GB2268729A

GB2268729A - Delivery vehicle goods handling.

Info

Publication number: GB2268729A
Application number: GB9308563A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Michael Ray
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-04-24
Filing date: 1993-04-23
Publication date: 1994-01-19
Also published as: AU4266293A; GB9208957D0; WO1993022157A1; GB9308563D0

Abstract

A handling system for delivery vehicles, whereby a hoist mechanism can be transported within and outside the cargo area of the vehicle by means of a movable framework. The framework includes an arm (26) which is cantileverable from both sides of the vehicle, and lateral guide rails (20) along which the arm can be moved within the cargo area. The entire handling system is powered by electric drives.

Description

Delivery Vehicle Handling System This invention relates to delivery vehicle handling systems.

The delivery of barrels to the beer cellars of public houses at present involves varying amounts of manual manipulation of the barrels, since there exists no device for the complete mechanical transfer of a barrel from the inside of a delivery vehicle to the floor of a beer cellar. Lifting equipment, in the form of installations within beer cellars, is available whereby barrels can be transferred from ground level to the cellar floor, and vice-versa, by a moving platform. Often barrels are moved to the beer cellars without mechanical aid and continuous manual handling, including manual lifting, of the barrels is required. A filled beer barrel, having considerable weight, is difficult to manoeuver and too heavy to lift without danger to the handler. There is also the question of regulations coming into force forbidding such handling of heavy objects.It is often the case that full barrels have to be removed from beer cellars to a delivery vehicle. This, too is gt present a difficult and dangerous job, as the handling problems are similar, if not compounded, in this case.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple mechanical means, requiring little physical effort, for transferring barrels from and to the inside of a delivery vehicle and to and from a position outside said vehicle.

The said position outside the vehicle might be the floor of a beer cellar. It is estimated that approximately a fifth of public houses have cellars provided with a door at ground level and outside the building such that in the use of the invention barrels can be lowered into and removed from the cellar through the aperture usually closed by the said cellar door. In cases in which the cellar is inaccessibly positioned, the barrels can be transferred simply to a ground level position with little physical effort as required.

A handling system installed on a delivery vehicle should occupy as little as possible of what otherwise would be storage space, to maintain the delivery capacity of the vehicle. This provides a further object of the invention, which is to satisfy the need for a vehicle handling system whilst occupying a minimal amount of storage space on the delivery vehicle.

According to the present invention, there is provided a handling system for installation onto a delivery vehicle comprising a supporting framework and lifting tackle, said lifting tackle being carried by a movable rail which is projectable outside a vehicle fitted with the system, thereby allowing the lifting tackle to carry loads over positions both within and outside the fitted vehicle.

The lifting tackle is preferably movable along the said movable rail, and the said movable rail is preferably carried by transverse guide means, whereby the said lifting tackle is movable transversely in a fitted vehicle.

The said movable rail is preferably a cantilever rail which is projectable from both sides of a fitted vehicle.

The said transverse guide means are preferably carried by longitudinal guide means, whereby the said lifting tackle is movable longitudinally in a fitted vehicle, and the said longitudinal guide means may comprise two lateral guide rails, and the said transverse guide means comprise a bridge rail which is supported in the said guide rails by wheeled hanger means.

The said movable rail is preferably carried by spaced guide units designed and arranged so that the rail can project cantilever fashion from either side of the vehicle whilst supported by said units, said rail when projecting from one side of the vehicle being supported by some of said units, and when projecting from the other side being supported by others.

The said transverse guide means may comprise lateral roller pairs and central roller pairs between which the said cantilever rail is held, thereby allowing a load to be supported at both sides of a fitted vehicle whilst maintaining the said cantilever rail at a constant attitude.

The handling system preferably comprises various electric drive means whereby the said lifting tackle is displacable, namely means whereby the lifting tackle is drivable along the said movable rail, and/or a central electric drive means, whereby the said cantilever rail is transversely drivable in both directions, and/or wherein the said transverse guide means comprise at both ends of the said bridge rail electric drive means whereby the said transverse guide means are longitudinally drivable in both direction.

The said electric drive means are preferably electric brake motors which act to lock the lifting tackle in place whilst the said motors are inoperative.

The lifting tackle may comprise an electric power hoist and a barrel lifting frame.

The invention further provides a delivery vehicle fitted with a handling system.

With the delivery vehicle in a suitable position, a barrel in the vehicle may be transferred to the floor of a beer cellar by moving the lifting tackle, which may comprise a hoist and a sling attatched thereto, to a position above the barrel, then, by attatching the sling to the barrel, and by lifting the barrel. The hoist may be hand-operated or power-operated, in either case requiring considerably less effort than that required without the use of the hoist. The hoist, sling and barrel can then be moved to a position outside the vehicle, below which lies the beer cellar floor onto which the barrel is to be placed. This also may be effected by hand or by machine. The barrel is then lowered and released onto the said floor. To remove a barrel from a beer cellar to the delivery vehicle the reverse of the above actions are performed.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a curtain side dray lorry including a handling system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end view illustrating the delivery vehicle handling system in use during delivery of a barrel to a beer cellar by the dray lorry shown in Fig. 1; Fig 3. is an end view, to an enlarged scale, illustrating a detail of the arrangement of support frame and movable rails and hoist circled in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 is shown in side view a curtain side dray lorry 1, wherein a delivery vehicle handling system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed, having inner supports 8 securely fastened to the front and rear of the lorry decking 4 as shownat 14 and 16. The fixed framework is completed by attaching fixed guide rails 20, each of inverted U-shaped cross-section with inturned flanges, in a lengthwise and lateral overhead position in the lorry 1 to the crossbars 18, themselves connected to the support 8.

In a lengthy delivery vehicle, it may be necessary to provide intermediate supports 10 for the guide rails 20, although in most cases this is undesirable as such supports 10 interfere with the handling system. The fixed framework may be provided in addition to a tailboard-cover support frame, but preferably serves also this function, as both frames would almost coincide in any case.

A movable bridge rail 22, is connected to the fixed guide rails 20 by wheeled trolley hangers 24, and lies in a transverse position in said lorry.

The movable bridge 22 is supported between fixing plates 23 of L-shaped cross-section, thus allowing the bridge 22 to be at approximately the same height as the guide rails 20, rather than below the trolly hangers 24. The use of these fixing plates 23 thus conserves valuable overhead space in the cargo area 3.

Affixed to the underside of the movable bridge rail are wheeled hangers 25, comprising a support plate 33 and depending legs 31, constructed to form a hanger of generally U-shaped cross section, as shown in Figure 4. Each hanger 25 comprises two sets of roller counterparts, each set of rollers comprising an upper pair of rollers 27 and a lower pair of rollers 29.

Between the upper rollers 27 and the lower rollers 29 are positioned support flanges 35 of a cantilever rail 26. The cantilever rail runs along these rollers to move transversely in the lorry, both leftwards and rightwards.

The movable bridge 22 comprises separate three hangers 25, namely lateral hangers 37 and a central hanger 39. The cantilever rail 26 is of length equal to the width of the dray lorry 1, and the fixed guide rails 20 span the length of the lorry tailboard area 3.

Block 28 is carried by said cantilever rail by further wheeled trolley hangers, said block having a hoist mechanism 41. The hoist chain 52 carries a sling 40 capable of easy attachment and detachment to and from a barrel 42, for holding said barrel during lifting and for lowering of same.

The lifting tackle is movable along the cantilever rail 26 lying in a transverse position within the lorry 1. The cantilever rail 26 is itself transversely movable along bridge rail 22, which is in turn is movable lengthwise along the lorry in fixed guide rails 20. Thus the lifting tackle can be moved over all areas within the framework, all movement enabled by the trolley hanger wheels rolling along the inturned flanges of the guide rails 20 and 26, and by the flanges 35 of the cantilever rail 26 moving through the roller wheels 27 and 29. Further, with the cantilever rail 26 projectable from either side of the lorry 1, the lifting tackle is movable to positions lateral to and outside the lorry tailboard 3.

All transport of the lifting tackle can be effected by means of electric drives, and this is preferred to ensure that the barrel handlers need to use little effort to displace a barrel 42. Such an electrically powered handling mechanism is envisaged as follows.

The hoist mechanism 41 is electrically powered, and the lifting tackle includes an electric drive 43 which drives the lifting tackle along the cantilever arm 26. The cantilever arm comprises a guide rail of similar cross section to that of the fixed guide rails 20, and the lifting tackle is supported in the cantilever guide rail similarly by wheeled trolley hangers 45.

Each end of the bridge rail 22 is supported on two sets of rollers 24 in the guide rails 20, one set of rollers at each side being power driven. The bridge track moves the length of the vehicle using two single phase AC motors 47 which have a friction drive to the guide rails 20.

The movement of the cantilever arm is effected by means of a central motor 49, positioned within the central hanger 39 on the bridge rail 22. Transverse movement in both directions of the cantilever rail 26 is effected by operation of this central electric motor 49, the drive being transmitted by means of a gear on the electric motor 49 engaging a rack on the upper surface of the cantilever arm 26.

The electric drives may be fed by a feed box positioned on a wall adjacent the area where deliveries are made, for example on a public house wall next to and above the beer cellar door. The handling system is provided with an umbilical cord which is plugged in to this main supply. This supply is transmitted to the individual drives by means of extensible cables. Placed within the upper framework of the handling system, the cables extend and retract as the movable rails are moved in the framework.

The system is operated by means of a push button control pendant suspended from the hoist.

It will be appreciated that where intermediate supports 10 are required, the supports may interfere with the handling system when the cantilever rail 26 is projecting from the side of the lorry 1, and in these cases interlocks may be fitted to avoid damage to these central supports. These interlocks which may for example be switches operated by the movement of the movable framework as it approaches the intermediate support members 10, acts to cut off the electric motor drives thereby preventing the cantilever arm 26 from crashing into the intermediate supports 10.

By means of the present invention one or more barrels, transported by a lorry 1, can be delivered to the beer cellar of a public house . Frequently the cellars of public houses are constructed so that the floor of the-cellar is vertically accessible at ground level and next to which the lorry side 50 can be positioned. With the lorry side 50 so positioned, the lifting tackle is moved by hand to a position above a barrel placed in the lorry with its central axis broadly horzontal and the hoist operated in order that the sling be attatched to the barrel.The barrel is then picked up by the operation of the hoist and the lifting tackle and barrel are moved by hand, making use of their universal movement within and over the sides of the lorry provided by the arrangement of movable guide rails in the framework above, to a position from which the beer cellar floor is vertically accessible to the barrel in its horizontal position. The barrel is then lowered into the open beer cellar by the operation of the hoist and set down on said cellar floor. The sling is then detatched and the lifting tackle re-positioned as required, either above another barrel to be delivered or to a position in which it is then safely anchored down in preparation for travel.

It is to be mentioned that the delivery vehicle handling system described, although primarily created for use in the delivery and removal of beer barrels, may also be used in the delivery and removal of a wide range of other suitable objects.

It will be understood that the delivery system can be supplied for fitting to a delivery vehicle, or a delivery vehicle may be constructed to include such a delivery system when first sold.

Further, the entire handling system is preferably demountable for transfer on the replacement of the delivery vehicle, and is manufacturable and adaptable for installation into a range of vehicle types and sizes, with the support frame and guide rails preferably being of metal, the metal being of the necessary strength to allow them to perform their functions.

Claims

1. A handling system for installation onto a delivery vehicle comprising a supporting framework and lifting tackle, said lifting tackle being carried by a movable rail which is projectable outside a vehicle fitted with the system, thereby allowing the lifting tackle to carry loads over positions both within and outside the fitted vehicle.

2. A handling system according to Claim 1 wherein the lifting tackle is movable along the said movable rail.

3. A handling system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the said movable rail is carried by transverse guide means, whereby the said lifting tackle is movable transversely in a fitted vehicle.

4. A handling system according to Claim 2 or 3 wherein the said movable rail is a cantilever rail which is projectable from both sides of a fitted vehicle.

5. A handling system according to Claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the said transverse guide means are carried by longitudinal guide means, whereby the said lifting tackle is movable longitudinally in a fitted vehicle.

6. A handling system according to Claim 5, wherein the said longitudinal guide means comprise two lateral guide rails, and the said transverse guide means comprise a bridge rail which is supported in the said guide rails by wheeled hanger means.

7. A handling system according to any previous claim, wherein the said movable rail is carried by spaced guide units designed and arranged so that the rail can project cantilever fashion from either side of the vehicle whilst supported by said units, said rail when projecting from one side of the vehicle being supported by some of said units, and when projecting from the other side being supported by others.

8. A handling system according to Claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the said transverse guide means comprise lateral roller pairs and central upper roller pairs between which the said cantilever rail is held, thereby allowing a load to be moved over either side of a fitted vehicle whilst maintaining the said cantilever rail at a constant attitude.

9. A handling system according to any of Claims 1 to 7, comprising electric drive means whereby the said lifting tackle is displacable.

10. A handling system according to any of Claims 2 to 8, wherein the said lifting tackle comprises a reversible electric drive means whereby the lifting tackle is drivable along the said movable rail.

11. A handling system according to any of Claims 4 to 9, wherein the said transverse guide means comprise a central electric drive means, whereby the said cantilever rail is transversely drivable in both directions.

12. A handling system according to any of Claims 6 to 10, wherein the said transverse guide means comprise reversible electric drive means whereby the said transverse guide means are longitudinally drivable in both directions.

13. A handling system according to any of Claims 8 to 11, wherein the said electric drive means are electric brake motors which act to lock the lifting tackle in place whilst the said motors are inoperative.

14. A handling system according to any of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the lifting tackle comprises an electric power hoist and a barrel lifting frame.

15. A delivery vehicle fitted with a handling system according to any of Claims 1 to 13.

16. A handling system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrams.