FR2851982A1 - Suspension bracket for supporting car sheet metal part e.g. door, in container, has rigid frame supporting main slide with suspension bar, where slide moves vertically and is locked in chosen position by locking unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The bracket has a rigid frame (10) extending vertically and linked on an upper side and a lower side to two horizontal grooves. The rigid frame is movable in a horizontal direction. The rigid frame is locked by a locking unit in a chosen position. The rigid frame supports a main slide from which overhangs a suspension bar (22). The slide is movable in vertical direction and locked in a chosen position by another locking unit. An independent claim is also included for a container of parts including a structured frame equipped with a rear vertical side of two super imposed horizontal grooves supporting a suspension bracket.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

  The present invention relates to a suspension bracket intended to equip a container with parts, in particular with mechanical or bodywork parts, and more particularly with automotive sheet metal parts such as, for example, doors or body sides.

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Such gallows are commonly used for handling parts from their place of production to their place of further processing, such as, for example, for automotive sheet metal parts, then paint, and from there. processing at a place where these parts are assembled to constitute the body of a motor vehicle.

  The suspension brackets are generally an integral part of a parts container comprising a mechanically welded frame structure, which defines a transport unit for sheet metal parts. The container has a front loading / unloading face, perpendicular to which it is advisable to bring the parts to be handled. By this face, the parts are therefore introduced into the container to be suspended from one or more brackets which are supported by the metal frame of the container, and in particular the rear or bottom part of this container.

  The suspension brackets fitted to such containers are rigidly fixed to the frame of the container, so that the suspension points are rigidly established for each container. This therefore obliges in general to provide a container for each type of part, insofar as the suspension points vary from one part concerned to another.

  OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to design an improved suspension bracket 35 whose structure makes it possible to increase the flexibility and adaptability of containers for parts, in particular for sheet metal parts for cars.

  GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned problem is solved in accordance with the invention by means of a suspension bracket intended to equip a container for parts, said bracket comprising a rigid frame extending vertically, and connected above and below with two slides. horizontal forming part of the structure of the container, so that said rigid frame is movable in a horizontal direction and lockable by associated means in any chosen position, the rigid frame supporting a main slide from which a cantilever extends a bar of suspension, said slide being movable in a vertical direction and lockable by associated means in any chosen position.

  Thus, thanks to the aforementioned structure, it becomes possible to adjust with great flexibility and great precision the position, in the two directions of coordinates of a vertical plane, the suspension point or points for the pieces to be hung. This therefore makes it very easy to adapt a container to a particular type of mechanical part or sheet metal.

  Preferably, the main slide is connected laterally to two vertical slides forming part of the structure of the rigid frame. In particular, the two vertical slides open out above, in order to be able to extract or replace the assembly constituted by the main slide and its suspension bar.

  Such an arrangement thus makes it possible to leave in place the frame of a bracket while removing the assembly constituted by the main slide and its suspension bar, then avoiding the presence of projecting elements which are not used, and allowing in in addition to using another set having a differently sized hanger bar.

  Advantageously, the rigid frame is equipped with an assistance system designed to at least partially compensate for the weight of the assembly constituted by the main slide and its suspension bar. Preferably then, the assistance system is a counterweight system, which comprises a secondary slide arranged below the main slide being movable in the vertical direction and lockable by associated means 10 in any chosen position, said secondary slide being connected, by a cable passing over a pulley, to a counterweight.

  It can also be provided that the main slide can rest on the secondary slide in one or the other of two vertical positions to have two different heights of the suspension bar.

  Such an assistance system, in particular the aforementioned counterweight system, allows an operator to very easily modify the positional adjustment of the suspension bar 20 despite the significant weight of the latter, without developing a significant effort.

  Preferably, the means for locking the rigid frame, the main slide and the secondary slide, are constituted by bolted cleats 25 arranged to tighten the slides concerned in the chosen positions of said rigid frame and said slides. In particular, the same cleats can be used for all the locking points, which simplifies assembly and maintenance of the system.

  More preferably, the rigid frame carries rolling rollers cooperating with one and / or the other of the horizontal slides of the container.

  The invention also relates to a parts container, comprising a framing structure fitted on a rear side wall with two superimposed horizontal rails supporting at least one suspension bracket having at least one of the above characteristics.

  Thus, a parts container can be directly equipped with several suspension brackets, 5 of which are used for hanging parts, while the others are on standby for later use for hanging parts. another type.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly in the light of the description which follows and of the appended drawings, relating to a particular embodiment.

DEFINITION OF DRAWINGS

  Reference will be made to the figures of the appended drawings 15 o: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a container of automotive sheet metal parts fitted, in accordance with the invention, suspension brackets, two of which are active in this case ; - Figure 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, showing in more detail one of the suspension brackets fitted to the container of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the above-mentioned bracket; - Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are sections respectively along the lines IV-IV, V-V, VI-VI, VII-VII, and VIII-VIII of Figure 3 to better understand the structural details; and - Figure 9 illustrates in perspective a bolted cleat 30 forming part of the locking means used.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

  FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a container for parts 1, in this case intended to receive and transport a plurality of pieces of automotive sheet metal, it being understood that the type of object concerned is naturally only an example in the context of 'invention.

  The container 1 comprises a general framing structure 2 of parallelepiped type, with a floor 3, two side walls 4, 5, and a rear or bottom wall 6. The horizontal beams of this rear vertical wall 6 have been noted 7.

  It can be seen that the rear vertical wall 6 is equipped with two superimposed horizontal slides 8, 9 intended to support at least one suspension bracket P, the structure of which will be described below in more detail.

  In the case in point, the parts container 1 is equipped with two suspension brackets P, the suspension bar 22 of which allows an automobile part to be supported, in this case a lateral body chassis T. It should be noted that the container of parts is here also equipped with another suspension bracket P from which the suspension bar 22 has been removed. As will be described below in more detail, only the framing part of this latter bracket remains permanently attached on the horizontal slides 8, 9 of the rear vertical wall 6, while the associated moving assembly comprising the bar for hanging the bracket has been removed.

  In the plane of the rear vertical wall 6, two coordinate directions have been defined, namely the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Z. According to the invention, the structure of the suspension bracket P is arranged in such a way that the suspension bar 22 is easily and precisely adjustable in the two directions of coordinates X, Z, so as to bring the suspension point concerned to all desired points on the plane of this rear vertical wall.

  The adjustment of the two suspension bars 22 used in the present case is of course dictated by the particular geometry of the part to be suspended T. The other suspension bracket, free of suspension bar, does not in any way constitute a hindrance for the support of 'a plurality of such parts, which are threaded one behind the other on the two suspension bars 22 used.

  We will now refer to Figures 2 to 9 to better understand the structure of a suspension bracket P according to the invention.

  FIG. 2 partially shows two upper and lower side members 7 of the rear vertical wall of the container 6, side members to which upper 8 and lower 9 slides are fixed respectively by means of welded plates 7.1. In this case, each of the horizontal slides 8, 9 consists of two superimposed UPN type profiles, open towards one another, and joined together by a welded rear strip 8.1, 9.1. Vertical bars (not shown) can be provided to guarantee the parallelism of the two horizontal slides 8, 9.

  The suspension bracket P comprises first of all a rigid frame 10 extending vertically, which consists of two vertical members 11, 12 connected to each other by tubular sleepers 13, 14. The rigid frame 10 is connected above and below to the two horizontal slides 25, 9 forming part of the structure of the container such that said rigid frame is movable in the horizontal direction X and lockable by associated means in any chosen position.

  In this case, the locking of the rigid frame 10 of 30 the horizontal slides 8, 9 is carried out by means 24, the structure of which will be better understood by referring to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8. The locking means 24 are thus each consisting of a cleat 24.1 crossed by the rod of a fixing bolt 24.2 which passes through the frame 11 or 12 concerned. Each strip 24.1 has a rectangular lip at the crossing of the walls, which prohibits rotation about the axis of the bolt. Each bolted batten 24.1 is thus arranged to tighten the slide concerned 8 or 9 when the desired position 5 of the rigid frame 10 is reached. To avoid unexpected loss of the bolt, use a rod pierced with an end hole 24.3 for inserting a pin (not shown). Thus, one can handle the bolt 24.2 by its outer head without risk of losing said bolt and then breaking the mechanical connection.

  Note also in Figures 4 and 8 the presence of rollers 16 carried by a respective tab 15 which is welded behind each of the vertical members 11, 12. These rollers 16 are here arranged 15 directly above the slide lower 9. In this case, no rollers have been provided at the upper slide, but this could naturally be expected.

  Thanks to the production in the form of bolted cleats which is provided here, the two rollers 16 only intervene when the four tightening points at the locking means 24 are released.

  This then facilitates the displacement of the rigid frame of the bracket in the horizontal direction X. Once the desired position has been reached, the operator then tightens the four means 24, which has the effect of slightly lifting the rigid frame 10 and releasing the rollers 16 of their contact surface.

  The rigid frame 10 further supports a main slider 30 of which a cantilever hanger extends 22, said slider being movable in the vertical direction Z and lockable by associated means in any chosen position. In this case, the slide in the form of a thick plate, carrying, in the upper part thereof, a suspension bar 22 whose length may reach 900 mm. A reinforcing strut 23 is provided below the bar 22. The main slide 21 and its suspension bar 22 thus form a mobile unit 20 which is movable in the vertical direction Z. It would naturally be possible to provide several types of guide means for this vertical displacement of the unit 20. In the present case, it has been chosen for convenience to use two vertical slides 17, 18 which are rigidly fixed to the frame 10, slides to which the main slide 21 is connected by means of lock 25, here four in number. As can be seen in FIG. 5, these means 25 also consist of bolted cleats 25.1 passing through a rectangular opening of the main slide 21, with an arrangement similar to that previously described for the locking means 24 of the rigid frame 10.

  It is thus easy to move the assembly 20 constituted by the main slide 21 and the suspension bar 22 in the vertical direction Z in order to position said assembly at the desired height. Once this height is reached, the operator need only tighten the four locking means 25 to position the suspension point at the desired height.

  As can be seen in FIG. 2, it is advantageous to provide that the two vertical slides 17, 18 are emerging from above, which makes it possible to extract or replace the assembly 20 constituted by the main slide 21 and its suspension bar 22. It is thus possible, when the suspension bracket is not used, to remove the movable assembly 20 from above, which assembly can then be put back in place for active use when it is necessary to suspend pieces on its suspension bar. This also makes it possible to substitute another assembly having a differently sized suspension bar.

  In FIG. 5, there can be seen in section the main slide 21, and the associated locking means 25 comprising a cleat 25.1, a bolt 25. 2 whose rod is pierced in 25.3. This locking means 25 is thus arranged to tighten the slides concerned 17 or 18 in the chosen position of the suspension bar.

  In practice, the mobile assembly 20 constituted by the main slide 21 and its suspension bar 22 represents a non-negligible weight, for example of the order of 12 to 15 kilos. Consequently, the manipulation of this mobile assembly to modify the vertical position thereof, and the maintenance of said assembly to proceed to its locking, can constitute tiresome tasks for the operator. To avoid this drawback, provision has been made in the context of the invention for the rigid frame 10 to be equipped with an assistance system designed to at least partially compensate for the weight of the assembly 20 constituted by the main slide 21 and its suspension bar 22.

  In this case, the assistance system is a counterweight system 30.

  Provision could have been made for direct attachment of a cable to the main slide 21, the other end of said cable being hooked to a counterweight, in order to compensate at least partially for the weight of the mobile assembly. However, this would then complicate the maneuvers of removing or replacing the mobile assembly if one wishes to extract the suspension bar.

  To avoid this drawback, and not to lose the advantage of the extraction, by the upper part, of the mobile assembly, a secondary slide 31 is provided in this case arranged below the main slide 21 carrying the bar suspension, said secondary slide 35 also being movable in the vertical direction Z and lockable by associated means 38 in any chosen position.

  This secondary slide 31 thus constitutes a direct support for the main slide 21, support the height of which is adjusted by the locking means 38 which, as can be seen in FIG. 6, are of the same structure as the above-mentioned means. There is thus a bolted cleat 38.1, and a bolt 38.2 with an end hole 38.3 for passing a pin. Just like the bolted battens 25.1, the bolted battens 38.1 are arranged to tighten the relevant slides 17 or 18 in the chosen position of the secondary slide 31.

  The secondary slider 31 is further connected by means 37 to a cable 32 which passes behind the main slider 15, then on a high pulley 34 hung on a stirrup 33 fixed to the upper crosspiece 13, the other end of the cable 32 arriving on a hook 36 formed in the upper part of a counterweight 35.

  In practice, a counterweight of the order of ten kilos will be provided, which allows easy handling of the mobile assembly 20 comprising the suspension bar 22. The operator has only minimal effort to be developed to move and hold the suspension bar 22 in place while itself tightening the locking means 25 then 38.

  It is naturally possible to provide rear guide means for the vertical displacement of the counterweight 35, over the entire travel thereof (means not visible here).

  As a variant of a simple free suspension, it will naturally be possible to mount the counterweight on a vertical bar passing through it at its center, in the manner of an elevator (variant not illustrated here).

  The adjustment of the height of the secondary slide 31 thus makes it very easy to remove, from the top of the frame, the mobile assembly 20 with its suspension bar 22, 11 then to put this mobile assembly back, which comes quite naturally to rest on its support 31 which is automatically at the correct height. No new adjustment is therefore necessary, and it suffices to carry out a new locking of the means 25.

  Note also that the attachment of the suspension bar 22 on the main slide 21 is not made in the center of said slide, but in the vicinity of one end thereof. This then makes it possible to have two different positions by reversing the main slide 21, in order to have, for the same bearing height on the secondary slide 31, two different heights of suspension for the suspension bar 22. Thus, the main slide 21 can rest on secondary slide 31 in one or other of two main positions to have two different heights of suspension bar 22.

  The bolted battens 24.1, 25.1, 38.1 will preferably be identical, as suggested in Figure 9, which simplifies assembly and maintenance of the system.

  It has thus been possible to produce a suspension bracket allowing precise and rapid adjustment of the position of its suspension bar, with the further advantage of being able to disengage said bar when the suspension bracket is not used.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described, but on the contrary encompasses any variant incorporating, with equivalent means, the essential characteristics set out above.

Claims (10)

  1. Suspension bracket intended to equip a parts container, characterized in that it comprises a rigid frame (10) extending vertically, and connected above and below to two horizontal slides (8, 9) forming part of the container structure, so that said rigid frame is movable in a horizontal direction (X) and lockable by associated means (24) in any chosen position, the rigid frame (10) supporting a main slide (21) of which s cantilever extends a suspension bar (22), said slide being movable in a vertical direction (Z) and lockable by associated means (25) in any chosen position.   2. Suspension bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the main slide (21) is laterally connected to two vertical slides (17, 18) forming part of the structure of the rigid frame (10).   3. Suspension bracket according to claim 2, characterized in that the two vertical slides (17, 18) are opening out above, in order to be able to extract or replace the assembly (20) constituted by the main slide (21) and its bar suspension (22). 25 4. Suspension bracket according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rigid frame (10) is equipped with an assistance system (30) arranged to at least partially compensate for the weight of the assembly ( 20) constituted by the main slide (21) 30 and its suspension bar (22).   5. Suspension bracket according to claim 4, characterized in that the assistance system (30) is a counterweight system.   6. Suspension bracket according to claim 6, 35 characterized in that the assistance system (30) comprises a secondary slide (31) disposed below the main slide (21) being movable in the vertical direction (Z) and lockable by associated means (38) in any chosen position, said secondary slide 5 being connected, by a cable (32) passing over a pulley (34), to a counterweight (35).   7. Suspension bracket according to claim 6, characterized in that the main slide (21) can rest on the secondary slide (31) in one or the other of two vertical positions to have two different heights of the bar suspension (22).   8. Suspension bracket according to the claims   1, 2 and 6, characterized in that the locking means (24, 25, 38) of the rigid frame (10), of the main slide (21) and of the secondary slide (31), consist of bolted cleats ( 24.1, 25.1, 38.1) arranged to tighten the slides concerned (8, 9; 17, 18) in the chosen positions of said rigid frame and of said slides.   9. Suspension bracket according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the rigid frame (10) carries rollers (16) cooperating with one and / or the other of the horizontal slides (8, 9) from the container.   10. Parts container, comprising a frame structure (2) equipped on a rear vertical wall (6) with two superimposed horizontal slides (8, 9) supporting at least one suspension bracket (P) according to   at least one of the preceding claims.