and capable of receiving in known manner loading means fixed to guide carriages, themselves movable in height on said “mast”. The mast bears the reference 11 in the accompanying drawings.

The invention resides in a “front head” transport trolley of a vertical stack of tires, disposed in front of the trolley, which comprises gripping means mounted on the mast of the trolley and suitable for gripping and dividing said stack in the vertical direction. two vertical or substantially vertical sections, called “high” and “low”, so as to open a space E between the two “high” and “low” sections of said stack, this space being provided at a height above ground such that the field of vision CV of the driver of the truck (or driver) passes through this space with an angle such that said driver can see the ground in front of the truck, at a distance D called "safety" and beyond, and also has from a distant vision.

According to a preferred embodiment, the gripping means consist of: - at least two high and low pairs of low and respectively high vertical grippers, movable horizontally so as to be able to operate a tightening or loosening movement between them, and whose geometry inner G is adapted to substantially match the contour of the tread of a tire placed horizontally therebetween, and fixed by high and respectively low spacers to the mast or frame, by means of high and respectively low guide carriages mounted sliding vertically on said frame or mast, and capable of sliding on said frame up and down, and - by means of control and command independent of said sliding of said top and bottom guide carriages, and of the horizontal spacing of the pairs low pliers, and high pliers respectively.

By "substantially marrying" means the fact that the geometry is adapted so that, when the pliers are pressed against the tread of a tire placed between them, the pliers can achieve sufficient tightening to move vertically the two upper and lower sections of the tire stack, without this tightening deforming or "marking" the tread of the tire.

According to one option, the pliers each consist of two, or more than two, parts hinged together so as to more closely match the tire tread. This option will be understandable by any person skilled in the art according to the known rules of geometry and kinematics and will not be described in more detail.

According to another option, the clamps are also angular and / or lateral displacement, that is to say, the guide carriages can also move laterally, horizontally, relative to the mast of the carriage, so as to offset the pairs of pliers to the right or to the left, and / or angularly, that is to say that the pliers are fixed to the guide carriages by an additional means which comprises a pivot placed on the longitudinal axis of symmetry (or this same axis “offset” when the pairs of pliers are offset to the right or the left) and mechanical means making it possible to angularly orient the pairs of pliers relative to the longitudinal axis of the carriage.

According to a particular embodiment, said high and low clamps are articulated in rotation about a vertical axis integral with the high and low spacers, for a better adaptation to the contour of the tire.

These angular and / or lateral arrangements are intended to facilitate the gripping of batteries stored in inaccessible places. Naturally, the amplitude of the lateral and / or angular displacements must be compatible with the stability of the machine.

According to a particular embodiment, the carriage according to the invention comprises means for synchronizing the movements of the pairs of upper and lower clamps. According to a non-limiting option, a vertical rod is used for mechanical synchronization of the clamps and is housed in a space provided in the top and bottom guide carriages. This rod ensures identical spacing of the upper and lower clamps, even in the presence a slight disruption of the gripper control members, such as hydraulic cylinders for example.

Provision may also be made to ensure that the internal face of the clamps and possibly of the spacers is made of, or covered with, a material of the flexible rubber type or other material capable of protecting the tire while closely matching the contour.

According to a particular embodiment, said tightening / loosening movement operated by said high and low clamps, or horizontal spacing, is obtained by horizontal sliding of the top and bottom guide carriages on the frame.

According to yet another particular embodiment, said movement is obtained by means of horizontal rotation of said spacers, around a vertical axis integral with the top and bottom guide carriages.

Said monitoring and control means are of a type well known to those skilled in the art, and in particular of the type of actuators, electric motors, hydraulic or electric controls, possibly servomotors, the various movements being able to be controlled by the operator separately. others ; said control and command means also comprise, according to a preferred embodiment, well-known safety members such as position sensors, contact pressure with tires, anti-crushing systems (in particular in space E), anti-tip and anti-tip systems of the trolley and the like, capable of crossing an threshold to activate an alarm and if necessary to stop the movement. The assembly is preferably controlled by on-board electronics of a known type, the thresholds of which can be pre-programmed but which can be modified on the basis of an on-board program which can authorize certain adjustments depending for example on the number and type of tires and similar parameters. According to a particular embodiment, the assembly formed by the frame or mast and the gripping means can be pivotally mounted around a horizontal axis integral with the carriage and placed at the front thereof, so that this together is capable of grasping a horizontal stack of tires, and then of straightening it in a vertical position (the division according to the invention then being carried out).

The invention also relates to the method of transporting a vertical stack of tires on a trolley, in front of this trolley, in the position of the operator "head straight forward", according to which said vertical stack is divided into two upper and lower sections, so to open a space E between the two “high” and “low” sections of the stack, this space being provided at a height above the ground such that the field of vision CV of the driver of the truck (or forklift driver) passes through this space with a angle such that said operator can see the ground in front of the truck, at a distance D called "safety", and beyond, and also has a distant vision.

Preferably, the tires transported in piles are tires for heavy vehicles. Tires for heavy goods vehicles have a diameter which is large enough for stacks of 7 to 11 tires to be very stable.

The transport of truck tires in stacks with the trolleys according to the invention has the advantage of being much less bulky than the transport of the usual pallets with fork trolleys (by a factor of 2 to 2.5 depending on the dimensions) . It is therefore possible to reduce the width of the aisles in the storage stores and to increase the storage density of the tires. We can thus save up to 30% of storage space.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, and with reference to the attached drawing in which: - Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of the trolley according to the invention; - Figure 2, which consists of Figures 2A and 2B, schematically shows a top view of the gripping means of the carriage of Figure 1; and

- Figure 3 schematically shows a side view of the carriage according to the invention, in the rolling position.

Figure 1 shows in schematic side view a carriage 1 according to the invention. This carriage 1 for "front head" transport of a vertical stack 2 of tires 3, disposed in front of the carriage, comprises gripping means 4 mounted on the "mast" 11 of the carriage and suitable for gripping and dividing said stack in the vertical direction into two vertical or substantially vertical sections, called “high” 2H and “low” 2B, so as to open a space E between the two “high” and “low” sections of said stack ,. this space being provided at a height above the ground such that the field of vision CV of the driver of the trolley (or driver) passes through this space at an angle such that said driver can see the ground in front of the trolley, at a distance D called "Security" and beyond, and also has a distant vision.

The gripping means 4 consist of:

- two high and low pairs of vertical clamps (when the carriage is loaded) low 9B and respectively high 9H, movable horizontally so as to be able to operate a tightening or loosening movement between them, and whose internal geometry G is adapted to match substantially the contour of the tread of a tire placed horizontally therebetween, and fixed by high and respectively low struts 10H, 10 B to the frame or mast 11, by means of the guide carriages 6 (top) and respectively 7 (bottom) mounted to slide vertically on the frame or mast 11, and capable of sliding on the frame up and down, and

- In independent control and correction means of said sliding of said guide carriages 6 and 7 respectively, and of the horizontal spacing of the pairs of pliers 9H, and 9B respectively.

In FIG. 1, we also see the vertical rod 8 which is used for the mechanical synchronization of the clamps and is housed in a space provided in the guide carriages 6 and 7. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, a schematic view from above is seen of the pair of high clamps 9H (or respectively low 9B), the spacers 10H (or respectively 10B) for fixing the clamps to the top guide carriages 6 (or respectively bottom 7) , and the frame or mast 11. In this nonlimiting embodiment, it can be seen that the guide carriages 6, 7 slide horizontally on the frame or mast 11, from a separated position - FIG. 2A - towards a clamping position - FIG. 2B - and vice versa. It can be seen that, according to a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the internal geometry of the spacers 10H, 10B is also adapted to match the outline of the tread of the tires placed between the assembly formed by said pliers 9H, and respectively 9B, and said spacers 10H, and respectively 10B.

Figure 3 schematically shows a side view of the carriage according to the invention in the rolling position. It can be seen that, after loading the stack of tires, the clamp / spacer assemblies were tightened so as to hold the tires in place and to be able to lift the high stack 2H to a height such that the space E formed between the batteries 2B and 2H defines a field of vision CV whose upper edge 12 allows a distant view. As for the ground height at which the division of the stack 2 is carried out, it is calculated so that the lower edge 13 of the field of vision intercepts the ground, in front of the carriage, at a distance which is not greater than the safety distance D.

This safety distance is naturally variable according to many parameters, in particular the speed of movement, but the invention makes it possible to locate it for example, and naturally on an absolutely nonlimiting basis, at 7 m from the operator, that is to say about 5 m forward. from the front end of the tire stack. This distance of the order of 5 m is such that it becomes very unlikely that an obstacle will have time to arise in front of the carriage. This value is of course not limiting, and the safety distance will be a compromise between clearing the field of vision towards the front and stability of the machine. A person skilled in the art will understand that, if the tire stack was placed at the rear of the carriage, on the condition that the carriage is adapted to this new mode of overhang, what has just been said is would apply mutatis mutandis and would be useful for reverse or reverse and skew maneuvers. The invention therefore also covers these options.

The invention also covers all the embodiments and all the applications which will be directly accessible to those skilled in the art on reading the present application, their own knowledge, and possibly simple routine tests.

Claims

1. Trolley (1) for transporting "front head" of a vertical stack of tires (3), disposed in front of the trolley, characterized in that it comprises gripping means (4) mounted on the frame or "mast" ( 11) of the carriage and adapted to grasp and divide said stack in the vertical direction into two vertical sections, called “high” (2H) and “low” (2B), so as to open a space (E) between the two sections “ high ”and“ low ”of said stack, this space being provided at a height above the ground such that the field of vision (CV) of the driver of the truck (or driver) passes through this space at an angle such that said driver can see the ground in front of the truck, at a distance (D) called "safety" and beyond, and also has a distant vision.

2. Trolley (1) according to claim 1, in which said gripping means 4 consist of: - at least two high and low pairs of vertical grippers (when the trolley is loaded) low (9B) and respectively high (9H), mobile horizontally so as to be able to operate a tightening or loosening movement between them, and the internal geometry (G) of which is adapted to substantially match the contour of the tread of a tire placed horizontally between them, and fixed by spacers high and respectively low (10H, 10 B) to a frame or "mast" (11), by means of top guide carriages (6) and respectively bottom (7) slidably mounted vertically on said frame or "mast" ( 11), and capable of sliding on said frame up and down, and

- In means of control and command independent of said sliding of said top guide carriages (6) and respectively bottom (7), and of P horizontal spacing of the pairs of clamps high (9H), and respectively low (9B).

3. Trolley according to claim 2, in which the clamps each consist of two, or more than two, parts hinged together so as to come to marry even more closely the tread of the tire.

4. Trolley according to one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the clamps are more angular and / or lateral movement, that is to say that the guide carriages can also move laterally, horizontally, relative to the "mast" (11) of the carriage, so as to shift the pairs of clamps to the right or to the left, and / or angularly, that is to say that the clamps are fixed to the guide carriages by an additional means which includes a pivot placed on the longitudinal axis of symmetry (or this same axis “offset” when the pairs of pliers are offset to the right or left) and mechanical means making it possible to orient the pairs of pliers angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the carriage.

5. Trolley according to claim 4 wherein said clamps (9H, 9B) are articulated in rotation about a vertical axis integral with the spacers (10H, 10B), for a better adaptation to the contour of the tire.

6. Trolley according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the internal face of the clamps and possibly of the spacers is made of, or covered with, a material of the flexible rubber type or other material capable of protecting the tire while marrying closely the outline.

7, carriage according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said tightening / loosening movement operated by said clamps (9H, 9B), or horizontal spacing, is obtained by horizontal sliding of the carriages (6, 7) on the frame (11).

8. Trolley according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said tightening / loosening movement is obtained by members for horizontal rotation of said spacers, around a vertical axis integral with the guide carriages (6, 7).

9. Trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 8, such that it comprises means for synchronizing the movements of the gripping means and in particular pairs of high and low clamps or high and low forks, optionally controlled by on-board electronics. pre programmable.

10. Trolley according to claim 9 characterized in that a vertical rod (8) serves as a means of mechanical synchronization of the clamps or forks and is housed in a space provided in the guide carriages (6, 7).

11. Trolley according to one of claims 1 to 10, as it further comprises means for pivoting about a horizontal axis the assembly formed by the frame or mat (11) and the gripping means (4) to allow the gripping of a horizontal stack of tires and its vertical straightening.

12. Trolley according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the gripping means (4) are adapted to transport vertical stacks of heavy-duty tires.

13. Method for transporting a vertical stack of tires, on a trolley, in front of this trolley, or behind this trolley, in the driver's position "head straight forward", characterized in that said stack (2) is divided on the trolley ) of tires (3) in two high (2H) and low (2B) sections, so as to open a space (E) between the two “high” and “low” sections of said stack, this space being provided at a height above ground such that the field of vision (CV) of the driver of the truck (or driver) passes through this space at an angle such that said driver can see the ground in front of the truck, at a distance (D) called "safety" , and beyond, and also has distant vision.