GB2330386A

GB2330386A - Chock device for a vehicle on a loading surface

Info

Publication number: GB2330386A
Application number: GB9814949A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sylvain Verger
Original assignee: France Manche SA
Current assignee: France Manche SA
Priority date: 1997-07-09
Filing date: 1998-07-09
Publication date: 1999-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 2018-07-09
Also published as: GB9814949D0; FR2765844B1; FR2765844A1; GB2330386B

Abstract

Chock device for a motor vehicle on a loading surface 3, for example of a railway wagon 2, comprises a retractable front chock 8, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuation means (35, Fig.7) for pivoting the front chock about pivot 10, and a retractable rear chock 9, the front chock having a tiltable portion 16 of variable height mounted on a fixed portion 15 which is connected to the actuation means. Initially, the front and rear chocks are moved into the path of a vehicle wheel and the tiltable portion is set to a low position to avoid contact with elements of the vehicle e.g. a spoiler or a bumper. As the vehicle is loaded onto the surface, a front wheel passes over the rear chock and tilts the tiltable portion of the front chock to a high position.

Description

2330386 1 CHOCK DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE ON A LOADING SURFACE This invention

relates to a chock device intended for the immobilisation of at least one motor vehicle by its wheels on a loading surface of a railway wagon or lorry with a view to its transportation.

Numerous chock devices intended for this use are known.

In general these involve retractable chocks to be mounted on a running path of the loading surface and having a raisable support surface, their immobilisation relative to the running path being effected by flushmounting in perforations thereof. Naturally, the major drawback of this type of chock lies in the fact that it requires handling operations that are lengthy and tedious for the operator, but also that the locking pitch hinders efficiency.

To obviate such drawbacks, French Patent No. 2,612,853 describes a lockable pivoting chock for the immobilisation of a motor vehicle by its wheels on a loading surface. This chock is composed of an arm mounted so as to pivot on a body sliding along a guide profile, an assembly for folding down to a locking position by pivoting of the type with bracing of connecting rod, which connects the arm to the sliding body, and of a composite pivoting spindle with a lower extremity machined as a locking cam co-operating with the upper surface of the guide profile with a view to the longitudinal immobilisation of the sliding body over the guide profile and the braking of the arm in rotation, said pivoting spindle being mechanically connected to the arm by a resilient torsion connection providing a return force while holding in the locked position.

While such a device partly solves the aforementioned problem it does not, however, teach how it would be possible to implement a chock system without any operation to be performed near the wheel of the vehicle. The solution consists in the association of a rear chock 2 that can be passed over by the vehicle and by a front chock that is sufficiently low for it, on the one hand, not to come into contact with an element of the vehicle, such as a spoiler, bumper, step, ancillary headlamp and, on the other hand, of sufficiently great a height to allow the vehicle to be held efficaciously in position during maximum decelerations of a train or a transporter lorry on which the vehicle is placed.

This dual problem was not compatible with conventional chocks of constant height. Consequently in a first phase of the inventive process that led to the invention, it was thought that a pivoting and retractable chock could be designed, comprising a combination of means permitting a front chock height of variable height, depending on the position of the lorry.

To this end, the invention relates to a chock device intended for the immobilisation of at least one motor vehicle by its wheels on a loading surface of a railway wagon or lorry with a view to its transportation, of the type constituted by:

a retractable chock that pivots relative to a fixed axis of articulation located outside a running path of the loading surface, means for actuating the chock to produce its angular displacement about its fixed axis of articulation, between an active position placing it across the running path of the loading surface so as to form an obstacle to a wheel of the vehicle to be immobilised, and a retracted position located outside said running path so as to release the wheel and allow the vehicle to be removed, characterised in that the retractable chock is intended to be arranged in front of the wheel of the vehicle in the direction of its forward motion and is constituted by a fixed portion forming a base, connected to the actuation means, and a moveable portion mounted so as to tilt on the base about a transverse axis, perpendicular to the running path in the active 3 position, and capable to being tilted in the longitudinal direction from a low position corresponding to a chock height, below all forward elements of the vehicle, so that none of these elements comes into contact with the moveable portion of the chock during the forward motion of a front wheel on the running path, this being until the latter strikes the moveable portion of the chock, from which moment the wheel itself causes said moveable portion to tilt towards a high position corresponding to an upper height capable of ensuring that the vehicle is kept towards the front when there is a deceleration of the means of transportation of said vehicle.

This invention also relates to the characteristics that will become apparent during the course of the following description and that will have to be considered in isolation or in all their possible technical combinations.

This description, given by way of non-exhaustive example, will make it easier to understand how the invention can be realised, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates in a view from above, by way of application example, the loading surface of a railway wagon, before the positioning of the vehicles to be transported, showing the chock device according to the invention, in the active position, for a given direction of travel of the train and, in the inactive position, arranged in the inverse manner for an opposite travelling direction of the same train; Figure 2 is a plan view of the chock device in detail A from Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the chock device in detail B from Figure 1; Figure 4 illustrates in a side view the chock device according to Figure 2, at the start and end of positioning a vehicle wheel; Figure 5 illustrates in a lateral view a front chock of the device 4 1 according to Figures 1 to 4, illustrated in the maximum tilting position, when actually acted on by a vehicle wheel to be chocked; Figure 6 illustrates in cross section a front chock according to Figure 5, showing it in the low position and the high position; Figure 7 illustrates in perspective a front chock in the low, reployed position; Figure 8 illustrates in perspective a front chock in the high, deployed position; Figure 9 illustrates a rear chock in the deployed position; Figure 10 Illustrates in perspective the front chock only, without its actuation means, in the low position; Figure 11 illustrates in perspective a front chock according to Figure 10, in the high position; Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of a front chock according to Figures 10 and 11.

As shown in Figure 1, the chock device 1 according to the invention is intended to be fitted, in the present embodiment, to a railway wagon 2 intended for the transportation of motor vehicles, more particularly lorries (not shown).

The wagon 2 is constituted schematically by a loading surface 3 for lorries, defining two running paths 4 and 5, on either side of which are arranged two walkways 6 and 7 constituting the longitudinal lateral edges of the wagon 2, these walkways being intended for the movement of authorised personnel and below which walkways 6 and 7 the chock devices 1, denoted as a whole, can be retracted.

The chock devices 1 are intended to hold the front wheels of a lorry and are spaced out from one another at a fixed pitch corresponding substantially to the maximum length of a lorry.

The chock device 1A according to detail B comprises a front chock, inverted in relation to the rear chock, so as to ensure chocking that is also efficacious for a lorry placed on a train travelling in the reverse direction from the preceding case.

The device that will be described in greater detail below will have to ensure that an unbraked lorry is held in position on the wagon 2, during normal operation.

The chock device 1 is constituted overall by a retractable front chock 8 and a rear chock that is also retractable 9.

The front chock 8 and the rear chock 9 are both, but independently of each other, mounted so as to pivot relative to a fixed axis of articulation, 10 and 11 respectively, located outside the running path 4, 5 of the loading surface 3, in this case below the walkways 6 and 7.

Actuation means, 12 and 13 respectively, which will also be described in greater detail later, act on the front chock 8 and the rear chock 9 so as to produce their angular displacement about their fixed axis of articulation, 10 and 11 respectively, between an active position A positioning said chocks across the running path 4, 5 of the loading surface 3 so as to form an obstacle to a wheel of the vehicle to be immobilised, and a retracted position B positioning these same chocks outside the running path 4, 5 below the walkway 6, 7, so as to release the wheel and allow the vehicle to be removed.

The manoeuvring of these chocks to an active position A or a retracted position B is performed by using an automatic control effected remotely by an authorised operator.

Thus, whether when loading his lorry or when unloading it at the destination, the lorry-driver does not have any manoeuvre to make in order to release it.

As shown particularly well in Figures 2, 4 and 8, the retractable chock 8 is intended to be arranged in front of the wheel 14 of the vehicle in the direction of forward motion on the running path 5.

6 The front chock 8 is constituted by a fixed portion 15 forming a base connected to the actuation means 12 and a moveable portion 16 mounted so as to tilt on the base 15 about a transverse axle, perpendicular to the running path 5 in the active position and is capable of being tilted in the longitudinal direction (see Figure 4) from a low position (Figure 10) corresponding to a chock height h below all the forward elements of the vehicle, so that none of these elements comes into contact with the moveable portion 16 of the chock 8 during the forward movement of a front wheel 14 on the running path 5, this being until the latter strikes said moveable portion 16 of the chock 8, from which moment the wheel 14 itself causes the moveable portion 16 to tilt towards a high position (Figure 11) corresponding to a height H greater than the preceding one, capable of ensuring that the vehicle is held towards the front when there is a deceleration of the means of transportation of said vehicle, in this case the wagon of a train.

As visible in Figures 5, 6, 8 and 12, the tilting of the moveable portion 16 of the chock 8, between a low position of a predetermined height h and a high position of a height H greater than the preceding one h, is effected by the intermediary of at least one toothed sector 17, 1 7A, 1 7B, integral with the moveable portion 16, which is capable of cooperating with a corresponding rack 18 of the fixed portion 15 forming a base.

As shown also by Figures 5, 6, 8, 11 and 12, the rack 18 of the fixed portion 15 forming a base is constituted by a plurality of cylindrical axes, arranged horizontally between two vertical lateral end cheeks 19 of the base 15, and capable of co- operating with at least one toothed sector 17, 1 7A, 1713 of the moveable portion 16 when it is acted upon, so as to tilt, by a wheel 14 of the vehicle to be transported.

7 Preferably, the moveable portion 16 comprises at least two toothed sectors 17, 1 7A arranged at the free extremities of a connecting member 20, of a length such that it can be inserted between the lateral end cheeks 19 of the base 15, the teeth a, b, c and the two toothed sectors 17, 1 7A being capable of co-operating by rotation with the cylindrical axes 18 forming the rack and being equal in number to the latter.

The cylindrical axes 18 of the fixed rack are at least two in number, in this case three, and are located in the same horizontal plane and cooperate with a number of corresponding teeth a, b, c of the two end sectors 17, 1 7A of the moveable portion 16.

In the present embodiment, the fixed portion 15 forming a base comprises two intermediate central cheeks 21, 22 parallel to the end ones 19, cut out, in such a way as to allow the tilting of the moveable portion 16 between the end cheeks 19, said central cheeks 21, 22 being spaced out so as to allow the free rotation of a third toothed sector 1 7B, which is central and which comprises only two teeth a, b so that in the high position H of the moveable portion 16, i.e. when thrust upon by the wheel itself 14 of the vehicle, there is no protuberant tooth c opposite that wheel 14.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the end lateral cheeks 19 of the base 15 and also, if appropriate, the central intermediate cheeks 20, 21, are connected on the one hand by the cylindrical spindles 18 forming a rack, arranged parallel to the ground and, on the other hand, by a transverse connection element 23 perpendicular to the ground and also constituting a limit stop for the toothed sectors 17, 1 7A, 1713 for a maximum high position H of the moveable portion 16 of the chock 8.

These lateral end cheeks 19 of the fixed portion 15 or base each comprise a cut-out 24 intended to receive the extremity of a holding 8 1 1 1 and guiding spindle 25 of the moveable portion 16 co-operating freely with an upper profile of said cut-out 24 forming a cam 26, at the time of tilting towards an upper position H or towards a lower position h.

Furthermore, two damping elements 27 are arranged symmetrically between the end cheeks 19 of the base 15 on a element 28 for connecting said cheeks, below the stop 23, and forming a protuberance relative to said cheeks so as to be deformed resiliently on contact with an area 1 6a of the moveable portion 16, prior to the latter reaching the stop.

Preferably, the connecting member 20 of the toothed sectors 17, 1 7A, 1713 of the moveable element 16 is constituted by a freely-rotating roller intended to come into contact with a moving wheel 14 of the vehicle, without friction.

As shown particularly well in Figures 6 and 11, an automatic return spring 29 is arranged between the moveable portion 16 and the fixed portion 15 or base of the chock 8.

As mentioned above, the front chock 8 is associated with a rear chock 9, also pivoting and retractable, arranged in the active position behind the wheel 14 of the vehicle to be immobilised and also connected to an actuation means 13 distinct from that 12 of the front chock 8.

The rear chock 9 is constituted by a one-piece element of a height h l less than that h of the front chock 8 in the low position, so that said rear chock 9 can be deployed in the active position at the same time as the front chock 8, prior to the presentation of a vehicle to be immobilised, and can be passed over by the front wheel 14 thereof by the intermediary of a portion 9a forming a ramp, so as to be subsequently housed and immobilised in the gap D between the front chock 8 and the rear chock 9, after having itself pushed away, by tilting towards an upper position H, the moveable portion 16 of the 9 front chock 8.

In either case, the actuation means 12 and 13 of the front chock 8 and the rear chock 9, between an active position and a retracted position, are constituted by two connecting rods 29, 30 or 29A, 30A articulated together on a moveable articulation point 31, 31 A, by one of their extremities and connected respectively, also in an articulated manner, by their other extremity, on the one hand to a fixed articulation point 32, 32A located on the loading surface 3 outside the running path 4 or 5 and, on the other hand, to a moveable articulation point 33, 33A of an element integral with the front 8 or rear 9 chock, itself articulated relative to the fixed axis of articulation 10 or 11 thereof also located outside the running path of the loading surface 3.

The kinematics of the assembly thus constituted is such that, when the front 8 or rear 9 chock is deployed in an active position, the moveable articulation point 31 or 31 A between the two connecting rods 29, 30 or 29A, 30A is located beyond the axis of alignment xx' thereof, corresponding to one of them reaching a stop against a fixed point 34, 34A to ensure that it is locked.

One of the actuation connecting rods 29 or 29A of the front 8 or rear 9 chock is connected to an actuator 35 capable of being controlled remotely by an operator so as to bring it into an active or retracted position.

The actuator 35 is constituted by an electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically controlled jack.

Claims

1 Chock device intended for the immobilisation of at least one vehicle by its wheels on a loading surface of a transport means with a view to its transportation, of the type constituted by:

a retractable chock that pivots relative to a fixed axis of articulation located outside a running path of the loading surface, - means for actuating the chock to produce its angular displacement about its fixed axis of articulation, between an active position (A) placing it across the running path of the loading surface so as to form an obstacle to a wheel of the vehicle to be immobilised, and a retracted position (B) located outside said running path so as to release the wheel and allow the vehicle to be removed, wherein the retractable chock is intended to be arranged in front of the wheel of the vehicle in the direction of its forward motion and is constituted by a fixed portion forming a base, connected to the actuation means, and a moveable portion mounted so as to tilt on the base about a transverse axis, perpendicular to the running path in the active position, and capable to being tilted in the longitudinal direction from a low position corresponding to a chock height (h), below all forward elements of the vehicle, so that none of these elements comes into contact with the moveable portion of the chock during the forward motion of a front wheel on the running path, this being until the latter strikes the moveable portion of the chock, from which moment the wheel itself causes said moveable portion to tilt towards a high position corresponding to an upper height (H) capable of ensuring that the vehicle is held towards the front when there is a deceleration of the means of transportation of said vehicle.

2. Chock device according to Claim 1, wherein the tilting of the moveable portion of the chock, between a low position of a predeter mined height (h) and a high position of a height (H) greater than the 11 preceding one (h), is effected by the intermediary of at least one toothed sector, integral with the moveable portion, which is capable of cooperating with a corresponding rack of the fixed portion forming a base.

3. Chock device according to one of Claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the cylindrical axes of the fixed rack are at least two in number and are located in the same horizontal plane and co-operate with a number of corresponding teeth (a, b, c) of the two end sectors of the moveable portion.

4. Chock device according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the rack of the fixed portion forming a base is constituted by a plurality of cylindrical axes, arranged horizontally between two vertical lateral end cheeks of the base, and capable of co-operating with at least one toothed sector of the moveable portion when it is acted upon, so as to tilt, by a wheel of the vehicle to be transported.

5. Chock device according to Claim 4, wherein the moveable portion comprises at least two toothed sectors arranged at the free extremities of a connecting member, of a length such that it can be inserted between the lateral end cheeks of the base, the teeth and the two toothed sectors being capable of co-operating by rotation with the cylindrical axes forming the rack and being equal in number to the latter.

6. Chock device according to Claim 5, wherein the fixed portion forming a base comprises two intermediate central cheeks parallel to the end one, cut out, in such a way as to allow the tilting of the moveable portion between the end cheeks, said central cheeks being spaced out so as to allow the free rotation of a third toothed sector, which is central and which comprises only two teeth so that in the high position (H) of the moveable portion, i.e. when thrust upon by the wheel itself of the vehicle, there is no protuberant tooth opposite that 12 wheel.

7. Chock device according to Claims 5 to 6, wherein the connecting member of the toothed sectors of the moveable element is constituted by a freelyrotating roller intended to come into contact with a moving wheel of the vehicle ' without friction.

8. Chock device according to one of Claims 4 to 7, wherein the lateral end cheeks of the fixed portion or base each comprise a cutout intended to receive the extremity of a holding and guiding spindle of the moveable portion co-operating freely with an upper profile of said cut-out forming a cam, at the time of tilting towards an upper position (H) or towards a lower position (h).

9. Chock device according to one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein the end lateral cheeks of the base and, if appropriate, the central intermediate cheeks, are connected on the one hand by the cylindrical axes forming a rack, which axes are arranged parallel to the ground and, on the other hand, by a transverse connection element perpendicular to the ground and also constituting a limit stop for the toothed sectors for a maximum high position (H) of the moveable portion of the chock.

10. Chock device according to Claim 9, wherein the two damping elements are arranged symmetrically between the end cheeks of the base on a element for connecting said cheeks, below the stop, and forming a protuberance relative to said cheeks so as to be deformed resiliently on contact with an area of the moveable portion, prior to the latter reaching the stop.

11. Chock device according to one of Claims 2 to 10, wherein an automatic return spring is arranged between the moveable portion and the fixed portion or base of the chock.

12. Chock device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the front chock is associated with a rear chock, also pivoting and retractable, arranged in the active position behind the wheel of the 13 vehicle to be immobilised and connected to an actuation means distinct from that of the front chock, which rear chock is constituted by a onepiece element of a height (h l) less than that (h) of the front chock in the low position, so that said rear chock can be deployed in the active position at the same time as the front chock, prior to the presentation of a vehicle to be immobilised, and can be passed over by the front wheel thereof by the intermediary of a portion forming a ramp, so as to be subsequently housed and immobilised in the gap (D) between the front chock and the rear chock, after having itself pushed away, by tilting towards an upper position (H), the moveable portion of the front chock.

13. Chock device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuation means of the front chock and the rear chock, between an active position and a retracted position, are constituted by two connecting rods articulated together on a moveable articulation point, by one of their extremities and connected respectively, also in an articulated manner, by their other extremity, on the one hand to a fixed articulation point located on the loading surface outside the running path and, on the other hand, to a moveable articulation point of an element integral with the front or rear chock, itself articulated relative to the fixed axis of articulation thereof also located outside the running path of the loading surface, the kinematics of the assembly thus constituted being such that, when the front or rear chock is deployed in an active position, the moveable articulation point between the two connecting rods is located beyond the axis of alignment xx' thereof, corresponding to one of them reaching a stop against a fixed point to ensure that it is locked.

14. Chock device according to Claim 13, wherein one of the actuation connecting rods of the front or rear chock is connected to an actuator capable of being controlled remotely by an operator so as 14 to bring it into an active or retracted position.

15. A chock device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said transport means comprises a railway wagon or lorry.

16. Chock device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.