GB2104036A

GB2104036A - Container carrying vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2104036A
Application number: GB08138404A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Kramer
Original assignee: Coca Cola Co
Current assignee: Coca Cola Co
Priority date: 1981-08-14
Filing date: 1981-12-21
Publication date: 1983-03-02
Also published as: GB2104036B

Abstract

To expedite loading and unloading, a vehicle is provided with a load container (16) which is received by a portal-like frame (10) engaging over the load container in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle which frame is open on at least one side. By means of lifting elements (23) the load container can be lifted from the ground into the frame (10) and lowered to the ground whereby loading and unloading is facilitated. Moreover, the load container (16) can be laterally removed from the frame (10) on rollers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Load-bearing vehicle The invention relates to a load-bearing vehicle having an exchangeable load carrier.

Known load-bearing vehicles with a loading surface at a relatively high level, e.g. a conventional truck, can be loaded and unloaded only with difficulty. Moreover, during the loading and unloading operations the vehicles are not available for other purposes, so that they are idle To enable more efficient utilisation, container vehicles have been developed which have as a load carrier a container that can be removed from the vehicle and replaced by another container.

While such containers are being loaded and unloaded, the vehicle can be in use on the road, for example to transport other containers. The removal and replacement of the container is performed either at specific stations by means of a crane or by a lifting device mounted on the vehicle. In the latter case the lifting device has to lift the container from the loading surface of the vehicle, swing it clear of the vehicle, and then deposit it. This requires an involved swinging system in the lifting device, and furthermore it is not possible to handle heavy loads in this way because there is the risk of the vehicle over turning.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle having an exchangeable load carrier which can be removed from and replaced on the vehicle without swinging movements.

Thus according to the invention there is provided a load-bearing vehicle having an exchangeable load carrier, complising a rigid frame for receiving the load carrier, said frame extending around three sides of the load carrier and being open in the downward direction, and lifting means for lifting the load carrier from the ground into a travelling position and for lowering it from said travelling position to the ground.

As will be clear from the later description of some embodiments of the invention, the lifting and lowering of the load carrier may be either relative to the said frame or in concert with the latter.

With such an arrangement the load carrier may be suspended in the frame, in which it is of course locked when in the travelling position so that a secure contact is ensured between the load carrier and the frame. When the locking is released and the load carrier lowered to ground level it may be then moved away from the vehicle. The advantage does not only reside in the simple exchanging of the load carrier by an exclusively vertical movement, but also in the facility to lower the load carrier to ground level without needing to detach it completely from the vehicle, whereby the removal of heavy loads from the load carrier is facilitated.

The load carrier may be a closed container, or it may comprise a frame structure which is laterally open. In the latter case the sides are fully accessible for loading and unloading operations.

A vehicle incorporating such a load carrier is particularly suitable as a delivery vehicle for beverages, for stacking cases of bottles or even entire palletized loads. When the load carrier comprises a frame structure with open sides it is of course possible to ensure that unintended lateral displacement of the load is avoided. The load carrier may be covered with a tarpaulin. If the vehicle is used for transporting beverages the load carrier may be separately loaded at the delivery station, but the entire vehicle need not meanwhile be left unused. When the load carrier has been loaded it is moved beneath the frame of the vehicle, lifted into the vehicle, and secured. If it is intended to remove only some parts of the load at a point of delivery, the load carrier may be lowered so that the load is accessible from the sides at a suitable height.After removal of the desired parts of the load the load carrier may again be lifted to the travelling position.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the said frame has parts enclosing the front and rear ends of the load carrier and at least one beam bridging the same, whilst being open on at least one side for the removal and replacement of the load carrier.

The load carrier may be moved away from the vehicle by a lateral displacement so that the vehicle may then be driven away. This lateral displacement can be achieved for example by means of rollers mounted beneath the load carrier or by a roller conveyor over which the vehicle is located with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle parallel to the roller axes. In this case, the load carrier is lowered on to the roller conveyor or on to another transverse conveying device, to be displaced laterally. Such a transverse conveyor has to be present for beverage delivery vehicles only for example at the point of loading and at bulk purchasers, because only relatively small partial loads are removed by purchasers of small quantities which would not justify detaching the load carrier from the vehicle.However, it is advantageous that the load carrier can be lowered to facilitate unloading of partial loads.

The said lifting means preferably comprises at least two lifting devices supported by the said frame and engaging the load carrier. Lifting elements suitable for this purpose are for example piston-cylinder units, rack-and-pinion drives, screw spindle drives, or cable lines.

In another form of the invention the whole frame together with the load carrier can be lifted and lowered. To this end the lifting means may comprise at least two lifting devices supported on the vehicle axles and engaging the frame. To retain the load carrier in the frame, the latter may be provided at its front and rear ends with transverse slots into which, in the lowered condition of frame and load carrier, suspension pins on the load carrier may be introduced. A safe locking and suspension of the load carrier in the frame is possible due to the simple construction of such parts.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the engine of the vehicle is mounted behind the load carrier on the rear axle, and supply and control lines extend above the load carrier between the driver's cab at the front and the vehicle engine.

The conversion of conventional mass-produced vehicles into one embodying the invention may possibly be expensive because the aforementioned frame has a controlling influence on the basic construction of the entire vehicle. For this reason, a preferred form of the invention is a load carrier in the form of a semitrailer to be used in conjunction with a truck tractor. Here, only the semitrailer need be equipped with a frame in accordance with the invention and can be used in conjunction with a conventional truck tractor.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a truck according to the invention with the load carrier in its travelling position; Fig. 2 shows the truck of Fig. 1 with the load carrier in its lowered position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the truck of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 shows a truck according to a second embodiment with its load carrier in travelling position; Fig. 5 shows a truck of Fig. 4 with its load carrier lowered; and Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of a truck tractor having a semitrailer according to the invention.

The truck of Figs 1 to 3 has a rigid frame 10 which mounts the driver's cab 12 on its horizontal front end 1 A vertical front-end member 1 3 is provided adjacent to the horizontal front extension 11 of the frame 10 and is connected to a vertical rear member 1 5 by a horizontal beam 14. The members 13 and 15 and the beam 14 form an inverse U-shaped frame construction open in the downward direction and bridging a load carrier 1 6-as seen in the lateral view of the truck-over its whole length. At the rear vertical member 15, the engine 17 is mounted. To avoid using a cardan shaft extending the whole length of the vehicle, the latter is provided with a rear engine and with rear axle drive.The front axle 1 8 as well as the rear axle 1 9 are suspended on the frame 10 via springs andShock absorber devices.

As seen in Fig. 3, two beams 14 (shown in plan view) are in fact provided which extend parallel to each other. It is possible to provide transverse or diagonal struts between said beams.

The transverse shape of the load carrier 1 6 is square. Preferably it is open on both sides, while the remaining four walls (bottom, ceiling, front and rear walls) are closed. On the outside of the front and rear walls 20 and 21 of the load carrier 1 6 there are projecting extensions 22 for engagement by lifting devices 23 supported by the frame 10. In the illustrated embodiment the lifting devices 23 are piston-cylinder units which are mounted flexibly between the two front frame members 1 3 and between the two rear frame members 1 5 respectively.

The lifting devices 23 extend substantially vertically to engage under the extensions 22 to lift the load carrier 1 6 from the lowered position illustrated in Fig. 2 into the travelling position of Fig. 1. In this position the load carrier 16 is supported by L-shaped locking elements 24 hinged to the frame 10 and which can be automatically latched when the load carrier 1 6 has reached its uppermost position. As a result, the load carrier 16, when in the travelling position, is rigidly secured in the rigid frame 10.

In the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 the frame 10 is substantially of the same design as the frame 10 of the first embodiment. However, in contrast thereto, the frame carrying the load carrier 1 6 can itself be lowered relative to the axles 1 8 and 19, and, at the same time, as evident from Fig. 5, the driver's cab 12 and the engine 1 7 are lowered as well.

In this case, the front lifting device 30 is supported on the front axle 18, while the rear lifting device 31 is supported on the rear axle 19.

The upper ends of both lifting devices 30 and 31 engage members which are firmly and rigidly connected to the frame 10.

The front and rear frame members 13 and 1 5 have transverse slots 31 which extend nearly horizontally on the inside of the supports and are open to the vehicle sides. Into the slots, pins 33 projecting outwardly from the front and rear end walls of the load carrier 1 6 can be introduced. The transverse slots 32 have click-stop recesses for the pins 33 to be arrested when the load carrier 1 6 has been moved into the correct position by lateral displacement relative to the frame 10. By this means, the load carrier 1 6 is suspended in the frame by the pins 33, and when it is lifted from the lowered position shown in Fig. 5, the frame 10 is lifted at the same time.

In addition, locking elements (not shown) can be provided to avoid oscillating movements of the load carrier during travel.

In the embodiment of Fig. 6 there is provided a truck tractor 40 of the conventional type having a frame 41 mounted on front axle 42 and rear axle 43. On the frame 41 a pivot bearing 44 is mounted to receive the front end of a semitrailer 45. Basically, the semitrailer 45 is of the same design as the load carrier truck of Figs. 1 to 3. To the frame 10, which is open laterally and which bridges the load carrier 1 6 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a vertical beam 46 is secured which extends horizontally forwardly from the vertical member 1 3 of the frame 10. On the underside of the beam 46 a counter-support 47 for the pivot bearing 44 of the truck tractor 40 is fitted. The bearings 44 and 47 intermesh via a vertical link pin.

From the rear vertical member 1 5 of the frame 10 a horizontal beam 48 projects rearwardly and suspends the rear axle 49 of the semitrailer 45.

The rear axle 49 is the sole axle of the semitrailer, the front end of which is supported on the pivot bearing 44 of the truck tractor 40.

Just as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3, lifting devices 23, the free ends of which engage under projecting extensions 22 of the load carrier 16, are supported on the frame 10 so as to lift the lower the load carrier relative to the frame 10.

L-shaped locking elements 24 hinged to the frame 10 engage under the load carrier 1 6 in the lifted positions. Outside of the frame 10, above the beams 46 and 48 of the semitrailer 45, loading surfaces are available which carry box structure 50. Thus, externally of the load carrier 16, additional loads can be transported on the semitrailer in the box structures 50.

Claims

1. A load-bearing vehicle having an exchangeable load carrier, comprising a rigid frame for receiving a load carrier, said frame extending around three sides of the load carrier and being open in the downward direction, and lifting means for lifting the load carrier from the ground into a travelling position and for lowering it from said travelling position to the ground.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the said frame has parts enclosing the front and rear ends of the load carrier and at least one beam bridging the same, whilst being open on at least one side for the removal and replacement of the load carrier.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the underside of the load carrier is provided with ground-engaging rollers for moving it transversely of the said frame

4. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the load carrier has a laterally open frame structure.

5. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the said lifting means comprises at least two lifting devices supported by the said frame and engaging the load carrier.

6. A vehicle according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the said lifting means comprises at least two lifting devices supported on the vehicle axles and engaging the said frame.

7. A vehicle according to claim 6, the front and rear ends of the frame have transverse slots into which, in the lowered condition of the frame and the load carrier, suspension pins on the load carrier are laterally insertable.

8. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, having supports adapted to engage under the load carrier or the frame in lifted position to secure it against downward movement relative to the frame or the axles respectively.

9. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, whose engine is mounted behind the load carrier and above the rear axle, the supply and control lines extending above the load carrier between the driver's cab and the engine.

1 0. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the load carrier forms part of a semitrailer usable with a truck tractor.

11. A load-bearing vehicle as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, or Figures 4 and 5, or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.