Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
  • B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
  • B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
  • B66F9/12—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members
  • B66F9/18—Load gripping or retaining means
  • B66F9/183—Coplanar side clamps
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
  • B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
  • B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
  • B66F9/12—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members
  • B66F9/18—Load gripping or retaining means
  • B66F9/184—Roll clamps

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a hydraulic tyre stacker for mounting on a fork-lift truck, and comprising a releasable attached frame for mounting on a lifting base on a fork-lift truck, said frame comprising a first end and a second end which is pivotal by a pivot able releasable attached console on the lifting base comprising first pivotal connections and first set of actuators, the first and second side of said frame respectively comprising a first- and a second cooperating gripping jaw, said gripping jaws being symmetrical and laterally reversed, each comprising a con- tinuous, unbroken, front gripping plate arranged parallel with the frame, said gripping plates being located in the free ends of at least two first curved organs, said organs being pivotally connected to the frame by second pivotal connections, said gripping plates being relatively displaceable towards- and away from each other by a second set of actuators, and where said pivotal organs comprises a number of counter holds, located between the pivotal connections and the
• Such a tyre stacker is known from brochure material from Danish Stacking & Loading Automatic ApS and from WO 2005/080252A1 (PCT/dk2005/000119).
• the tyre stacker solves a working environmental problem related to lift of large heavy pieces which are difficult to handle, e.g. it is used in connection with stacking, handling and loading of lorry tyres between storage yards, where said tyres typically are lying stacked in rows, wherefrom they are picked, stacked in lying posi- tion and loaded on lorry trailers in close packed stacks extending from floor to the ceiling of the trailer, whereupon they are transported to destruction or recycling.
• a single lorry tyre has a weight of approximately 70 Kg, and is therefore a considerable and almost impossible load for one person.
• the known tyre stacker is further saving manpower, since 1 person with a fork-lift truck provided with the tyre stacker is capable of loading a complete lorry trailer with tyres in about 1 hour, stacked as already stated, a task which normally would require 3 workers three hours to perform.
• the free ends of the jaws are provided with continuous, unbroken, gripping plates which by the fork-lift truck can be lowered down from above over a preferred number of tyres, where after the hydraulic operated jaws is activated, to make the gripping plates is gripping firmly around the tyres, which afterwards are lifted free from the stack, and the tyres is subsequently transported to a lorry, lorry trailer or a shelve by the truck, where the tyres by the pivotal func- tion either may be placed stacked upon each other of arranged upstanding in rows.
• the problem with the known tyre stacker is the varying size of lorry tyres, which sometimes might result in that the gripping claw shall be closed rela- tively much around the tyres to engage them sufficient to be lifted in a pile, handling narrower sizes of lorry tyres, using a gripping claw intended for larger sizes of lorry tyres.
• actuators it shall preferably be under- stood as hydraulic driven pistons, however it should not be understood in a manner that the inventor renounce the right to use other types of suited actuators.
• the distance between the counter holds and the gripping plates becomes adjustable activating the third actuators from the cab on the fork-lift truck, which result in that the adjustment of the counter holds placement relative to the gripping plates can take place without breaking the operation.
• the gripping claw according to the invention becomes universal useable for practically all types and sizes of lorry tyres, making time consuming manual change-over superfluous, when changing from handling large sizes of lorry tyres to handling of smaller sizes of lorry tyres and other tyres.
• the tyre stacker By the tyre stacker according to the invention it is further achieved that at pile of tyres can be handled in a manner where the gripping plates only are introduced into the pile to attack the point where the tyres has the largest diameter and not longer, possibly even a little less if the condition of friction between the gripping plates and the surfaces of the tyres is optimal (depends on humidity and other dirt on the tread of the tyres).
• U.S. 2,596,477 discloses a fork-lift truck comprising a gripping device for handling of heavy cylindrical items such as paper rolls, barrels, where the gripping device comprises a frame or a console attached to the lifting base on a fork-lift truck, the gripping device comprising one hydraulic pivotal displaceable gripping jaw (23, 24, 25) (reference numbers in parenthesis in this and next paragraph refers to reference numbers in U.S. 2,596,477) cooperat- ing with a static organ with a pivotal gripping shoe (19).
• the console is arranged in a manner that the gripping device is pivotal around a horizontal oriented axis by a hydraulic powered pivoting mechanism.
• the pivotal displaceable gripping jaw (23) comprises several spatiated pivotal (23) gripping plates (24) and is therefore not suitable for handling tyres, as the handling of tyres requires an unbroken gripping plate in the entire extent of the gripping device.
• the cited gripping device is not suited for handling of tyres because of the asymmetrical movement of the gripping jaw, which result in that it is not possible to carry out an optimal stacking of tyres on a lorry or a load surface on a lorry trailer, since an optimal stacking of tyres in piles only is possible by perpendicular approach relative to the orientation of the load surface of the trailer.
• the cited gripping device is therefore considered as unemployable for stacking and handling tyres.
• the cited gripping device comprises only one single displaceable counter hold with a limited extend suited for securing a certain counter hold on the cylinder shaped bodies/paper rolls etc. to prevent these slipping out of the grip between the gripping shoe (19) on the static organ and the gripping shoe (24) on the pivotal organ (23) during handling.
• the counter hold is by a pivotal bearing (31) attached to the console (12), and connected with the pivot connection for the pivotal hydraulic displaceable organ (23) by a bar system (33, 34) and via a bar connection (35) attached to the hydraulic cylinder (26) for displacing said pivotal organ (23) in a manner that the extent of the displacement of the counter hold in the direction of the gripping shoes (19, 24) is dependent of the degree of displacement of the hydraulic pivotal organ (23).
• 2,596,477 is thus totally inapplicable with the tyre stacker according to the present invention.
• some working operations sorting and arranging the tyres, typically standing upraised in long rows and in several layers.
• a fork-lift truck with a tyre stacker.
• the tyres are stacked successively in the in rows upon each other during the gradually ex- tent of the rows.
• the frame is attached to the pivot able console nearest the first and of the frame by a quick coupling provided with locking means.
• Loading tyres from the above mentioned stacks onto loading surfaces or trailers is performed by a sufficient lowering of the gripping plates from above the row of tyres standing on their tread, until the adjustable/displaceable counter holds are brought in touch with the tread of the tyres, with the frame placed in horizontal position, the claw is then activated to bring the gripping plates in attack with the tread to grip the tyres, whereupon they are lifted out of the row in upstanding position by the fork-lift truck.
• tyres are then transported locked in the tyre stacker to the load surface/the trailer, and during the transfer the frame is pivoted by the pivotal console by aid of the first actuators to a vertical orientation, and the tyres are then arranged on the load surface in a pile lying on the side.
• a spatial element may be located between the lifting base of the fork-lift truck and the hydraulic pivot able console.
• the tyre stacker is located in a distance from the fork-lift truck to enable the tyre stacker to reach over the load surface/ the trailer, and thus being able to reach the whole load surface loading only from the one side.
• the frame may be attached to the pivot able console close to the middle of the frame by a quick connection provided with locking means.
• the load of momentum on the pivotal console is reduced, and accordingly the consumption of energy is reduced pivoting a stack of tyres from a horizontal orientation of the frame to a vertical orientation of the frame.
• the tyre stacker comprises means securing that a relative displacement between the first and the second cooperating gripping jaw towards and away from each other, substantially takes place syn- chronically.
• I first preferred manner to secure a synchronic displacement of the gripping jaws might advantageously consist of a control unit controlling the second actuators to perform an identical displacement.
• the control unit might consist of a regulation valve, which in case the actua- tors consist of hydraulic driven pistons, secures the supply of the same amount of oil under pressure to the second hydraulic pistons.
• Another preferred way to secure a synchronous displacement of the cooperating gripping jaws might comprise a mutual cooperating toothing on the first against each other curved organs, rested in second pivot bearings on each side of the frame.
• the hydraulic tyre stacker might advantageously comprise means securing that a mutual relative displacement between the displaceable counter holds on the sec- ond organs takes place as a synchronous or a substantially synchronous relative displacement.
• the means to ensure the synchronous movement of the displaceable counter holds during relative displacement can consist of a control unit controlling the third actuators.
• the control unit might consist of a regulation valve, which in case the actuators consist of hydraulic driven pistons, secures the supply of the same amount of oil under pressure to the third hydraulic pistons.
• the adjacent side surfaces of the gripping plates might completely or partially comprise an antiskid surface/coating, completely or partially covering said side surfaces.
• the gripping plates advantageously can be pivotally rested in resilient bearings comprising adjustable stops to limit the pivotal movement of the gripping plates.
• the gripping jaws will be able to compensate somewhat for obliqueness when being introduced to tyres stacked in piles or arranged in rows, further the operator operating with the tyre stacker does not necessarily need to spend time manoeuvring the tyre stacker to a completely correct picking up position. Hereby is saved time during the handling procedure with the tyres.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fork lift truck seen from the front side with a first embodiment of a tyre stacker according to the invention with the frame in horizontal position
• Fig. 2 shows the same as Fig. 1 , where the frame is performing a pivotal movement to vertical orientation,
• Fig. 3 shows the same as Fig. 1 , now with the frame pivoted to vertical position, and lifted over the ground
• Fig. 4 shows the same as Fig. 3, where the frame is lowered to abut the ground
• Fig. 5 shows a perspective view from above of a fork lift truck with a second embodiment of a tyre stacker according to the invention
• Fig. 6 shows the same as Fig. 5, but as cross section through the tyre stacker, showing the second actuators
• Fig. 7 shows the same as Fig. 5, but as cross section though the tyre stacker, showing the third actuators, and
• Fig. 8 shows the same as Fig. 5, where a spatial element attached to the middle of the frame of tyre stacker, is placed between the lifting base of the fork lift truck and the pivotal console.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fork lift truck 2, with a first embodiment of a tyre stacker 4 mounted by an A-frame 8 on the lifting base 6 of the fork lift truck.
• the A-frame 8 comprises a console 10 for a pivot device 11 comprising hydraulic driven cylinders 12 and pistons the free ends of which by pivot connections 14 are connected with the first end 16 of a rectangular frame 18 of the tyre stacker 4, said frame 18 being attached to the pivot device 11 by further pivot connections 20.
• the rectangular frame 18 comprises a first long side 22 and a second long side 24 on which respectively is rested a first gripping jaw 26 and a second cooperating gripping jaw 28.
• Each gripping jaw 26, 28 comprises first towards each other crumbing pivotal organs 32 rested in pivot bearings 30.
• a gripping plate 34 which is orientated parallel with the frame 18.
• the gripping plates 34 are relatively displaceable against and away from each other by a second set of actuators 36 connected with pivot connections respectively to the frame 18 and the first organs 32.
• a number of stops 44 are located on the adjacent side 42 of the frame 18 orientated in the direction of the gripping plates 34.
• the characteristic feature related to this embodiment of the tyre stacker 4 is that there on the organs 32 on each gripping jaw 26, 28 is rested second organs 46, which by third pivot bearings 48 are pivotal connected to the first organs 32.
• the second organs 46 are by a third set of actuators 50 displaceable against each other out from the first organs 32 between the gripping plates 34 and the pivot bearings 30 of the first organs 32 into the cavity 52 defined by the first crumbing organs 32 and the gripping plates 34 in common.
• the free ends 54 of the second organs 46 are mutual connected by a stop beam 56 orientated parallel with the gripping plates 34 and the frame 18.
• the tyre stacker 4 in the shown embodiment is used by bringing the stop beams 56 in the preferred position in the cavity 52 between the first and the second gripping jaw 26, 28 by activating the third actuators 50.
• the tyre stacker 4 is then by the fork lift truck lowered down over a row of tyres or a tyre standing on their treads cf. fig.
• the gripping jaws are then displaced towards each other for engagement on the opposite sides of the tyre 58 near the middle of the tyre, preferably a bit before the middle, by activating the second actuators 36.
• the tyre stacker 4 is then lifted by displacing the lifting base 6 of the fork lift truck, at the same time the first actuators 12 of the tyre stacker are activated pivoting the frame from horizontal to vertical orientation cf. fig. 2 and fig.
• the tyre stacker 4 in the shown embodiment also is able to perform the tyres placed upstanding on their treads 60, cf. fig. 2.
• the displacement of the first- and the second grip- ping jaw 26, 28 takes place synchronous by the second actuators 36, which consists of hydraulic driven pistons, where the supply of oil to the respective cylinders is controlled by a regulation unit (not shown).
• the synchronous displacement of the third actuators which also consists of hydraulic driven pistons, controlled by a further not shown regulation unit.
• fig. 5 fig. 6 fig. 7 and fig. 8 is shown a further embodiment of the tyre stacker 4 according to the invention, basically constructed as the tyre stacker 4 specified above, and comprising similar functions as mentioned in the above.
• the difference from the embodiment of the tyre stacker 4 shown in fig. 1 is that the synchronous movement of the first and the second gripping jaw 26, 28 here is established by the first against each other crumbing organs 32 are attached on shafts 62, 64 pivotally attached to the short sides 66, 68 of the rectan- gular frame 18, cf. fig. 5 and fig. 6, and that the organs 32 near their attachments on the shafts 62, 64 comprises mutual cooperating toothings (70) cf. fig. 6, which results in that activating the second actuators 36, which also here consists of hydraulic driven pistons, will cause the organs 32 and following also the gripping jaws 26, 28 will be displaced synchronous.
• the second actuators 36 are in this embodiment located on attachments 72, 74 protruding away from the opening 52 between the gripping jaws 26, 28.
• the stop beams 56 are attached on the second organs 46, which in this embodiment are attached to the pivotal supported shafts 62, 64, and the third actuators 50, which also here consists of hydraulic driven pistons, are by pivot connections 76, 78 connected to respectively the stop beams 56, and suitable protruding attachments 80, 82 on the organs 32.
• the synchronous displacement of the stop beams 56 are provided by a non shown regula- tion unit which secures an equivalent displacement of the third actuators 50.
• fig. 8 In fig. 8 is shown the tyre stacker 4 disclosed in fig. 6 - fig. 8 mounted on a spacing piece 84 between the lifting base 6 of the fork lift truck and the pivotal console 11 which is connected with the frame 18 by a pivot connection 16, which in the shown embodiment of the tyre stacker 4 is located at the middle of the frame 18.
• the advantage is that the momentum force on the frame and the lifting base 6 of the fork lift truck will be reduced during operations with the tyre stacker.
• the presence of the spacing piece 84 results in, that a pile of tyres 58 can be placed on the most distant areas of a loading area, from the one side of a trailer or a load- ing surface on a lorry on which the tyres are placed for further transport.
• connections between the pivotal console 11 and the frame 18 of the tyre stacker might advantageously consist of quick connections (not shown) of the kind used on shovels on hydraulic excavators, ditch excavators etc., however provided with a locking unit, preventing unauthorised/unintended separation between the console and the frame.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Forklifts And Lifting Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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Citations (7)

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• 2008
  • 2008-02-28 DK DK200800299A patent/DK200800299A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2009
  • 2009-03-02 EP EP09715903.2A patent/EP2254823A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-03-02 WO PCT/DK2009/050049 patent/WO2009106086A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (7)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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