GB2368880A

GB2368880A - Cover with roller means for vehicle loads

Info

Publication number: GB2368880A
Application number: GB0027174A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven William Hines
Original assignee: TRANSCOVER ENGINEERING Ltd
Current assignee: TRANSCOVER ENGINEERING Ltd
Priority date: 2000-11-07
Filing date: 2000-11-07
Publication date: 2002-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2020-11-07
Also published as: GB2368880B; GB0027174D0

Abstract

Cover apparatus for an open topped container 11 of a vehicle, having four edges 13, 14, 16, 17. The cover apparatus has roller means 21 for extending between a first edge 13 and the opposite second edge 14 of the opening 12. The cover has two cover sections 22, 26 where the first cover section 22 has a second opposite edge 23 extending to a third edge 16 of the opening 12 and the second cover section 26 has a second opposite edge 28 extending to a forth edge 17 of the opening 12. When the opening 12 is closed by the cover 12 the roller means 21 are connected to one or more resilient means 31, 32 which may be in the form of a coiled spring. This causes the roller means 21 to roll from a position intermediate the third edge 16 and forth edge 17 of the opening 12 when the resilient means 31, 32 are extended, to a position adjacent the third edge 16 when the cover 12 is closed. Drive means which may be in the form of cable means 43, 44 and motor means 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, is connected to the second edge 28 of the second cover section 26 in order to move the second edge 28 of the second cover section 26 to the forth edge 17 of the opening 12 when the cover is closed. First arm 51 and second arm 52 may also be included which extend in a telescopic manner if the container is slightly over-laden.

Description

COVER APPARATUS FOR A CONTAINER

The present invention relates to a cover apparatus for a container, for example, an open top container of a road truck for containing material, such as sand, ballast, asphalt, an open sided container of a road truck for containing, for example, pallets, barrels and the like, an open top container of a railway truck, or an open top container for storing materials, for example, a skip type container.

Open top road trucks having covers are well known. The covers may be of a type in which a simple flexible sheet material is mounted on a roller at the forward edge of the open top container and is pulled backwards to the rear edge of the container and secured thereto Whilst this is useful in many circumstances, there are problems, particularly when the container is full of asphalt, when it is desirable to space the cover from the asphalt both for purposes of maintaining the underside of the cover clean, and also to provide an air gap that insulates the asphalt and reduces heat loss There has been described an arrangement, see for example, GB 2084241, in which the cover is rolled back from one side of the open top container to the other side and the material of the cover comprises two sheet sections which extend from a central roller to the opposite sides of the container, the roller being rotated to wind up the two cover sections in superposition as it moves from a position generally extending along the middle of the open top container through to one side of the open top container Whilst such an arrangement has worked quite well, there are a number of technical problems Firstly, the linkage arrangement described is complex and requires a number of shafts and gear boxes to operate It would therefore be advantageous to provide a simple arrangement that reduces the weight and therefore either allows an increased payload of the truck or alternatively reduces fuel consumption and wear and tear on the truck. Simpler arrangements also tend to be more reliable

The present arrangement provides a cover apparatus for a container having a generally rectangular opening therein, said opening having four edges, said apparatus comprising roller means for extending between a first edge and the opposite, second, edge of said opening, a cover comprising two cover sections, said roller means mounting a first edge of each of two cover sections, a first cover section having a second opposite edge extending to a third edge of the opening, and the second cover section having a second opposite edge extending to a fourth edge of the opening when said opening is closed by said cover, said roller being connected to one or more coiled spring means which extends between said roller and said third edge of the opening, to cause said roller to roll from a position intermediate said third and fourth edges of the opening when the coiled spring (s) are extended and when said cover is closed to a position adjacent said third edge when the coiled spring (s) are coiled up and when said cover is open, and said second edge of the second cover section being connected by one or more flexible cable means to a drive means for pulling said cable means to

cause sai al cause said second edge of said second sheet to move to a position generally extending to said fourth edge of the opening when said cover is closed Thus in a preferred arrangement, the cover is closed by pulling on the cable means, and the cover is opened by allowing the coiled spring to rotate the roller to move it adjacent the third edge of the opening and to roll-up the two cover sections Such an arrangement is simple to operate.

There may also be provided a first arm pivotally connected between a first pivot point

on said container adjacent the first edge of the opening and the second edge of the on sal ai ni, second cover section, and a second arm pivotally connected between a second pivot point on said container adjacent said second edge of said opening and the second edge point on sal 1 of said second cover section These arms will, as the cover is moved from an open to a closed position, cause said second edge of the second cover section to be lifted which allows the cover to readily pass over any material within the container if it is slightly over-laden

A preferred arrangement of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure I is a perspective view from the rear and to one side of a road truck having an open top container body with cover apparatus according to the preferred aspects of the invention, Figure 2 shows a detail of part of the arrangement of Figure 1 with the cover closed and illustrating in particular the coil spring and roller, and Figures 3, 4 and 5 show an end view of the cover apparatus in respectively open, partially closed and closed position.

Referring to the Figures there is disclosed a road truck 10 mounting an open top container 11 the container being intended to contain sand, ballast or asphalt or like material which is loaded into the container through the open top. The top opening 12 is generally rectangular and comprises four edges, the first edge 13 towards the front of the truck 10, the second rear edge 14 at the rear end of the truck, and the third, 16 and fourth, 17 edges being on opposite sides of the truck. The first and second edges, 13,14, each include an arched member 18 having a flat upper surface 19 which extends between third and fourth edges 16,17 A roller means 21 extends longitudinally parallel to the axis of the truck 10 between the front edge 13 and rear edge 14 of the opening and extends so that the opposite ends of the roller means 21 over lie the flat upper surfaces 19 of the arched members 18 The cover for the opening 12 is provided in the form of two cover sections, a first cover section 22 of which has a first edge 23 engaged with the roller 21 along its length, and a second opposite edge 24 which in normal use is permanently engaged with the third edge 16 of the opening. The second cover section 26 has a first edge 27 engaged with the roller means 21 along its length and a free second edge 28 which includes a pocket (or other means) in which is mounted a rod 29 The rod is cylindrical and hollow and extends up to or out of each end of the pocket Attached to the part of the flat upper surface 19 of each arched member 18 adjacent the third edge 16 is a respective flat coil spring 31,32. The outer end of the flat coil

spring 31, 32 is connected by bolt or welding to the relevant flat upper surface with the free end pointing away from the middle of the container. The inner end of each flat c ol coil spring 31, 32, that is the part adjacent the inside, is connected to the roller means 21 as is clear from Figure 2 Thus when the roller 21 is in a position generally midway between the third and fourth edges 16,17, each coil spring 31,32 is uncoiled as is shown in Figure 2 and when the roller means 21 is adjacent the third edge 16 each flat coil spring 31, 32 is coiled around the roller means 21.

For convenience, each flat coil spring 31, 32 may pass through a pocket 33 in the respective edge of the first cover section 22.

As is clear from Figure 1, there is provided below the container of the truck a drive motor 36 which may be electrically operated, the drive motor driving respective forwardly and rearwardly directed shafts 37, 38 which drive respective front and rear pulleys 41,42 which are mounted below the flat upper surfaces 19 of the respective first and second edges 13,14 of the opening 12. The pulleys 41,42 mount respective cables 43, 44, (which may pass over pulleys 46,47 as shown in Figure 1), the free end of the cables 43, 44, being engaged in respective mounting means 48,49 which engage within the respective ends of the rod 29 Respective arms, 51,52 are mounted between the rod 29 and pivot points 53,54 provided on the container below respective arched members 18 The arms 51,52 are telescopic Figure 5 shows the cover apparatus in the closed position, ie the cover closes the opening The roller means 21 is situated generally across the middle of the opening 12 from the first front edge 13 to the second rear edge 14 The first cover section 22 extends from the roller means to the third edge 16, and similarly from the first front edge to the rear second edge 13,14 of the opening. The second cover section 26 extends from the roller means 21 to the fourth edge 17 and similarly between the first 13 and second edges. The free edge 28 of the second cover section 26 is maintained in the closed position by means of the rod being urged into that position by means of the cables 43, 44 The cables 43, 44 may be held by the drive motor 36.

In that way the load within the container is completely covered and remains dry and also, in the case of asphalt, the heat is retained by means of the air gap between the underside of the cover and the top surface of the asphalt.

When it is desired to open the top of the container, the drive motor 36 is released so as to rotate backwards, (or, alternatively there may be provided a clutch), so as to allow the shafts 37, 38 to rotate. The coiled springs 31, 32 will tend to coil up into their normal position in which they are coiled and this causes the roller means 21 to rotate about its axis. During this operation in which the arrangement moves from that shown in Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 4, the roller means 21 rotates and winds up both cover sections 22,26 about the roller. The roller means 21 (or that part of the cover wound up on the roller) will roll across the flat upper surfaces 19 During this motion, the cables 43, 44 are paid out at the same rate and the rod 29 will lift as the pivotal arms 51,52 pivot about their lower pivot point. The pivotal arms 51,52 which are telescopically extended whilst the cover is closed, will become less extended so as to reduce in length.

The roller means 21 continues to roll until it reaches the point shown in Figure 3 at which point both of the cover sections 22,26 have been fully rolled up around the roller means 21 In this position, the arms 51,52 will once again be telescopically extended The cover is now fully open In order to close the cover, the operation is reversed, that is the drive motor 36 drives the shafts 37,38 and hence the pulleys 41,42 to pull in the cables 43,44 which operation will unroll the roller means 21 so as to unroll the cover sections 22. 26, and at the same time uncoil the springs 31, 32.

It will be understood, therefore, that the drive motor 36 is used by means of the cables to close the cover and the coiled springs 31, 32 are used to open the cover The arms 51,52 are telescopic so that the leading edge of the cover may only just clear the load and not be pivoted up high where the cover might get caught by the wind on

a windy day Furthermore the arms improve the angle at which the rod 29 is pulled and also allow the lowermost pivot point 54 of the arms to be on the cross arch 18 rather than lower down (where it would obstruct a tail gate which opens to discharge the load when the contained is tipped) The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing For example, in place of the flat coil springs 31, 32 there may be provided springs in the form of a cartridge which is inserted in each end of the roller 21 In the first embodiment the spring could comprise a coil spring cartridge in which one end of the coil spring is attached to the roller 21 and the other end to a cable pulley mounted at the end of the roller 21, the cable pulley mounting a cable (hereafter referred to as the"spring cartridge cable"to distinguish it from the cables 43,44) passing to and connected to the edge of the container to which the cover moves when closed. There is a pre-tension when the cover is open but as the cover is pulled closed and the roller 21 rotates, this provides further tension in the coil spring cartridge.

Thus when the cover is to be moved from the closed to the open position, the coil spring cartridge will tend to cause the roller 21 to rotate by acting against the spring cartridge cable pulley (ie as the cover is moved from its open to its closed position, the spring is"wound up"by the torque between the rotating roller and the cable pulley and when the cover is opened the spring unwinds) In place of the coil spring cartridges there can be provided a spring cartridge comprising one or more flat torsion springs. These act between the cable pulley and the roller 21 and effectively operate similarly to the coil spring cartridge The coil spring cartridge, however, does not provide a constant spring force whereas the flat torsion springs produce a constant spring force By inserting a variable number of flat torsion springs one behind the other one can take into account increase in length of the truck and hence of the cover

Where a spring cartridge arrangement is used in the central roller 21, the connection between the spring cartridge cable and the central roller can be of two different types The first spring cartridge cable extends from the closed side of the container up around the spring cartridge pulley at the end of the roller, that is over the top of the pulley and is connected to the pulley. Thus as the spring cartridge causes the roller to rotate the torque acts between the pulley which is effectively held in position by the spring cartridge cable and the roller and causes the roller to rotate. In the second arrangement the spring cartridge cable passes from one side of the container, is wrapped once or twice around the pulley, and then goes over and is connected to the opposite side of the container There is sufficient friction between the pulley and the spring cartridge cable to prevent the pulley slipping on the spring cartridge cable and rotation of the roller and pulley will thereby roll the pulley along the length of the spring cartridge cable In a further arrangement, when the cover is in the closed position the rod 29 is below the side of the container and so if it is initially pulled by the opening operation horizontally it will foul against the side of the container. A coil spring may be provided around the lowermost pivotal point of the telescopic arms 52 to initially lift that rod 29 clear of the side of the container In the arrangement shown in the drawings the cover is closed by cables driven by a lower motor 36 with two shafts 37 and pulleys at the ends of those two shafts This can be difficult to retrofit to a truck where there are other obstructions such as petrol tanks and so on in the way In a further arrangement the cables from the front and the rear of the truck are routed by pulleys through to a central point which may be below the truck where there may be mounted a single cable drum driven by a motor In another arrangement, in place of the motor 36, shafts 37, the rod 29 mounts a pair of pneumatic (or hydraulic) rams. In one arrangement they may be mounted within the rod 29 The truck already has a supply of pneumatic air at 100psi and this can be used to drive the rams, the rams being connected to a cable which passes around a pulley at each end of the rod 29 and the cable passing to the free open edge of the

container. Thus by contracting the rams, the cable will be pulled into the rod 29 and thereby move the rod 29 towards the open edge so that the cover is closed Conversely the ram may allow the cable to be paid out and may allow the rod 29 to move towards the open position to open the cover

Claims

1 A cover apparatus for a container (11) having a generally rectangular opening (12) therem, said opening (12) having four edges (13,14, 16,17), said apparatus comprising roller means (21) for extending between a first edge (13) and the opposite. second, edge (14) of said opening (12), a cover comprising two cover sections (22, 26), said roller means mounting a first edge (23,27) of each of said two cover sections (22,26), a first cover section (22) having a second opposite edge (23) for extending to a third edge (16) of the opening (12), and the second cover section (26) having a second opposite edge (28) for extending to a fourth edge (17) of the opening (12) when said opening (12) is closed by said cover, said roller means being connected to one or more resilient means (31,32) to cause said roller means to roll from a position intermediate said third (14) and fourth (16) edges of the opening (12) when said cover is closed to a position adjacent said third edge (14) when said cover is open, and a drive means (43,44, 36,37, 38,41, 42) is connected to said second edge (28) of the second cover section (26) for causing said second edge (28) of said second cover section (26) to move to a position adjacent to said fourth edge (17) of the opening (12) when said cover is closed.

2. A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive means is adapted to close the cover and the resilient means is adapted to open the cover

3. A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the resilient means comprises a coiled spring means 4 A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said coiled spring means is adapted to extend between said roller and said third edge of the opening 5 A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or 4 in which said coiled spring means is arranged to be coiled up when said cover is open and uncoiled when said cover is closed.

6 A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the resilient means comprises a coil spring cartridge mounted with said roller 7. A cover apparatus as claimed m claim 6 wherein one end of a coil spring of the coil spring cartridge is attached to the roller (21) and the other end to a cable pulley mounted at the end of the roller, the cable pulley mounting a cable passing to and connected to the fourth edge (17) of the container, there being provided pretension in the coil spring cartridge when the cover is open, further tension being applied to the coil spring cartridge as the cover is pulled closed and the roller (21) rotates.

8 A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the resilient means comprises a torsion spring mounted with said roller 9 A cover apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein there is provided a first arm (51) pivotally connected between a first pivot point (53) on said container adjacent the first edge (13) of the opening (12) and the second edge (28) of the second cover section (26), and a second arm (52) pivotally connected between a second pivot point on said container adjacent said second edge (14) of said opening (12) and the second edge (28) of said second cover section (26), said first and second arms adapted, as the cover is moved from an open to a closed position, to cause said second edge of the second cover section to be lifted which allows the cover to readily pass over any material within the container if it is slightly over-laden.

10. A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of said first and second arms is telescopic 11. A cover apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 wherein said drive means comprises a cable means (43,44) driven by a motor means (36,37, 38,41, 42).

12. A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said motor means comprises a pneumatic ram means.

14. A cover apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said ram means is mounted to said roller means 15. Cover apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14 substantially as herembefore described.