GB2158042A

GB2158042A - Suction lifting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2158042A
Application number: GB08510951A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sakari Mikael Lehtinen; Jorma Tapani Mustalahti; Veikko Ilmari Saarinen
Original assignee: Kone Corp
Current assignee: Kone Corp
Priority date: 1984-05-04
Filing date: 1985-04-30
Publication date: 1985-11-06
Also published as: SE8502180D0; IT8548031A0; NO851763L; GB8510951D0; FI841798A; JPS6112526A; NL8501280A; DE3515954A1; BE902302A; IT1181894B; SE8502180L; FR2563820A1; FI841798A0

Abstract

Suction lifting apparatus for use with horizontally disposed paper rolls has a frame (18) from which depend suspension members (19) supporting suction grippers (7), the suspension members being supported by carriages (3, 4) which are movable along the frame to vary the distance therebetween by power cylinders (10, 12, 13). The cylinders may be movable individually or together and the apparatus can be retained in equilibrium by movement of a suspension carriage (1) along a surface (20) by a cylinder (11). The grippers are both curved and pivotally mounted to enable them to intimately contact the surfaces of the rolls. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Procedure and loading means for handling cylindrical objects such as paper rolls The present invention concerns a procedure for handling cylindrical objects such as paper rolls by the aid of a loading means operated by vacuum and attaching to the cylindrical surface of said rolls.

Paper roll handling methods known in prior art are based on manipulating the rolls either in vertical position with roll trucks or by other vertical handling procedures, including lifting the rolls with various types of rope lifting means, and lifting rolls of special structure by the aid of a vacuum loading means gripping the roll by its end, or in lying position with lifting belts, roll trucks, by socket lifting or with strop lifter.

Avacuum loading means of prior art is disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 3,982,782 where the rolls are handled with a vacuum loading means attaching to their side and mounted on a truck. The means handles the rolls mainly in vertical position. The handling procedure accomplished with this means of prior art is similar in principle as in other previously known truck handling methods. The drawback of the means is it ability to handle only one or two rolls at a time.

A drawback common to all roll handling procedures known heretofore is that all earlier procedures are only suitable for carrying out a part; or some parts, of the different type roll handling operations taking place along a transport chain, and linking together different transport and handling operations always takes place by handling the rolls, in one way or another, one roll at a time. This fundamental drawback has the effect that the roll handling and storing points along a transport chain become bottlenecks in the transport chain which require much work, many types of apparatus and much human labour.

The single handling of rolls by human labour or with mechanical working machines controlled by human labour, such as paper trucks, taking place in procedures of prior art entails slow handling and risk of damage to the rolls due to human factors. It is a further drawback that the safety of humans is poor when they work in the midst of working machines which move about swiftly; this is particularly true in harbours.

Still one disadvantage is that in procedures of prior art the paper rolls are most often stored in vertical storage so that the rolls form towers with a height up to 5m and more. There is a great risk that such towers topple; this risk contributes to the risk of damage to the rolls, and it impairs the safety at work.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned and to teach a completely novel procedure for handling rolls in lying position which is appropriate to be used, in principle without changes, in every goods handling operation of a transport chain, from the factory or mill up to the recipient. The invention may also be applied separately, for instance only at part of the goods handling points in a transport chain. The procedure of the invention is characterized in that the rolls are stored in lying position in stacks where to the topmost rolls is attached a vacuum-operated loading means so that one or several rolls at a time are lifted to another site and are deposited there, further on in lying position.This procedure has among others the advantage of a calm work rhythm, yet possessing a high roll handling capacity.Afurtheradvantage is low risk of damage to the rolls compared with procedures of prior art; improved work safety; and the possibility to automate the whole handling process.

The procedure according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the vacuum-operated loading means is attached to the top surface of the rolls in lying position. The advantage is then great ease and high speed of the loading and unloading event.

The procedure according to another advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the number of rolls which are lifted at any one time is varied as required by not activating part of the gripping members of the loading means and/or by correspondingly shifting the lifting point of the loading means so that equilibrium is maintained. By this procedure one gains the advantage that it becomes possible to handle rolls in greatly different conditions, whereby the handling can be made versatile.

The invention also concerns a loading means for carrying out a procedure according to the invention.

The loading means comprises a frame part and gripping members attached thereto over suspension members. The loading means of the invention is characterized in that the suspension members have been disposed to be movable with reference to the frame part, and in a position such that when a gripping member attached to a suspension member is lowered upon the cylindrical surface of a cylindrical object, such as a paper roll, its gripping member will find a position in intimate contact with the top surface of the roll. The advantage is then that no auxiliary labour is needed close to the rolls for attaching the rolls to the loading means, whereby the work safety is improved. It is a further advantage that with one and the same loading means paper rolls having different diameters can be lifted.

The loading means according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the suspension members have been disposed to move along running surfaces provided on the frame part, such as sliding surfaces, with the aid of moving mechanisms, such as power cylinders for instance.

The loading means of another advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the outermost suspension members have been attached to the frame part of the loading means over beams which can be moved into the frame part and out therefrom by the aid of power cylinders.

The loading means according to a third advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the power cylinders are double-acting hydraulic cylinders of which the cylinder parts are mounted on the frame part of the loading means and the piston parts are attached to the running carriages of the suspension members, and that the operation of the cylinders is so controlled that the suspension members may be moved either all at the same time or each member separately.

The loading means according to still one advantageous embodiment is characterized in that in the frame part has been movably disposed a lifting point displacing carriage which at the same time is the centre of gravity-finding carriage, by the aid of which the entire loading means has been suspended from a hoisting machine, such as a crane for instance.

The loading means according to still one advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the centre of gravity-finding carriage has been disposed to run on running surfaces fixedly provided in the frame part in the longitudinal direction of the frame part, and that between the centre of gravity-finding carriage and the frame part is provided a power cylinder, such as a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, by the aid of which the balancing movement is accomplished.

The loading means according to still one advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the suspension member consists of a running carriage having in its lower part a supporting beam which is longitudinal to the paper rolls and on both ends of which has been attached at least one lifting chain, and that the lower ends of the chains have similarly been attached to connecting rods, to which further have been pivotally attached, by their rear faces, gripping members which are vacuum-operated and the vacuum gripping surfaces of which point substantially downwards.

The advantage of the loading means according to the embodiments mentioned above is its ability to handle rolls with different diameters under different handling conditions.

The invention is described in greater detail in the following with the aid of an example and with reference to the attached drawing, wherein:- Figure lillustrates the paper roll lifting event with a loading means as taught by the invention when the rolls have a diameter so small that the loading means is in its inner position, Figure 2also presents a lifting event, but now the rolls are big ones and the loading means is in its fully extended position, Figure 3presents the event of lifting from the hold of a ship, from underthe deck, Figure 4presents the gripping member attaching event in its different phases when the gripping is eccentric, Figure 5presents a loading means according to the invention, in elevational view, Figure 6presents the same loading means, viewed from above, and Figure 7further shows the loading means of Figure 5, sectioned along the line Vil-Vil.

The paper rolls are stored for the whole duration of handling in lying position, in stacks. At every handling point has been provided a loading means as taught by the invention, by means of which the rolls are deposited in stacks and by which the rolls are also lifted from the stacks and transported to a new site. The handling of the rolls is most often by groups of rolls, containing 1 to 6 rolls at a time. One such transporting event is for instance the lifting of rolls from the wharf and their placing in the ship's hold. Let us assume that the rolls are supplied on a roll trailer beside the ship and wait to be loaded. The loading means is now lowered, for instance with the shipboard crane, down upon the paper roll stack in such manner that the gripping members 7 descend upon the top surfaces of the rolls.If the diameter of the rolls is not suitable in view of the distance between the suspension members 19, the distance between suspension members is changed by moving the running carriages 3 and 4 with the aid of power cylinders 10,12 and 13. Each running carriage is separately movable, or the displacing can be accomplished so that all running carriages move at the same time, in which case the movement is relative so that the outermost running carriages describe the fastest and the innermost the slowest motion. Such relative movement is rendered possible by a control valve design known in the art, which is not described more closely in this invention.When the distance between suspension members 19 has become appropriate in view of the roll diameter, the gripping members 7 may be lowered into contact with the top surface of the rolls and the vacuum switched on, whereby the vacuum gripping surfaces gain a firm hold on the top surface of the rolls. The gripping member 7 has been attached to the running carriages 3 and 4 by a fixing member permitting movement in all directions. It is then possible to manage the gripping situation depicted in Figure 4, where the centre of the roll and the centre of the suspension point are not concentric. At the phase A, the gripping members meet the surface of the roll, whereby the suspension member enables the gripping members to assume such a position upon the rolls that vacuum gripping becomes possible. This is illustrated as phase B.At the initial lifting phase C, the gripping member rotates the paper roll so that the centre of the lifting point and the roll centre coincide. The loading means is invariably used so as to transport the greatest possible number of rolls at a time. If at the end of a handling operation less than six rolls are left, every gripping member cannot carry a roll in the last lifting step. It is then necessary to shift the location of the lifting point 21 so that the loading means will maintain its equilibrium. The shift is accomplished with the centre of gravityfinding carriage 1. A similar asymmetric situation is encountered when a few rolls have to be lifted out of a cramped location, from under a deck, as is the case in the instance depicted in Figure 3. In this instance, too, lifting point displacement is required for maintaining equilibrium. In the case of Figure 3 also other expedients may be applied in order to gain equilibrium, on the side or in addition to lifting point shift.

The loading means can be easily balanced by taking up, transiently, two rolls on that end of the loading means which is empty. Furthermore, the equilibrium can be adjusted to a degree by moving those suspension members which are free at the moment.

Afterthe ship has been fully loaded, it transports the paper rolls to the destination harbour, where the rolls are unloaded from the ship, using a similar loading means, on the quay or into a waiting vehicle for conveyance to the destination. Where there is aloading means of the invention at every handling point, the rolls can be kept in lying position throughout the handling, and they can be stored in stacks.

The structural design of the loading means is revealed by Figures 5to 7. The means has a frame part 18, which is a box-type beam. Within the frame part are provided sliding surfaces 16 longitudinal to it. The telescopic running carriages 3 of the out ermostsuspension members 19 run on the topmost sliding surfaces, and the running carriages 4 of the other suspension members run along the lowermost sliding surfaces. The running carriages are set in motion by double-acting hydraulic cylinders 10, 12 and 13, of which the cylinder parts have been mounted on the frame part and the piston components have been attached to the running carriages.

The operation of the cylinders is controlled with control valves which operate so that the outermost cylinders move fastest and the innermost cylinders slowest. The telescopic running carriages 3 are, in their innermost position, almost completely inside the frame part, whereby access of cramped spaces is improved. To the running carriages 3 and 4 have been attached the suspension members 19 proper.

Immediately under the running carriage and fixed thereto is a supporting beam 5 which has been disposed at right angles to the direction in which the carriages run, i.e., parallel to the longitudinal axis of the paper rolls. The supporting beam has on either end two fixing points for lifting chains (8), of which there are four in the suspension member of this example. The lifting chains support a gripping member 7 consisting of two side-by-side vacuum gripping surfaces resembling suction cups and of connecting rods 6 connecting these, each gripping member having two such rods so placed that their spacing is slighting greater than the length of the supporting beam 5 thereabove. The gripping members 7 have been pivotally attached to the connecting rods 6 so that they might be able to adapt and to achieve intimate contact with the cylindrical surfaces of rolls having various diameters.The lower ends of the lifting chains 8 have been attached to the connecting rods 6 at either end so that the distance between the fixing points is greater at the lower end than at the equivalent point on the upper end, i.e., on the supporting beam. The gripping surfaces of the gripping members 7 have been longitudinally divided into two parts of different size so that short rolls can also be safely handled. The design of the gripping members in itself belongs to well-known technology and shall therefore not be more closely discussed here. The frame part (18) has on its top margin a set of guide rails for the centre of gravity-finding carriage 1, which moves along sliding surfaces 20 longitudinal to the frame part, actuated by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 11.

The hydraulic cylinder 11 is so fixed to the frame part that the centre of gravity-finding carriage can with its aid be moved to either side of the centre-line of the loading means. The centre of gravity-finding carriage 1 holds the entire loading means aloft by its set of guide rails, and it has in its upper part a suspension point for a hoisting machine, e.g. a crane. The requisite operating machinery has been disposed inside the centre of gravity-finding carriage 1, where the hydraulic tubing and the vacuum conduits (15) have been carried to their objects. The machinery may equally be located outside the loading means itself, in which case the requisite tubing and conduits have to be carried to their objects in another way, which is not more closely described here. The energy source may be electricity introduced from the outside, or the loading means may itself contain an internal combustion enginedriven generator. The convenience in operation of the loading means increases through the possibility to swivel it by machine means. For swivelling mechanism is used a machinery known in the art and which may be placed in the upper part of the loading means. Since the swivelling mechanism has no actual connection with the present invention, it is not more closely described here.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not exclusively confined to the example presented above and that, instead, different embodiments of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims following below.

Claims

1. A procedure for handling cylindrical objects, such as paper rolls, with the aid of a vacuumoperated loading means attaching to the cylindrical surface of the rolls, characterized in that the rolls (14) are stored in lying position in stacks, to the topmost rolls of which the vacuum-operated loading means is so attached that one or several rolls at a time are lifted to a new site and disposed there further on in lying position.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the vacuum-operated loading means is attached to the topside surface of the rolls in lying position.

3. Procedure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the number of rolls lifted at one time is varied as required by leaving part of the gripping members on the loading means unactivated and/or by correspondingly shifting the lifting point of the loading means so that equilibrium is maintained.

4. A loading means for carrying out a procedure according to claim 1, said loading means comprising a frame part (18) and gripping members (7) attached thereto over suspension members (19), characterized in that the suspension members (19) have been disposed to be movable with reference to the frame part (18), and in such position that when the gripping member (7) attached to the suspension member (19) is lowered down on the cylindrical surface of a cylindrical object, such as a paper roll, the gripping member (7) will find a position in which it is in intimate contact with the top surface of the roll.

5. Loading means according to claim 4, characterized in that the suspension members (19) have been disposed to move along running surfaces, such as sliding surfaces (16), in the frame part by the aid of moving mechanisms, such as power cylinders (10,12,13).

(10,1 2,1 3).

6. Loading means according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the outermost suspension members (19a) are attached to the frame part of the loading means by mediation of beams (3) which are movable into the frame part and out therefrom by the aid of power cylinders (12).

7. Loading means according to claim 4,5 or 6, characterized in that the power cylinders (10, 12, 13) are double-acting hydraulic cylinders of which the cylinder components have been mounted on the frame part (18) and the piston parts attached to the running carriages (4) of the suspension members (19), and that the operation of the cylinders is so controlled that the suspension members (19) are movable either all at the same time or each individually.

8. Loading means according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the frame part (18) has been movably disposed a lifting point-shifting carriage which at the same time is a centre of gravity-finding carriage (1), by mediation of which the entire loading means is suspended from a hoisting machine, such as a crane for instance.

9. Loading means according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the centre of gravity-finding carriage (1) has been disposed to run on running surfaces (20) fixedly provided on the frame part longitudinally to the frame part, and that between the centre of gravity-finding carriage and the frame part there is a power cylinder, such as a double-acting hydraulic cylinder (11), by the aid of which the equilibrating movement is accomplished.

10. Loading means according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the suspension member (19) consists of a running carriage (3,4) having in its lower part a supporting beam (5) longitudinal to the paper roll, to each end of which has been attached at least one lifting chain (8), and that the lower ends of the chains have similarly been attached to connecting rods (6), to which furthermore have been pivotally attached, by their rear faces, gripping members (7) which are vacuumoperated and the vacuum gripping surfaces of which point substantially downwards.

11. A procedure for handling cylindrical objects as claimed in Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described.

12. A loading meansforcarrying out a procedure for handling cylindrical objects as claimed in Claim 4, substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by any one of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings.