FI120487B - Cargo hatch access mechanism - Google Patents

Description

CARGO SHIP OPERATING MECHANISM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for a cargo ship cargo hatch, the cargo hatch consisting of one or more hatch panels movable between the open and closed positions, to which the hatch panel is substantially connected to a hinged movement made curved.

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Thus, the invention is particularly directed to opening and closing cargo cargo hatches by means of an actuator. Great force is needed especially when closing the hatches, because the seal between the hatch panels must be compressed and on the other hand when the hatches need to be lifted up to the driving position.

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The cargo hatch drive equipment has traditionally been implemented in such a way that the lifting and lowering of the hatch panels and the actual driving of the hatch panels are accomplished by separate devices.

The lifting and lowering movement can be effected, for example, by a cylindrical lever mechanism of two pieces per hatch, or by wheel lifters having eight pieces per hatch.

Driving the hatch covers, in turn, can be accomplished, for example, by using a rack-and-pinion gear which is low in power and power, because the hatch panels roll with their wheels on a flat track.

Locking of hatch covers is typically accomplished by separate handheld locks or locking pins, several of which are in one hatch panel.

30 There have been problems with these known solutions e.g. the need for several separate devices for lifting and lowering the hatch covers and for driving. In addition, the locking required as a separate work step may be forgotten, which may cause the cargo hatches to open at sea and damage to the cargo 35 or even destruction due to reduced weather tightness. In the worst case, opening the hatches endangers the safety of the entire ship.

2 It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel mechanism for operating the hatch hatch cover panels without the above problems. The drive mechanism according to the invention is characterized in that, at a distance from the gear wheel substantially in the vicinity of the gear wheel, a support member is provided which keeps the gear bar in contact with the gear wheel.

A preferred embodiment of the drive mechanism according to the invention is characterized in that the support member is a gear wheel having an axis substantially parallel to the gear and that the support member is mounted on a side opposite to the gear wheel.

Another advantageous embodiment of the drive mechanism according to the invention is characterized in that the gear and support member are fixed to a support structure that is pivotally articulated to the hull of the ship.

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Yet another preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the tooth bar is mounted substantially at the center of the hatch panel width and that the curved portion of the tooth bar is outside the rear edge of the hatch panel.

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Other preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims 5 and 6.

Advantages of the invention may be mentioned that all driving functions (lifting / lowering and driving) are performed by one low-power actuator, i.e., only one actuator is required per one hatch panel. Thanks to the invention, locking or unlocking the cargo hatch is no longer a separate step that could be missed. The drive mechanism according to the invention is suitable for both hydraulic and electric motor drive. The invention further simplifies the installation and maintenance of hatches. The drive mechanism according to the invention is also simple, inexpensive and reliable in construction.

The invention will now be explained in more detail by means of preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1A shows a cargo hatch with a drive mechanism according to the invention with the hatch panels closed.

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Figure 1B is a side view of the situation of Figure 1A.

Figure 2A shows the same as Figure 1A but with the hatch panels slightly open.

Figure 2B is a side view of the situation of Figure 2A.

Figure 3A shows the same as Figure 2A, but with the hatch panels fully open.

Figure 3B is a side view of the situation of Figure 3A.

Figure 4 illustrates a drive mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 illustrates a drive mechanism according to another preferred embodiment of the invention.

Thus, Figures 1A and 1B show a cargo ship cargo hatch 1 with a drive mechanism according to the invention in the closed position. The cargo hatch 1 has two hatch panels 1 ', 1'. The actuator also comprises a support structure 4 to which is mounted a gear wheel 5 and a support member 6. The support member 6 may be any suitable sliding or rotating member such as a power wheel (shown in the drawings). , henceforth referred to as a power wheel in the description). The support structure 4, in turn, is attached by a joint 7 to the hull of the ship. In this example, the toothed rack 2 is mounted substantially centrally to the width of the hatch panel T, 1 ”and the curved portion of the toothed bar is outside the rear edge of the hatch panel. The trailing edge here refers to the edges of the hatch panels T, 1 'which are furthest apart. The front edges are similarly facing each other (gasket in between) when the cargo hatch 1 is completely closed (Figures 1A, 1B).

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An actuator, such as a hydraulic or electric motor, rotates the gearwheel 5, whereby the rear surface 8 of the toothed curved gear bar 2 is resting against the drive wheel 6 and increases by 5 to 8 times the force exerted on the straight portion of the toothed rack, i.e., the direction of movement of the 5 hatch panels. The actual displacement is achieved by the gearwheel 5 rotated by the actuator while rotating against the toothed rack 2. When the mechanism operates in the wedge effect region, i.e. the curved portion of the toothed rack, the movement of the cargo hatch 1 is correspondingly slower.

Figures 2A and 2B show a situation in which the hatch panels 1 ', 1' have been opened slightly, i.e. away from one another. At this point, the support structure 4 is pivoted so that the gear wheel 6 and the gear wheel 5 are at the end of the curved portion of the rack and are at the beginning of the straight portion of the rack. Figures 3A and 3B show a '' final state '' in which the hatch panels are fully open. Similarly, the mechanism is reversed when closing the hatch panels.

The hatch hatch actuation mechanism of the invention also locks the hatch hatch panels T, 1 "automatically without separate actuators, because in the closed position (Fig. 1A), the gear 5 and the gear wheel 6 are supported on a tooth bar perpendicular to the hatch movement. A separate application of the motor brake or the like is also possible, whereby the movement of the gear wheel 5 is prevented, the hatch panel can also be locked in the intermediate positions.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged scale showing the drive mechanism used in the embodiment of Figs. 1-3. However, the drive mechanism can also be implemented as shown in Fig. 5, such that the gear wheel 5 and the gear wheel 6 are mounted on a trolley 3 traveling by transverse slides 9 instead of the hinged support structure 4 shown in the previous example. 30 The position of the pivot points and the dimensions and position of the mechanism may also be changed.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth above, but may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1. Drive mechanism for a cargo ship's hatch (1), said cargo hatch 5 of one or more between open and closed position movable hatch panels (1 ', 1'), to which hatch panel is fixed substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the hatch panel (2) ) which, in mediation of a gear, starts in contact with a gear (5) rotatable by means of a drive device, and wherein at least a part of the gear (2) is arranged mutually, characterized in that at a distance from the gear wheel (5), substantially in the vicinity of the gear, is mounted a support member (6) which holds the gear (2) in contact with the gear (5). 2. Drive mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the support member (6) is a power wheel whose axis is substantially parallel to the axis of the gear wheel (5) and that the support member (6) is mounted on the opposite to the gear wheel (5). the side of the rack (2). Drive mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gear wheel (5) and the support member (6) are attached to a support structure (4) which is pivotally hinged against the hull of the ship. 4. A drive mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that the rack (2) is substantially mounted in the center of the door panel (1 ', Γ) in the width direction and that the toothed portion of the rack lies outside the rear edge of the door panel. The drive mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that the tangent at the end of the toothed portion of the rack (2) strengthens at an angle of about 90 degrees relative to the direction of the straightened portion of the rack. Drive mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the gear wheel (5) and the supporting means (6) are fixed to a perpendicular relative to the direction of movement of the sliding panel (1 ', 1') and that slides (9) are mounted on the hull of the ship. ) along which the sled moves in said perpendicular direction.