NL1014147C2 - Carriage for transporting goods, e.g. loading pallets onto lorries, moves goods on two sets of rollers cooperating with each other - Google Patents

Abstract

The carriage (4) has two sets of rollers (6, 7) mounted in a frame (5), the first set (6) being in contact with the second set (7). An Independent claim is also included for a goods loading apparatus, comprising at least one pair of height adjustable supports for the goods, and at least one of the above carriages located between the supports.

Description

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CAR FOR MOVING GOODS

The present invention relates to a carriage for moving goods.

For loading goods into, for example, a truck, the goods must first be moved from the place of storage to and into the truck. For this purpose it is generally known to place a number of goods on, for instance, pallets, which are subsequently placed in the truck by means of, for example, a forklift truck. After a truck 10 has been fully loaded, the goods are transported to the place of destination. In general, because only one pallet can be placed in the truck at a time, and the pallets have to be placed accurately in the right place in the truck in order to be able to load as many goods as possible, loading the truck in this way takes a lot of time. In addition, the goods are brought with the pallets to their destination, so that the pallets have to be returned after delivery of the goods in order to be reused.

The object of the present invention is to provide a trolley for moving goods in which these drawbacks are obviated.

This object is achieved by the invention by providing a carriage comprising a frame on which a number of regularly spaced first roller elements, which have a roller surface, and a number between the first roller elements and with respect to the first roller elements higher-lying second rolling elements, which have a rolling surface, are arranged, the rolling surface of the first rolling elements lying against the rolling surface of the second rolling elements.

With the trolley according to the invention, goods can be moved and, for instance, loaded into a truck, wherein the trolley can be easily removed again under the goods after loading, without the goods having to be lifted or moved for this purpose.

When the carriage is moved in a certain direction, the first rolling elements will start rolling in a direction corresponding to the direction of the carriage movement. Because the rolling surface of the higher second rolling elements lies against the rolling surface of the first rolling elements, as a result of the rolling movement of the first rolling elements the second rolling elements will also start rolling, however in a direction opposite to the rolling direction of the first rolling elements, and thus opposite to the direction of movement of the carriage. Due to the opposite rolling directions of the first 15 and second rolling elements, goods standing on the trolley are moved relative to the trolley in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the trolley itself. The net result of the opposite rolling movements of the first and second rolling elements is that the goods standing on the wagon remain essentially in the same place with respect to the ground, while the wagon rolls, as it were, under the goods. For moving the goods, the goods can, for example, be secured to the trolley.

In a particularly suitable embodiment of the carriage, the first and second rolling elements are mounted in a vertical direction movable on the frame, so that any unevenness in the ground can be accommodated and thereby a good contact between the rolling surfaces 30 of the first and second rolling elements is ensured. .

In a further preferred embodiment of the carriage, a number of fixed bearing wheels are further arranged on the frame in order to be able to move the carriage easily.

In a particularly suitable preferred embodiment of the trolley, in order to ensure that the goods can be moved in a simple manner, the trolley is provided with support means which form a carrying surface for the goods, wherein the first and vertically movable first and second second roller elements are movable between a position in which the second roller elements are substantially below the bearing surface and a position in which the second roller elements protrude at least partly above the bearing surface.

When the rolling elements are in the first-mentioned position, the goods are carried by the bearing surface formed by the supporting means and the goods can be moved by moving the trolley. When the rolling elements are in the second position, the goods are carried by the second rolling elements projecting at least partly above the bearing surface. As described above, the goods lying on the rolling elements will remain in the same position relative to the ground when the carriage is moved, so that the device can be driven away under the goods.

In a simple and convenient preferred embodiment of the carriage, the frame substantially comprises an inverted U-shaped profile with a base and legs, the wheels being mounted on the outside of the legs, and the first and second roll elements in vertical direction Movable between the legs are mounted on the profile, and in which a number of recesses are provided in the base for the second roller elements. The base hereby forms a bearing surface for the goods, the second rolling elements being able to project above the bearing surface formed by the base through the recesses in the base.

According to the invention, the first and second rolling elements can comprise all rolling elements suitable for this application, which have a rolling surface, such as, for example, round balls. Preferably, however, the first and second roller elements comprise rollers. Because the cylindrical rollers can only roll in two directions, the goods standing on the wagon 1014147 4 can also be moved only in those two directions, so that the goods are less likely to "unwind" from the wagon than if the rolling elements can move in many different directions. roll.

The invention further relates to and provides a transport device for at least the loading of goods, comprising a movable guide track comprising rails, and writing at least one trolley for moving goods, which can move over the rails, as described above), the device writing over the rails are mobile.

By moving the carriage with the wheels fixedly mounted on the frame over the raised rails, the roller elements mounted vertically movable on the frame 15 will descend relative to the frame and between the rails. As a result, the second rolling elements come to lie under the bearing surface, so that the goods then resting on the bearing surface can be moved in the guide track, for instance in the truck. When the carriage leaves the guideway, and the wheels come back into contact with the ground, the frame with the wheels "sinks" relative to the rolling elements, the rolling elements coming into the position with the second rolling elements partially projecting above the bearing surface . As the trolley is now moved, the goods now resting on the second rolling elements will remain in the same position with respect to the ground, so that it is possible to remove the trolley under the goods.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the transport device further comprises drive means for moving the carriage forwards and backwards over the rails in the guide track, so that the goods can be loaded quickly and efficiently in, for instance, a truck. "Forward" here is the direction in which the wagon, and thus the goods to be loaded, are moved in the direction of or into the truck, 1014147 in which the goods are to be loaded. "Backward" is the opposite direction.

In general use can be made for this purpose of various suitable drive means. Preferably, however, the drive means comprise a flexible member, such as a cable or a chain, which moves the carriage forward in the guideway from a first position to a second position, the flexible member being secured to the rear of the carriage, and the rear runs forward and returns via a reversing element arranged at the front of the guide track to a drive member driving the flexible member. By pulling the carriage via the flexible member, the carriage will be moved forward in the guide path.

When loading, the goods are generally placed as far as possible in the front of the truck or against previously loaded goods. The carriage will thus be moved forward in the guide track until the goods are stopped by the front of the truck or the previously loaded goods. When the flexible member is driven further, the carriage with the goods will not be able to be moved further forward, but instead the movable guide track will be pulled away under the carriage. The car remains in the desired place under the goods. As already described above, in that situation, in which the trolley is therefore outside the guide track, the goods come to lie on the second roller elements, so that the trolley can subsequently be removed from under the goods.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the drive means also comprise a flexible member which moves the carriage backward from the second position to the first position, the flexible member 35 running rearwardly from the goods moving device to the drive member. As a result, the trolley can simply be withdrawn back into the guide track, after which new goods to be loaded can then be placed on the trolley, and the steps described above can be repeated if necessary.

A particularly suitable and simple preferred embodiment of the transporting device is that in which the driving means comprise an endless flexible element running around the reversing element and the driving member, which is mounted on the rear of the car.

Finally, the invention also relates to and provides a loading device for at least the loading of goods, comprising a frame on which at least a pair of supports adjustable in height relative to the frame for supporting the goods are arranged, and at least one between the two. pair of supports mounted and movable transport device as described above.

When the supports are up, the supports form a bearing surface for the goods, under which the transport device 20 is movable. By moving the supports downwards, the goods can be placed on the trolley of the transport device which is movable in the guide track. The carriage can then be moved forward in the guideway towards the desired location, for example in a truck. As the carriage travels along the rails in the guideway, as previously described, the movable first and second roller elements mounted on the frame will be in the position in which the second roller elements lie substantially below the support surface of the frame. The goods are therefore carried by the support surface of the frame, and can thus be moved by moving the carriage in the guide track. Subsequently, the guide track under the carriage with the goods placed thereon can be pulled away, the goods remaining on the carriage. The trolley can then be pulled out from under the goods, leaving only the goods in the desired location, and the trolley can be reused.

1014147 7

After this, the carriage can again be pulled backwards into the guide path of the transport device and, for example, moved again between a pair of height-adjustable supports with the other goods to be loaded. By moving the height-adjustable supports down again, the following goods can be placed on the trolley. The steps described above can then be repeated until all goods have been loaded. In practice, a number of such loading devices can also be used side by side for fast and efficient loading of the truck.

In a particularly suitable embodiment, adjustment means are further arranged on the frame for adjusting the position of the frame. For example, the height of the frame can be adapted to the height of the tail lift of the truck, or the frame can be tilted to a certain position relative to that tail lift.

The invention is further elucidated with reference to the following figures, in which

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the transport device according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a special embodiment of the loading device according to the invention;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show a number of successive steps for loading goods into a truck using the loading device of figure 2; and

Figure 6 shows a further application possibility of the transport device according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the transport device according to the invention. The transport device 1 comprises a movable U-shaped guide track 2 in which rails 3 are arranged, and a trolley 4 for moving goods 8. Preferably the trolley 4 consists of a number of coupled parts, which form a flexible whole . This is especially useful when the trolley 4 moves out of the guideway 2 and with any unevenness in the loading floor.

The carriage 4 comprises a number of wheels 9 mounted on a U-shaped frame 5, with which the carriages 4 are movable over the rails 3. The U-shaped frame 5 comprises a base 15, which forms a bearing surface, and legs 16 on which the wheels 9 are mounted. A number of recesses 17 are arranged in the support surface 10. A number of regularly spaced first cylindrical rollers 6 with a rolling surface 6a, and a number of regularly spaced-apart first rollers 6 with a rolling surface 7a situated between the first rolls and second rollers 7 higher up relative to the first rollers, are arranged on the frame 5. The rolling surface 6a of the first rollers 6 here lies against the rolling surface 7a of the second rollers 7.

The guide track 2 comprises a number of wheels 10 for moving the guide track. A winch 11 is arranged at the rear of the guide track, which drives a cable 12 for moving the carriage 4 forward and backward in the guide track 2. The cable 12 is an endless one around the front of the guide track. mounted reversing roller 13 and the winch 11 running cable, which is attached to the rear 14 of the trolley 4.

When the carriage 4 with the wheels 9 fixedly mounted on the frame is driven on the raised rails 3, as shown in figure 1, the rollers 6,7 mounted in vertical direction movable on the frame 5 relative to the frame 5, down between the rails 3. As a result, the rollers 6, 7 lie under the support surface 15 of the frame 5, so that the goods to be moved can be placed on the support surface and can be moved back and forth in the guide track 35.

Figure 2 shows an advantageous preferred embodiment of a loading device according to the invention.

The loading device 18 comprises a loading table 19, 1014147 9 to which two pairs of height-adjustable supports 20 relative to the frame for supporting the goods are arranged, as well as two transporting devices 5 of figure 1 arranged and displaceable between the supports 20. 20 are adjustable in height by means of jacks 21. The loading table 19 is adjustable in height by means of jacks 22.

In figure 2 the goods 23 are placed on the bearing surface of the trolley 4 movable in the guide track 2 by moving the supports 20 downwards. The goods 23 can then be moved forward on the carriage 4 in the guideway 2 by pulling a cable 12 attached to the rear of the carriage by means of a winch (not shown). The cable 12 hereby runs forward from the rear of the carriage 4 through slot 24 arranged in the first rollers and via the reversing roller 13 back to the winch.

When the goods 23 have been moved to the front of the guideway, the supports 20 can be moved up again, whereby the goods 23 are lifted by the supports 20 of the trolley 4. The carriage can then be pulled backwards again. This situation is shown in figure 2 for the goods 24. It can also clearly be seen that in the guide track 25 the second rollers 7 lie under the bearing surface 15 of the trolley 4. With the aid of the loading device shown in figure 2, for instance, a number of goods can be placed on the loading table for loading a truck.

As shown in figure 3, a transport device according to the invention, for example in the embodiment of figure 1, can be driven over the truck floor 27 into the truck for loading the truck by means of wheels arranged on the guide track 2. 10. The guide track 2 is preferably driven as far as possible in the front of the truck or against previously loaded goods (not shown). Subsequently, the trolley 4 with the goods to be loaded in 1014147 10 is pulled forward in the guide track 2 by means of the cable 12 driven by the winch 11, and arranged at the rear of the trolley 4, until the trolley 4 passes through the front wall 26 of the truck is stopped.

When the carriage 4 is now pulled further, because the cable 12 runs back to the winch 11 via the reversing roller provided at the front of the guide track, the guide track 2 will be pulled away under the carriage 4. In the situation shown in figure 3, the guide track is already partly pulled away under the carriage 4. The trolley 4 with the goods 8 thereon is left at the desired location in the truck. Figure 3 also clearly shows that as soon as a carriage 4 is outside the guide track 2, the second rollers 7 protrude through the recesses 17 in the support surface 15 above that support surface 15, so that the goods 8 come to rest on the second rollers. As long as the carriage 4 is in the guide track, the second rollers lie under the support surface 15 of the carriage.

In figure 4 the guide track 2 is completely pulled away under the carriage 4. The trolley 4 with the goods 28 resting thereon is now at the desired position in the truck. Since in this situation the goods 28 lie on the second rollers 7 projecting above the bearing surface, the trolley can subsequently be retracted backwards under the goods in the guide track, to the position shown in figure 5.

Because the second rollers 7 rotate in the opposite direction to the first rollers, and thus to the direction of movement of the carriage, the goods 28 lying on the carriage 4 will become forward against the front of the truck 26, or possibly previously loaded goods. pushed while the carriage 4 is pulled backwards under the goods 28. The goods 28 hereby thus remain in the desired place, while the trolley 4 can be reused for, for instance, loading subsequent goods.

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After the carriage 4 has been withdrawn back into the guide track 2, the transport device 1 can be driven back again, for instance again between the height-adjustable supports 20 of the loading device 18, where the next 5 goods 29 to be loaded are ready. When the trolley 4 has again driven under the following goods 29, the supports 20 can be lowered again, after which the steps described above can be repeated.

In figure 6 a further application according to the invention is shown. In this case, transport devices according to the invention are arranged on the fork tips 30 of a conventional forklift truck 38. The fork tips 30 hereby comprise and height-adjustable rails 31 arranged between upright side walls 37, over which a carriage 32 according to the invention can be moved between those side walls 37. The rails 31 are adjustable in height because supports 33 are arranged on the rails, which protrude through recesses on the underside of the fork tips 31.

The goods to be loaded 35 can for instance be placed with the aid of the forklift truck 38 against a supporting body 36 arranged on, for instance, the tail lift 34 of a truck. Then, when the lower side of the fork tips 30 is brought into contact with the loading flap 34 of the truck, the rails 31 are pushed upwards by the supports 33. This also moves the carriage 32, which is mobile on the rails, upwards, whereby the bearing surface of the carriage 32 comes to lie above the side walls 37 of the fork tips 37. The goods that first rest on those side walls of the fork tips will then lie on the support surface of the carriage (not shown).

The fork tips 30 can then be pulled away under the wagons 32 with the goods 35 placed thereon, the wagons 32 with the goods 35 remaining in the same place, as shown in figure 6. In a next step, not shown, the wagons can then are pulled away under the goods. It will be clear that, although only some embodiments and applications are shown in the figures, other suitable embodiments and applications of the trolley, transport device and loading device according to the invention are also possible.

1014147

Claims (13)

1. Carriage for moving goods, comprising a frame, on which a number of regularly spaced first rolling elements, which have a rolling surface, and a number of second rolling elements situated higher between the first 5 rolling elements and second roller elements, relative to the first rolling elements, which have a rolling surface are provided, the rolling surface of the first rolling elements being in contact with the rolling surface of the second rolling elements. 2. A carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second rolling elements are mounted in a vertical direction movable on the frame. 3. A trolley according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a number of fixedly mounted wheels are further arranged on the frame. Trolley according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that further supporting means are provided on the frame, which form a bearing surface for the goods, wherein the vertically movable first and second roller elements are movable between a position wherein the second rolling elements are substantially below the bearing surface and a position in which the second rolling elements protrude at least partially above the bearing surface. 5. A carriage according to claim 4, characterized in that the frame substantially comprises an inverted U-shaped profile with a base and legs, the wheels being mounted on the outside of the legs, and the first and second rolling elements movable in vertical direction. are mounted on the profile between the legs, and in which a number of recesses are provided in the base for the second rolling elements. Trolley according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first and second roller elements comprise first 35 and second rollers. 1014147 Transport device for at least the loading of goods, comprising a movable guide track, which comprises rails, and at least one trolley for moving goods according to any one of claims 2 - 5 6, wherein the trolley is movable over the rails. Transport device according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises drive means for moving the carriage forwards and backwards over the rails in the guide path. Transporting device according to claim 8, characterized in that the drive means comprise a flexible member which moves the carriage forward in the guide path from a first position to a second position, the flexible member being attached to the rear of the carriage, and of the rearward and runs via a reversing element arranged at the front of the guideway back to a driving member driving the flexible member. 10. Transport device according to claim 9, characterized in that the drive means also comprise a flexible member, which moves the carriage backwards from the second position to the first position, the flexible member running backwards from the carriage to the drive member. Transporting device according to claim 10, characterized in that the drive means comprise an endless flexible member which runs around the reversing element and the drive member and which is mounted on the rear of the car. 12. Loading device for at least the loading of goods, comprising a frame, on which at least a pair of supports adjustable in height relative to the frame for supporting the goods are arranged, and at least one arranged between the pair of supports and movable transport device according to any one of claims 7-11. Loading device according to claim 12, characterized in that adjustment means 1014147 * are arranged on the frame for adjusting the position of the frame. **** 5 1014117