FR2723555A1 - Removable bolt lock for stabilising containers on vehicle platforms - Google Patents

Abstract

The lock comprises a catch fixed to the vehicle platform and a removable bolt. The bolt is locked during descent of the container and is unlocked during its ascent. The bolt is automatically locked in the catch as a consequence of the weight of the container. The bolt has a U-section which fits in a compensating arm at the end of container handling, this not being restricted by the catch. The bolt has an upper projecting peg (7) which fits in a corner (1) of the container. This upper part is fixed on a lower projecting part (2) which fits in the catch connector (3). The bolt has a peg foot (10) and two webs whose upper face is formed from a dihedral of about 170 deg constituted by a ridge (15) and two planes (16,17).

Description

Aouib1e latch locker allowing ije and stabilization of boxes on vehicle platforms and
carry out handling by automatic or manual means.

 The field of the invention is that of securing maritime containers, swap bodies and any other railway superstructure, the assembly of which is called "box below", on box-carrier vehicles, whether flat rail cars or any other mobile platform or not, the whole of which is hereinafter referred to as "platform".

 The present invention relates to a removable bolt lock intended to link a box and the platform.

 Currently, when handling the boxes by common manual means, the boxes are placed on the platforms and held thereon by "pins" (subject to standards including ISO) which penetrate into "corner pieces "(subject to standards, in particular NF and ISO) attached to the boxes, generally four in number per box; these pins are mounted on bases, which bases can be, with their ankle, retracted by tilting, manually removed or moved along slides to adapt in relative position to boxes of several formats. Such arrangements do not lend themselves to automatic handling of boxes because the prior installation of the pegs is difficult to automate.

 To carry out automatic handling of boxes, removable intermediate parts have been created.

The essential characteristics of these intermediate pieces are to ensure the fixing of a box on a platform, on the one hand between the corner piece of the box and the intermediate piece by a standardized dowel fixed to the upper part of the intermediate piece, and on the other hand between the intermediate piece and the platform using a receptacle, called "box", fixed on the platform, while allowing the automatic handling of the box by a lifting member lifting it from below the intermediate parts, while also allowing the lifting of the box alone, therefore without the intermediate parts, by current manual means.

With the exclusion of standard anchors and standard corner pieces, the lower part of intermediate pieces has been the subject of patents, in particular:
- a German patent G 81 01 528, in which
the self-immobilization of the locking element is
produced by a rotation of this part;
- two French patents nO 89 13940 and nO 89
13941. In the first patent are presented several
examples of intermediate pieces and in the second is
explain how it is used. Each example is
characterized by the presence of a movable mechanical element
which allows the locking of the intermediate piece in
The box; depending on the model, this element is internal to
the intermediate piece itself or internal to the housing.

Due to the existence of moving parts, the parts
drawbacks, high weight
for the handler and more particularly
additional manufacturing and operating costs (machining,
surveillance, maintenance). They mainly present
faults whose consequences may affect the
box fixing security.

Indeed, the role of the movable element being to ensure the locking of the intermediate part in the housing, the failure of the operation of this element can have serious consequences since the intermediate part and housing assembly no longer ensures in this case the fixing of the box on the platform. Thus, among the examples of patent NO 89 13940 referenced above:
- one, presented in FIGS. 4 and 5 of this patent,
has a twist lock type twist lock
lock; it is the lifting device equipped with a set of
motorized push-buttons and sensors which intervened on
each of the intermediate parts to perform the
locking each of them in their case;
however, the proper functioning of these pushers and sensors does not
can be guaranteed and improper fixing of the box
on the platform is a possible event;
- the other four examples which belong to the
same family are shown in Figures 6 and
7, Figure 8, Figure 9 and Figures 10 and 11 of the patent
No. 89 13940. The role of the movable element is to ensure the
locking of the intermediate piece in the housing
as a lock or hook would do. It is after
removal of the lifting member as the movable member by
its dead weight locks the intermediate piece in
The box; however, the proper functioning of such a mechanism
cannot be guaranteed either and improper fixing of
the box on the platform is a possible event.

The removable bolt lock according to the invention comprises:
- a projecting upper part materialized by
a standardized dowel with a profile adapted to cooperate
with a first connecting means forming part of the
box, and materialized by a standardized corner piece;
- a projecting lower part, on which is
fixed the previous pin, materialized by a bolt,
single or double depending on the model, profile suitable for
cooperate with a second connecting means forming part
of the platform and materialized by a striker; at the level
of the bolt bolt interface, two wings fixed on one side
and other side of the bolt allow the box by leaning on it
with all its weight to cause the rotation of the bolt which,
by this movement, self-locks in the keeper, being
specified, that when the bolt has taken its auto position
locked, the box by the corner piece leans
directly on the strike and the bolt is relatively
free in the striker.

Regarding the upper part, according to the previous description:
- the example of patent NO G 81 01 528 is completely
distinct from the examples according to the present invention
- the examples of patent No. 89 13940, those with bases
and those subject of this patent application have
in common a standard corner piece and an anchor
standard fixed to a base or an intermediate piece
or a bolt. So there is no claim about
this upper part neither in patent no 89 13940 nor
in this application.

Regarding the lower part, according to the previous description:
- the examples in the present application repeat the
NO patent self-locking principle
G 81 01 528; but the design of the lock, its
use and mechanical profiles that translate
this design are significantly different from the element
lock described in the prior art.

- the models with bases clearly differ
models with intermediate parts that differ
just as clearly of the bolt models described below
both by the operating principles and by the role
component parts, design and profiles
corresponding mechanics which are the subject of this
request. Differences between coin models
intermediates and models with bolts are as follows
1- absence of mobile elements in the bolt and in the strike;
2- absence of motorized elements in the gripping arms of the lifting member;
3- absence of sole interposed between the corner piece and the housing, the corner piece resting directly on the strike, and the bolt being almost free inside the strike;
4- self-locking of the bolt in the strike by rotation of this bolt in the strike without any auxiliary mobile element; under normal weather conditions, the weight of the latch alone is sufficient to put it in the self-locking position; in the presence of ice, it is the weight of the box, added to that of the bolt during installation on the platform, which ensures the rotation of the bolt in the strike and its self-locking;
5- inseparability, in the self-locking position, of the bolt and of the strike plate during mechanical stresses due to horizontal movements and of initiations of tilting of the box relative to the roll axis;
6- significant weight gain of the lock according to the invention compared to that of the intermediate parts according to the prior art facilitating the manual positioning of the bolt on the platform.

 The consequence of the bolt's self-locking is an almost total guarantee of the proper functioning of the bolt and strike assembly in terms of fixing the box to the platform subject to the proper functioning of the standard pin in the room. also standardized corner, these two elements of the upper part not falling within the scope of the invention.

 As in patents Nos. 89 13940 and No. 89 13941 concerning the intermediate parts and their use, it is possible, according to the present invention, to carry out the automatic handling of the box by a lifting member lifting it from below the bolts , while also allowing the lifting of the box alone, therefore without the bolts, by current manual means, as well as putting by hand a bolt in a strike or extracting it.

 The invention will be better understood on reading a preferred embodiment process indicated to illustrate the invention and which in no way restricts its scope, this one being able to be carried out according to any other equivalent process which will appear appropriate to the invention. skilled in the art.

 The description of this process is based on Figures 1 to 12.

 To facilitate the appreciation of the differences between the models represented by figures 6 to 11 of patent n ° 89 13940 and the model represented by figures 4 to 6 of the present patent application, the homologous parts from one figure to another , in section or in section, are hatched in the same way.

 The following numerical references appear in FIGS. 1 to 3; when a mark is placed on another figure, this figure is named. The symbols: "0" designate a part, "o" a part of a part, e a surface, an edge ....

 Figure 1 shows a sectional view of the separate elements: corner piece (1), removable bolt (2) and keeper (3); the cutting plane is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform (in most cases, the axis of the track of the platform) and passes through the axis AA (figure 2) of the anchor of standard type positioned at 2259 mm from the axis of the homologous ankle situated on the other edge of the platform symmetrically with respect to its longitudinal axis.

 FIG. 2 represents a sectional view of the separate elements: corner piece (1), removable bolt (2) and keeper (3) by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the platform passing through the axis BB ( figure 1); the axis BB is an axis of symmetry for the bolt and the strike.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view along the axis
BB, the corner piece (1), the bolt (2) and the keeper (3), all these elements being nested one inside the other as they are in the transport configuration of a box fixed on a plate -form. We see that the bearing force of the corner piece on the strike is exerted directly without passing through the bolt. In addition, is shown in this figure the lifter arm (4) of the lifting member introduced under the bolt, ready to perform the lifting operation of the box.

FIGS. 4 to 6 represent views in section D,
C and B, respectively along the axes DD, CC and BB of FIG. 1, of the corner piece (1), of the bolt (2) and of the keeper (3); in particular FIG. 6 shows that when the lifter arm (4) rises, the central section of the bolt (2) is inscribed in the depression of this arm. It is the contact between them which, when the lifting of the lifter arm continues, causes the rotation of the bolt (2) which, as seen in FIG. 5, releases the bolt from the strike.

 Figure 7 shows a sectional view of the bolt (2), strike (3) and corner piece in position (5) assembly such that the box is stopped in the event of a start of tilting by the contact of the 'salient angle (9) of the corner piece and the beak (6) of the pin (7).

 Figures 8 to 12 show a series of successive schematic views of the self-unlocking of the bolt (2) and of the lifting of the corner piece (1) by the lifting beam (4) of the lifting member engaged under the bolt.

 The corner piece has at its lower part an oblong opening in accordance with standard NF H 90-005; the cuts along the minor axis and the major axis show the inner edges (8) of this opening. In this opening engages the pin (7) which cooperates with it as shown in Figure 7 to oppose the longitudinal and transverse movement of the box and its tilting in particular through the spout (6) and the 'salient angle (9).

 In the preferred solution, the bolt is double and has the shape of an inverted U whose base is therefore at the top and the branches directed downwards. On this base of the U hereinafter called "ankle foot" (10) is fixed the ankle (7); this ankle foot (10) is extended by two wings (11) and (12) on either side of the branches (13 and 14) of the U. The ankle foot (10) and its two wings (11) and (12) have an upper face formed by a dihedral from 168 to 170 degrees consisting of the edge (15) and the two planes (16) and (17). The edge (15) extends on either side of the ankle to the ends of the wings (11) and (12). The underside (18) of the ankle foot (10) between the arms (13) and (14) is flat and parallel to the plane (17). The lower edge (19) of the wings (11) and (12) is cylindrical with a horizontal axis (20). The branches (13) and (14) are materialized by two vertical plates to each of which is attached an oblique guide (42) and (43); the internal gap between these plates is equal to the width of the lifter arm (4) increased by a sufficient play to facilitate the entry of this arm under the bolt.

The profile of each of these plates has different well-characterized surfaces. The first (21) is cylindrical with a horizontal axis (20); the second is a dihedral edge surface (22), one of the planes (23) of which is tangent to the cylinder of horizontal axis (20) passing through the edge (22) and the other plane (24) forms with the plane (23) a dihedral angle of approximately 110 degrees.

 The keeper has two plates (25) and (26), generally vertical in shape forming a drain for the introduction of the bolt, secured to a base (27) fixed to the platform.

The base and the two plates form a coated U, the ends (28) and (29) of which close towards each other, leaving a gap sufficient to allow the lifter arm to enter under the bolt. The keeper has different internal surfaces to this U well characterized. The first (30) is cylindrical with a horizontal axis (31); the second is a dihedral consisting of an edge (32), a plane (33) tangent to the cylinder of horizontal axis (31) passing through the edge (32) and a plane (34) forming with the plane (33) a dihedral angle equal to that of the planes (23) and (24); the third (35) is cylindrical with a horizontal axis (31).

 When the box descends with the lifter, the bolt enters the strike, guided parallel to the longitudinal axis by the catch of the strike and the guides (42) and (43) of the branches of the bolt, and parallel to the axis transverse by the triangular shapes of the plates (28) and (29) associated with the surface (35) of the keeper and with the branches (13) and (14) of the bolt.

 When the bolt is in place in the strike supporting a box as shown in Figure 3 and this bolt is subjected to any force directed towards the axis of the wagon, the axes (20) and (31) are practically coincident, the surfaces (21) and (35) are in contact, surfaces (24) and (34) are also in contact, surfaces (23) and (33) are parallel but not in contact given that there is reason to take into account the manufacturing and wear tolerances, the surfaces (16) and (36) are parallel but not in contact, as are the surfaces (19) and (30) due to mechanical tolerances. FIG. 4 shows one of the lower faces (37) of the bolt which is parallel to the upper face (38) of one of the plates (25) or (26) of the keeper, whether or not it leans thereon according to mechanical tolerances. All these games, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 make the bolt is relatively free in the strike, the box pressing directly on the strike without passing through the bolt. In such a geometry, if the platform is horizontal, the axis of the bolt is vertical and the pin performs the functions for which it was designed.

 Figure 8 shows the position occupied by the spreader arm (4) after entering the bolt by horizontal transverse movement. This lifting beam arm has a central depression between the upper face (39) and the lower face (40), the depth of which is equal to the distance from the faces (17) and (18) of the bolt. When the lifter rises, the arm comes into contact at (41) with the latch as shown in Figure 9. The continued rise of the lifter and the arm causes the latch to rotate around the axes (20) and (31) almost - confused. This rotation is not without reaction on the part of the box which, raised by the bolt, weighs with all its weight on the edge (15) of this bolt; it is this reaction which obliges the bolt to take its final place during the reverse maneuver of descent of the lifter. It should be noted that the bolt lifts the box like a lever: point of effort in (41), point of support of the bolt in (19) on the strike in (30), point of action on the box in (15 ).

 At the end of the bolt rotation as shown in FIG. 11, the surfaces (17) and (36) are in contact, the surfaces (18) and (40) are in contact knowing that all these contacts are real within manufacturing tolerances and wear and tear; on the other hand, the surfaces (36) and (39) are actually in contact since the weight of the box is exerted directly on them. It can be seen that the central section of the ankle foot (10) is part of the depression of the lifter arm and that the dihedral formed by the planes (23) and (24) being distant from the dihedral formed by the planes (33) and (34), the lifter can continue its rise without risk of mechanical interference between the strike and the bolt as shown in Figure 12.

 In a first variant, the axes (20) and (31) almost coincident when the bolt is in the keeper as well as the edge (15) can occupy other positions without affecting the process while improving its performance; for example, the axes (20) and (31) can be moved to the right and in particular be positioned vertical to the spout (6) of the pin (7). From this geometry it follows that an upward vertical force applied under the spout (6) with or without a horizontal component directed towards the longitudinal axis of the platform cannot cause the bolt to come out of the keeper. In addition, the edge (15) must be moved sufficiently to the right to maintain a correct lever arm ratio between point of effort in (41), point of support in (19) and point of action in ( 15). The spout (6) instead of being inclined at 450 upwards can be horizontal and longer and thus more effectively oppose the tilting of the box, it being specified that this gain in security in the fixing of the box creates a difficulty. to load or unload the box by standard manual means.

 In a second variant which can be combined with the first, the lower part of the bolt only has a vertical plate homologous to the plates (13) or (14) of the preferred embodiment, this plate being located on the axis BB of symmetry under the ankle foot (10), and the wings (11) and (12) being longer; the profile of the ankle foot is that of the wings of this embodiment, that of the wings is that of the ankle foot of the preferred embodiment. In this variant, the keeper has two vertical plates (25) and (26) integral with a base fixed to the platform; the plates are joined at their ends by another plate. The receptacle thus formed is closed and has a width sufficient to receive the central plate of the bolt. The internal profile of the plates (25 and 26) is identical to that of the homologous plates of the preferred embodiment. The spreader arm is split into two elements which come to rest under the wings (11) and (12) of the bolt on either side of the strike to cause, when they are mounted, the unlocking of the bolt and raise the box in a manner analogous to that of the preferred embodiment.

Claims (14)

REVTZNDTCATIONS  1. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform, comprising a keeper fixed to the platform and a removable bolt engaging the strike, this bolt being extended at the top by a standardized pin entering the oblong opening of a standardized corner piece, characterized on the one hand in that the locking of the bolt during the descent of the box and its unlocking during its rise do not involve any other mobile element belonging to the strike and no other movable element belonging to the bolt than itself and in that the box weighs with all its weight to lock the bolt in the strike, and on the other hand by the fact that the bolt has a U-shaped profile adapted to cooperate with a handling member called spreader arm for the purpose of carrying out box handling, the cooperation between the bolt and the spreader arm not being hampered by the keeper.  2. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claim 1, characterized by a removable bolt comprising a projecting upper part called an ankle (7) adapted to cooperate with a first connecting means said piece of wedge (1) forming part of the box, this upper part being fixed on a projecting lower part known as a bolt (2) adapted to cooperate with a second connecting means called a keeper (3) for the purposes of self-locking of the bolt by rotation of this bolt in the strike, characterized in that the bolt has an ankle foot (10) and two wings (11) and (12), the upper face of which is formed by a dihedral of approximately 170 degrees consisting of an edge (15) and two planes (16) and (17), the lower face (18) of which is a flat surface in the central zone and parallel to the plane (17) and the lower edge of which is on either side of this central area is a cylindrical surface (19) of horizontal axis ( 20) connecting to a flat surface (37) parallel to the surface (16).  3. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claim 1, characterized by a removable bolt having at its lower part two vertical plates (13) and (14) whose distance is equal to the width of the lifter arm (4) increased by a sufficient clearance to facilitate the entry of this arm under the bolt, the profile of each of these plates having two well characterized surfaces: the first (21) is cylindrical with a horizontal axis (20), the second is a dihedral of about 110 degrees consisting of an edge (22), a plane (23) tangent to the cylinder with a horizontal axis (20) passing through the edge (22) and a plan (24).  4. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claim 1, characterized by a keeper forming part of the platform, which has two plates (25) and (26) forming a drain for the introduction of the bolt, generally vertical in appearance, secured to a base (27) fixed to the platform, this base and the two plates (25) and (26) forming a coated U whose ends (28) and (29 ) close together, leaving enough play to allow the lifter arm to enter under the bolt and have three well-characterized internal surfaces: the first (30) being cylindrical with a horizontal axis (31), the second being a dihedral consisting of an edge (32), a plane (33) tangent to the cylinder of horizontal axis (31) passing through the edge (32) and a plane (34), forming with the plane (33) a dihedral angle equal to that of the planes (23) and (24), the third (35) being cylindrical with a horizontal axis (31).  5. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claim 1, characterized in that the box weighs with all its weight on the edge (15) of the removable bolt by means of the face (36) of the corner piece (1) to put the bolt in the self-locked position in the keeper until the corner piece (1) is directly pressed on the keeper (3), the rotation of the bolt being obtained by the couple of forces exerted on this bolt: action in (15) by (36), reaction in (19) on (30).  6. Handling lock and removable bolt connection according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the bolt is in place in the keeper supporting a box and is subjected to a force directed towards the longitudinal axis of the plate -form, the axes (20) and (31) are practically merged, the surfaces (21) and (35) are in contact, the surfaces (24) and (34) are in contact, the surfaces (23) and (33 ) are parallel but not in contact, taking into account manufacturing and wear tolerances, surfaces (16) and (36), surfaces (19) and (30) and surfaces (37) and (38) may or may not be in contact also for reasons of mechanical tolerances, in this configuration, all of the above-designated surfaces of the bolt cooperate with all of the above-designated surfaces of the keeper to maintain locked position the bolt in the keeper.  7. Handling and connection lock with removable bolt, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the box descends with the lifter, the bolt enters the keeper guided parallel to the longitudinal axis by the plates (25 ) and (26) in the shape of a strike plate and the guides (42) and (43) attached to the branches (13) and (14) of the bolt and parallel to the transverse axis by the triangular shapes of the plates (28 ) and (29) associated with the surface (35) of the base (27) of the strike plate and of the branches (13) and (14) of the bolt.  8. Handling lock and removable bolt connection, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the bolt is in place in the strike (3), its axis and that of the dowel (7) are vertical when the platform is horizontal.  9. Handling and connection lock with removable bolt, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when this bolt is in place in the strike, any force exerted by a box resting on the spout (6) of the pin (7) confirms the vertical position of the axis of the bolt therefore the self-locking of this bolt by creating antagonistic forces by pressing the surface (21) on the surface (35) and the surface (23) on the surface (33) thus preventing the bolt from coming out of the keeper.  10. Handling lock and removable bolt connection, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the corner piece which carries the weight of the box bears directly on the strike without passing through the bolt and that the bolt is relatively free inside the strike.  11. Handling lock and removable bolt connection, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the axes (20) and (31) practically coincide when the bolt is in the strike plate and the edge (15) occupy other positions, for example, the axes (20) and (31) are moved to the right (Figures 2 and 3) and positioned vertically with the spout (6) of the pin (7) the edge (15) then being moved to the right all the same, this arrangement allowing an upward vertical force applied under the spout (6) without removing the bolt from the keeper, this spout (6) instead of being inclined at 450 upward being closer to the horizontal and being longer towards the outside of the platform to more effectively oppose the tilting of the box.  12. Handling lock and removable bolt connection, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bolt can only have a vertical plate homologous to the plates (13) or (14), located on the axis BB of symmetry under the ankle foot (10) playing the same role as the two plates (13) and (14) further characterized in that the ankle foot (10) has the profile of the wings (11) and (12 ) further characterized by the fact that the two longer wings (11) and (12) have the profile of the ankle foot (10) and that the keeper is adapted to the dimensions of the central plate of the bolt and, possibly, completely closed at the front of the two plates (25) and (26) of the strike plate, characterized finally by the fact that the spreader arm is split into two elements which come to rest under the wings (11 and 12) of the bolt and other of the waste.  13. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by a spreader arm (4) having a central depression delimited by an upper face (39) and a lower face ( 40) whose depth is equal to the distance from the faces (17) and (18) of the bolt, and whose arm comes into contact with the edge (41) of the bolt at the intersection of the surfaces (18) and (21 ) then causes its rotation around the axes (20) and (31) practically coincident and after complete rotation the surfaces (17) and (36) are in contact, the surfaces (18) and (40) are in contact knowing that all of these contacts are real to the manufacturing and wear tolerances, the surfaces (36) and (39) are actually in contact since the weight of the box is exerted directly on these surfaces, and that ultimately, the central section of the ankle foot (10) fits into the depression of the rudder arm and that the dihedral of the planes (23) and (24) being distant from the dihedral of the planes (33) and (34), the lifter arm lifts the box with the bolt without mechanical interference between the latter and the keeper.  14. Lock for handling and connecting a box to a platform according to claims 1 and 13 characterized in that the box weighs with all its weight on the edge (15) of the bolt (2) when the lifter is in contact with the edge (41) of the bolt and that this bolt is supported in (19) on the keeper in (30).