EP4273084A1

EP4273084A1 - Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable side members

Info

Publication number: EP4273084A1
Application number: EP23170889.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefano Bonamin; Andrea Pavan
Original assignee: Step Technology Srl
Current assignee: Step Technology Srl
Priority date: 2022-05-02
Filing date: 2023-04-29
Publication date: 2023-11-08

Abstract

Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members comprising a pair of portal frames (1, 4, 5) spaced apart from one another, a track connected to the top of each frame and a spacer crossbeam (6) connecting the frames. At least one lifting trolley (10) can slide on said track, a retractable longitudinal member (8) is hinged along a horizontal axis near an upper end of each frame and comprises a track. Hinged and collapsible stiffening devices comprising connecting struts and tie rods are arranged between each longitudinal member and the frame. The retractable longitudinal member (8) is hinged so as to rotate from a first raised/near/adjacent position with respect to the upper longitudinal member (5) to a second extended position and in continuation of the upper longitudinal member (5), in alignment with the track of one or more lifting trolleys (10), creating an extended track extending from each upper longitudinal member (5) to the retractable longitudinal member (8).

Description

The object of the present invention relates to a mobile hoist for lifting and transporting boats operated with rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

Prior art

In all boatyards where there the construction or repair and storage of boats is undertaken, it is necessary to be able to pick up, lift and move these boats from the pier to the storage area or the boatyard. This requirement has already been met to a large extent using various hoisting equipment, variously configured, in particular: jib cranes and boat trolleys, rail mounted straddle transporters or rubber-tyred gantry cranes, hereinafter also referred to generically as: mobile boat hoists, all presenting different and varied limitations and drawbacks.
Currently, the existing state-of-the-art solutions for lifting and transporting boats are the following: jib cranes and boat trolleys, rail mounted straddle carriers, boat hoists on jetties, boat hoists on slipways.
The solution of the jib cranes and boat trolleys, schematised in a manner indicated in the attached Figs. 1-3 is adopted in the boatyard for reasons of space or when the boats are fairly light.
The jib crane is used to attach to the hull of the boat with special straps and lift it and then deposit it on a platform trolley that then transports it to the storage area.
This installation entails large and expensive work for the construction of the foundation base that serves as ballast and to stabilise the jib crane.
It is also a fixed application that has a limited range of action.
The solution of the rail mounted cranes is indicatively shown in the attached Figs. 4-6, and they are fixed confined structures sliding on tracks fixed in the ground.
There can be numerous handling requirements in boatyards and the use of these structures is very expensive since slide rails need to be positioned along the entire length of the operation of the machine necessarily restricting the use of the area of the boatyard. In addition, they are an obstacle to the passage of other machinery that has to cross the same area, whether they protrude from the ground or are recessed into the ground and placed inside a pit.
By the term mobile boat hoists we mean wheeled trolley-type gantry cranes that are effectively able to guarantee the free movement of the boats within the area of a boatyard.
Mobile boat hoists are also effective for overcoming slight slopes, and they are extremely versatile since they are equipped with rubber wheels rotating around their axis and so can be steered.
These structures can operate on docks equipped with slipways or on docks with wharves.
The boat hoists on jetties, see the attached Figs. 7-9, is a hoist operating on jetties; the most commonly used lifting structure, however, can only be used where there are two jetties with an adequate capacity and at a pre-fixed distance that establishes the track of the hoist itself.
This type of system provides an internal distance for certain widths of the hull of the boats to be stowed and consequently their weight; for this reason, boats with larger hulls cannot be lifted.
The construction of jetties is very expensive and has a considerable environmental impact.
In order for all the storage systems mentioned above to be fully functional, must have a properly constructed fixed infrastructure and have the possibility to work only at a single point of pick-up of the boat from its berth.
A boat hoist on a slipway, see the attached Figs. 10-11, is a mobile boat hoist operating on a slipway, which must partially enter the water to lift the boat, and so for this reason all the components coming into contact with the water must be watertight and the propulsion unit must be located above the immersion level.
This system involves the construction of a slipway with a slight slope and therefore involves considerable environmental impact and a substantial use of natural area.
The construction of a boat hoist that operates on a slipway is very expensive, as is the masonry work for the construction of the slipway.
Another characteristic of this type of system is that the boat hoist requires continuous maintenance to protect the parts that go into the water from corroding and the continuous maintenance and cleaning of the slipway to remove algae and sludge deposits that would reduce the adhesion of the tyres of the hoist and thereby causing dangerous slippage during transit.

Objects of the invention

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a gantry crane or mobile boat hoist that can overcome all the drawbacks of the prior art.
An important purpose of the present invention is to make available a gantry crane that can pick up boats without the need to construct infrastructure and therefore preserve as much area as possible near the pier where the boat will be lifted.
Another object of the present invention is to be able to use the entire area of the quay and so not having a single lifting area several boat hoists can be operated at the same time.
A further object of the present invention is to be able to optimise the boatyard storage areas and to be able to position the boats one in front of another and in points that would otherwise be inaccessible with the normal equipment used.
Another object of the present invention is to make available a mobile boat hoist that does not need a trolley for transporting the boat after lifting it.
A further object of the present invention is to make available a mobile boat hoist that does not require tracks fixed in the ground. Another object of the present invention is to make available a boat hoist that easily adapts to the pre-set distance of the jetties.
An important object of the present invention is to make available a boat hoist that can lift a boat even where there is no quay.
A further object of the present invention is to make available a boat hoist that does not require a quay that has a slipway.
All the above objects are achieved by the boat hoist that is the object of the present invention, which is mainly characterised by the particularities of the main claim.

Description of the invention

The mobile boat hoist of the invention comprises at least one pair of mutually spaced portal frames, a track connected at the top of each frame, at least one spaced-apart mutually connection crossbeam of said pair of frames, at least one lifting trolley that can slide on said track, and characterised by the fact that it comprises a retractable hinged longitudinal member with a horizontal axis near an upper end of each frame, a track connected to each retractable longitudinal member, hinged and collapsible stiffening devices comprising connection struts and tie rods between each retractable longitudinal member and the frame to which said longitudinal member is hinged; each of the above-mentioned frames comprises at least one lower longitudinal member connecting at least two vertical supports or legs in the lower part, and at least one upper longitudinal member connecting said vertical supports in the upper part, where said pair of frames are joined in a spaced apart manner to a first end side by said spacer beam, preferably in the upper part of each frame, where each of said upper longitudinal members is connected with the above-mentioned track of said one or more lifting trolleys; on each upper longitudinal member, near the end of the second side, opposite the end of the first joining side of said spacer beam, said retractable longitudinal member is hinged that rotates from a first raised/close/adjacent position with respect to the upper longitudinal member to a second extended position in continuation of the upper longitudinal member, in alignment with the track of one or more lifting trolleys, creating an extended track extending from each upper longitudinal member to the retractable longitudinal member.

Advantageous characteristics of the invention

Advantageously, said mobile boat heist comprises moving devices connected with the lower part of the frame, allowing said boat hoist to move autonomously.
Advantageously, said moving devices are steerable, allowing the boat hoist to change the direction of its movement.
Advantageously, on at least one retractable longitudinal member, on the free end, and opposite to that where the hinging with the upper member is, at least one connection beam is hinged that joins with the free end of the retractable longitudinal member of the opposite frame or that is connected with an identical connecting beam hinged on the end of the retractable longitudinal member of the opposite frame, maintaining the verticality and mutual spacing between the pair of frames also after the lifting of the boat carried out by said lifting trolleys, placed on the track of the retractable longitudinal member.
Advantageously, said connection beam joint consists of a male slider moved by an actuator that joins with a female housing on the end of the retractable longitudinal member of the opposite frame or on the free end of the connection beam hinged on the retractable end of the opposite frame, facilitating the relative connection.
Advantageously, on each track there are two or more trolleys for lifting the boat, which slide on each track at a pre-set distance from each other, which can be adjusted to adapt to the boat to be lifted.
Advantageously, the rotary movement between the upper longitudinal member and the retractable longitudinal member takes place on a hinge with a horizontal axis on the common end of the said upper and retractable longitudinal members by means of an actuator hinged to one end on the retractable longitudinal member and with the opposite end hinged fixed on the upper longitudinal member or on a connecting rod fixed to the upper longitudinal member.
Advantageously said stiffening devices include a strut moved by an actuator with a fulcrum of a first end hinged on the upper longitudinal member or on the retractable longitudinal member and having a second end from which a first stay departs towards the rear side of the upper longitudinal member and one stay towards the front side of the overhang of the retractable longitudinal member.
Advantageously, near the first end of said strut, the free end of said connecting rod and the first end of said actuator for rotating the retractable longitudinal member are mounted, so that during the alignment of the retractable longitudinal member the lifting by rotation of the strut can occur, from a first position leaning against the upper longitudinal member to the maximum rotation allowed by the length of the first stay.
The aforementioned stays serve to stabilise the upper longitudinal members with the retractable longitudinal members during the maximum rotation and alignment phase; they are divided into two segments and joined by an adjustment hinge that allows them to be correctly tensioned and closed during the rest phase.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical characteristics of the invention, according to the aforementioned objects, can be clearly seen from the content of the claims below and the relative results will be apparent in the detailed description that follows with reference to the drawings, which illustrate a purely exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, in which:

figs. 1-3 show a known example of a jib crane and a boat carrier trolley;
figs. 4-6 show a known example of a rail mounted transporter;
figs. 7-9 show a known example of boat hoist on jetties;
figs. 10-11 show a known example of a boat hoist on a slipway;
Fig. 12 shows a side view of the boat hoist of the invention with the retractable longitudinal member closed and positioned above the upper longitudinal member, and the lifting trolleys positioned on the track of the upper longitudinal members.
Fig. 13 shows a front view of the boat hoist of fig. 12, highlighting the distance between the two frames of the boat hoist, and showing the configuration of the bands joining the corresponding trolleys on each upper longitudinal member.
Fig. 14 shows a plan view of the boat hoist of fig. 12, highlighting the connection of the two frames, at one end, by the spacer beam and with the retractable longitudinal member overlaid on the upper longitudinal member, which is joined at the end by a connecting beam.
Fig. 15 shows a side view of the boat hoist of fig. 12 , highlighting on one side a support system and on the opposite side a counterbalancing system to counterbalance the weight of the boat to be lifted.
Figs. 16-17 show the counterbalancing system of fig. 15 in detail, which uses an anchoring cable connected to a retractable ring fixed to the quay.
Figs. 18 - 19 show in detail an alternative counterbalancing system to the one of fig. 16 that uses an anchoring cable connected to a ballast counterweight.
Fig. 20 shows only the upper part of the boat hoist with the retractable longitudinal member that initially rotates from the rest position leaning against the upper longitudinal member.
Fig. 21 shows a further rotation of the member with the deployment of a first stay.
Fig. 22 shows a subsequent rotation of the retractable longitudinal member with respect to that shown in fig. 21.
Fig. 23 shows the upper part of the boat hoist with the retractable longitudinal member in the maximum opening that brings in alignment its track of the lifting carriage with that of the upper longitudinal member.
Figs. 24-26 show the succession of the phases for rotating and connecting the connection beam on the overhang end of the retractable longitudinal members and the relative connection.
Fig. 27 shows a side view of the boat hoist with the retractable longitudinal member at its maximum opening and the pair of trolleys moved on the tracks of the retractable longitudinal member into a position of maximum overhang.
Fig. 28 shows an overhead plan view of the boat hoist of fig. 27.
Fig. 29 shows the boat hoist of fig. 27 with the bands going round a boat near the quay before being lifted using the overhang of the retractable longitudinal members.

Detailed description of an exemplary preferred embodiment

With reference to the drawings, the object of the invention consists of a mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members.
The boat hoist comprises a pair of spaced apart frames, where each frame comprises a lower longitudinal member 1 and an upper longitudinal member 5. The corresponding ends of the lower longitudinal member 1 and of the upper longitudinal member 5 are connected by vertical supports or legs 4.
Furthermore, at the ends of the lower longitudinal member 1, in the lower part, two motorised steerable wheel carriers 2 are mounted and on one of the two lower longitudinal members the drive unit 3 is mounted.
Above the two lower longitudinal members 1 and more precisely at the four ends, in the upper part, four legs 4 are fixed.
At the front of the motorised wheel carriers 2, at the front end of the lower longitudinal members 1, there are two legs 27 that have two stabilising cylinders 28 inside them which serve as a support point to limit the load on the wheel carriers 2 in the phase when the boat is being lifted with the retractable longitudinal members 8 in their maximum opening and the trolleys 10 in their maximum gripping distance.
A first counterbalancing solution of the boat hoist provides that at the front, at the rear end of the lower longitudinal members 1, there are two attachments 29 to which the cable ring 30 is fixed by means of the shackle 32 and a tensioner 31 that is firmly anchored to a retractable ring 33 fixed to the quay to counterbalance the weight of the boat to be lifted.
A second counterbalancing solution of the boat hoist provides that the anchoring can also take place to a suitably sized concrete block 34 simply resting on the quay, which can be transported and repositioned at any point of the quay itself with the boat hoist hooking it to the attachments 35.
A third counterbalancing solution of the boat hoist provides that the counterbalancing of the weight of the boat to be lifted can also be carried out by suitably ballasting the rear legs 4, the lower longitudinal members 1, the crossbeam 6 and the upper longitudinal members 5 by inserting high specific weight metal grit inside them, or by providing metal plates to be fixed externally. These last two solutions are preferable when, for any reason, it is not possible to anchor to the ground or there is a need to lift the boats at other points of the jetty.
At the upper ends of the four legs 4 there are two upper longitudinal members 5 that together with these latter make up the two lateral sides of the boat hoist.
Between the two sides, at the top, a crossbar 6 is fixed using the hinge 7, which acts as a spacer and creates the trolley of the boat hoist.
The crossbar 6 can also be telescopic so that the trolley of the boat hoist can be changed.
The hinge 7 facilitates and reduces the assembly time of the boat hoist so that the number of cranes and work vehicles used can be reduced.
The upper members 5 are connected to the retractable longitudinal members 8 by means of the hinge 9 with a horizontal axis that allows a rotation between the two by 180°; aligning them horizontally creates a straight track for the sliding of the lifting assembly composed of two trolleys 10 connected to each other by a telescopic structure 11 controlled by a hydraulic cylinder 12.
The hydraulic cylinder 12 allows the distance between the two trolleys 10 to be changed and therefore also the spacing of the straps 19 so they can adapt correctly to the positioning of the hull of the boats to be lifted.
The trolley 10 is composed of a metal frame that slides by means of motorised wheels on the longitudinal members 5 and 8 along their entire length and by four winches 20 and four hook assemblies 21 where the lifting straps 19 are fixed.
The rotary movement between the upper longitudinal member 5 and the retractable longitudinal member 8 takes place by means of the hydraulic cylinder 13, the connecting rod 14 and the strut 15.
The stiffening devices of each retractable longitudinal member with the corresponding upper longitudinal member are hinged and collapsible and comprise struts and tie rods or shafts between each retractable longitudinal member and the frame to which said longitudinal member is hinged.
In particular, from the top of the strut 15 there is a stay 16 going towards the rear side and a stay 17 going towards the front side of the boat hoist.
The stays 16 and 17 are used to stabilise the upper longitudinal members 5 with the retractable longitudinal members 8 during the maximum rotation and alignment phase; they are divided into two segments and joined by means of an adjustment hinge 18 that allows them to be correctly tensioned and closed during the rest phase.
A first connection beam 22 is hinged to the external top of the retractable longitudinal members 8, inside which the male slider 23 is housed, controlled by the hydraulic cylinder 24, and a second connection beam 25 that carries the female housing.
The rotation of the connection beam 22 and the connection beam 25 around the hinge at the top of the retractable longitudinal members 8 takes place by means of the cylinders 26, which in doing so open, leaving enough space for the passage of the main shaft of sailboats. In the case of hauling boats that are not particularly tall, the beam 22 and the beam 25, since they do not constitute a physical obstacle, can remain connected via the male slider 23.

Claims

Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members comprising at least one pair of portal frames (1, 4, 5) spaced apart from one another, a track connected to the top of each frame, at least one spacer crossbeam (6), connecting said pair of frames, at least one lifting trolley (10) that can slide on said track, and characterised by the fact that it comprises a retractable longitudinal member (8) hinged along a horizontal axis near an upper end of each frame, a track connected to each retractable longitudinal member (8), hinged and collapsible stiffening devices comprising connecting struts and tie rods between each longitudinal member and the frame to which said longitudinal member is hinged; each of said frames further comprises at least one lower longitudinal member (1) connecting at least two vertical supports or legs (4) in the lower part, and at least one upper longitudinal member (5) connecting said vertical supports (4) in the upper part, where said pair of frames (1, 4, 5) is joined in a spaced apart manner to a first end side from said spacer crossbeam (6), preferably in the upper part of each frame, where said track of said one or more lifting trolleys (10) is connected with said each upper longitudinal member (5); on each upper longitudinal member (5), near the end of the second side, opposite to the end of the first joining side of said spacer crossbeam (6), said retractable longitudinal member (8) is hinged that rotates from a first raised/near/adjacent position with respect to the upper longitudinal member (5) to a second extended position and in continuation of the upper longitudinal member (5), in alignment with the track of one or more lifting trolleys (10), creating an extended track extending from each upper longitudinal member (5) to the retractable longitudinal member (8).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that said track coincides with said upper longitudinal member (5) and/or said retractable longitudinal member (8).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that said boat hoist comprises moving devices (2) connected to the lower part of the frame, allowing said boat hoist to move autonomously.
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 3, characterised by the fact that said moving devices can be steered, allowing the boat hoist to change the direction of its movement.
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that on at least one retractable longitudinal member (8), on the free end, and opposite to that of the hinging with the upper longitudinal member (5), at least one connecting beam is hinged, which joins with the free end of the retractable longitudinal member (8) of the opposite frame or that is connected with an identical connection beam (22, 25) hinged on the end of the retractable longitudinal member of the opposite frame, maintaining the verticality and the spacing between the pair of frames also following the lifting of the boat carried out by said lifting trolleys (10), on the track of the retractable longitudinal member (8).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 5, characterised by the fact that said joint of the connection beam (22, 25) consists of a male slider, moved by an actuator, which connects to a female housing on the end of the retractable longitudinal member (8) of the opposite frame or on the free end of the connection beam hinged on the retractable end of the opposite frame, thereby facilitating the connection.
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that on each track there are two or more trolleys (10) for lifting the boat, which slide on each track at a pre-set distance from each other, which can be adjusted to adapt to the boat to be lifted.
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the rotary movement between the upper longitudinal member (5) and the retractable longitudinal member (8) occurs with a hinge (9) that has a horizontal axis on the common end of said upper longitudinal (5) and retractable (8) members by means of an actuator (13) hinged at one end on the retractable longitudinal member (8) and with the opposite end hinged on the upper longitudinal member (5) or on a connecting rod (14) on the upper longitudinal member (5).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that said stiffening devices comprise at least one strut and at least one hinged and collapsible tie rod or strut connecting each retractable longitudinal member and the frame to which said longitudinal member is hinged.
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to the previous claim, characterised by the fact that at least one strut (15) is moved by an actuator (13) with a fulcrum of a first end hinged on the upper longitudinal member (5) or on the retractable longitudinal member (8) and having a second end from which a first stay (16) departs towards the rear side of the upper longitudinal member (5) and a second stay (17) towards the front side of the overhang of the retractable longitudinal member (8).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to claims 8 and 10, characterised by the fact that near the first end of said strut (15) the free end of said connecting tie rod (14) and the first end of said rotation actuator (13) of the retractable longitudinal member (8) are centred, allowing, during the alignment of the retractable longitudinal member (8), the lifting by rotation of the strut (15) from a first position against the upper longitudinal member (5) until the maximum rotation allowed by the length of the first longitudinal member (16).
Mobile boat hoist equipped with retractable longitudinal members according to the previous claim, characterised by the fact that said tie rods or stays (16, 17) are divided into two segments and joined by an adjustment hinge (18) that allows them to be correctly tensioned and closed when at rest.