GB2351112A

GB2351112A - Curtain tensioning device with release mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2351112A
Application number: GB9912377A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David A Buckley; John G Davies; Darren P J Holland
Original assignee: BOALLOY IND Ltd
Current assignee: BOALLOY IND Ltd
Priority date: 1999-05-28
Filing date: 1999-05-28
Publication date: 2000-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2019-05-28
Also published as: GB2351112B; GB9912377D0

Abstract

A curtain-sided vehicle body has a curtain tensioning device 14 disposed under the floor 19 of the vehicle body. Hooks 16 attached to straps 12 at the edge of the curtain 11 are releasably connected to the tensioning device 14. When the tensioning device 14 is moved to a position in which tension in the curtain 11 is released, ,a release mechanism 30 is operable to disconnect the hooks 16. The release mechanism 30 may take the form of a rotary bar with a radially projecting fin 32. Rotation of the bar 31 via an operating handle (not shown) moves the fin 32 into contact with a lip on the hook 16 and pivots the hook 16 until it is free of the tensioning device 14. The curtain 11 can be readily and easily disconnected in a single operation. The tensioning device 14 may be retracted by a pneumatic actuator 24.

Description

2351112 VEMCLE BODIES

The present invention relates to vehicle bodies and especially to curtainsided vehicle bodies. An example of a curtain-sided vehicle body to which the present invention may be applied is disclosed in our United Kingdom Patent Specification Nos, 1262879 and 1262880. More particularly the invention relates to the tensioning and release of the curtain of such a vehicle body.

This invention is especially, but not exclusively, applicable to road vehicle bodies or railway freight wagons.

Curtain-sided vehicle bodies are popular in the industry owing to the relative ease with which they may be loaded or unloaded. The vehicle body is closeable by means of a curtain that is drawn across the open side of the body and is tensioned in the vertical plane in the closed configuration. Such curtains have typically been tensioned by means of vertical straps that are freely located in sleeve in the curtain and secured at their tops to runners moveable in an overhead track. Each strap has a free tail portion that extends out of the pocket threaded through eyelets and terminates in a rave-engageable hook. Conventionally such straps have been fitted with tensioning devices such as buckles that are described in the aforementioned patents.

In some designs the straps do not pass through sleeves and may be integrated along their length with the curtain by welding or stitching.

Recent developments have led to the omission of buckles or similar tensioning devices, the curtain instead being tensioned by means of a sliding or pivoting support disposed under the floor of the body and with which the curtain is releasably engageable by means of hooks. The hooks are connected to the free end of the curtain by means of straps and the support is moveable in a direction in-board of the vehicle to apply tension to the curtain. The support is operable to move in the opposite direction to release tension when it is necessary to open the curtain. However, a disadvantage with such designs is that it is often difficult and time consuming to release the curtain hooks from the support after the tension has been released.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

2 According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a curtainsided vehicle body having a side rave and comprising an open side closeable by a curtain, the closed curtain being releasably connectable by means of at least one hook member to a tensioning device disposed under the side rave and which device is moveable to a retracted tensioning position so as to apply tension to the curtain in the vertical plane, characterised in that the body further comprises a release mechanism associated with the tensioning device and comprising a rotary member having a projection that is moveable by rotation of the rotary member to a release position in which it contacts said hooked member and disengages it from the tensioning device.

The release mechanism of the present invention enables the curtain to be released from the tensioning device in a quick and relatively simple fashion. In particular, in instances where a plurality of hook members is used to connect the curtain all can be disconnected simultaneously by one movement of the release mechanism.

Preferably the hook member is connected to the curtain via a strap and is releasably engageable with the tensioning device. Alternatively the hook member may be connected to the tensioning device and is releasably engageable with the curtain.

The tensioning device may be a sliding member that is slideable between a position in which the closed curtain is rendered slack and the retracted tensioning position in which the curtain (when connected to the tensioning device) is tensioned. Alternatively the tensioning device may comprise an over-centre pivoting member to which the curtain is releasably engageable.

The rotary member may be supported on the tensioning device and hook member may engage over the rotary member.

The rotary member in a preferred embodiment is a cylindrical bar and the projection is a radial fin extending therefrom. Ideally the hook member has an outturned lip which the fin contacts to urge the hook out of engagement with the tensioning device. The lip is substantially planar to facilitate release of the hook.

The rotary member is preferably rotated by a single operating handle.

3 The tensioning member may be moveable by, for example, a pneumatic actuator although other actuators may be used to achieve the same result.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a curtain tensioning device for a curtain-sided vehicle body having a side rave, the device being moveable between to a retracted tensioning position so as to apply tension to the curtain in the vertical plane, the curtain being releasably connectable to the tensioning device by means of at least one hook member, characterised in that the device has a release mechanism comprising a rotary member having a projection that is moveable by rotation of the rotary member to a release position in which it contacts said hooked member and disengages it from the tensioning device.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure I is a diagrammatic perspective view of a curtain-side road vehicle embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a part sectioned view of a portion of the vehicle body showing a tensioning device of the present invention; Figure 3 is a plan view of a hook member of the present invention; Figure 4 is a side view of the hook member of figure 3; and Figures 5a to 5d are diagrammatic side views of the tensioning device showing a release mechanism of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the vehicle of the present invention has a lowloading van body 10 closed along two parallel lateral sides by curtains I I to define a cargo carrying interior I Oa.

Each curtain 11, when in the closed position, is constrained or tensioned in the vertical plane by spaced straps 12 that are contained freely in sleeves in the curtain 11. Each strap 12 has a tail portion 13 at the lower free end of the curtain 11 for engaging a tensioning device 14 disposed under a side rave 15 of the vehicle body.

It is to be understood that whilst the embodiment shown has vertical tensioning straps that pass through the curtain, other embodiments are envisaged in which such straps are not present along the entire depth of the curtain.

4 Each tail portion 13 is connected to a hook 16 that is shown in figures 3 and 4. A slot 17 at one end of the hook 16 receives the tail portion 13 (part of which is removed in figure 2 for clarity) of the strap 12 and the other end of the hook 16 has a substantially planar out-turried lip 18 the purpose of which will be described later.

The tensioning device 14, shown in figure 2, is disposed under a floor 19 of the vehicle body 10 and comprises an elongate beam 20 of channel shaped cross section that extends along the length of the vehicle. The beam 20 is supported at spaced intervals by channel shaped brackets 21 having flanges 22 by which they are secured to a support plate 23 parallel to and beneath the floor 19. Also disposed under the vehicle body is a pneumatic actuator 24 comprising an actuator rod 25 that projects from a housing 26 containing a supply of pressurised air. The rod 25 terminates in a clevis 27 that is linked to an arm 28 that in turn is connected to the beam 20.

A flange 29 on the beam 20 supports a curtain release mechanism 30 that is designed to disconnect the curtain I I from the tensioning device 14 in a manner described later. The curtain release mechanism 30 is in the form of a rotary bar 31 that extends along the length of the tensioning device 14 and has an integral radially outward extending fin 32 coterminous with the length of the bar 31. In order to connect the curtain I I to the tensioning device 14 the hook 16 is passed under the beam 20 and is secured around the flange 29 and rotary bar 31 such that its out-turried lip 18 is disposed in close proximity to the radial fin 32. At the rear of the vehicle the rotary bar 31 is connected to an operating handle (not shown) by which it is rotated to release the curtain I I as described below.

In use, the pneumatic actuator 24 is operated to apply or release tension to the curtain I I as follows. With the curtain I I closed and attached to the tensioning device 14 as shown in figure 2 the actuator 24 is operated so as to retract the actuator rod 25 and arm 28 away from the side rave 15. This movement forces the sliding beam 20 of the tensioning device 14 (and therefore the hook 16) to slide laterally in the support brackets 21 in the same direction as the arm 28 (in the direction of the arrow labelled "tension" in figure 2). Movement of the hook 16 in this direction pulls the tail portions 13 of the straps 12 and the edge of the curtain I I around the side rave 15 and under the vehicle body 10 thus applying tension to the curtain I I in the vertical plane. In order to release the tension the pneumatic actuator 24 is operated to push the sliding beam 20 in the opposite direction as represented by the arrow marked 66release" in figure 2.

Once the tension in the curtain I I is released it may be disconnected from the tensioning device 14 by means of the release mechanism 30 in the manner described below and in relation to figures 5a to 5d.

Figure 5a shows the hook 16 fully engaged with the sliding beam 20 as represented in figure 2. In order to release the curtain 11 the operating handle (not shown) is rotated to as to rotate the rotary bar 31 in a clockwise direction (in the orientation shown in figure 5). As the bar 31 rotates the fin 32 comes into contact with the lip 18 of the hook 16 and through continued rotation it applies a force to pivot the hook 16 about the bar 31 in the clockwise direction. At the position shown in figure 5b the lip 18 is able to ride over the bar 31 and move clear of the tensioning device 14 so as to release the curtain as shown in figures 5c and 5d.

It will be appreciated that the release mechanism 30 of the present invention allows for rapid and simple disconnection of the curtains I I once the tension has been released by operation of a single handle for each curtain.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above-described design may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, in an alternative configuration the hook may be connected to the tensioning device and releasably engageable with a bar or the like disposed at the edge of the curtain. It will be understood that in such an alternative design the same release mechanism may be used to disconnect the hook. In addition, the tensioner may be of any appropriate design, for example, it may not necessarily be a sliding beam but alternatively could take the form of an over-centre pivoting member to which the hook is connected. Furthermore, in alternative embodiments the vertical tensioning straps described above and in relation to figure I may be omitted and replaced with strap loops attached to the free edge of the curtain by conventional fixing means.

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Claims

1. A curtain-sided vehicle body having a side rave and comprising an open side closeable by a curtain, the closed curtain being releasably connectable to a tensioning device disposed under the side rave and which is moveable to a retracted tensioning position so as to apply tension to the curtain in the vertical plane, the curtain being releasably connectable by means of at least one hook member to the tensioning device characterised in that the body further comprises a release mechanism associated with the tensioning device and comprising a rotary member having a projection that is moveable by rotation of the rotary member to a release position in which it contacts said hooked member and disengages it from the tensioning device.

2. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the hook member is connected to the curtain and is releasably engageable with the tensioning device.

3. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to claim 2, wherein the hook member is connected to the curtain by means of a strap.

4. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to 1, 2 or 3, wherein the tensioning device is a sliding member that when connected to the curtain is slideable between a position in which the closed curtain is rendered slack and the retracted tensioning position in which the curtain is tensioned.

5. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotary member is supported on the tensioning device and the hook member is engaged over the rotary member.

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6. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotary member is a cylindrical bar.

7. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the projection is a radial fin extending from the rotary member.

8. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the hook member has an out-turned lip.

9. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to claim 8, wherein rotation of the rotary member causes the fin to contact the hook member and to urge it out of engagement with the tensioning device.

10. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the lip is substantially planar to facilitate release of the hook member

11. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotary member is rotated by a single operating handle.

12. A curtain-sided vehicle body according to any preceding claim, wherein the tensioning member is moveable by a pneumatic actuator.

13. A curtain-sided vehicle body substantially as hereiribefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A curtain tensioning device for a curtain-sided vehicle body having a side rave, the device being moveable between to a retracted tensioning position so as to apply tension to the curtain in the vertical plane, the curtain being releasably connectable to the tensioning device by means of at least one hook member, characterised in that the device has a release mechanism comprising 8 a rotary member having a projection that is moveable by rotation of the rotary member to a release position in which it contacts said hooked member and disengages it from the tensioning device.

15. A curtain tensioning device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings