GB2066746A - Vehicle having a load- protecting cover - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle, particularly a lorry, for conveying goods has a load-carrying floor (12) and a frame arranged thereabove for carrying a protective cover (16) for the goods. The sides of the protective cover (16) are raisable and lowerable to enable loading and unloading of the vehicle by means of an electric motor-driven operating device (22) acting through cables (42-48) connected to the cover. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle having a load-carrying floor and a frame arranged thereabove for carrying a protective cover The invention relates to a vehicle, such as a lorry, of the type having a load carrying floor and a frame arranged thereabove which carries a protective cover which is raisable and lowerable to enable loading and unloading of the vehicle.

A vehicle of this type is already known in which, to enable loading or unloading of the load-carrying floor, the protective cover of portions thereof have to be pushed upwardly manually by means of long poles or similar aids and deposited on the frame of the protective cover. This strenuous, timeconsuming and thus cost-intensive preparation for the actual loading or unloading operation may be adversely affected to a considerable extent by wind, even it it is not actually prevented.

Furthermore, the cover can readily be damaged during this work. The cover or portions thereof have to be pulled down from the cover frame again in order to cover the load-carrying floor, the above-mentioned aids also having to be used for this purpose.

In a vehicle, such as a lorry, in accordance with the present invention the protective cover is raisable and lowerable by means of a motor-driven operating device.

In contrast to the known vehicles, a vehicle in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the uncovering and covering operations are performed by the operating device in a manner which can be unaffected by the weather. Manual tools which may damage the protective cover are not required.

The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lorry shown closed; Figure 2 is a plan view of a drive unit, accommodated in a housing, for operating all the portions of a three-part protective cover; Figure 3 is a partially sectioned view of the housing of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the protective cover, drawn to a larger scale; Figure 5 is a cross section through the protective cover, taken on the line V-V of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a fragmentary section through another embodiment of the protective cover; Figure 7 shows a switching unit for actuating the drive unit; and Figure 8 is a circuit diagram associated with the drive unit.

A lorry 10 shown in Figure 1 has a loadcarrying floor 12 and side walls 14 which can be swung downwardly. A protective cover 16 is secured to a support frame (not illustrated) and its laterally depending wall flaps are sub-divided. The cover portions 1 8 thus formed are to be interconnected at the seam 20. Furthermore, the bottom regions of the cover portions 1 8 are securable to the side walls 14. A drive unit 22 for a device for operating the cover portions 18 is disposed on the support frame above the loadcarrying floor 12. In addition to the drive unit 22, the operating device includes guide tubes 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38,40 in which cables 42, 44, 46, 48 run, one end of each cable being connected to the cover portions 18 in the bottom regions thereof.In order to guide the cables 42 to 48 properly, guide pulleys 50 are disposed on the support frame and guide the cables 42 to 48. The cables 42 to 48 enter a housing 52 (Figure 2) which surrounds the drive unit 22. Three fractional-horsepower motors 54, 56, 58 are disposed in the housing 52, a respective reduction gear 60 being connected on the output side of each motor. Each reduction gear 60 has an output shaft (not shown in the drawing) to which a respective double cable pulley 62 or 64 or 66 is secured. The other ends of the cables 46, 48 are each rigidly connected to a respective cable pulley of the double cable pulley 62. Referring to Figures 1 to 3, it will be seen that the cables 46 and 48 connected to the double cable pulley 62 are associated with the rear, right hand cover portion 18 of the lorry 10.The cables guided in the tubes 36 and 38 are connected to the double cable pulley 64 and act upon the cover portion disposed at the rear of the load-carrying floor 12, while the double cable pulley 66 is operatively connected by way of this associated cable to the rear, left hand cover portion of the lorry. A drive unit of this kind having three drive motors can be adequate in the case of small lorries, since it can operate the side covers and also the rear cover.In the case of larger lorries, such as is illustrated in present Figure 1 and in which the side covers are sub-divided into portions as a result of the greater length of the load-carrying floor, is it advantageous to provide a further drive unit 23 for the two front, left hand and right hand cover portions, which drive unit has two drive motors and its cables 42 and 44 are guided through guide tubes 24, 26, 28, 30 and are secured to the bottom regions of the relevant cover portions.

Thus, in the present embodiment, two smaller drive units 22 and 23 are provided, the drive unit 22 having three electric motors and the other drive unit 23 having two electric motors. However, it is also conceivable to combine all the drive motors required in a single drive unit. Figures 4 and 5 clearly show that the cables 42 to 48, cable 46 in the present case, are guided in eyes 68 which are connected to the cover portion 1 8.

Furthermore, the securing of the cover portions 18 to the side wall 14 can also be seen. As is shown in Figure 6, a weight 70 can also be arranged at the bottom end of each cover portion 18 to promote trouble-free operation of the operating device. The electric motors 54, 56 and 58 are operable by a switching unit 74 connected to the electric motors by way of a control lead 72. By way of example, the switching unit 74 (Figure 7) may be suspended from a hook disposed in the freight compartment of the lorry 10. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to mount the switching unit 74 fixedly in the freight compartment. The switching unit 74 has two push-buttons 76, 78 located in the electrical circuit of each electric motor 54, 56, 58 and by means of which each electric motor can be operated in both directions of rotation.Furthermore, the switching unit 74 is provided with a lamp 80 having an associated switch 82.

Figure 8 shows the manner in which just the drive motor 54 is operated. However, all the other motors are wired and operated in the same manner. The electric motor 54 acts upon the cable pulley 62 by way of the reduction gear (not illustrated). The cables 46, 48 run in their guide tubes 32, 34 (not illustrated in Figure 8) from each part of the cable pulley to their guide pulleys 50 where they are guided in the eyes 68 (not illustrated) and run to the bottom end of the cover portion 18 where they are connected to the cover portion at point 84. The electric motor 54 is fed by a current source 86. The two push-buttons 76 and 78 are located in the operating circuit 88 of the electric motor 54. The lamp 80 and its switch 82 are connected in parallel with the operating circuit 88.Furthermore, a limit switch 90 is disposed in the operating circuit 88 of the electric motor 54 and is opened by a stop 92 when the cover portion 18 has reached its maximum open position.

When the cover 18 is to be opened, the pushbutton 76 has to be depressed, so that the electric motor 54 starts and the cables 46 and 48 are wound onto the individual pulleys of the double pulley 62. The cover portion 18 is thereby pulled upwardly until either the operator releases the push-button 76 and thus switches off the electric motor 54, or until the operating circuit 88 of the electric motor 54 is opened by the limit switch 90.

The electric motor 54 runs in the' opposite direction when the push-button 78 is actuated.

Thus, the double cable pulley 62 uncoils the cables 46 and 48, so that the cover is lowered.

The weight 70 can then assist the lowering operation. Thus, the switching unit 74 must have a plurality of push-button combinations 76, 78 according to the arrangement of the covers or cover portions which are to be operated by motors. It may then also be advantageous to dispose a plurality of switching units in the freight compartment of the lorry, so that at least one switching unit is always accessible even when the vehicle is loaded.

Claims (14)

1. A vehicle, such as a lorry, having a loadcarrying floor and a frame arranged thereabove which carries a protective cover which is raisable and lowerable by means of a motor-driven operating device to enable loading and unloading of the vehicle.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the operating device is driven by an electric motor energised by an electrical system of the vehicle.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the drive for the operating device comprises at least one permanent-magnet energized electric motor.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, in which the regions of the protective cover which laterally define the freight compartment are formed by separate cover portions, each cover portion having as associated drive motor.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which the drive motor acts upon a cable pulley, which serves as a w;nding element for a cable which is connected to the bottom region of the cover or of a respective cover portion.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, in which the drive motor acts on the cable pulley by way of a reduction gear.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5 or 6 in which the cable pulley is a double cable pulley.

8. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the direction of rotation of the drive motor is reversible.

9. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 5 to 8, in which two cables are operatively connected to each cover portion, and each cable has an associated winding pulley which is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor.

10. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 5 to 9, in which each cable is guided in a tube between its cable pulley and its associated cover portion.

11. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, in which all the drive motors and their cable pulleys are accommodated in a housing.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 11, in which the housing is secured to the cover frame.

1 3. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 4 to 12, in which each drive motor is operable separately.

14. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, in which a limit switch located in an electrical circuit of the relevant drive motor is operable when the cover or the cover portion is in its maximum open position.

1 5. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 5 to 14, in which each cable is guided on the protective cover or protective cover portion connected thereto by means of eyes which are secured to the said cover or cover portion.

1 6. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, in which at least one switching unit, located in an electrical circuit of the drive motor, is disposed in the freight compartment of the vehicle.

1 7. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.