GB2199556A

GB2199556A - Goods transportation system

Info

Publication number: GB2199556A
Application number: GB08730294A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cameron James Mitchell
Original assignee: Ross and Bonnyman Ltd
Current assignee: Ross and Bonnyman Ltd
Priority date: 1987-01-08
Filing date: 1987-12-30
Publication date: 1988-07-13
Also published as: GB8730294D0; GB8700323D0

Abstract

A goods transportation system comprises a goods vehicle (1) having a load receiving chamber (3) with a door (4) giving access thereto so that pallets or dollies (2) may be pushed from a platform lift (36) of the vehicle onto a support means (8) at a selected level in the chamber (3) wherein it engages with guide rails (9) running lengthwise of the chamber. Pallet drive means are provided in the form of a double acting piston and cylinder device (15) adapted to drive the pallets between a position (X) adjacent the access door and a position spaced inwardly thereof in which a newly presented pallet is coupled to an adjacent pallet to form a train thereof. Drive movement of the drive means (15) may be used to accept the pallets into the chamber (3) and form said train or to cause the train to be uncoupled and release the pallets (2) for unload- ing. Retractable abutments (17) extend from the device (15) to drive the pallets at their ends and retractable stops (11, 12) are provided at position (X) and conical position (Y). <IMAGE>

Description

GOODS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM The present invention relates to a goods transportation system for use in transporting goods packed on wheeled pallets or dollies, as well as a goods vehicle or trailer and a wheeled pallet or dolly suitable for use in said system.

The efficiency of goods transportation has been improved over the years by the use of wheeled pallets or dollies on which the goods are packed so that loading and unloading of goods vehicles only requires handling of the pallets rather than of the actual goods. There still remains however the problem of handling of the pallets or dollies themselves which can involve significant time and inconvenience as well as physical effort in many cases where the goods vehicle may hold as many as 60 or 70 or more pallets or dollies.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention relates to a goods transportation means comprising a plurality of wheeled pallets or dollies for holding goods items and a goods vehicle or trailer having a load receiving chamber having an access door and at least one elongate pallet or dolly support means extending inwardly of the chamber from said access door for receiving a row of said pallets or dollies thereon, said support means having an elongate guide means extending therealong for guiding movement of said pallets or dollies along said support means during loading thereonto and unloading therefrom.

Preferably the pallets or dollies are provided with coupling means, most preferably automatically and/or remotely operable coupling means, for coupling of a said plurality of pallets or dollies into a train thereof.

Advantageously the goods vehicle or trailer is provided with a coupling engagement and disengagement means associated with said support means and/or guide means for actuating engagement and disengagement of coupling means linking adjacent pallets or dollies as they traverse said engagement and disengagement means.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a goods vehicle or trailer suitable for use in a system of the invention and which comprises a load receiving chamber having an access door and at least one elongate pallet or dolly support means extending therefrom inwardly of the chamber for receiving a row of said pallets or dollies thereon in use of the vehicle or trailer, said support means having an elongate guide means extending therealong for guiding movement of said pallets or dollies along said support means during loading thereonto and unloading therefrom, said chamber having a coupling engagement and disengagement means associated with said support means and/or guide means for actuating engagement and disengagement of coupling means linking adjacent pallets or dollies as they traverse said engagement and disengagement means, in use of the vehicle or trailer.

Advantageously said support means and/or guide means has associated therewith selectively operable first stop means formed and arranged for engagement with a pallet or dolly disposed in a loading or unloading position on said support means generally adjacent said access door and a second selectively operable stop means disposed for engagement with a pallet or dolly in an adjoining position on said support means for holding pallets or dollies at said positions against movement along the support means.

In another aspect the present invention provides a wheeled pallet or dolly suitable for use in the system of the invention characterized by the provision of first and second coupling means at opposed ends therof, said coupling means being formed and arranged so that in use of the pallet or dolly, the first coupling means of one pallet or dolly is engageable with the second coupling means of another said pallet or dolly for linking of said pallets or dollies into a train thereof, said coupling means being further formed and arranged so as to be substantially automatically and/or remotely engageable and disengageable by coupling engagement and disengagement means in use thereof.

Further preferred features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of examples of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a generally schematic partial sectioned side elevation of a goods transportation system of the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the system of Fig. 1; Fig 3 is a detail view of the system of Fig. 1 illustrating the pallet stop and drive means; Fig. 4 is a view corresponding generally to Fig. 3 of the system in an unloading mode of operation; Figs 5 and 6 illustrate one form of pallet coupling means and Fig. 7 illustrates an alternative form of pallet coupling means.

Fig. 1 shows a goods transportation system comprising a goods vehicle or trailer 1 and a plurality of wheeled pallets 2. The goods vehicle or trailer 1 has a load receiving chamber 3 having an access door 4 at the rear end 5 of the vehicle or trailer 1. The chamber 3 has upper and lower platforms 6,7 each providing a number of elongate pallet or dolly support means 8 extending along the length of the chamber 3 from the access door 4. Each support means 8 has an elongate guide means in the form of a pair of guide rails 9 for engagement with the wheels 10 of the pallets 2 for guiding movement of the pallets along the length of the support means 8.

At each support means 8 there are provided first and second retractable stop means 11, 12 mounted for engagement with the wheels of pal lets 2 disposed in a loading or unloading position X adjacent the access door 4 and an adjoining position Y further along the pallet support 8 for restraining pallets in these positions. Also provided is a pallet drive means 15 acting between end stops 13 and 14 and having a double acting piston-and-cylinder means 16 and retractable abutment means 17, 18 for engagement with respective end walls 19, 20 of the pallets 2 for driving the pallets forwardly or rearwardly between the load/unloading position X3 into the adjoining position X (together with any other pallets linked thereto)during loading and unloading of pallets on or off the vehicle.

The pallets are provided at their end walls 19,20 with first and second coupling means 21, 22 for linking of a row of pallets into a train thereof. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 a convenient form of coupling means comprising a first coupling means in the form of a keyhole shaped aperture 23 and a second coupling means in the form a spigot 24 having a head which can pass through the upper larger diameter portion 25 of the aperture 23 as a pallet 26 traverses a coupling engagement/disengagement means in the form of a raised ramp 27 on the pallet support means 8 and is then captively retained in narrower diameter portion 28 of the aperture 23 as the spigot drops thereinto when the pallet 26 rolls off the ramp 27 with a heightwise component of movement down to the level of the adjoining pallet 29.

An alernative form of coupling means shown in Fig. 7 has a first coupling means 41 in the form of a bar or ring 30 and a second coupling means in the form of a bell-crank lever 31 having one end 32 which hooks over the bar or ring 30 and a second end 33 which engages a series of spaced apart projections 34 constituting a coupling engagement/disengagement means to rotate the bell-crank lever 31 about its pivot 35 to raise and lower the hooked end 32.

At its rear end 5 the goods vehicle 1 is provided with a tail lift 36 of any suitable construction which is used to raise and lower pallets 2 between ground level 37 and the pallet supports 8.

In use of the system a first pallet A is rolled on to the tail lift 36 and then raised up to the level of the upper platform 6 and then rolled on to a respective pallet support 8 so as to engage with the guide rails 9. The pallet A held in the loading/unloading position 13 by the first stop 11 whereupon the pallet drive 15 is actuated by a control panel 38 provided adjacent the door 4 to pull the pallet A along the support 8 to the adjoining position 14 where it is held by the second stop means 12, the first stop means 11 having previously been retracted. The drive means 15 is then brought back to its stating position (shown in chain outline in Fig. 3) in preparation for receiving a second pallet, B, which is then pulled back in turn. As the pallet B is pulled along the pallet support 8 it is automatically coupled with pallet A. and pushes that further along the pallet support 8. The procedure is reversed until all the pallets have been loaded on to the various pallet supports. Loading is essentially a reversal of the above procedure.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the above embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus for example it is not necessary to use an integral pallet lift, but there could instead be used other means such as for example a fork lift truck.

Claims

1. A goods transportation means comprising a plurality of wheeled pallets or dollies for holding goods items and a goods vehicle or trailer having a load receiving chamber having an access door and at least one elongate pallet or dolly support means extending inwardly of the chamber-from said access door for receiving a row of said pallets or dollies thereon, said support means having an elongate guide means extending therealong for guiding movement of said pallets or dollies along said support means during loading thereonto and unloading therefrom.

2. Means as claimedincla-im 1, wherein the pallets or dollies are provided with coupling means for coupling of said pallets or dollies into a train thereof within the chamber.

3. Means as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coupling means are operated by engagement and disengagement means associated with the pallet or dolly support means and/or guide means, as the pallets or dollies traverse said engagement and disengagement means.

4. A goods vehicle or trailer for use with a goods transportation means as claimed in claim 1 which comprises a load receiving chamber having an access door and at least one elongate pallet or dolly support means extending therefrom inwardly of the chamber for receiving a row of said pallets or dollies thereon in use of the vehicle or trailer, said support means having an elongate guide means extending therealong for guiding movement of said pallets or dollies along said support means during loading thereonto and unloading therefrom, said chamber having a coupling engagement and disengagement means associated with said support means and/or guide means for actuating engagement and disengagement of coupling means linking adjacent pallets or dollies as they traverse said engagement and disengagement means, in use of the vehicle or trailer.

5. A goods vehicle or trailer as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support means and/or guide means has associated therewith selectively operable first stop means formed and arranged for engagement with a pallet or dolly disposed in a loading or unloading position on said support means generally adjacent said access door and a second selectively operable stop means disposed for engagement with a pallet or dolly in an adjoining position on said support means for holding pallets or dollies at said positions against movement along the support means.

6. A goods vehicle or trailer as claimed in either one of claims 4 and 5 wherein the guide means comprise guide rails.

7. A goods vehicle or trailer as claimed in any one of claims 4 - 6, wherein the coupling engagement and disengagement means comprises a ramp formed in the support means adapted to provide heightwise movement of one pallet or dolly relative to an adjacent pallet or dolly to cause engagement/disengagement of said coupling means.

8. A goods vehicle or trailer as claimed in any one of claims 4 - 7, wherein the support means is provided with first and second retractable stop means to selectively engage wheels of said pallets or dollies in a loading/unloading position adjacent an access door of the chamber or in an adjoining position further within the chamber.

9. A goods vehicle or trailer-as claimed in claim 8, wherein pallet drive means including a piston-and-cylinder means drive the pallets or dollies between the two positions.

positions.

10. A goods vehicle or trailer as claimed in any one of claims 4 - 9, wherein there are a plurality of support means at levels one above another, said vehicle or trailer being provided with a platform movable heightwise between said levels and between the lower level and ground level.

11. A wheeled pallet or dolly for use in a goods transportation means as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pallet or dolly is provided at opposite end portions therein with first and second coupling means formed and arranged so that in use of the pallet or dolly, the first coupling means of one pallet or dolly is engageable with the second coupling means of another said pallet or dolly for linking of said pallets or dollies into a train thereof, said coupling means being further formed and arranged so as to be substantially automatically and/or remotely engageable and disengageable by coupling engagement and disengagement means in use thereof.

12. A pallet or dolly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the coupling means comprises a spigot mounted on one pallet or dolly end portion engageable with a keyhole aperture provided at the end portion of the adjacent pallet or dolly.

13. A pallet or dolly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the coupling means comprises a bell-crank lever mounted on one pallet or dolly end portion and having a hooked portion on one end thereof, said hooked portion being engageable with a bar or ring, upon rotation of the bell-crank lever.

14. A goods transportation means constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the drawings.

15. A goods vehicle or trailer for use in the goods transportation means as claimed in claim 14, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 - 6 of the drawings.

16. A pallet or dolly for use in the goods transportation means as claimed in claim 14, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to a) Figures 1 - 5 and 6 b) Figures 1 - 5 and 7.

of the drawings.