TWI605977B - Coupling means - Google Patents

Description

Coupling device

The object of the invention is a coupling device for a tie and support container, in particular a container to be transported on a cargo ship, the coupling device comprising a tie rod and a locking head connected thereto, the lock head comprising a lock The securing device is locked into the corner casting of the container, and between the locking head and the tie rod is a joint arrangement that allows the tie rod to be related to the locking head and cast toward the corner and away from the corner casting Come to move.

The container must be locked during transport to avoid excessive displacement, tilting or even collapse of the container when it is at sea. The container is locked at its end with a coupling device, for example to a pull bridge, and the coupling device is fixed at one end (locking head) to the corner of the container and at the other end (tightening nut) to the other end Pull the bridge or fix it to the ship's deck or other support structure. The coupling device thus includes a tightening nut, a tie rod, and a locking head that is pivotally coupled to the tie rod. Typically two or four coupling devices are attached to the end of the container. By tightening the elastic sleeve, it can be locked tightly. Similar fixings are generally also on the opposite ends of the container.

There are many solutions known for this purpose in this art. For example, the solution is known from German Patent Publication No. 3,525,322, in which two fixed locking heads are fitted to the tie rods.

Known from German Patent Publication No. 3501109 is a tie rod having a locking head at both ends.

Previous technical solutions have some drawbacks. For example, when the tie rods are placed across to secure the container, the longitudinal adjustment margin is achieved by the elongated holes in the pivot points in the locking head, so that the second tie rods are further away from the container, and although As such, the tie bars may still collide with each other. Incidentally, it sets limits on the alignment of the tie rods.

The object of the coupling device according to the invention is to improve the solution known in the art, in particular by facilitating the installation. This object is achieved by the present invention, characterized in that when the locking head is locked to the corner casting of the container, at least part of the joint arrangement is at the level of the center of curvature of the bottom edge of the locking hole of the corner casting. on.

Incidentally, the coupling device according to the present invention is also characterized by the items mentioned in Items 2 to 6 of the attached items.

The solution according to the invention to be presented now has some significant advantages over the solutions of the prior art. The distance between the tie bar and the container can be adjusted to be appropriate, thereby preventing the tie bars from colliding with each other. The invention thus enables the tie rod to be more horizontal than before.

Compared to prior art solutions, in accordance with the present invention The solution, the distance between the top of the tie rod and the corner of the container to which the tie rod is attached is maintained optimally, unlike the prior art model with long holes, in this mode, the center line of the shaft bolt is at the container. Below the centerline of the locking hole in the corner casting.

In addition, prior art techniques limited the lateral clearance between the containers to 38 mm when performing an external double cross pull. The present invention allows an external pull between the containers with a lateral clearance of 25 mm.

The solution according to the invention is also simple in construction and extremely easy to use.

1‧‧‧Lock head

2‧‧‧ Pulling rod

3‧‧‧Long slot

4‧‧‧ shaft

5‧‧‧Locking device

6‧‧‧Support surface

7~10‧‧‧ corner castings

L‧‧‧ water level

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by means of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1a and 1b present certain prior art solutions for coupling devices.

Figures 2a and 2b show the tie rod and the locking head of the coupling device according to the invention in different positions.

Figure 3 presents a solution for pulling and supporting a container in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 presents a cross-section of a tie bar and a locking head in accordance with the present invention secured to a locking aperture in a corner casting of a container.

Figure 5 is the same as Figure 4 but a perspective view.

Figure 1a presents a perspective view of a prior art solution, The mid-longitudinal adjustment margin has been achieved by the elongated holes in the pivot point in the locking head, so that it is possible to adjust some of the tie bars that cross each other in the locked state farther from the container.

Figure 1b is a side view corresponding to the one presented in Figure 1a Pull the tie rod and coupling. In Figure 1b, the hole (slot) of the locking head can be seen, and the tie rod is fitted in the hole so that it can move in the hole.

Figures 2a and 2b present a locking head 1 according to the invention, which is Connected to the tie rod 2. The locking head 1 has an elongated slot 3 through which the shaft 4 at the end of the tie rod 2 is disposed. The slot of this embodiment is slightly curved. The purpose of the slot 3 is therefore to enable the tie rod 2 to move relative to the locking head 1 towards the corner of the container and away from it. This configuration is best seen in Figures 4 and 5. The locking head 1 also includes a locking device 5 intended to be locked into the locking hole of the casting of the corner of the container (component symbols 7 to 10 of Figure 3). The support surface 6 of the locking device 5 contributes to this locking.

Figure 3 presents the attachment of the end of the container to, for example, a draw bridge or The principle of fixing to the ship's deck or some other supporting structure. The container itself is not presented in Figure 3, but only its corner castings 7, 8, 9, 10 are presented. Accordingly, Figure 3 shows that there are four containers and each corner of the casting belongs to a different container. Corner castings 7 and 8 are adjacent corner castings of the upper two containers, while corner castings 9 and 10 are corresponding adjacent corner castings of the bottom two containers. As is known in the art, each corner casting has a locking hole for the locking head 1. The tie rod 2 is only partially shown. They are attached to the elastic sleeves in a manner known to the art, with the help of elastic sleeves. Tightening and fixing. The compression sleeve is thus attached, for example, to a draw bridge or onboard deck or some other support structure.

In the prior art of Figure 1a and also in the present invention, the pull system is pulled The rods are allowed to "crisscross", that is, the tie rods fixed to the corner castings on the left side intersect with the tie rods 2 fixed to the corner castings on the right side for a more supportive fixation. .

Figure 4 presents a cross section showing the locking head 1 fixed to the container Corner casting (eg component symbol 7). When the locking device 5 is locked in the corner casting 7, the fixing itself is carried out in a manner known to the art.

It can be seen from Figure 4 when the locking head 1 is attached to the corner of the container. At the time of creation 7, the slot 3 is above the horizontal plane L. The horizontal plane L is the height of the center of curvature of the bottom edge of the locking hole of the corner casting. The bottom edge of the locking hole is curved, as is known in the art, although the drawing is not presented at all. When the slot 3 (and thus the shaft 4 of the tie rod 2) is above this plane, the adjustment margin of the tie rod can be better utilized than before. The longer the distance from the intersection of the tie rod to the pivot point of the coupling device and the tie rod, the better the tie rods can be adjusted to each other without interfering with each other.

In addition to the embodiment presented in the drawings, the tie rod and the locking head The joint configuration between them can also be changed to different types. For example, the end of the tie rod can be a (closed or partially open) loop or eyelet through which the locking head is guided. In this case, the tie rod is configured to move a certain distance in the longitudinal direction of the coupling device. Also in this case, the pivot point of the tie rod and the locking head is at least partially above the horizontal plane L.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples, and that they may vary within the scope of the claims presented.

Features that may be presented in the description in conjunction with other features may be used separately from each other if necessary.

1‧‧‧Lock head

2‧‧‧ Pulling rod

3‧‧‧Long slot

4‧‧‧ shaft

5‧‧‧Locking device

7‧‧‧ corner castings

L‧‧‧ water level

Claims (3)

A coupling device for pulling and supporting a container, in particular a container to be transported on a cargo ship, the coupling device comprising a tie rod (2) and a locking head (1) connected thereto, the locking head Including a locking device to lock into the corner castings (7-10) of the container, and between the locking head (1) and the tie rod (2) is a joint configuration that enables the tie rod to be related Moving toward the corner casting and away from the corner casting; the coupling device is characterized in that the joint arrangement is formed by an elongated slot (3) in the locking head (1) and a shaft (4) movably mounted to the pull rod (2) in the slot; and when the lock head (1) is locked into the corner casting (7-10) of the container At this time, the joint is disposed over the horizontal plane (L) of the center of curvature of the bottom edge of the locking hole of the corner casting. The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the slot (3) is curved. A coupling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a recess is formed in the elongated slot (3) of the locking head (1) to facilitate positioning the shaft in its end position.