GB2309448A - Vehicle with loading/unloading apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle (1, Fig. 1 and 7, Fig. 5) including a load supporting area 2 (8, Fig. 5) combining a moving floor system with one or more driven moving floor sections 3 (10, Fig. 8) and a floor track system having a plurality of guide rails or tracks 4 of interposed between and/or adjacent the driven moving floor sections 3 (10). The floor track system preferably includes inflatable means 5 for lifting a load and displaceably supporting an elongate plate 6 along which a skate may run or slide. The moving floor sections may comprise a plurality of endless conveyor belts 3 or elongate supporting planks or members (10), extending along the length of the vehicle (1, 7), which are preferably reciprocable along their length by drive means. The floor track system may also be adapted to receive displaceable support rollers which, in their operative position, may extend above the plane of the support members (10) to engage the load.

Description

VEHICLE WITH IMPROVED LOADINGIUNLOADING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a vehicle, such as a lorry or trailer, having an improved loading/unloading apparatus.

The present invention is particularly applicable to vehicles intended for transporting heavy articles such as paper reels from a paper mill and also bulk loose material such as waste paper to a paper mill and having means for facilitating unloading thereof.

It is known for vehicles to have a displaceable load support surface or surfaces either in the form of a driven "moving floor" system, which may be a conveyor belt and drive means therefor or reciprocating planks, suitable for loose bulk material, or may be a "floor track" system where guide rails are provided with loadsupporting skates and suitable for heavy loads.

A "moving floor system" can be constructed using either a conveyor system, such as a single driven endless conveyor belt, or a "Stoker floor system" or reciprocable floorplank system, for example, a "Cargo Floor" (Trade Mark) as marketed by Cargo Handling Systems B.V. Coevorden, Holland and their U.K.

subsidiary Cargo Handling Systems Ltd., or "Walking Floor" (Trade Mark) as marketed by Keith Inc. in U.S.A.

A Stoker floor is constructed using a series of floorplanks which are free to move longitudinally under the action of piston-cylinder arrangements and are activated in a controlled sequence to move freight either into or out of a vehicle. In one displacing movement, all the planks move in one direction together before separately or in groups moving in the opposite non-load-displacing movement direction.

In "floor track systems" a guide rail or track and skate movable thereon are provided whereby freight may be moved longitudinally over the vehicle floor.

The system includes a method of lifting the freight clear of the floor for movement and of lowering for transmit; the lifting mechanism may be integral within the skate or built into the floor track. Such a system is disclosed in UK Patent 2126189 of Package Control Ltd.

Whilst the moving floor system and the floor track system are each suitable for the particular types of load it has been found that vehicles fitted with either one or the other systems have a restricted operational capacity. For example, in the supply of heavy paper rolls or reels from a paper mill and in the collection of loose waste paper for recycling in the mill, hitherto separate vehicles have been utilised one vehicle having the floor track system for the reels and another vehicle having a moving floor system - each of which required separate vehicles and separate journeys for delivery and/or collection and with each vehicle being empty on one leg of the journey as it was unable to carry and discharge the other type of load.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle which can readily deliver heavy items such as paper reels and also return with loose material such as scrap/waste paper for recycling and readily discharge such.

According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle including a load supporting area incorporating loading/unloading apparatus comprising a moving floor system comprising one or more driven moving floor sections and a plurality of guide rails or tracks of a floor track system interposed between and/or adjacent the driven moving floor sections.

Whilst the driven moving floor sections may comprise a plurality of endless conveyor belts and drive means therefor, preferably the sections will be parts of a "moving floor" system such as a Stoker floor system or such as sold under the trade mark "Walking Floor" or "Cargo Floor".

Preferably the rails or tracks of the floor track system will have means for lifting the load such as an inflatable tube extending therealong and displaceably supporting an elongate plate along which a skate or other means may run or slide and preferably the vehicle will be used in association with an especially designed loading and unloading platform with reciprocable skates (such as disclosed in UK 2126189) which are displaceable to also run along the tracks of the vehicle according to the invention.

More specifically according to the present invention as a combination of a moving (Stoker) floor system and a floor track system there is provided a vehicle including a load supporting area incorporating loading/unloading apparatus comprising a plurality of elongate supporting planks or members extending along the length of the vehicle and being alternately or variously reciprocable along their length by drive means so as to at least discharge material supported by said support members from one end of the support members, and wherein at least two parallel, spaced apart rails or tracks are located between and/or adjacent said reciprocable planks or support members with said tracks extending parallel to said support members and for receiving displaceable support rollers or skates;; support means of said tracks for supporting in rolling engagement said support rollers or skates being provided and being mounted such that displacement of such is optionally possible transverse to the general supporting plane of the elongate support members so as to place the rollers or skates in their operative position extending above the plane of the elongate support members so as to thereby enable goods to be transported on said rollers or skates supported above the surfaces of said elongate support members, and displaceable so as to enable said rollers or skates to be disposed in their inoperative position beneath the plane of said elongate support members when said support members are to support the goods or other goods. Preferably at least one elongate supporting plank will be located between a pair of rails or tracks.

It is to be appreciated that generally speaking the vehicle according to the invention is to be constructed to provide a freight handling system that will combine the benefits of moving vehicle floor systems and floor track systems to provide a multipurpose vehicle that will be able to load and discharge freight either by translation on a moving floor or by running on a system of tracks and skates.

The combination of a floor track system with a moving floor system is generally speaking achieved by the construction of the moving floor system being modified to enable the integration of the floor track system. In the case using a belt type moving floor, instead of being constructed as a single belt the moving floor has to be constructed as a plurality of driven belts, for example, five separate sections of belt driven by a common drive drum but guided on the bed by the "Tracked System" rail sides. When using a "Stoker" or "Walking Floor" or "Cargo Floor", the construction has to be modified by leaving voids in the planked floor construction to enable mounting of the "Track System" and at the same time the plank widths have to be adjusted to fit between the fixed centres of the floor tracks.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a vehicle in the form of a trailer according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the trailer of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a loading/unloading apparatus forming the first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary schematic cross section through the apparatus of Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6 are a schematic elevation and end view of a trailer forming a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a schematic plan of the loading/unloading apparatus of the second embodiment; and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transverse cross section through the apparatus of Fig. 7.

The embodiments shown in Figs. 1 - 4 comprises a vehicle trailer 1 having a load supporting area 2 incorporating a loading/unloading apparatus in the form of three parallel elongate endless conveyor belts 3 running over rollers 3' with at least one roller being driven by suitable drive means (not shown) . Two spaced apart elongate parallel generally U-shaped track members 4 are provided between the endless conveyors 3 and extend along the length of the floor of the vehicle trailer.

The trailer has a floor 2 with chassis member 2'.

Each track member 4 is of generally U-shaped channel section having outwardly directed substantially horizontal flanges 4' extending above the edges of the conveyor belts 3 and has an inflatable tube member 5 extending along the length thereof and pressurisable from a common pressure source as required. Above each tube member 5 an elongate plank or support surface 6 is provided and displaceable upon inflation and deflation of the tubular member 5. When the tubular member 5 is deflated, the plank 6 lies within the track member and an elongate skate member with rollers along the length thereof (not shown and forming part of a separate platform assembly such as disclosed GB 2126189) may be displaceable therealong underneath any loads such as a paper reel supported on flanges 4' and the adjacent belts 3.When it is desired to displace a paper reel for example and with the skate supported on plank 6, the tubular members 4 are inflated so as to raise the plate 6 and skate thereon whereupon said skate may be displaced from a drive means of the platform (not shown) so as to displace the load within the trailer and possibly remove such from the trailer onto the platform as desired.

If other bulk material such as waste paper is loaded within the vehicle trailer and substantially filling such, when it is desired to discharge such from the rear end of the vehicle trailer, the conveyor belts are operated so as to move in a direction causing paper to be discharged from the rear of the vehicle.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 5 - 8 of the invention differs from that in Figs. 1 - 4 insofar as the conveyor belts 3 are replaced by members of a Stoker or "Walking Floor"/"Cargo Floor". Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of a vehicle trailer 7 but wherein the components of the loading/unloading apparatus are mounted so as to extend across vehicle chassis cross members 2'. In Fig. 7 four rails or tracks 9 are illustrated in solid black line and such are similar to the track members 4, 5, 6 for Fig. 4.

Eleven elongate plank members 10 of a Stoker or "Walking Floor"/"Cargo Floor" are provided in the example and displaceably supported on T-sectioned supports 11 mounted on the vehicle chassis cross members 2' and slidably displaceable thereon by suitable means (not shown). The plank members in effect comprise hollow elongate box sections with slots 10' running the length of the lower surfaces and displaceable in known manner to achieve displacement or discharge in a particular direction. The track member 4, inflatable to 5 and plank/supporting member 6 are similar as described in Fig. 4 except that the outer flanges 4'' do not extend over the adjacent planks 10.

Various modifications may be made to the apparatus described without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is to be appreciated that the vehicle trailer according to the invention enables paper reels to be transported from a paper mill and readily discharged by the user by means of a platform with extendible skates running in the tracks 4 and that such vehicle may also be loaded with waste/scrap paper on its return journey and be readily dischargeable by means of the Stoker/"Walking Floor"/"Cargo Floor" and thus provides considerable economies in the number of vehicles required and personnel to operate such and also fuel consumption.

Claims (9)

1. A vehicle including a load supporting area incorporating loading/unloading apparatus comprising a moving floor system comprising one or more driven moving floor sections and a plurality of guide rails or tracks of a floor track system interposed between and/or adjacent the driven moving floor sections.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the driven moving floor sections comprise a plurality of endless conveyor belts and drive means therefor, or in which the moving floor sections are parts of a "moving floor" system (such as a Stoker floor system or such as sold under the trade mark "Walking Floor" or "Cargo Floor" or other proprietary system).

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the rails or tracks of the floor track system have means, such as an inflatable tube, for lifting the load extending therealong and displaceably supporting an elongate plate along which a skate or other means may run or slide.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 3, in which the vehicle is used in association with an especially designed loading and unloading platform with reciprocable skates (such as disclosed in UK 2126189) which are displaceable to also run along the tracks of the vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3.

5. In a vehicle including a load supportingW area incorporating loading/unloading apparatus, as > * a combination of a moving (Stoker) floor system and ä floor track system, there is provided said loading/unloading apparatus comprising a plurality of elongate supporting planks or members extending along the length of the vehicle and being alternately or variously reciprocable along their length by drive means so as to at least discharge material supported by said support members from one end of the support members, and wherein at least two parallel, spaced apart rails or tracks are located between and/or adjacent said reciprocable planks or support members with said tracks extending parallel to said support members and for receiving displaceable support rollers or skates; support means of said tracks for supporting in rolling engagement said support rollers or skates being provided and being mounted such that displacement of such is optionally possible transverse to the general supporting plane of the elongate support members so as to place the rollers or skates in their operative position extending above the plane of the elongate support members so as to thereby enable goods to be transported on said rollers or skates supported above the surfaces of said elongate support members, and displaceable so as to enable said rollers or skates to be disposed in their inoperative position beneath the plane of said elongate support members when said support members are to support the goods or other goods.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, in which at least one elongate supporting plank is located between a pair of rails or tracks.

7. A vehicle constructed to provide a freight handling system that combines a moving floor system and a floor track system providing a multi-purpose vehicle that is able to load and discharge freight either by translation on a moving floor or by running on a system of tracks and skates.

8. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the combination of a floor track system with a moving floor system is achieved by the construction of a moving floor system being modified to enable the integration of the floor track system wherein with a belt type moving floor, instead of being constructed as a single belt the moving floor is constructed as a plurality of driven belts, for example, five separate sections of belt, driven by a common drive drum but guided on the bed by the "Tracked System" rail sides, and wherein using a "Stoker" or "Walking Floor" or "Cargo Floor", the construction is modified by leaving voids in the planked floor construction to enable mounting of the "Track System" and at the same time the plank widths are adjusted to fit between the fixed centres of the floor tracks.

9. A vehicle including a load supporting area incorporating loading/unloading apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.