EP2356043B1 - Magazine for mounting twist locks - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a magazine for the storage of twist locks.

Twist locks are mechanical locking elements for connecting containers to each other or containers to the host vehicle, e.g. a truck or a container ship. The Twist-Locks are used in container fittings, whereupon the container is placed on another container or fixed to the vehicle locking devices, the twist locks semi-or fully automatic by twisting a portion of the twist locks a positive connection between the containers or Make the container with the vehicle.

The twist locks consist of two terminal thicker sections which are rotatably arranged to perform the locking function, and a waisted section arranged between these sections, which is thinner than the two thicker sections at the end.

While the locking of the twist locks is increasingly fully automatic, the unlocking and removal of the twist locks from the container fittings is performed manually by personnel referred to as "lashes". This task is associated with a high accident risk due to a deleting of cargo regularly very tight schedule and sometimes confusing conditions.

For this reason, fully automatic lashing platforms have already been proposed with which twist locks - after they have been manually unlocked - can be removed from these completely automatically and reused without further use of personnel. A particularly advantageously designed lashing platform, in which the released energy when weaning the container on the platform for screwing out and twisting the twist locks is used, for example, from WO 2007/098749 A1 known.

Such lashing platforms also regularly have magazines for receiving and holding twist locks, with which at the same time gentle storage of the twist locks is reached. In addition to the aforementioned document such magazines for twist locks are also from WO 2006/024071 A1 , of the WO 2007/021246 A1 and the WO 2004/065264 A1 known.

They have a plurality of axially aligned, spaced apart elongated guide elements whose longitudinal axes are aligned parallel to each other, wherein the distance between the guide elements is greater than the diameter of the waisted portion of the twist locks and the guide elements, the support for the terminal portions of Forming twist locks. The guiding elements are arranged on an endless chain. At the end of the magazine terminating elements are arranged, which limit the spaces formed by the guide elements in the radial direction, wherein the one end element is arranged rotationally fixed and has an aligned recess for inserting twist locks between two guide elements in the axial direction.

However, the known twist-lock magazines have the disadvantage that only special and consuming to produce recordings for the twist-lock storage are provided. In addition, chain drives are used to transport the recordings to the required location, which are very maintenance-intensive.

Other magazines, such as the one from the DE 41 09 779 A1 known magazine for storing products, especially cigarettes, are not designed for robust use with twist locks due to their complex structure.

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a magazine for twist locks, which is easy to manufacture, robust and prone to interference.

The object is achieved by the magazine for the storage of twist locks with the features of claim 1. The subclaims reflect advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The basic idea of the invention is to design the magazine as a stable, rotatably mounted drum with elongated guide elements arranged thereon, between which the waisted section of the twist locks is inserted, so that the guide elements act as supports for the thicker end sections of the twist locks. Even with rotation of the drum, the twist locks are held due to the arranged on both sides of the waisted portion thicker end portions of the guide elements and remain in position. The production of the magazine is simple, the magazine itself stable and unlike the known magazines with chain drive less prone to failure and less maintenance.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Magazins nach der Erfindung;

Fig. 2

eine geschnittene Seitenansicht des Magazins aus Fig. 1; und

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf das erfindungsgemäße Magazin.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a particularly advantageously designed embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of the magazine according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a cut side view of the magazine Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 3

a plan view of the magazine according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a particularly advantageous ausgestaltetes magazine for the storage of twist locks according to the invention. The magazine 10 essentially consists of a drum 30, on whose circumference a plurality of axially aligned guide elements 40 is arranged. The guide elements 40 are arranged at a distance from one another, their longitudinal axes being aligned parallel to one another. The distance between the guide elements 40 is now selected so that the waisted portion of the twist locks 20 can be inserted in the space formed by two guide elements in the axial direction, and the upper thicker portion of the twist locks 20 rests on the guide elements. The distance between the guide elements 40 is therefore greater than the diameter of the waisted section of the twist locks 20 and smaller than the largest extension of the thicker sections of the twist locks 20. Thus, the guide elements 40 serve as supports for the terminal sections of the twist locks. Locks 20.

So that the twist locks 20 can not be pushed out of the guide elements 40 in an uncontrolled manner, closing elements 50, 60 are respectively arranged at the end of the drum, which limit the spaces formed by the guide elements 40 in the radial direction, so that the twist locks 20 not from the Guide rails 40 can fall out. In this case, the one end element 50 is arranged according to the invention rotationally fixed and has a radially aligned recess 70, through which the twist locks 20 can be inserted in the axial direction through the closing element 50 between two guide elements 40.

Both end elements 50, 60 are preferably disc-shaped, but may for example also be formed in a tire shape. In addition, it is also possible for the other end element 60, which does not have a radially arranged recess, to be formed as a plurality of elements connecting the end faces of the guide elements 40 with one another. In any case, it is preferably provided that the other end element 60 is firmly connected to the drum 30 with this rotating.

As in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 2 illustrated, it is particularly preferably provided that the bottom of the recess 70 of the one end member 50 forms the bearing of the axis of the drum 30. As a result, a particularly simple structure can be achieved.

For fully automatic loading and unloading of the magazine 10, the magazine 10 may already be equipped with a controller for automated loading and unloading of the magazine 10 with twist locks 20.

Furthermore, a device 80 for displacing the twist locks 20 mounted between the guide elements 40 is also advantageously provided in the axial direction. This "rake" resembling device 80 has an axially displaceable in the axial direction of the drum 30 above the drum 30, the one or more formed in those of two guide members 40 space which opens freely into the radial recess of the end member 50, cross-domes wearing. By raising and lowering the arm of the device 80 and moving in the direction of the other end element 60 or one end element 50, the twist locks 20 arranged in this intermediate space can be pushed further into the magazine 10 or out of the magazine 10.

If the twist locks 20 are pushed out of the magazine 10, a transfer device 90 is advantageously provided which transports the twist locks 20 between the magazine 10 and a screw device 100 for releasing and / or securing twist locks 20 to containers. The screwing device 100 for releasing and / or attaching twist locks 20 to containers can also be particularly preferably part of the magazine 10 itself.

With the aid of the "rake" 80, the twist locks 20 mounted in the magazine between the guide elements 40 are pushed through the radial recess 70 of the one end element 50 and received by the transfer device 90. In the example shown, the transfer device 90 is designed as a displaceable table, which has a receptacle corresponding to the intermediate space formed by the guide elements 40. If a twist-lock 10 is inserted into the recess of the table of the transfer device 90, the table can be moved to the screw 100 and the twist-lock be passed to the screw 100. Likewise, the table of the transfer device 90 can receive a twist lock on the screw device 100 and transport it to the radial recess of the one end element 50, where the twist lock 20 is pushed by the "rake" 80 onto the guide elements 40.

Fig. 3 clarifies the arrangement again in a view from above.

A lashing platform for containers requires a magazine 10 for each corner of a container. Each magazine 10 is preferably dimensioned such that a total of 15 guide elements 40 with a capacity of 10 deck twist locks or 20 space twist locks per of the guide elements 40 formed gap are provided.

The guide elements 40 are preferably designed as rods or rails, wherein these are particularly preferably supported by further axially spaced stabilizing elements, wherein care must be taken that the twist locks 20 are not impaired in their axial displaceability on the guide elements 40. If the stabilizing elements are disc-shaped, for example (like the end elements 50, 60), it must be ensured in the stabilization elements that they have radial recesses below each twist-lock gap that are deep enough to allow unimpeded displacement of the twist locks 20 in the magazine 10 to ensure.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the magazine 10 according to the invention is obtained when the screw 100 is designed as a load-receiving container receptacle, ie the screw 100 is formed so that a corner of a container on the screw 100 can be discontinued. By arranging four magazines 10 according to the invention, with such a design of the magazines 10, an arrangement of four magazines 10 can be produced, in which a container with its four corners can be placed on the four screwing devices 100 of the four magazines 10. The advantage of the aforementioned arrangement is that in case of failure of a screw 100 or other parts of the magazine 10 is not a whole lashing platform. but only a single magazine 10 must be replaced and thus consuming stockpiling of lashing platforms or long downtime can be avoided. It is particularly advantageous if the screw device 100 embodied as a load-bearing "container corner tray" is designed with dampers, air bellows and / or compressors such that they are connected to a compressed air reservoir which stores the energy released when lowering a container onto the load-receiving screw device 10 and when needed to the arranged on the magazine energy requiring tools, such as the screw, the "rake" 80 or the transfer device 90, outputs.

Claims (9)

1. A magazine (10) for mounting twist locks (20),
   having
   a rotatably mounted drum (30) having a plurality of axially oriented elongated guide elements (40), which are arranged at a distance from each other on the circumference of the drum (30) and the longitudinal axes of which are oriented parallel to each other, wherein the distance between the guide elements (40) is larger than the diameter of the concave section of the twist locks (20) and the guide elements (40) form the support for the terminal sections of the twist locks,
   closing elements (50, 60), which are arranged at each end of the drum and delimit the intermediate spaces formed by the guide elements (40) in the radial direction, wherein one closing element (50) is arranged non-rotatably and has a radially oriented recess (70) for inserting twist locks (20) between two guide elements (40) in the axial direction.
2. The magazine (10) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the closing elements (50, 60) have a disk-shaped design.
3. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the other closing element (60) is firmly connected to the drum (30), co-rotating with it.
4. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floor of the recess of the one closing element (50) forms the bearing of the axis of the drum (30).
5. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a device (80) for shifting in the axial direction the twist locks (20) that are supported between the guide elements (40).
6. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a handover device (90) for transporting twist locks (20) between the magazine (10) and a screwing device (100) for releasing and/or fastening twist locks (20) on containers.
7. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a screwing device (100) for releasing and/or fastening twist locks (20) on containers.
8. The magazine (10) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the screwing device (100) is designed as a load-receiving container receptacle.
9. The magazine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a control unit for automatically loading and unloading the magazine (10) with twist locks (20).

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