JP2021054451A - container - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a container which can easily change the volume, and can efficiently perform carrying-in and carrying-out of a cargo.SOLUTION: The container includes: a container lower part 10B for constituting a lower part of the container 10, and including a pair of lower part gable walls 14B for constituting a lower side of a pair of gable surfaces and a lower part side wall 16B for constituting one lower side of a side surface; a container upper part 10A capable of being elevated/lowered between a first position and a second position lower than the first position with respect to the container lower part 10B, constituting an upper part of the container 10, and including a pair of upper part gable walls 14A for constituting an upper side of the pair of gable surfaces and an upper part side wall 16A for constituting an upper side of one side surface; and a shutter 12 capable of closing the side surface opposing to the one side surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a container used for freight transportation.

Since the demand for freight transportation is generally asymmetric between regions, in freight transportation using containers, it often happens that the container becomes empty on the outbound or inbound route. Since the container occupies the same volume regardless of whether or not the cargo is loaded, when a large number of empty containers are transported, a large amount of space is wasted and the transportation efficiency is significantly reduced. In response to such a problem, the inventor of the present application has proposed a cargo container in which a dry container can be crushed in the vertical direction and its volume can be reduced (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Further, although the open portion of the container is generally provided on the end face of the container, the cargo cannot be taken in and out efficiently when the container is taken in and out from the end face, and the work efficiency is poor.

Special Table 2002-534327 Gazette Japanese Patent No. 6311850

An object of the present invention is to provide a container whose volume can be easily changed and which can efficiently carry in and out cargo.

The container of the present invention is a container having a rectangular shape composed of a pair of end faces and a pair of side surfaces, and constitutes a lower portion of the container and a pair of lower end walls constituting the lower side of the pair of end faces. It is possible to move up and down between the first position and the second position lower than the first position with respect to the lower part of the container and the lower part of the container having the lower side wall forming one lower side of the side surface. A container upper part having a pair of upper gable walls constituting the upper part and forming the upper side of the pair of end faces and an upper side wall forming the upper side of the one side surface, and a shutter capable of closing the side surface facing one side surface. It is characterized by having.

The shutter can be accommodated, for example, along the top surface and upper side wall of the container.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container whose volume can be easily changed and which can efficiently carry in and out cargo.

It is a perspective view in the 1st state of the deformable container which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view in the 2nd state of the container of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of the container in the state where the shutter is lowered in the 1st state. It is a cross-sectional view of the container in the state where the shutter is raised in the first state. It is a cross-sectional view of the container in the state where the shutter is lowered in the 2nd state. It is a perspective view in the 1st state of the container of the modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 and 2 are perspective views of the deformable container according to the first embodiment of the present invention before and after deformation, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container.

The container 10 of the first embodiment is, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped dry container used for freight transportation. The container 10 may be, for example, a container conforming to the ISO standard, but may be a container manufactured to other standards or original specifications. The container 10 is divided into upper and lower halves at a height of about half, and is mainly composed of a container upper portion 10A constituting the upper half portion and a container lower portion 10B constituting the lower half portion. The side walls in the longitudinal direction of the container upper portion 10A and the container lower portion 10B are each provided with only one surface, and the other side is composed of a shutter 12 described later.

The upper part 10A of the container can be raised and lowered with respect to the lower part 10B of the container, and when the upper part 10A of the container is lowered, the lower gable walls 14B in front of and behind the lower part 10B of the container and the lower side wall 16B provided on one side of the upper part 10B of the container It is housed inside the front and rear upper gable walls 14A and the upper side wall 16A provided on one side. This reduces the height and volume of the container 10.

FIG. 1 shows a first state in which the upper part 10A of the container is raised and the cargo loading volume is maximized. FIG. 2 shows a second state in which the upper part 10A of the container is lowered and the container volume is minimized. In the present embodiment, the second height (second position) of the container 10 in the second state is approximately half of the first height (first position) in the first state, and the container volume is also approximately half. .. Normally, the cargo is loaded into the container 10 in the first state, and when the cargo is empty, the container 10 is in the second state, but the cargo may be loaded in the second state as well.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container upper portion 10A includes a rectangular upper frame 20A and four square members 22A extending downward from the four corners of the upper frame 20A. .. Further, the container lower portion 10B includes a rectangular lower frame 20B and four square members 22B extending upward from the four corners of the lower frame 20B.

The upper frame 20A is provided with a top surface 18A, and an upper side wall 16A is provided between one longitudinal beam of the upper frame 20A and the front and rear square members 22A. Further, an upper gable wall 14A is provided between the front and rear beams of the upper frame 20A and the left and right square members 22A, respectively. On the other hand, the lower frame 20B is provided with a bottom surface 18B, and a lower side wall 16B is provided between one longitudinal beam of the lower frame 20B and the front and rear square members 22B. Further, a lower gable wall 14B is provided between the front and rear beams of the lower frame 20B and the left and right square members 22B, respectively. A large number of auxiliary members (not shown) are hung inside the upper frame 20A and the lower frame 20B in the width direction.

The square member 22B, the lower side wall 16B, and the lower gable wall 14B of the container lower part 10B are arranged inside the square member 22A, the upper side wall 16A, and the upper gable wall 14A of the container upper part 10A, respectively. As a result, in the second state, the square member 22B, the lower side wall 16B, and the lower gable wall 14B are housed inside the square member 22A, the upper side wall 16A, and the upper gable wall 14A, and in the first state, the square member 22B and the lower side wall 14B. The upper end portion of the side wall 16B is arranged inside the lower end portion of the square member 22A and the upper side wall 16A, respectively.

On the other hand, a shutter 12 that can be opened and closed up and down is provided on the side surface of the container 10 opposite to the side walls 16A and 16B. In the upper frame 20A, a sprocket (or roller) 24 is provided along the longitudinal direction under the beam on the side where the shutter 12 is provided, and the upper end of the shutter 12 is the sprocket 24 with the shutter 12 closed. Engage in. A pair of guide mechanisms 26 for guiding the movement of both sides of the shutter 12 along each surface are provided inside the top surface 18A and the upper side wall 16A near both end surfaces of the container upper portion 10A. The guide mechanism 26 is a mechanism for smoothly moving along the top surface 18A and the upper side wall 16A of the shutter 12, and is also a guide plate for guiding rollers provided at predetermined intervals along the side edges of the shutter 12. A flat roller or the like that smoothly conveys the side edge of the shutter 12 may be used.

In the first state, when the shutter 12 is opened, the sprocket 24 is rotated, for example, electrically, and the shutter 12 is moved along the top surface 18A and the upper side wall 16A by the guide mechanism 26 and accommodated in the same space. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container 10 showing a state in which the shutter 12 is housed in the first state. Although the power for driving the shutter 12 is not shown, it is arranged near one of the upper end faces, for example. Further, the external electric motor may be connected through the connector only when opening and closing. The shutter 12 may be opened and closed manually.

The upper part 10A of the container is raised and lowered by, for example, four hydraulic cylinders (elevating devices) arranged inside the square members 22A and 22B, and the hydraulic cylinders are operated by, for example, a hydraulic system arranged under the bottom surface 18B. .. The hydraulic system is driven by a motor or manually, and the motor may be incorporated under the bottom surface 18B, or it may be connected to an external motor through a connector. Further, the elevating device is not limited to the hydraulic cylinder, but may be, for example, a method of manually driving a motor or a mechanical elevating mechanism.

Here, the width B of the container is slightly larger than the height H (corresponding to the first height), for example, in a 40-foot container, B = 2438 mm and H = 2591 mm. Therefore, when the shutter is accommodated, a part of the shutter 12 (for example, about 10 cm) is arranged along the upper side wall 16A.

In the first state, the upper frame 20A is supported by the lower frame 20B through, for example, four columns arranged inside the container. When the container is deformed from the first state to the second state, each column is tilted in the longitudinal direction in the container, whereby the container upper portion 10A can be lowered. Further, in the second state, the upper frame 20A is supported by the lower frame 20B through one or both of the square members 22A and 22B.

The square members 22A and 22B are each provided with a fixing mechanism 28 for fixing the position between the two members. In this embodiment, a snap lock having a toggle mechanism in the fixing mechanism 28 is used. For example, a latch metal fitting 28A is provided at the lower end of the square member 22A of the upper part 10A of the container, and the square member 22B of the lower part 10B of the container is provided with a toggle mechanism at a position corresponding to the first state and the second state. An engaging portion 28B such as a hole that engages with is provided. That is, the container upper portion 10A and the container lower portion 10B are vertically integrated in each state by the fixing mechanism 28.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container 10 in the second state. The second height h in the second state is approximately half of the first height H (h≈H / 2). Therefore, when the shutter 12 is closed in the second state, about half of the shutter 12 is housed under the top surface 18A along the guide mechanism 26. Even in the second state, the shutter 12 can be opened within a range that does not interfere with the lower side wall 16B. Further, when the shutter 12 is completely accommodated, if the length hanging along the upper side wall 16A is a length that does not interfere with the lower side wall 16B, or a guide for preventing interference with the lower side wall 16B is further provided. In that case, the shutter 12 can be completely opened even in the second state.

FIG. 6 is a container of a modified example of the first embodiment. The container 30 of the modified example is obtained by dividing the shutter 12 of the first embodiment into two shutters 12A and 12B. A guide strut 32A extending downward from the upper frame 20A and a guide strut 32B extending upward from the lower frame 20B are arranged between the shutters 12A and 12B, and the shutters 12A and 12B have both side edges thereof. Is guided by the guide columns 32A and 32B and the square members 22A and 22B. The shutters 12A and 12B can be operated independently, and a mechanism similar to the sprocket 24 and the guide mechanism 26 of the first embodiment is provided for each of the shutters 12A and 12B.

10, 30 Container 10A Container upper part 10B Container lower part 12, 12A, 12B Shutter 14A Upper gable wall 14B Lower gable wall 16A Upper side wall 16B Lower side wall 18A Top surface 20A Upper frame 20B Lower frame 24 Sprocket 26 Guide mechanism

Claims (2)

A container having a rectangular parallelepiped shape composed of a pair of end faces and a pair of sides.
A lower part of the container including a pair of lower gable walls forming the lower part of the container and forming the lower side of the pair of end faces and a lower side wall forming one lower side of the side surface.
A pair that can be raised and lowered between the first position and the second position lower than the first position with respect to the lower part of the container, constitutes the upper part of the container, and constitutes the upper side of the pair of gable surfaces. An upper part of the container having an upper gable wall and an upper side wall constituting the upper side of one side surface of the container.
A container comprising a shutter capable of closing a side surface facing the one side surface. The container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter can be accommodated along the top surface of the container and the upper side wall.

Images