HRP20150813A2 - Method and device in lifting a car/truck carrying deck panel aboard a multi deck pure car/truck carrier (pctc) - Google Patents

Abstract

Procedure for lowering / raising a platform (11) carrying cars / trucks within the cargo area of a multi-deck car / truck (PCTC), which can be reversibly raised and / or extended and / or raised and / or lowered for the purpose of raising or lowering said platform (11). Said lifting means (9, 10,15) are applied in a number of ways separately calculated for each load (13), depending on which platform (11) needs to be raised / lowered. Lifting means are controlled from the rest position by applying a distributed lifting force below said platform (11), for raising or lowering it by applying a lifting force in an individually controlled pattern on them, so that the platform (11) can be lowered and raised when unloaded. without deviation or with deviation in as predictable a parallel way as possible.

Description

The field of technology

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for intercontinental car and truck carriers, which transport cars and trucks of various sizes from their manufacturers, almost without exception over long distances across at least one major ocean. More specifically, the method relates to the use of lifting means placed under movable decks within the storage spaces of such ships, which can be reversibly raised and/or extended and/or raised and/or lowered for the purpose of raising or lowering said movable decks to different heights which can be locked, thus enabling loading of loads of different sizes.

To make this possible in an economical way, these ships were carefully optimized and became very large, and their size today is mainly limited by the passability of the routes they sail, for example through the Panama Canal. In fact, among other things, the expansion of this channel resulted in the demand for even wider ships for this type of trade. Platforms (movable decks) on such ships, which convert the storage space of different decks into adjustable compartments, are platforms with built-in self-propelled (hoistable) or mobile (liftable), whereby the latter principle is most often used due to two factors, namely the fact that this principle is less expensive when it comes to equipment, and its operational flexibility is at least as good as the more expensive alternative, so the principle with mobile platforms has an advantage. When such a ship is loaded or unloaded today, cars and/or trucks are usually brought to and from the ship's hold of these large ships, with their interior divided into up to thirteen separate deck levels of which up to five can be raised/lowered and they can be arranged at different heights according to the actual need.

Technical problem

All platforms (movable lowering/lifting decks) of each deck and storage space are stowed at the uppermost part of each ship's hold and can be lowered and raised using more or less standardized deck lifting equipment, such as mobile scissor lifts or other similar devices for raising/lowering.

When a boat transport of this type needs to be done, planning is very important. Such a ship has a certain capacity, which can be optimized by carefully planning the layout of the lifting/lowering panels in order to achieve the best possible weight distribution, as well as the best possible utilization of the total ship capacity. Movable panels are placed at appropriate heights required for the type of vehicle they transport, before and during loading onto the deck of the storage area. The ship is then filled in several places simultaneously, using a ramp to connect different levels of the ship. During the actual operation of setting up the lowering and lifting platforms, each panel is firmly fixed to the required specific height, either on the hull of the ship, on the support columns arranged between the floor and the roof of the cargo hold or, for example, on suspension supports. They are fastened with fastening means located at several points along the outer edge of each panel on said posts. Such a mobile/elevating platform is quite heavy for obvious reasons, in order to carry the intended load of a car or truck. Due to its own weight, however, it would bend downwards in the center of each platform (so-called sag), especially without load, and this would occur if no countermeasures were taken. Therefore, today each panel is prestressed by its construction to have a greater self-supporting capacity when it is not loaded without deflection in its central area. During loading, however, it is a completely different matter, then downward bending is inevitable and actually depends on the design of the structure to optimize the load and minimize bending under load. The purpose of this prestressing or overstressing is to obtain as much as possible a completely unbent deck when it is supported in a stowed state or in a supported position for loading, i.e. when it is supported along its edges, and if due to strength requirements it exceeds a certain size, it is supported by supporting struts and the deck between them. Since each of the panels, if the lift/lower deck principle is used, is lifted by means of a centrally placed mobile lifting device which applies a force greater than the weight of the panel itself to the relatively small central part of the panel, the lifting due to said prestressing results in an even greater deflection edge down (more or less double), and the center of those panels will have an upward deflection above the lifting device (edges down, center up), which, unlike the desired sum of deflection, is as close to zero as possible , when the panel is supported but in an unloaded state. This, however, is highly undesirable due to the fact that all such platforms are stowed on top of their storage areas when not in use.

This position, taking into account the limits and tolerances, is the uppermost position of each of the lifting/movable panels. Thus, when the panel is lowered into its stowed position, attached to or bolted to the structure or girders, unnecessary (empty) space is created between the mobile platform and the deck above it. An occasional side effect of this phenomenon is that when the deck is raised to its intended stowage position, its deflection becomes so great that its midsection strikes the inner roof or deck placed above before the bent raised deck has reached the required position, which it should have without such deflection to be locked to the ship's hull and masts with its above-mentioned fastening means. To reduce such side effects, shims are sometimes used, which during lifting and lowering keep the deck as parallel as possible to the lifting plane, however, the problem of deflection still occurs.

This means that each panel in the traveling position must be placed lower than usual, which consequently leads to an increase in the height of the ships, with the same number of lifting/moving platforms installed in a ship of this type. As ships have been designed in recent times significantly larger, due to the necessary clearance the height of the upper deck of such a ship is significantly higher than usual, so that it can accommodate all the decks and their necessary individual unused (empty) spaces in an unloaded state. As the ship as a whole becomes taller, undesirable effects such as the increasing height of the ship and the ship's center of gravity negatively affect the ship's stability. This means that a greater amount of ballast must be used, which in turn leads to greater displacement and greater fuel consumption. The latter effects are very undesirable both for environmental protection and for economic reasons. As if that were not enough, the problem of increased unnecessary or empty volume will become even greater in the future as ships of this type, as mentioned above, will most likely become much wider. The effect of increasing width and height, the latter as a consequence of deck deflection, leads to greater wind resistance, the impact of which on the environment will most likely be significantly higher fuel consumption and, of course, will lead to an increase in transport costs as a whole, which will most likely lead to more CO2 emissions , which is completely unacceptable.

State of the art

The mobile/elevating platform for transporting cars on such a ship is usually raised by a self-propelled vehicle (vehicle), the sole purpose of which is to raise and lower the decks of such a ship. Such a self-propelled vehicle is usually very robust and carries telescopic stabilizers that are placed on the floor or deck on which it stands. At the very top of such a truck, lifting scissors or other lifting device for large loads are placed. The location where said truck is positioned for the lifting operation is marked on the deck and the truck is manually guided to the correct lifting position. Each ship has its own lifting truck or trucks, which are transported by the ship during sailing and are therefore always available. Previously known such trucks, however, apply their lifting or support force on the central balance zone on the underside of each plate and therefore lead to negative effects and problems associated with undesirable deflection. In addition, when the boat occasionally does not rest completely on the wave, problems arise due to the deck getting stuck due to the displacement between the deck and the hull.

Subject of the invention

The main object of this invention is to enable the raising/lowering of panels of this type as adaptively as possible and without deflection during their raising/lowering, in order to be able to use the supports placed on the hull of the ship or on the posts inside it near (slightly above) the normal engagement points (travel platform position) without difficulty, as well as avoiding all unnecessary (empty) space in areas where such boards are stored when not in use.

According to this invention, said lifting means for lifting are applied in a series of cases specially calculated for each cargo warehouse, depending on the type of load-bearing panel that is raised/lowered, and said lifting means is operated from a rest position by applying a distributed force under said platform, for lifting or lowering the panel by applying an individually controlled lifting force, so that the platform, when unloaded, will be lowered or raised without deflection or with a deflection that is as predictable as possible.

Lifting means can be installed on, for example, a self-propelled vehicle, whereby said vehicle can contain memory functions that enable the vehicle to recognize specific types of lifting/lowering platforms. The aforementioned recognition can be carried out by radio frequency identification in the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) environment or, for example, by photographic scanning technology. Since each panel is unique, its identification with lifting agents provides information on how and where to apply the lifting agents in an optimal way. Above all, the lifting means may comprise adjustable and remotely controlled lifting elements, which enable self-adjustment of the elements, depending on a predefined load/travel of said lifting element, with regard to the moment when the force of the lifting element reaches its pre-set peak value or compensating the deflection from the lifting agent itself or the anisotropic properties of the concrete panels being manipulated.

By placing individual hydraulic jacks under said deck plate either mounted as a fixed installation on board or placed there by means of conventional cargo handling equipment such as a forklift, the deck plates can be moved very easily but also very reliably. Also, with this lifting/lowering principle, highly automated localization of individual hydraulic lifters can be achieved.

Said lifting means may include support arms arranged on the side of the self-propelled vehicle which can be pivoted in a controlled manner to a position representing the spread points/areas of lifting for the application of said lifting force at internal positions which represent the most advantageous spread application of the lifting force. The lifting positions are based on a stability calculation for each lifting/lowering platform as there are many different shapes, sizes, weights and structures for each individual panel. The use of such a procedure would certainly be more cost-effective when it comes to raising/lowering the deck panels without deflection or with deflection in a predictable manner.

In a further developed version of the procedure, the aforementioned support arms are extendable to be easily folded and can apply a lifting force under the deck plate as needed in the most distant places. This shows how a small, seemingly unimportant detail can have the greatest importance. In another variant of the method according to the invention, said lifting elements (as mentioned above) at the most distant ends of each support arm, can for example be extended by hydraulic means in the lifting direction and raise the panel at its contact point by at least 300 mm, but not limited to just that. This prominent method of correcting the applied lift force/travel to different from the platform as well as possibly the ship outside the wave as a whole and/or compensating for deflections in the booms, frames and/or chassis or deck below, allows for the correction of a deck plate that has one or more corners bent downwards or the entire deck panel is stuck for any reason and it is necessary to raise it additionally and the stuck deck should be additionally raised, if necessary to lock it in the correct position.

In the following further developed embodiment of the invention, said lifting elements are made of or coated with a material with a friction coefficient higher than that between steel and steel (not limited to them). The aim is of course to reduce the risk of slipping when lifting/lowering is done at an angle. The underside of each deck panel is provided with reinforcements in the areas where the lifting means are placed, for example in the form of 1x1m reinforcement plates welded to it.

Description of the drawing

In the following, the invention will be described with reference to the drawings in the subject suitable embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a self-propelled vehicle that is convenient, but not necessary, for the implementation of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a schematic isometric view of the storage area which, for illustrative purposes, includes only one lift/lower panel as well as a self-propelled vehicle,

Figures 3.a and 3.b show side views of the storage space as shown in Figure 2, showing the results of both the prior art and the new procedures for translational panel movement,

Figure 4 shows a schematic drawing of the cargo area as above with the self-propelled vehicle in the position to start lowering the carrier plate,

Figure 5 shows the same cargo warehouse as in Figure 4, with said self-propelled vehicle shown in two extreme positions,

Figure 6 shows a top view of a self-propelled vehicle with extended lifting means i

Figure 7. Shows in an isometric view a detached self-propelled vehicle carrying a panel in an elevated position.

Detailed description

According to Figure 1, there is shown a self-propelled vehicle 1 for lowering/raising a platform 11 (not shown in Figure 1) on a car/truck transport ship (PCTC, not shown)), which contains as a main component a chassis 2, on the chassis attached four hydraulic (in this version) support stands 3, hydraulic (in this version) lifting scissors 4, lifting frame 5 and an open but protected driver's cabin 6. The self-propelled vehicle 1 further comprises four drive wheels 7 for easier handling and positioning on the deck 8 (not shown in Figure 1) PCTC ship. At the corresponding corners, the vehicle 1 has controlled and pivotable beams of support arms 9, inside which are located corresponding hydraulic (in this version) extensions 10 (not shown in Figure 1), which enable further lengthening of each arm 9 according to the actual need. The degree to which the rotation is carried out as well as the extension reach to which each extension 10 extends is controlled manually or automatically based on information when the vehicle is in its place under a certain surface in the storage area. A person in the profession immediately realizes that a truck of this type is not necessary. Rather, any other lifting device(s) that has/have the ability to apply the lifting force in the same manner would equally well solve the problem of platform deflection in the adverse case described.

According to Figure 2, the view schematically shows the appropriate position of the self-propelled vehicle 1 for raising, holding and lowering the car/truck platform 11. For illustration, this view shows only one lifting/lowering platform 11. The PCTC may, however, regularly contain up to three such decks in its cargo space, where the cargo space is between two fixed decks. This view also shows the locking or securing means 12, in this case mounted on the posts which support both the fixed deck above and each platform 11.

To better explain the problem solved by the invention, figures 3.a and 3.b show on the one hand the lifting operation according to the prior art, and on the other hand the lifting operation using the method and device according to the invention. As shown in Figure 3.a, raising/lowering the panel 11 using a lifting device placed centrally under the panel will cause a deflection of said deck panel 11, which for obvious reasons is greatest at the end portions of the deck 11. This deflection 5 requires "additional lifting" of the panel 11 for its locking or fastening means 12 to operate, however, this "additional lifting" causes unnecessary (empty) space above the panel 11, unless the panel already touches the inside of the ceiling above it before the fastening means begin to operate.

This unnecessary space, when multiplied up to five times, leads to an unnecessary height of the ship above the water or an increase in the ship's center of gravity (COG) and a decrease in stability, which requires compensation with fixed ballast or separation in tanks. Instead, by lifting said plate 11 according to the invention, as shown in figure 3.b, carried out in a simply put "very common" way using, for example, the recently developed lifting frame 5 of the scissor crane 4 of the self-propelled vehicle 1.

By applying a lifting and holding force at three or more points extending towards the edges of the plate 11, deflection can be largely avoided to the extent that it is no longer a problem, and the platform 11 will, as shown in Figure 3.b, maintain its unaltered and parallel the form of support of the plate or the shape of the deck, even if it is raised/lowered, reducing the effects of deflection due to the lifting device, uneven supports on the deck below and the shape of the load-bearing deck of the ship, which depends on the load and temperature. In this way, all the mentioned difficulties are solved in a simple and elegant way. Eliminates the need for useless (empty) space and special settings by which the locking means 12 properly and securely engage the corresponding parts of the panel at, for example, the outer borders of the support plate 11. In order to further clarify the success of the method and device according to the invention, they are detailed described in the following text. Figure 4 shows space 13 of the much larger cargo space of the ship PCTC. To keep it simple without adding unnecessary detail, only platform 11 is shown. The cargo space throughout the PCTC ship can contain a total of up to five deck levels for elevating cars, divided into separate platforms, with a simple calculation of the unused space without invention, multiply by the number of platforms (11). The self-propelled vehicle 1 is shown in Fig. 4 from the front with the support arms 9 and extensions 10 extended into position for raising/lowering the platform 11 to its current position. This is shown even more clearly in Fig. 5, which shows the lifting frame with the newly developed pivoting and extendable arms 9, 10 in the lowest position and in the highest position (dashed lines). The platform 11 can here easily engage the locking means 12 on the way up or down, while being handled by the self-propelled vehicle 1.

As already pointed out, the described solution is not the only possible one, however, but it is feasible and very effective. The lifting of such platforms 11 can be carried out either by individual lifting units that are brought, for example, by conventional forklifts, or for example by the vehicle shown, but elements of a different construction can also be used, such as a suitably constructed hydraulic lifter that is placed in the correct position by means of a vehicle of the same type. or similar type.

Fig. 6 shows even more clearly the self-propelled vehicle 1 from above with its support arms 9, with the extensions 10 fully extended. In the simplest terms, these arms can have different structural details. It is of course possible to install more arms for lifting the frame, if this is considered appropriate. In other words, the arms can be performed, stored and dimensioned differently, however, this does not go beyond the scope of the main inventive level??, which is stated in the attached patent claims.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 7, the solution and the inventive concept of the invention are clearly and very illustratively shown by a bottom view of the platform 11, which is lifted by the self-propelled vehicle 1. The vehicle has its support legs 3 on the ground and its lifting scissors 4 are extended to the end position, its carrying arms 9 and extensions 10 are pivoted and extended. The lifting/lowering force is applied below the platform 11 at selected solid or reinforced points near or at the edges of the platform 11, as shown, to take full advantage of the effects of the invention. In each of the outermost positions of the extensions 10 are placed lifting elements 15. Each of them can, for obvious reasons, be made of or treated with a material having a high friction constant to reduce the risk of one of these elements slipping while performing lifting/lowering operations.

In order to take into account the position of the ship slightly out of the wave and still allow the vehicle to do its job, each lifting element is preferably hydraulically placed in extensions, so that it is possible to apply a plane of attack which can vary from a position completely in the wave to self-bending as as previously mentioned, which reduces the risk of the platform 11 being stuck inside the cargo space 13 and allows, for unforeseen reasons, to adjust the position of the platforms when they are stored, if the fastening means do not work properly despite the new lifting procedure and its equipment. If the platform 11 is not raised parallel to the bearing plane, it may not be able to reach its supports in the stow/storage position without these extension lifting elements 15. In order to finally fully clarify the process and device of the invention, the following description is given. With regard to all possible variants of the invention, this specific description prescribes the use of a self-propelled vehicle 1 that is transported inside a ship. When a lifting/lowering platform 11 is used, for example before loading such a ship, the self-propelled vehicle 1 is placed under such a deck platform 11 in a stored position. The vehicle 1 is placed at a predetermined position on the lowest fixed deck of the cargo space 13 of such a ship, which is a place where the platform 11 can be raised/lowered in balance. The lifting frame 5 of said vehicle 1 is raised, and the lifting elements 15 on the lifting means are monitored to reach positions representing the lifting pattern, which is specific to each elevating platform 11 on board. After that, the lifting elements 15 are brought into contact with the underside of the platform 11 for raising/lowering. If now, due to e.g. the anisotropic properties of a particular lifting/lowering platform, all points on the lower side are not at the same height, the lifting elements 15 are controlled so as to enable simultaneous joint lifting.

The platform 11 is then raised slightly to release the locking means 12 in the storage position, after which the platform is lowered into a position corresponding to the transport position of, for example, a truck of a certain size.

Other locking means are now activated and said platform 11 is ready for loading using, for example, ramps connecting different levels on board or levels on the wharf to a certain level on the outside of the ship where platform 11 is located. Procedures performed when platform 11 is to be loaded store are more or less the same, although they are carried out in different order. If during the lifting of a certain platform 11 into the storage position, due to the inherent inequality of one or more angles or the length of the platform 11 for some reason it deforms, the lifting elements 15 are dimensioned so that despite the deformation they can additionally push the platform 11, where necessary, and can fully secure the platform to its locking means 12. In addition, skilled persons can understand and apply variations of the described performance based on the drawing, specification and attached requirements. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude the plural. A single processor or other units may fulfill the functions of several items listed in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are specified in different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures cannot be usefully applied.

1. Self-propelled vehicle

2. Chassis

3. Stabilizers

4. Scissor lifting mechanism

5. Lifting frame

6. Driver's cabin

7. Steering wheels

8. Deck PCTC

9. Support arms

10. Extensions

11. Car / truck transfer platform

12. Locking means

13. Cargo space

14. Large cargo area of the ship PCTC

15. Lifting elements

16. Connectivity (controlled)

17. Unit with hydraulic cylinder (for lifting elements 15)

Claims (15)

1. A procedure for lowering/raising a platform (11) carrying cars/trucks within the cargo area of a multi-deck car/truck carrier (PCTC), using at least one lifting device (1) with lifting means installed below the said platform (11) which can be reversibly raised and/or spread and/or raised and/or lowered in order to raise or lower the said platform (11), characterized by the fact that the said lifting means (9, 10, 15) are applied in numerous ways specially calculated for each load (13) depending on which platform (11) needs to be raised/lowered, and whether the mentioned lifting means (9, 10, 15) is controlled from rest position by applying a distributed lifting force under the said platform (11), to raise or lower it by applying the lifting force/s in an individually controlled pattern to them, so that the platform (11) when unloaded can be lowered and raised without deflection or and with deflection in as predictable a parallel manner as possible. 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the individual hydraulic lifters are placed below said support panel and fixedly installed or are placed there using conventional load handling equipment, such as a forklift. 3. The method according to patent claim 1, characterized in that said lifting means have support arms (9) placed on the sides of the self-propelled vehicle (1) which can be pivoted in a controlled manner into a position that represents the spread points/areas of lifting for the application of the specified lifting force to internal positions that represent the application of the most favorable distribution of the lifting force based on stability calculations for each platform that is raised/lowered, with the aim of keeping the platform (11) without deflection or with deflection in a predictable manner. 4. The method according to patent claim 3, characterized in that the support arms (9) are extendable in order to be easily folded and at the same time enable the application of the lifting force if necessary at the most distant places of the platform (11). 5. The method according to patent claim 4, characterized in that the lifting elements at the farthest ends of each support arm can be pulled out in the lifting direction with the aim of compensating all possible deflections. 6. Device for lowering/raising the platform from its lower side (11) for transferring cars/trucks on a multi-deck car/truck transport ship (PCTC), in such a way that a self-propelled vehicle (1) is centrally located under the platform, indicated by , that the said vehicle has controllable arms (9) and/or extensions (10) at the ends of which are arranged hydraulic lifters, which in the active position, in a spread position in relation to the vehicle, can coordinately perform the complete lifting/lowering procedure. 7. The device according to patent claim 6, characterized in that it includes a lifting/lowering device (4), and which has a lifting frame (5) on its upper surface, and the lifting frame (5) on its periphery has at least three support arms (9) pivotally connected horizontally, which are operated from a rest position on the self-propelled vehicle to a raised position, by at least one controlled link (16), so that it is possible to pivotably extend the arms (9) to a position representing a spread lifting pattern and which achieves optimal lifting points for a specific platform (11). 8. Device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the vehicle (1) has at least four steerable wheels (7), which makes it easily steerable. 9. Device according to patent claim 7, characterized in that the support arms (9, 10) can be extended to almost twice the length and the support arms have lifting elements (15) at their outer ends for compensating the raising/lowering position of each arm . 10. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that any or both or all of the controlled links (16), extendable arms (9, 10) and lifting elements (15) are hydraulically or electrically controllable. 11. Device according to patent claim 9, characterized in that each said lifting element is mounted on top of the lifting device (17), so that it is possible to individually control the lifting position of the lifting point of each arm (9,10). 12. Device according to patent claim 11, characterized in that the working stroke of the said lifting unit is in the range of at least 200 mm. 13. Device according to any one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that said vehicle (1) includes memory functions that enable it to recognize each individual platform that can be raised/lowered (11). 14. Device according to patent claim 13, characterized in that it uses spatial RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and/or photographic scanning technologies in identifying, recognizing and giving commands to the device about a certain platform. 15. Device according to patent claim 14, characterized in that the force/stroke of the said lifting element is independently adjusted, depending on the predefined load of the said lifting element or is limited in the case when the force/stroke of each lifting element reaches the highest value .