US20050042069A1 - Transport trolley having pivotable roller housings - Google Patents
Transport trolley having pivotable roller housings Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050042069A1 US20050042069A1 US10/916,816 US91681604A US2005042069A1 US 20050042069 A1 US20050042069 A1 US 20050042069A1 US 91681604 A US91681604 A US 91681604A US 2005042069 A1 US2005042069 A1 US 2005042069A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- trolley
- transport trolley
- roller
- roller housing
- rollers
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G67/00—Loading or unloading vehicles
- B65G67/02—Loading or unloading land vehicles
- B65G67/04—Loading land vehicles
- B65G67/20—Loading covered vehicles
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
- B62B3/00—Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor
- B62B3/04—Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor involving means for grappling or securing in place objects to be carried; Loading or unloading equipment
- B62B3/06—Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor involving means for grappling or securing in place objects to be carried; Loading or unloading equipment for simply clearing the load from the ground
- B62B3/0612—Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor involving means for grappling or securing in place objects to be carried; Loading or unloading equipment for simply clearing the load from the ground power operated
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G67/00—Loading or unloading vehicles
- B65G67/02—Loading or unloading land vehicles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
- B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
- B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
- B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
- B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
- B66F9/0755—Position control; Position detectors
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
- B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
- B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
- B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
- B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
- B66F9/12—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members
Definitions
- This invention relates to a trolley for transporting palletised cargo.
- the invention concerns a trolley having pivotable roller housings for transporting palletised cargo over uneven ground.
- Trolleys for transporting palletised cargo are known.
- a problem with some of the known trolleys is that they are unsuitable for transporting cargo over uneven ground, such as a factory floor, a worn floor of a shipping container or a loading ramp. This is particularly true of trolleys that transport heavy loads, such as 25 tonne loads.
- a transport trolley having:
- rollers mounted within each said roller housing
- the or each roller housing pivots the rollers to maintain contact with the ground.
- the forks may be of any suitable shape, size and construction. Preferably, the forks are shaped for insertion between the blocks of a single-decked pallet.
- the trolley may have any suitable number of forks. Preferably, the trolley has two forks.
- Each fork may have any suitable number of load supports.
- the number of load supports may depend on the length of the forks and the nature of the palletised cargo that the trolley is to transport. Typically, a trolley for transporting loads about 12 m in length will have two load supports per fork, whereas trolleys for transporting 18 m loads will have three load supports per fork.
- each fork has a first load support and a second load support.
- the first and second load supports may be located immediately adjacent one another or they may be spaced from one another.
- the first load support is located at a forward region of each said fork and the second load support is located at a central or rearward region of each said fork. If the second load support is located at the central region, then the trolley may further have one or more ground-contacting wheels mounted to a rear end of the trolley.
- Each fork may have a first spacer arm for spacing the first load support from the second load support.
- the first spacer arm may be of any suitable size, length and construction, it may be adjustable in length, and it may be detachably attachable to the first and/or second load supports.
- the first spacer arm may have a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls.
- the first spacer arm may, for instance, consist of box steel.
- a stiffening member may extend through each first spacer arm from the first load support to the second load support.
- Each fork may include a second spacer arm extending from the second load support to the rear end of the trolley.
- This arm may be of any suitable size, length and construction, it may be adjustable in length, and it may be detachably attachable to the second load support.
- the second spacer arm is of similar construction to the first spacer arm and has a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls.
- the second spacer arm may, for instance, consist of box steel. If necessary, a stiffening member may extend through each such arm.
- Each fork may have additional spacer arms for spacing additional load supports.
- the first and second load supports may be of any suitable shape, size and construction.
- the first and second load supports are of similar construction, and the first and second load supports of one fork are substantially mirror images of the first and second load supports of the other fork.
- each said load support includes a top wall, a bottom wall having an opening through which a said roller housing extends, and sidewalls and end walls surrounding the roller housing.
- the top wall when viewed from above, is preferably octagonal in shape.
- Each load support may further have strengthening walls intermediate the top and bottom walls.
- the top walls of the first and second load supports may be situated above the first and second spacer arms so that the arms are not under load.
- each said load support further includes a peripheral skirt extending between the top and bottom walls.
- the skirt may partly or fully surround the sidewalls, end walls and intermediate walls.
- One or more sections of the skirt may be detachable from the top and bottom walls so that an interior of the load support may be accessed.
- the trolley may have a control tower having one or more compartments for containing, for example, controls, displays, a motor or engine, hydraulic components, electronic components, a battery.
- the forks may be interconnected in any suitable way.
- the forks are preferably interconnected at the rear end of the trolley by a connecting frame.
- the connecting frame may be of any suitable construction.
- the connecting frame may have frame members extending between the forks and extending parallel to the forks.
- the frame members may, for example, consist of metal beams screwed and/or welded to one another and to the forks.
- the connecting frame may further include plates for connecting the control tower to the frame members.
- roller housings may be of any suitable shape, size and construction. If necessary, additional roller housings may be mounted to parts of the forks other than to the load supports.
- each roller housing has a pitched roof with sidewalls and end walls extending from the roof.
- the pitched roof provides the roller housing with additional space for rocking.
- each said roller housing may be pivotally connected to the load supports in any suitable way.
- each said roller housing includes a pin extending through said sidewalls of said roller housing and said sidewalls of the respective load support, and the roof may pivot relative to the pin. In this way, the roller housing may pivot in a rocking motion beneath the top wall of the load support.
- each roller housing includes forked roller frames and pins for connecting the rollers to the forked roller frames and for connecting the forked roller frames to the sidewalls of the roller housing.
- each roller housing forward-, mid- and rearward-pairs of rollers are mounted within each roller housing.
- the forward- and rearward-pairs of rollers of each roller housing are substituted for single, more elongate rollers. Such rollers may reduce the amount of damage to the ground over which the trolley travels.
- each roll housing has one or more additional rollers (idlers) for load sharing purposes.
- each roller housing has a single forward roller, a single rearward roller, and a mid-pair of rollers.
- each roller housing preferably includes forked roller frames that are pivotally connected to the sidewalls of the roller housing.
- each said roller housing includes a hydraulic lifting cylinder for moving the rollers between extended and retracted positions.
- a housing of the lifting cylinder may be pivotally connected to the roof and a piston of the cylinder may be pivotally connected to a said pin connecting the mid-pair of rollers to their respective forked roller frames.
- each said roller housing may have tie members interconnecting the rollers such that when the mid-pair of rollers pivots, all of the rollers of the roller housing pivot.
- Each roller housing may further include a pivotable tie support member extending between each said tie member and a sidewall or roof of the roller housing. The tie support members may help prevent the tie members from buckling when under load.
- each roller housing further includes three idlers connected to the tie members.
- the trolley may have pressure sensors for confirming that a load has been fully lifted or fully lowered. Such sensors are well known in the art.
- the forks may be positioned between blocks of a pallet carrying cargo with the rollers in the retracted position, and in order to lift the palletised cargo, the rollers may be moved to the extended position, at which time the load supports bear against deckboards of the pallet.
- the trolley may have a motor such that the trolley is self-propelling.
- the motor may be located at the rear end of the trolley.
- the motor may power the hydraulic lifting cylinders.
- the trolley may be propelled manually or by any vehicle having sufficient tractive effort and braking capacity.
- the trolley may be propelled by, for example, a forklift truck or by a hydraulic arm of a crane.
- the rear end of the trolley may be coupled to the forklift truck or to the hydraulic arm of a crane in any suitable way.
- the second spacer arms may have pockets for tynes of a forklift truck at the rear end of the trolley, and/or the trolley may be coupled to a forklift truck with a chain.
- the forklift truck or crane may power the hydraulic and electrical systems of the trolley.
- the trolley may have a steering system that enables the trolley to be steered manually and/or automatically.
- the steering system may be any suitable type of system known to persons skilled in the art. A preferred steering system is described in the applicant's co-pending application, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
- FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a transport trolley (with some details omitted) according to an embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the trolley of FIG. 1 (with some details omitted) with a front end of the trolley raised relative to a rear end of the trolley;
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of the trolley of FIG. 1 (with some details omitted);
- FIG. 4 represents front end views of part of the trolley of FIG. 1 when raised (a) and lowered (b);
- FIG. 5 is a part detailed top plan view of a rear load support of the trolley of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 6 is a part detailed side elevation view of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a part detailed side elevation view of FIG. 5 but rotated 180 degrees about the horizontal plane;
- FIG. 8 is a detailed end view of FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken through plane A-A of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 10 is a detailed top plan view of a roller housing and rollers of the trolley of FIG. 1 with the rollers in a retracted position;
- FIG. 11 is a detailed side elevation view of FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 12 is the same as FIG. 10 but with the rollers in an extended position
- FIG. 13 is a detailed side elevation view of FIG. 12 ;
- FIG. 14 is a detailed top plan view chiefly of a front load support and roller housing of the trolley of FIG. 1 when steered straight;
- FIG. 15 is the same as FIG. 14 but the roller housing is being steered to the right;
- FIG. 16 is the same as FIG. 14 but the roller housing is being steered to the left;
- FIG. 17 is a detailed side elevation view of a hydraulic steering cylinder of the trolley shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 18 is a detailed front elevation view of FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 19 is a detailed rear elevation view of FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 20 is a partly detailed exploded plan view of FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 21 is a detailed side elevation view of a cylinder housing of the hydraulic steering cylinder shown in FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 22 is a detailed plan view of a rear part of the trolley of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 23 is a sectional side elevation view taken through plane A-A of FIG. 22 ;
- FIG. 24 is a detailed side elevation view of an incremental rotary encoder and wheel assembly of the trolley of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 25 is a detailed top plan view of FIG. 24 ;
- FIG. 26 is a partly cross sectioned end view of FIG. 24 ;
- FIG. 27 is a schematic showing how a distance monitor of a steering system of the trolley of FIG. 1 operates;
- FIG. 28 shows a control panel and display of the trolley of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 29 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for the trolley of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 30 is a part detailed front elevation view of a pallet for use with the trolley of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 31 is a detailed side elevation view of part of the pallet of FIG. 30 ;
- FIG. 32 is a detailed plan view of the pallet of FIG. 30 ;
- FIG. 33 is a detailed top plan view of part of a roller housing for the trolley of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the invention, and the rollers are shown in a retracted position;
- FIG. 34 is a detailed side elevation view of FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 35 is the same as FIG. 33 but with the rollers in an extended position
- FIG. 36 is a detailed side elevation view of FIG. 35 ;
- FIG. 37 is a sectional view of a hydraulic ram of the roller housing shown in FIG. 33 when in a fully retracted position;
- FIG. 38 shows the hydraulic ram of FIG. 37 when in a fully extended position
- FIG. 39 is a detailed plan view of part of the roller housing and rollers shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 40 is a detailed side elevation view of part of the roller housing and rollers shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 41 depicts the trolley of FIG. 33 being driven into a shipping container.
- FIGS. 1 to 3 show a trolley 1 for transporting palletised cargo.
- the trolley 1 has two parallel spaced forks 2 each having two load supports 4 , 5 , a roller housing 6 pivotally connected to each load support 4 , 5 , and rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 mounted within each roller housing 6 .
- a connecting frame 15 interconnects the forks 2 at a rear end of the trolley 1 .
- a control tower 16 having multiple storage compartments, is connected to the frame 15 .
- a first pair of load supports 4 is located at a front end of the trolley 1 and a second pair of load supports 5 is located between the first pair 4 and the rear end of the trolley 1 .
- the first 4 and second 5 pairs of load supports are of similar construction, and the load supports 4 , 5 of one fork 2 are substantially mirror images of the load supports 4 , 5 of the other fork 2 .
- each load support 4 , 5 is of octagonal appearance.
- each second load support 5 has a top wall 20 , a bottom wall 21 having an opening 22 through which the roller housing 6 extends, as well as a pair of sidewalls 23 , 25 and a pair of end walls 24 , 26 that surround the roller housing 6 .
- Further structural walls 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 intermediate the top 20 and bottom walls 21 extend from end walls 24 and 26 .
- the bottom wall 21 has a flat central portion 380 , ramp portions 381 , 382 extending upwardly from portion 380 , and flat portions 383 , 384 extending from ramp portions 381 and 382 .
- Each first load support 4 includes a top wall 20 , a bottom wall (not shown) having an opening through which the roller housing 6 extends, as well as sidewalls 23 , 25 and end walls 24 , 26 that surround the roller housing 6 . Further structural walls 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 intermediate the top 20 and bottom walls extend from end walls 24 and 26 .
- Casings 49 , 50 containing spherical bearings 60 , 61 are located within openings of sidewalls 23 and 25 .
- Identical casings and spherical bearings are located in sidewalls 23 and 25 of each second load support 5 .
- the openings are clearly shown for load support 5 in FIGS. 6 and 7 , and have been labeled with numerals 51 and 52 .
- a peripheral skirt 31 , 32 extends between the top 20 and bottom 21 walls and surrounds walls 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 .
- Brackets (not shown) extend from the top 20 and bottom 21 walls, and sections of the skirt 31 , 32 are detachably attached thereto with screws. The skirt 31 , 32 sections may be removed for ready access to internal parts of the load supports 4 , 5 .
- a first spacer arm 70 spaces the first load support 4 from the second load support 5 .
- the first spacer arms 70 of each fork 2 are of similar construction, each having a top wall 71 , a bottom wall 72 and a pair of sidewalls 73 , 74 .
- an end portion 75 of each sidewall 73 , 74 flares outwardly and locks behind inwardly directed portions 43 of the skirt 31 , 32 of load support 4 .
- Portions 75 are welded to portions 43 .
- the other ends of sidewalls 73 and 74 extend alongside walls 29 and 30 of load support 5 and are welded to end wall 26 (see FIG. 5 ).
- a stiffening member 33 extends through first spacer arm 70 from end wall 24 of the first load support 4 to end wall 26 of the second load support 5 .
- a second spacer arm 80 extends from each second load support 5 to the rear end of the trolley 1 . This is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 .
- the second spacer arms 80 are of similar construction to one another and to the first spacer arms 70 in that they each have a top wall 81 , a bottom wall 82 and a pair of sidewalls 83 , 84 .
- An end portion of each sidewall 83 , 84 flares outwardly and locks behind inwardly directed portions of the skirt 31 , 32 (not shown), as described earlier for load support 4 .
- stiffening member 85 extends within spacer arm 80 to end wall 24 of the second load support 5 .
- the top walls 20 of the load supports 4 , 5 are slightly raised relative to the top walls 71 , 81 of the spacer arms 70 , 80 as the load supports 4 , 5 bear the load.
- the load supports 4 , 5 and spacer arms 70 , 80 consist of steel plates fitted and welded together. Stainless steel can be used for those parts of the trolley 1 exposed to corrosive agents.
- the stiffening members 33 , 85 each consist of a metal plate welded on its bottom edge to the bottom walls 21 , 72 , 82 .
- the connecting frame 15 has three frame members 90 , 91 , 92 extending between the forks 2 , various frame members 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 extending parallel to the forks 2 between frame members 90 , 91 and 92 , and plates 98 , 99 .
- Frame members 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 and 97 consist of metal beams and these are screwed and/or welded to one another and to the sidewalls 84 of spacer arms 80 .
- Frame members 90 , 91 and 92 have end flanges 36 for bolting to sidewalls 84 .
- Front 98 and rear plates 99 connect the control tower 16 to frame members 91 and 92 .
- a pair of ground-contacting wheels 100 are connected to forked frames 102 with pins 101 , and the forked frames 102 are connected to frame members 92 , 96 and 97 .
- each roller housing 6 has a slightly pitched roof 110 , a pair of end walls 111 , 112 and a pair of sidewalls 113 , 114 .
- a bush 115 is located at each sidewall 113 , 114 .
- a pin 116 extends through the bushes 115 and into the spherical bearings 60 , 61 such that the roller housing 6 may pivot beneath the top plate 20 of the load support 4 , 5 .
- Each roller housing 6 has carbon-steel rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 that may be extended from the housing 6 and partly retracted into the housing 6 .
- Four forked roller frames 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 are pivotally connected to the sidewalls 113 , 114 with pins 125 , 126 , 127 that extend through sleeves 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 of the forked roller frames 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 and further through openings of the sidewalls 113 , 114 .
- a forward roller 7 is pinned to forked roller frame 120
- a mid-pair of rollers 9 , 10 is pinned to forked roller frames 121 and 122 with a single pin 144
- a single rearward roller 13 is pinned to forked roller frame 123 .
- a pair of tie rods 180 , 181 is pinned to each of the forked roller frames 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 so that the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 pivot in unison.
- Idler rollers 8 , 11 and 12 are pinned to the tie rods 180 , 181 and help distribute the load.
- a pair of pivotable tie rod support members 135 , 136 prevent the tie rods 180 , 181 from buckling when the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 have been extended and the trolley 1 is under load.
- An upper end of each tie rod support member 135 , 136 is pinned to a roller housing sidewall 113 , 114 and a lower end of each tie rod support member 135 , 136 is pinned to a tie rod 180 , 181 .
- Hydraulic lifting cylinders 140 extend and retract the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 in unison relative to the roller housing 6 such that the trolley 1 may be raised and lowered.
- a bracket 141 extends from the roof 110 of the roller housing 6 and an end of the lifting cylinder 140 is pivotally mounted thereto with a pin 142 .
- a piston 143 of the lifting cylinder 140 is pivotally connected to pin 144 by way of pin 144 extending through an end ring of the piston 143 .
- the forks 2 are shaped for insertion between the blocks of a single-decked pallet and the load supports 4 , 5 can raise the deckboards of the pallet.
- FIGS. 30, 31 and 32 show a suitably configured pallet 250 for use with the trolley. The arrows shown in FIGS. 30 and 32 indicate entry points for the forks 2 .
- the trolley 1 may be propelled by a forklift truck. Tynes of a forklift truck (not shown) may engage openings provided by spacer arms 80 at the rear end of the trolley 1 .
- the forklift truck may be further chained or otherwise secured to the trolley 1 so that the trolley 1 may be pulled in reverse.
- the trolley 1 has a steering system for steering both the front and rear roller housings 6 , and for steering the front roller housings 6 independently of the rear roller housings 6 .
- the steering system includes: a drive system for actually turning the roller housings 6 ; distance monitors for monitoring the distance between the trolley 1 and a nearby object, such as a container sidewall; an incremental rotary encoder for monitoring the traveling direction of the trolley 1 , the distance traveled by the trolley 1 and the speed of the trolley 1 ; and, an electronic control system for coordinating and controlling the said components of the steering system.
- the drive system is illustrated in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 , and includes hydraulic steering cylinders 150 for steering the roller housings 6 .
- Each roller housing 6 is steered by a single steering cylinder 150 in a similar manner.
- steering cylinder 150 is mounted within opening 51 of sidewall 23 of each load support 4 , 5 .
- Casing 50 for spherical bearing 60 is also located within the opening 51 and the casing 50 is connected to a piston 151 of the steering cylinder 150 .
- Upper and lower edges of the sidewall 23 defining the opening 51 are located within longitudinal grooves (not shown) of the casing 50 , and this arrangement enables the casing 50 to slide within the opening 51 in a controlled manner when the piston 151 of the steering cylinder 150 extends and retracts.
- the piston 151 has an 8 mm stroke. Whilst spherical bearing 60 and casing 50 are slidable by the piston 151 , the other spherical bearing 61 and casing 49 , mounted within opening 52 at the other end of pin 116 , are not slidable.
- the piston 151 is movable between three positions. In a mid (neutral) position the roller housing 6 is steered straight, as see in FIG. 14 . In an extended position the roller housing 6 is steered left about 0.75 degrees relative to the mid position, as seen in FIG. 16 , and in a retracted position the roller housing 6 is steered right about 0.75 degrees relative to the mid position, as seen in FIG. 15 .
- FIGS. 17 to 21 show details of the hydraulic steering cylinder 150 .
- the steering cylinder 150 has a body 160 containing a large bore 161 and a small bore 162 (best seen in FIG. 21 ).
- a shoulder 163 is present at the point where the large bore 161 and the small bore 162 meet.
- Large bore 161 has a proximal end 164 at the shoulder 163 and a distal end 165 .
- Small bore 162 has a proximal end 166 and a distal end 167 at the shoulder 163 .
- a large floating piston 168 moves slidably on a shaft 169 within large bore 161 between the shoulder 163 and a gland 170 at the distal end 165 of the bore 161 .
- a small piston 171 located within in small bore 162 , is connected to an end of shaft 169 .
- the small piston 171 moves slidably within the small bore 162 between the large piston 168 and an end wall 172 of the body 160 .
- the shaft 169 moves slidably through part of the small bore 162 , large bore 161 and gland 170 .
- the shaft 169 has been referred to earlier as piston 151 . O-rings extending about shaft 169 and pistons 168 and 171 have not been illustrated.
- a first port 175 extends to the distal end 165 of large bore 161
- a second port 177 extends to the proximal end 166 of small bore 162
- a third port 176 extends to the proximal end 164 of large bore 161 . That is, ports 176 and 177 can direct hydraulic fluid to opposite sides of small piston 171 , and ports 176 and 175 can direct hydraulic fluid to opposite sides of large floating piston 168 .
- hydraulic fluid is directed to the distal end 165 of large bore 161 via port 175 .
- Hydraulic fluid from the proximal end 164 of large bore 161 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 (as shown in FIG. 29 ) via port 176 .
- Hydraulic fluid is also directed to the proximal end 166 of small bore 162 via port 177 . Since there is higher fluid pressure in large bore 161 than in small bore 162 , large floating piston 168 is forced against the shoulder 163 and small piston 171 is forced against piston 168 .
- hydraulic fluid within the distal end 165 of bore 161 is directed via port 175 to the reservoir assembly 304 , and as the distal end 165 is vacated of hydraulic fluid, the shaft 169 extends 8 mm from within the body 160 .
- hydraulic fluid is directed to the distal end 165 via port 175 , and large floating piston 168 is again forced against shoulder 163 .
- hydraulic fluid is directed to the proximal end 164 of bore 161 via port 176 , and hydraulic fluid within the proximal end 166 of small bore 162 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 via port 177 .
- the shaft 169 slides through large floating piston 168 and the piston 151 retracts 8 mm.
- hydraulic fluid is redirected to the proximal end 166 of bore 162 via port 177 , hydraulic fluid within the proximal end 164 of bore 161 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 via port 176 , and small piston 171 slides against large piston 168 .
- FIGS. 22, 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 show a pivotable wheel assembly 200 having the incremental rotary encoder 201 (model number RIB-50-0500-Z-T, marketed by Bell Electronics).
- a drive shaft 203 rotates the encoder 201 and the encoder 201 signals the direction of travel and the distance covered by the trolley 1 .
- the encoder 201 also enables the speed of the trolley 1 to be calculated. These parameters may be displayed on a display of the electronic control system.
- the wheel 202 may be raised up off the ground when not in use. This may help prevent the encoder 201 from being damaged when the trolley 1 is being moved between locations and not for container loading purposes.
- a tow bar 205 is pivotally connected to a bracket 206 of rear plate 99 with a pin 207 .
- a pivot arm 208 is connected to the encoder 201 and an end of the pivot arm 208 is pivotally connected to a bracket 209 of frame member 92 with a pin 210 .
- a cable 211 extends through an opening of the rear plate 99 and over frame member 92 , and has ends secured to both the tow bar 205 and an upper end of the pivot arm 208 .
- the pivot arm 208 raises the wheel 202 up off the ground.
- a first distance monitor 220 is located within the front load support 4 and a second distance monitor 221 is located within the second load support 5 .
- Each monitor 220 , 221 is a photoelectric sensor (model number WTA 24-P5201 S01 marketed by Sick Pty Ltd) and emits a beam of light through an opening in skirt 31 of each load support 4 , 5 .
- the location of monitor 221 is approximately shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 by numeral 390 . It may also be necessary to provide the pallet 250 with openings 251 (as shown in FIG. 31 ) so as to not impede the light beam emitted by each monitor 220 , 221 .
- the electronic control system enables the steering of the trolley 1 to be carried out automatically or manually.
- the electronic control system automatically activates the steering cylinders 150 to correct the direction of travel of the trolley 1 when a fork 2 has moved from a pre-set distance from, say, a container sidewall.
- the pre-set distance is defined by a maximum distance allowable from the container sidewall and a minimum distance allowable from the container sidewall. Since containers are usually of constant width, only one container sidewall need be monitored. For simplicity and cost, the monitors 220 , 221 may only be mounted to a single fork 2 .
- the electronic control system includes a control panel 500 and a display 260 for informing an operator of the trolley 1 of both the position of the trolley 1 relative to the container sidewall and that the correct direction of steering is being employed.
- the control panel 500 also enables the operator to steer the trolley 1 manually. This may be of importance when precision steering is not necessary or when there is a systems fault with the automatic steering of the trolley 1 .
- the display 260 has a top row 261 of coloured lights (“R” for red, “A” for amber, “G” for green) that illuminate to indicate the position of monitor 220 in relation to the container sidewall.
- the display 260 has a bottom row 262 of coloured lights which illuminate to indicate the position of monitor 221 in relation to the container sidewall.
- Buttons 263 illuminate to indicate the direction of manual or automatic steering.
- a red light will illuminate when a monitor 220 , 221 is either at the maximum or minimum distance allowable from a sidewall (and a collision with either sidewall is imminent), and a green light will illuminate when a monitor 220 , 221 is at an optimal distance from the sidewall.
- An amber light will illuminate when a monitor 220 , 221 is between the optimal distance and the maximum/minimum distance allowable.
- the control panel 500 has press buttons 502 that enable the trolley 1 to be steered manually, as well as press buttons 501 that activate the lifting cylinders 140 to either extend or retract the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 .
- a selector switch 503 is used to select between manual and automatic steering.
- a selector switch 504 overrides the rotary encoder 201 and is used to select forward or reverse steering.
- the control tower 16 has an upper compartment 290 for housing the display 260 and lower compartments 291 for housing a battery, a DC motor driven pump unit powered by the battery, hydraulic equipment (as per FIG. 29 ), computer circuitry of the electronic control system, and the control panel 500 .
- a cable 505 connects the control panel 500 to circuitry within the control tower 16 .
- Hydraulic hoses and electrical cables extend from the control tower 16 and within the spacer arms 70 , 80 and between the sidewalls 23 , 25 and skirt 31 , 32 of the load supports 4 , 5 to each lifting cylinder 140 , steering cylinder 150 and monitor 220 , 221 .
- FIG. 29 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for the trolley 1 showing: a strainer 321 ; a breather 320 ; a temperature/low oil sight glass 319 ; an accumulator dump valve 318 ; a 200 bar pressure switch 317 ; a check valve 316 ; a pressure gauge 315 ; a flow control 314 ; a 75 bar pressure switch 313 ; a 65 bar accumulator 312 ; steering cylinders 150 ; lifting cylinders 140 ; 280 bar counterbalance cartridges 309 ; a return filter 308 ; a 175 bar pressure switch 307 ; a check valve 306 ; a manifold 305 ; a reservoir assembly 304 ; directional controls 303 ; a 210 bar relief valve 302 ; and, a 250 bar pump unit 301 .
- the pump unit 301 When power is applied to the trolley 1 , the pump unit 301 starts under no pressure by directional control 303 g freely circulating hydraulic fluid back to the reservoir assembly 304 until directional control 303 g is closed by its solenoid. Pressure switches 307 , 313 and 317 automatically activate the pump unit 301 to pressurise the accumulator 312 to a preset pressure. When the pressure within the accumulator 312 falls to a predetermined value, then the pump unit 301 is again activated. Hydraulic fluid is stored in the accumulator 312 under pressure in order to eliminate frequent stopping and starting of the pump unit 301 whilst the steering cylinders 150 are in operation.
- hydraulic fluid is stored in the accumulator 312 and check valve 316 must be under pressure. Hydraulic fluid is then directed to and drained from select ports 175 , 176 , 177 of select steering cylinders 150 by way of directional controls 303 c , 303 d, 303 e and 303 f using control panel 500 , as described earlier. Should fluid pressure fall below the predetermined pressure of pressure switch 313 , then the accumulator 312 is re-pressurised as described earlier. The accumulator dump valve 318 must be open for service to release stored fluid pressure.
- the pump unit 301 In order to raise a load, the pump unit 301 starts under no pressure, directional controls 303 a and 303 g are closed using control panel 500 , hydraulic fluid then travels to the lifting cylinders 140 and the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 extend from the housing 16 .
- the pump unit 301 continues to run until a predetermined pressure is reached (as determined by pressure switch 317 ), ensuring that the heaviest load is completely raised.
- the pump unit 301 operates until a medium pressure is achieved and directional controls 303 g and 303 b are opened.
- a shipping container is positioned at an end of a loading platform.
- the container and loading platform are aligned straight by a suitable positioning system.
- a reflector guard having a substantially identical profile as an internal sidewall of the container, is positioned on the loading platform in the plane of the internal sidewall.
- the electronic control system of the trolley 1 is programmed with the pre-set distance by scanning the reflector guard 280 with the monitor 220 located at the first load support 4 . Since most container sidewalls are corrugated, the reflector guard 280 can have a corrugated profile, and the programming of the pre-set distance will take into account the undulating surface. Steering is achieved by periodically taking maximum and minimum sensor distance readings, then taking an average of those readings and steering to a longitudinally extending central plane 281 of the corrugations.
- the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 retracted, the forks 2 are driven between the blocks of the pallet 250 such that the monitors 220 , 221 align with openings 251 of the pallet 250 .
- the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 are then extended using the lifting cylinders 140 , the load supports 4 , 5 bear against the deckboards of the pallet 250 and the cargo is raised up off the ground.
- the lifting cylinders 140 may exert a 50 tonne force and may be able to lift a load of about 30 tonnes.
- the trolley 1 is then driven into the container. If the trolley 1 travels over uneven ground, one or more roller housing 6 will pivot the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 to maintain contact with the ground and in this way evenly distribute the weight of the cargo.
- the monitors 220 , 221 signal the electronic control system and the electronic control system activates the steering cylinders 150 to steer the roller housings 6 so that each monitor 220 , 221 is kept at the pre-set distance from the container sidewall. The position of each monitor 220 , 221 relative to the container sidewall is monitored by way of the display 260 .
- the electronic control system will select appropriate directional controls 303 to actuate the steering cylinders 150 and to steer the roller housings 6 towards the container sidewall until the monitors 220 , 221 sense that the fork 2 is once again at the pre-set distance.
- the electronic control system will select appropriate directional controls 303 to actuate the steering cylinders 150 and to steer the roller housings 6 away from the container sidewall until the monitors 220 , 221 sense that the fork 2 is once again at the pre-set distance.
- a red light on the display 260 would indicate to the operator to stop the trolley 1 immediately and to reverse out as a collision with the sidewall is imminent.
- the rotary encoder 201 differentiates between forward and reverse directions, and when reversing the trolley 1 out of the container, the roller housings 6 are steered in an opposite direction to that when the trolley 1 is being driven forwards.
- the steering system enables a cargo-laden trolley to be accurately and automatically steered within the confines of a cargo container, within about 15 mm of the container sidewalls.
- the invention is particularly suitable for loads up to about 30 tonnes and 12 m in length.
- the present invention overcomes the difficulties with steering a cargo-laden trolley manually within the confines of a shipping container and minimizes the problem of inefficient utilisation of the container.
- the pivotable roller housings 6 ensure that the rollers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 maintain contact with the ground at all times and in this way overcomes the problem of uneven weight distribution of cargo when traveling over uneven ground.
- FIGS. 33 to 40 illustrate part of a roller housing 600 and rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 for trolley 1 according to another embodiment of the invention.
- Each roller housing 600 has a slightly pitched roof 610 , a pair of end walls 611 , 612 and a pair of sidewalls 613 , 614 .
- a pin 616 extends through the sidewalls 613 , 614 and into spherical bearings 60 , 61 as described earlier such that the roller housing 600 may pivot beneath the top plate 20 of the load support.
- Six carbon-steel rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 may be extended from the housing 600 and partly retracted into the housing 600 .
- the rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 extend between opposing sidewalls 701 , 702 of a rectangular roller carriage 620 .
- Two hydraulic rams 630 extend and retract the carriage 620 relative to the housing 600 such that the trolley 1 may be raised and lowered.
- Rams 630 provide greater clearance between the ground and the housing 600 as compared with lifting cylinder 140 illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 13 .
- a housing of each ram 630 is connected to roof 610 and a piston 632 of each ram 630 is connected to a crosspiece 634 of carriage 620 .
- Each ram 630 has a body 660 containing a bore 661 , a first piston 662 containing a bore 663 , a second piston 664 containing a bore 665 , and a third piston 666 (earlier referred to with numeral 632 ).
- the pistons 662 , 664 and 666 are slidable relative to the body 660 as well as to each other between a fully retracted position (as shown in FIG. 37 ) and a fully extended position (as shown in FIG. 38 ).
- piston 666 In the fully retracted position, piston 666 is retracted within bore 665 , piston 664 is retracted within bore 663 , and piston 662 is retracted within bore 661 .
- a rim 685 of piston 662 abuts a shoulder 680 of body 660
- a rim 686 of piston 664 abuts a shoulder 681 of piston 662
- a rim 683 of piston 666 abuts a shoulder 682 of piston 664 .
- First 670 and second 671 ports for hydraulic fluid extend to bore 661 .
- a third port 672 extends between bore 661 and bore 663
- a fourth port 673 extends between bore 663 and bore 665 .
- hydraulic fluid is delivered to bore 661 via port 670
- each of bores 661 , 663 and 665 fills with hydraulic fluid.
- hydraulic fluid is withdrawn from bores 661 , 663 and 665 via port 670 , after which hydraulic fluid is introduced to bores 661 , 663 and 665 via ports 671 , 672 and 673 .
- FIGS. 33 and 35 Due to the low bearing areas of the rams 630 (ie. their inability to withstand high side loads), four sets of vertically extending guides 640 , 641 , 642 are used for guiding the carriage 620 between the extended and retracted positions.
- the guides 640 , 641 , 642 are shown in part in FIGS. 33 and 35 .
- Vertical guide member 640 is pinned to carriage 620 and vertical guide member 642 is pinned to sidewall 613 or 614 .
- Both guide members 640 and 642 have a tongue 645 extending towards vertical guide member 641 .
- Opposing grooves 646 of guide member 641 receive the tongues 645 .
- Guide members 640 , 641 and 642 are of similar length, and guide member 641 is slidable along both guide members 640 and 642 between set points.
- FIGS. 39 and 40 show, in part, a load-sharing suspension arrangement for the rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 .
- the load-sharing suspension arrangement has been omitted from FIGS. 33 to 36 ).
- Openings 700 in sidewalls 701 and 702 of the carriage 620 are located adjacent the ends of the rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 .
- a block 710 is slidably mounted within each opening 700 and an end of each roller 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 is pinned thereto.
- a hydraulic suspension cylinder 720 is located within each opening 700 above rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 and 606 .
- a piston 721 of cylinder 720 is connected to block 710 .
- Hydraulic lines 722 interconnect all cylinders 720 of the roller housing 600 together in a static condition.
- each piston 721 retracts and hydraulic fluid is transferred to cylinders 720 of the other rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 via lines 722 until the pressure is transferred evenly between the rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 .
- Each piston 721 has a maximum stroke of 10 mm.
- the load-sharing suspension arrangement improves load sharing on all rollers 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 and together with the rocking motion of the roller housing 600 enables the trolley 1 to negotiated greater variations in loading ramp and container floor angles and ground irregularities.
- FIG. 41 depicts how the trolley 1 carrying a load 750 may be driven into a shipping container 751 .
- a ramp 752 extends between a loading platform 753 and truck 754 carrying the container 751 .
- the ramp 752 may be, for instance, a drawbridge or telescopically extendable, it may be hydraulically driven.
- An end of the ramp 752 has twist lock arrangements 755 for connecting to openings of the container 751 .
- the twist lock arrangements 755 enable the ramp 752 to adjust its angle of inclination as the height of the container 751 changes under the weight of the trolley 1 .
- the particular ramp 752 shown in FIG. 41 is telescopic and also adjusts in length as the ramp's 752 angle of inclination adjusts under the weight of the trolley 1 .
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Abstract
A transport trolley is disclosed and which includes at least two spaced forks, each having at least two load supports; a roller housing pivotally connected to each of the load supports; and rollers mounted within each of the roller housings.
Description
- This invention relates to a trolley for transporting palletised cargo. In particular, the invention concerns a trolley having pivotable roller housings for transporting palletised cargo over uneven ground.
- Trolleys for transporting palletised cargo are known. A problem with some of the known trolleys is that they are unsuitable for transporting cargo over uneven ground, such as a factory floor, a worn floor of a shipping container or a loading ramp. This is particularly true of trolleys that transport heavy loads, such as 25 tonne loads.
- It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a transport trolley that overcomes or at least minimises the problem referred to above.
- According to the present invention there is provided a transport trolley having:
- at least two interconnected, parallel, spaced forks each having at least two load supports;
- a roller housing pivotally connected to each said load support; and
- rollers mounted within each said roller housing,
- and when the trolley moves over uneven ground, the or each roller housing pivots the rollers to maintain contact with the ground.
- The forks may be of any suitable shape, size and construction. Preferably, the forks are shaped for insertion between the blocks of a single-decked pallet. The trolley may have any suitable number of forks. Preferably, the trolley has two forks.
- Each fork may have any suitable number of load supports. The number of load supports may depend on the length of the forks and the nature of the palletised cargo that the trolley is to transport. Typically, a trolley for transporting loads about 12 m in length will have two load supports per fork, whereas trolleys for transporting 18 m loads will have three load supports per fork.
- Preferably, each fork has a first load support and a second load support. The first and second load supports may be located immediately adjacent one another or they may be spaced from one another. Preferably, the first load support is located at a forward region of each said fork and the second load support is located at a central or rearward region of each said fork. If the second load support is located at the central region, then the trolley may further have one or more ground-contacting wheels mounted to a rear end of the trolley.
- Each fork may have a first spacer arm for spacing the first load support from the second load support. The first spacer arm may be of any suitable size, length and construction, it may be adjustable in length, and it may be detachably attachable to the first and/or second load supports. The first spacer arm may have a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls. The first spacer arm may, for instance, consist of box steel.
- If necessary, a stiffening member may extend through each first spacer arm from the first load support to the second load support.
- Each fork may include a second spacer arm extending from the second load support to the rear end of the trolley. This arm may be of any suitable size, length and construction, it may be adjustable in length, and it may be detachably attachable to the second load support. Preferably, the second spacer arm is of similar construction to the first spacer arm and has a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls. The second spacer arm may, for instance, consist of box steel. If necessary, a stiffening member may extend through each such arm.
- Each fork may have additional spacer arms for spacing additional load supports.
- The first and second load supports may be of any suitable shape, size and construction. Preferably, the first and second load supports are of similar construction, and the first and second load supports of one fork are substantially mirror images of the first and second load supports of the other fork.
- Preferably, each said load support includes a top wall, a bottom wall having an opening through which a said roller housing extends, and sidewalls and end walls surrounding the roller housing. The top wall, when viewed from above, is preferably octagonal in shape.
- Each load support may further have strengthening walls intermediate the top and bottom walls. The top walls of the first and second load supports may be situated above the first and second spacer arms so that the arms are not under load.
- Preferably, each said load support further includes a peripheral skirt extending between the top and bottom walls. The skirt may partly or fully surround the sidewalls, end walls and intermediate walls. One or more sections of the skirt may be detachable from the top and bottom walls so that an interior of the load support may be accessed.
- The trolley may have a control tower having one or more compartments for containing, for example, controls, displays, a motor or engine, hydraulic components, electronic components, a battery.
- The forks may be interconnected in any suitable way. The forks are preferably interconnected at the rear end of the trolley by a connecting frame. The connecting frame may be of any suitable construction. The connecting frame may have frame members extending between the forks and extending parallel to the forks. The frame members may, for example, consist of metal beams screwed and/or welded to one another and to the forks. The connecting frame may further include plates for connecting the control tower to the frame members.
- The roller housings may be of any suitable shape, size and construction. If necessary, additional roller housings may be mounted to parts of the forks other than to the load supports.
- Preferably, each roller housing has a pitched roof with sidewalls and end walls extending from the roof. The pitched roof provides the roller housing with additional space for rocking.
- The roller housings may be pivotally connected to the load supports in any suitable way. Preferably, each said roller housing includes a pin extending through said sidewalls of said roller housing and said sidewalls of the respective load support, and the roof may pivot relative to the pin. In this way, the roller housing may pivot in a rocking motion beneath the top wall of the load support.
- Any suitable number of rollers may be mounted within each roller housing. Any suitable type of roller may be used. (The term “roller” as used herein is to be understood as being synonymous with the term “wheel”). The rollers may be mounted in any suitable way. Preferably, each roller housing includes forked roller frames and pins for connecting the rollers to the forked roller frames and for connecting the forked roller frames to the sidewalls of the roller housing.
- In one embodiment, forward-, mid- and rearward-pairs of rollers are mounted within each roller housing. In another embodiment, the forward- and rearward-pairs of rollers of each roller housing are substituted for single, more elongate rollers. Such rollers may reduce the amount of damage to the ground over which the trolley travels. In yet another embodiment, each roll housing has one or more additional rollers (idlers) for load sharing purposes. In a preferred embodiment, each roller housing has a single forward roller, a single rearward roller, and a mid-pair of rollers.
- The height of the load supports may be adjustable and this may be achieved in any suitable way. Preferably, the load supports are height adjustable by extending and retracting the rollers relative to the roller housings. To this end, each roller housing preferably includes forked roller frames that are pivotally connected to the sidewalls of the roller housing.
- The rollers may be extended and retracted by any suitable mechanism. Preferably, each said roller housing includes a hydraulic lifting cylinder for moving the rollers between extended and retracted positions. A housing of the lifting cylinder may be pivotally connected to the roof and a piston of the cylinder may be pivotally connected to a said pin connecting the mid-pair of rollers to their respective forked roller frames.
- Preferably, the rollers of a roller housing are pivoted in unison. To this end, each said roller housing may have tie members interconnecting the rollers such that when the mid-pair of rollers pivots, all of the rollers of the roller housing pivot. Each roller housing may further include a pivotable tie support member extending between each said tie member and a sidewall or roof of the roller housing. The tie support members may help prevent the tie members from buckling when under load. Preferably, for load sharing purposes, each roller housing further includes three idlers connected to the tie members.
- The trolley may have pressure sensors for confirming that a load has been fully lifted or fully lowered. Such sensors are well known in the art.
- In order to load the trolley with cargo, the forks may be positioned between blocks of a pallet carrying cargo with the rollers in the retracted position, and in order to lift the palletised cargo, the rollers may be moved to the extended position, at which time the load supports bear against deckboards of the pallet.
- The trolley may have a motor such that the trolley is self-propelling. The motor may be located at the rear end of the trolley. The motor may power the hydraulic lifting cylinders. Alternatively, the trolley may be propelled manually or by any vehicle having sufficient tractive effort and braking capacity. The trolley may be propelled by, for example, a forklift truck or by a hydraulic arm of a crane. The rear end of the trolley may be coupled to the forklift truck or to the hydraulic arm of a crane in any suitable way. For instance, the second spacer arms may have pockets for tynes of a forklift truck at the rear end of the trolley, and/or the trolley may be coupled to a forklift truck with a chain. The forklift truck or crane may power the hydraulic and electrical systems of the trolley.
- The trolley may have a steering system that enables the trolley to be steered manually and/or automatically. The steering system may be any suitable type of system known to persons skilled in the art. A preferred steering system is described in the applicant's co-pending application, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
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FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a transport trolley (with some details omitted) according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the trolley ofFIG. 1 (with some details omitted) with a front end of the trolley raised relative to a rear end of the trolley; -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the trolley ofFIG. 1 (with some details omitted); -
FIG. 4 represents front end views of part of the trolley ofFIG. 1 when raised (a) and lowered (b); -
FIG. 5 is a part detailed top plan view of a rear load support of the trolley ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 6 is a part detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a part detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 5 but rotated 180 degrees about the horizontal plane; -
FIG. 8 is a detailed end view ofFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken through plane A-A ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 10 is a detailed top plan view of a roller housing and rollers of the trolley ofFIG. 1 with the rollers in a retracted position; -
FIG. 11 is a detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 10 ; -
FIG. 12 is the same asFIG. 10 but with the rollers in an extended position; -
FIG. 13 is a detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 12 ; -
FIG. 14 is a detailed top plan view chiefly of a front load support and roller housing of the trolley ofFIG. 1 when steered straight; -
FIG. 15 is the same asFIG. 14 but the roller housing is being steered to the right; -
FIG. 16 is the same asFIG. 14 but the roller housing is being steered to the left; -
FIG. 17 is a detailed side elevation view of a hydraulic steering cylinder of the trolley shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 18 is a detailed front elevation view ofFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 19 is a detailed rear elevation view ofFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 20 is a partly detailed exploded plan view ofFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 21 is a detailed side elevation view of a cylinder housing of the hydraulic steering cylinder shown inFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 22 is a detailed plan view of a rear part of the trolley ofFIG. 1 , -
FIG. 23 is a sectional side elevation view taken through plane A-A ofFIG. 22 ; -
FIG. 24 is a detailed side elevation view of an incremental rotary encoder and wheel assembly of the trolley ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 25 is a detailed top plan view ofFIG. 24 ; -
FIG. 26 is a partly cross sectioned end view ofFIG. 24 ; -
FIG. 27 is a schematic showing how a distance monitor of a steering system of the trolley ofFIG. 1 operates; -
FIG. 28 shows a control panel and display of the trolley ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 29 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for the trolley ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 30 is a part detailed front elevation view of a pallet for use with the trolley ofFIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 31 is a detailed side elevation view of part of the pallet ofFIG. 30 ; -
FIG. 32 is a detailed plan view of the pallet ofFIG. 30 ; -
FIG. 33 is a detailed top plan view of part of a roller housing for the trolley ofFIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the invention, and the rollers are shown in a retracted position; -
FIG. 34 is a detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 35 is the same asFIG. 33 but with the rollers in an extended position; -
FIG. 36 is a detailed side elevation view ofFIG. 35 ; -
FIG. 37 is a sectional view of a hydraulic ram of the roller housing shown inFIG. 33 when in a fully retracted position; -
FIG. 38 shows the hydraulic ram ofFIG. 37 when in a fully extended position; -
FIG. 39 is a detailed plan view of part of the roller housing and rollers shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 40 is a detailed side elevation view of part of the roller housing and rollers shown inFIG. 33 ; and -
FIG. 41 depicts the trolley ofFIG. 33 being driven into a shipping container. - In the drawings like reference numerals refer to like parts.
- FIGS. 1 to 3 show a
trolley 1 for transporting palletised cargo. Thetrolley 1 has two parallel spacedforks 2 each having two load supports 4, 5, aroller housing 6 pivotally connected to eachload support rollers roller housing 6. A connectingframe 15 interconnects theforks 2 at a rear end of thetrolley 1. Acontrol tower 16, having multiple storage compartments, is connected to theframe 15. - A first pair of load supports 4 is located at a front end of the
trolley 1 and a second pair of load supports 5 is located between thefirst pair 4 and the rear end of thetrolley 1. The first 4 and second 5 pairs of load supports are of similar construction, and the load supports 4, 5 of onefork 2 are substantially mirror images of the load supports 4, 5 of theother fork 2. When viewed in plan, eachload support - Referring now chiefly to FIGS. 5 to 9, each
second load support 5 has atop wall 20, abottom wall 21 having anopening 22 through which theroller housing 6 extends, as well as a pair ofsidewalls end walls roller housing 6. Furtherstructural walls bottom walls 21 extend fromend walls bottom wall 21 has a flat central portion 380, ramp portions 381, 382 extending upwardly from portion 380, andflat portions - The first load supports 4 are shown in detail in
FIG. 14 . Eachfirst load support 4 includes atop wall 20, a bottom wall (not shown) having an opening through which theroller housing 6 extends, as well assidewalls walls roller housing 6. Furtherstructural walls end walls - Casings 49, 50 containing spherical bearings 60, 61 are located within openings of
sidewalls sidewalls second load support 5. The openings are clearly shown forload support 5 inFIGS. 6 and 7 , and have been labeled withnumerals - As seen in
FIG. 1 , aperipheral skirt walls skirt skirt - Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3 and 14, a
first spacer arm 70 spaces thefirst load support 4 from thesecond load support 5. Thefirst spacer arms 70 of eachfork 2 are of similar construction, each having atop wall 71, abottom wall 72 and a pair ofsidewalls FIG. 14 , an end portion 75 of eachsidewall portions 43 of theskirt load support 4. Portions 75 are welded toportions 43. The other ends ofsidewalls walls load support 5 and are welded to end wall 26 (seeFIG. 5 ). - As seen in
FIGS. 14 and 5 , a stiffeningmember 33 extends throughfirst spacer arm 70 fromend wall 24 of thefirst load support 4 to endwall 26 of thesecond load support 5. - A
second spacer arm 80 extends from eachsecond load support 5 to the rear end of thetrolley 1. This is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Thesecond spacer arms 80 are of similar construction to one another and to thefirst spacer arms 70 in that they each have atop wall 81, abottom wall 82 and a pair ofsidewalls 83, 84. An end portion of eachsidewall 83, 84 flares outwardly and locks behind inwardly directed portions of theskirt 31, 32 (not shown), as described earlier forload support 4. As seen inFIG. 5 , stiffeningmember 85 extends withinspacer arm 80 to endwall 24 of thesecond load support 5. - The
top walls 20 of the load supports 4, 5 are slightly raised relative to thetop walls spacer arms - The load supports 4, 5 and
spacer arms trolley 1 exposed to corrosive agents. The stiffeningmembers bottom walls - As seen in
FIGS. 1, 3 , 22 and 23, the connectingframe 15 has threeframe members forks 2,various frame members forks 2 betweenframe members plates Frame members spacer arms 80.Frame members end flanges 36 for bolting to sidewalls 84.Front 98 andrear plates 99 connect thecontrol tower 16 to framemembers - A pair of ground-contacting
wheels 100 are connected to forkedframes 102 withpins 101, and the forkedframes 102 are connected to framemembers - Referring now to
FIGS. 10, 11 , 12, 13 and 14, eachroller housing 6 has a slightly pitchedroof 110, a pair ofend walls sidewalls sidewall roller housing 6 may pivot beneath thetop plate 20 of theload support - Each
roller housing 6 has carbon-steel rollers housing 6 and partly retracted into thehousing 6. Four forkedroller frames sidewalls pins sleeves roller frames sidewalls forward roller 7 is pinned to forkedroller frame 120, a mid-pair ofrollers roller frames 121 and 122 with asingle pin 144, and a singlerearward roller 13 is pinned to forkedroller frame 123. - A pair of
tie rods roller frames rollers Idler rollers tie rods rod support members tie rods rollers trolley 1 is under load. An upper end of each tierod support member roller housing sidewall rod support member tie rod -
Hydraulic lifting cylinders 140 extend and retract therollers roller housing 6 such that thetrolley 1 may be raised and lowered. Abracket 141 extends from theroof 110 of theroller housing 6 and an end of thelifting cylinder 140 is pivotally mounted thereto with apin 142. Apiston 143 of thelifting cylinder 140 is pivotally connected to pin 144 by way ofpin 144 extending through an end ring of thepiston 143. When thepiston 143 of the lifting cylinder extends 140, therollers FIGS. 12 and 13 ) relative to a fully retracted position (as seen inFIGS. 10 and 11 ). - The
forks 2 are shaped for insertion between the blocks of a single-decked pallet and the load supports 4, 5 can raise the deckboards of the pallet.FIGS. 30, 31 and 32 show a suitably configuredpallet 250 for use with the trolley. The arrows shown inFIGS. 30 and 32 indicate entry points for theforks 2. - The
trolley 1 may be propelled by a forklift truck. Tynes of a forklift truck (not shown) may engage openings provided byspacer arms 80 at the rear end of thetrolley 1. The forklift truck may be further chained or otherwise secured to thetrolley 1 so that thetrolley 1 may be pulled in reverse. - The
trolley 1 has a steering system for steering both the front andrear roller housings 6, and for steering thefront roller housings 6 independently of therear roller housings 6. The steering system includes: a drive system for actually turning theroller housings 6; distance monitors for monitoring the distance between thetrolley 1 and a nearby object, such as a container sidewall; an incremental rotary encoder for monitoring the traveling direction of thetrolley 1, the distance traveled by thetrolley 1 and the speed of thetrolley 1; and, an electronic control system for coordinating and controlling the said components of the steering system. - The drive system is illustrated in
FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, and includeshydraulic steering cylinders 150 for steering theroller housings 6. Eachroller housing 6 is steered by asingle steering cylinder 150 in a similar manner. Referring now toFIG. 7 , steeringcylinder 150 is mounted within opening 51 ofsidewall 23 of eachload support opening 51 and the casing 50 is connected to apiston 151 of thesteering cylinder 150. Upper and lower edges of thesidewall 23 defining theopening 51 are located within longitudinal grooves (not shown) of the casing 50, and this arrangement enables the casing 50 to slide within theopening 51 in a controlled manner when thepiston 151 of thesteering cylinder 150 extends and retracts. Thepiston 151 has an 8 mm stroke. Whilst spherical bearing 60 and casing 50 are slidable by thepiston 151, the other spherical bearing 61 and casing 49, mounted within opening 52 at the other end of pin 116, are not slidable. - The
piston 151 is movable between three positions. In a mid (neutral) position theroller housing 6 is steered straight, as see inFIG. 14 . In an extended position theroller housing 6 is steered left about 0.75 degrees relative to the mid position, as seen inFIG. 16 , and in a retracted position theroller housing 6 is steered right about 0.75 degrees relative to the mid position, as seen inFIG. 15 . - FIGS. 17 to 21 show details of the
hydraulic steering cylinder 150. Thesteering cylinder 150 has abody 160 containing alarge bore 161 and a small bore 162 (best seen inFIG. 21 ). Ashoulder 163 is present at the point where thelarge bore 161 and thesmall bore 162 meet.Large bore 161 has aproximal end 164 at theshoulder 163 and adistal end 165.Small bore 162 has aproximal end 166 and adistal end 167 at theshoulder 163. A large floatingpiston 168 moves slidably on ashaft 169 withinlarge bore 161 between theshoulder 163 and agland 170 at thedistal end 165 of thebore 161. Asmall piston 171, located within insmall bore 162, is connected to an end ofshaft 169. Thesmall piston 171 moves slidably within thesmall bore 162 between thelarge piston 168 and anend wall 172 of thebody 160. Theshaft 169 moves slidably through part of thesmall bore 162,large bore 161 andgland 170. Theshaft 169 has been referred to earlier aspiston 151. O-rings extending aboutshaft 169 andpistons - A
first port 175 extends to thedistal end 165 oflarge bore 161, asecond port 177 extends to theproximal end 166 ofsmall bore 162, and athird port 176 extends to theproximal end 164 oflarge bore 161. That is,ports small piston 171, andports piston 168. - In order to place the
piston 151 in the mid neutral position, hydraulic fluid is directed to thedistal end 165 oflarge bore 161 viaport 175. Hydraulic fluid from theproximal end 164 oflarge bore 161 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 (as shown inFIG. 29 ) viaport 176. Hydraulic fluid is also directed to theproximal end 166 ofsmall bore 162 viaport 177. Since there is higher fluid pressure inlarge bore 161 than insmall bore 162, large floatingpiston 168 is forced against theshoulder 163 andsmall piston 171 is forced againstpiston 168. - To extend the
piston 151 and to steer thetrolley 1 to the left, hydraulic fluid within thedistal end 165 ofbore 161 is directed viaport 175 to the reservoir assembly 304, and as thedistal end 165 is vacated of hydraulic fluid, theshaft 169 extends 8 mm from within thebody 160. In order to return thepiston 151 to the mid neutral position, hydraulic fluid is directed to thedistal end 165 viaport 175, and large floatingpiston 168 is again forced againstshoulder 163. - In order to retract the
piston 151 and to steer thetrolley 1 to the right, hydraulic fluid is directed to theproximal end 164 ofbore 161 viaport 176, and hydraulic fluid within theproximal end 166 ofsmall bore 162 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 viaport 177. Theshaft 169 slides through large floatingpiston 168 and thepiston 151retracts 8 mm. To return thepiston 151 to the mid neutral position, hydraulic fluid is redirected to theproximal end 166 ofbore 162 viaport 177, hydraulic fluid within theproximal end 164 ofbore 161 is directed to reservoir assembly 304 viaport 176, andsmall piston 171 slides againstlarge piston 168. -
FIGS. 22, 23 , 24, 25 and 26 show apivotable wheel assembly 200 having the incremental rotary encoder 201 (model number RIB-50-0500-Z-T, marketed by Bell Electronics). As a ground-contactingwheel 202 of thewheel assembly 200 rotates, adrive shaft 203 rotates theencoder 201 and theencoder 201 signals the direction of travel and the distance covered by thetrolley 1. By knowing the diameter of thewheel 202, theencoder 201 also enables the speed of thetrolley 1 to be calculated. These parameters may be displayed on a display of the electronic control system. - The
wheel 202 may be raised up off the ground when not in use. This may help prevent theencoder 201 from being damaged when thetrolley 1 is being moved between locations and not for container loading purposes. Atow bar 205 is pivotally connected to abracket 206 ofrear plate 99 with apin 207. Apivot arm 208 is connected to theencoder 201 and an end of thepivot arm 208 is pivotally connected to abracket 209 offrame member 92 with apin 210. Acable 211 extends through an opening of therear plate 99 and overframe member 92, and has ends secured to both thetow bar 205 and an upper end of thepivot arm 208. When thetow bar 205 is raised, thepivot arm 208 raises thewheel 202 up off the ground. - Referring now to
FIGS. 1, 2 and 14, afirst distance monitor 220 is located within thefront load support 4 and asecond distance monitor 221 is located within thesecond load support 5. Eachmonitor skirt 31 of eachload support monitor 221 is approximately shown inFIGS. 5 and 7 bynumeral 390. It may also be necessary to provide thepallet 250 with openings 251 (as shown inFIG. 31 ) so as to not impede the light beam emitted by eachmonitor - The electronic control system enables the steering of the
trolley 1 to be carried out automatically or manually. The electronic control system automatically activates the steeringcylinders 150 to correct the direction of travel of thetrolley 1 when afork 2 has moved from a pre-set distance from, say, a container sidewall. The pre-set distance is defined by a maximum distance allowable from the container sidewall and a minimum distance allowable from the container sidewall. Since containers are usually of constant width, only one container sidewall need be monitored. For simplicity and cost, themonitors single fork 2. - As seen in
FIG. 28 , the electronic control system includes acontrol panel 500 and a display 260 for informing an operator of thetrolley 1 of both the position of thetrolley 1 relative to the container sidewall and that the correct direction of steering is being employed. Thecontrol panel 500 also enables the operator to steer thetrolley 1 manually. This may be of importance when precision steering is not necessary or when there is a systems fault with the automatic steering of thetrolley 1. - The display 260 has a top row 261 of coloured lights (“R” for red, “A” for amber, “G” for green) that illuminate to indicate the position of
monitor 220 in relation to the container sidewall. The display 260 has abottom row 262 of coloured lights which illuminate to indicate the position ofmonitor 221 in relation to the container sidewall.Buttons 263 illuminate to indicate the direction of manual or automatic steering. A red light will illuminate when amonitor monitor monitor - The
control panel 500 haspress buttons 502 that enable thetrolley 1 to be steered manually, as well aspress buttons 501 that activate the liftingcylinders 140 to either extend or retract therollers selector switch 503 is used to select between manual and automatic steering. Aselector switch 504 overrides therotary encoder 201 and is used to select forward or reverse steering. - Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, the
control tower 16 has anupper compartment 290 for housing the display 260 andlower compartments 291 for housing a battery, a DC motor driven pump unit powered by the battery, hydraulic equipment (as perFIG. 29 ), computer circuitry of the electronic control system, and thecontrol panel 500. Acable 505 connects thecontrol panel 500 to circuitry within thecontrol tower 16. Hydraulic hoses and electrical cables (not shown) extend from thecontrol tower 16 and within thespacer arms skirt cylinder 140, steeringcylinder 150 and monitor 220, 221. -
FIG. 29 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for thetrolley 1 showing: a strainer 321; a breather 320; a temperature/low oil sight glass 319; anaccumulator dump valve 318; a 200 bar pressure switch 317; acheck valve 316; a pressure gauge 315; a flow control 314; a 75 bar pressure switch 313; a 65bar accumulator 312; steeringcylinders 150; liftingcylinders 140; 280bar counterbalance cartridges 309; areturn filter 308; a 175 bar pressure switch 307; acheck valve 306; a manifold 305; a reservoir assembly 304;directional controls 303; a 210 bar relief valve 302; and, a 250bar pump unit 301. - When power is applied to the
trolley 1, thepump unit 301 starts under no pressure by directional control 303 g freely circulating hydraulic fluid back to the reservoir assembly 304 until directional control 303 g is closed by its solenoid. Pressure switches 307, 313 and 317 automatically activate thepump unit 301 to pressurise theaccumulator 312 to a preset pressure. When the pressure within theaccumulator 312 falls to a predetermined value, then thepump unit 301 is again activated. Hydraulic fluid is stored in theaccumulator 312 under pressure in order to eliminate frequent stopping and starting of thepump unit 301 whilst the steeringcylinders 150 are in operation. - In order to steer the
trolley 1, hydraulic fluid is stored in theaccumulator 312 andcheck valve 316 must be under pressure. Hydraulic fluid is then directed to and drained fromselect ports select steering cylinders 150 by way of directional controls 303 c, 303 d, 303 e and 303 f usingcontrol panel 500, as described earlier. Should fluid pressure fall below the predetermined pressure of pressure switch 313, then theaccumulator 312 is re-pressurised as described earlier. Theaccumulator dump valve 318 must be open for service to release stored fluid pressure. - In order to raise a load, the
pump unit 301 starts under no pressure, directional controls 303 a and 303 g are closed usingcontrol panel 500, hydraulic fluid then travels to the liftingcylinders 140 and therollers housing 16. Thepump unit 301 continues to run until a predetermined pressure is reached (as determined by pressure switch 317), ensuring that the heaviest load is completely raised. In order to lower the load, thepump unit 301 operates until a medium pressure is achieved and directional controls 303 g and 303 b are opened. - In use, a shipping container is positioned at an end of a loading platform. The container and loading platform are aligned straight by a suitable positioning system. A reflector guard, having a substantially identical profile as an internal sidewall of the container, is positioned on the loading platform in the plane of the internal sidewall. As depicted in
FIG. 27 , the electronic control system of thetrolley 1 is programmed with the pre-set distance by scanning thereflector guard 280 with themonitor 220 located at thefirst load support 4. Since most container sidewalls are corrugated, thereflector guard 280 can have a corrugated profile, and the programming of the pre-set distance will take into account the undulating surface. Steering is achieved by periodically taking maximum and minimum sensor distance readings, then taking an average of those readings and steering to a longitudinally extendingcentral plane 281 of the corrugations. - A 2 m single-decked
pallet 250 laden with cargo, such as thepallet 250 shown inFIGS. 30, 31 and 32, is next positioned accurately on the loading platform. With therollers forks 2 are driven between the blocks of thepallet 250 such that themonitors openings 251 of thepallet 250. Therollers cylinders 140, the load supports 4, 5 bear against the deckboards of thepallet 250 and the cargo is raised up off the ground. The liftingcylinders 140 may exert a 50 tonne force and may be able to lift a load of about 30 tonnes. - The
trolley 1 is then driven into the container. If thetrolley 1 travels over uneven ground, one ormore roller housing 6 will pivot therollers monitors cylinders 150 to steer theroller housings 6 so that eachmonitor monitor monitors directional controls 303 to actuate thesteering cylinders 150 and to steer theroller housings 6 towards the container sidewall until themonitors fork 2 is once again at the pre-set distance. Should afork 2 have moved too close to the sidewall, then the electronic control system will select appropriatedirectional controls 303 to actuate thesteering cylinders 150 and to steer theroller housings 6 away from the container sidewall until themonitors fork 2 is once again at the pre-set distance. A red light on the display 260 would indicate to the operator to stop thetrolley 1 immediately and to reverse out as a collision with the sidewall is imminent. - With the cargo loaded within the container, the
rollers forks 2 are withdrawn from the palletised cargo. Therotary encoder 201 differentiates between forward and reverse directions, and when reversing thetrolley 1 out of the container, theroller housings 6 are steered in an opposite direction to that when thetrolley 1 is being driven forwards. - The steering system enables a cargo-laden trolley to be accurately and automatically steered within the confines of a cargo container, within about 15 mm of the container sidewalls. The invention is particularly suitable for loads up to about 30 tonnes and 12 m in length. Hence, the present invention overcomes the difficulties with steering a cargo-laden trolley manually within the confines of a shipping container and minimizes the problem of inefficient utilisation of the container.
- The
pivotable roller housings 6 ensure that therollers - FIGS. 33 to 40 illustrate part of a
roller housing 600 androllers trolley 1 according to another embodiment of the invention. Eachroller housing 600 has a slightly pitchedroof 610, a pair ofend walls sidewalls pin 616 extends through thesidewalls roller housing 600 may pivot beneath thetop plate 20 of the load support. - Six carbon-
steel rollers housing 600 and partly retracted into thehousing 600. Therollers sidewalls 701, 702 of arectangular roller carriage 620. - Two
hydraulic rams 630 extend and retract thecarriage 620 relative to thehousing 600 such that thetrolley 1 may be raised and lowered.Rams 630 provide greater clearance between the ground and thehousing 600 as compared with liftingcylinder 140 illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 13. A housing of eachram 630 is connected toroof 610 and apiston 632 of eachram 630 is connected to acrosspiece 634 ofcarriage 620. - Details of the
hydraulic rams 630 are shown inFIGS. 37 and 38 . Eachram 630 has abody 660 containing abore 661, afirst piston 662 containing abore 663, asecond piston 664 containing abore 665, and a third piston 666 (earlier referred to with numeral 632). Thepistons body 660 as well as to each other between a fully retracted position (as shown inFIG. 37 ) and a fully extended position (as shown inFIG. 38 ). In the fully retracted position,piston 666 is retracted withinbore 665,piston 664 is retracted withinbore 663, andpiston 662 is retracted withinbore 661. In the fully extended position, arim 685 ofpiston 662 abuts ashoulder 680 ofbody 660, arim 686 ofpiston 664 abuts ashoulder 681 ofpiston 662, and arim 683 ofpiston 666 abuts ashoulder 682 ofpiston 664. - First 670 and second 671 ports for hydraulic fluid extend to bore 661. When the
piston 632 is fully retracted, athird port 672 extends betweenbore 661 and bore 663, and afourth port 673 extends betweenbore 663 and bore 665. In order to fully extendpiston 632, hydraulic fluid is delivered to bore 661 viaport 670, and each ofbores piston 632, hydraulic fluid is withdrawn frombores port 670, after which hydraulic fluid is introduced tobores ports - Due to the low bearing areas of the rams 630 (ie. their inability to withstand high side loads), four sets of vertically extending
guides carriage 620 between the extended and retracted positions. Theguides FIGS. 33 and 35 .Vertical guide member 640 is pinned tocarriage 620 andvertical guide member 642 is pinned to sidewall 613 or 614. Bothguide members tongue 645 extending towardsvertical guide member 641. Opposinggrooves 646 ofguide member 641 receive thetongues 645.Guide members member 641 is slidable along bothguide members carriage 620 is retracted withinroller housing 600 as shown inFIGS. 33 and 34 , then thegrooves 646 are completely engaged by thetongues 645. Whencarriage 620 is extended from withinroller housing 600, as shown inFIGS. 35 and 36 , thengrooves 646 are only partially engaged by thetongues 645. -
FIGS. 39 and 40 show, in part, a load-sharing suspension arrangement for therollers Openings 700 insidewalls 701 and 702 of thecarriage 620 are located adjacent the ends of therollers block 710 is slidably mounted within eachopening 700 and an end of eachroller - A
hydraulic suspension cylinder 720 is located within each opening 700 aboverollers piston 721 ofcylinder 720 is connected to block 710.Hydraulic lines 722 interconnect allcylinders 720 of theroller housing 600 together in a static condition. When aroller respective pistons 721 retract and hydraulic fluid is transferred tocylinders 720 of theother rollers lines 722 until the pressure is transferred evenly between therollers piston 721 has a maximum stroke of 10 mm. The load-sharing suspension arrangement improves load sharing on allrollers roller housing 600 enables thetrolley 1 to negotiated greater variations in loading ramp and container floor angles and ground irregularities. -
FIG. 41 depicts how thetrolley 1 carrying aload 750 may be driven into ashipping container 751. Aramp 752 extends between aloading platform 753 andtruck 754 carrying thecontainer 751. Theramp 752 may be, for instance, a drawbridge or telescopically extendable, it may be hydraulically driven. An end of theramp 752 has twist lock arrangements 755 for connecting to openings of thecontainer 751. The twist lock arrangements 755 enable theramp 752 to adjust its angle of inclination as the height of thecontainer 751 changes under the weight of thetrolley 1. Theparticular ramp 752 shown inFIG. 41 is telescopic and also adjusts in length as the ramp's 752 angle of inclination adjusts under the weight of thetrolley 1. - Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.
Claims (22)
1. A transport trolley having:
at least two interconnected, parallel, spaced forks each having at least two load supports;
a roller housing pivotally connected to each said load support; and
rollers mounted within each said roller housing,
and when the trolley moves over uneven ground, the or each roller housing pivots the rollers to maintain contact with the ground.
2. The transport trolley of claim 1 , wherein the trolley has two forks.
3. The transport trolley of claim 1 , wherein each said fork has two said load supports.
4. The transport trolley of claim 1 , wherein each said load support has a top wall, a bottom wall having an opening through which a said roller housing extends, and sidewalls and end walls surrounding the roller housing.
5. The transport trolley of claim 4 , wherein each said load support further has a peripheral skirt extending between the top and bottom walls.
6. The transport trolley of claim 4 , wherein each said roller housing has a pitched roof with sidewalls and end walls extending from the roof.
7. The transport trolley of claim 6 , wherein each said roller housing includes a pin extending through said sidewalls of said roller housing and said sidewalls of the respective load support, and the roof may pivot relative to the pin.
8. The transport trolley of claim 7 , wherein the load supports are height adjustable by extending and retracting the rollers relative to the roller housings.
9. The transport trolley of claim 8 , wherein each said roller housing has a hydraulic lifting cylinder for moving the rollers between extended and retracted positions.
10. The transport trolley of claim 9 , wherein each said roller housing has forked roller frames and pins for connecting the rollers to the forked roller frames and for pivotally connecting the forked roller frames to said pair of sidewalls of the roller housing.
11. The transport trolley of claim 10 , wherein each said roller housing has a single forward roller, a single rearward roller, and a mid-pair of rollers.
12. The transport trolley of claim 11 , wherein each said roller housing has tie members interconnecting the rollers such that when the mid-pair of rollers pivots, all of the rollers of the roller housing pivot.
13. The transport trolley of claim 12 , wherein each said roller housing further has a pivotable tie support member extending between each said tie member and a sidewall or roof of the roller housing.
14. The transport trolley of claim 12 , wherein a housing of the lifting cylinder is pivotally connected to the roof and a piston of the lifting cylinder is pivotally connected to a said pin connecting the mid-pair of rollers to their respective forked roller frames.
15. The transport trolley of claim 12 , wherein each said roller housing further has three idlers connected to the tie members with pins.
16. The transport trolley of claim 1 , wherein said forks are interconnected at a rear end of the trolley by a connecting frame.
17. The transport trolley of claim 6 , wherein a first said load support is located at a forward region of each said fork and a second said load support is located at a central region of each said fork, and the trolley further has one or more wheels mounted to the rear end of the trolley.
18. The transport trolley of claim 17 , wherein each said fork has a first spacer arm for spacing the first load support from the second load support.
19. The transport trolley of claim 18 , wherein each said fork has a second spacer arm extending from each said second load support to the rear end of the trolley.
20. The transport trolley of claim 19 , wherein each said fork has a stiffening member extending within each said spacer arm.
21. The transport trolley of claim 19 , wherein said second spacer arms have pockets for tynes of a forklift truck at the rear end of the trolley.
22. The transport trolley of claim 2 , wherein one said fork is substantially a mirror image of the other said fork.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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AUPS0458A AUPS045802A0 (en) | 2002-02-12 | 2002-02-12 | A transport trolley |
AUPS0458 | 2002-02-12 | ||
AU2002952422 | 2002-11-01 | ||
AU2002952422A AU2002952422A0 (en) | 2002-11-01 | 2002-11-01 | A transport trolley |
WOPCT/AU03/00174 | 2003-02-12 | ||
PCT/AU2003/000174 WO2003068659A1 (en) | 2002-02-12 | 2003-02-12 | A transport trolley having pivotable roller housings |
Publications (1)
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US20050042069A1 true US20050042069A1 (en) | 2005-02-24 |
Family
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US10/916,752 Expired - Fee Related US7428940B2 (en) | 2002-02-12 | 2004-08-11 | Steerable transport trolley |
US10/916,816 Abandoned US20050042069A1 (en) | 2002-02-12 | 2004-08-11 | Transport trolley having pivotable roller housings |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/916,752 Expired - Fee Related US7428940B2 (en) | 2002-02-12 | 2004-08-11 | Steerable transport trolley |
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US (2) | US7428940B2 (en) |
EP (2) | EP1494954A4 (en) |
JP (2) | JP2005518321A (en) |
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CN (2) | CN1642844A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003202652A1 (en) |
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- 2003-02-12 YU YU80103A patent/YU80103A/en unknown
- 2003-02-12 KR KR10-2004-7012395A patent/KR20040101225A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
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NL2004634C2 (en) * | 2010-04-29 | 2011-11-01 | Meijer St Jabik B V Geb | LOADING DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOVING GOODS. |
WO2011142662A1 (en) * | 2010-04-29 | 2011-11-17 | Gebr. Meijer St. Jabik B.V. | Loading device, system and method for displacing goods |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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YU80103A (en) | 2004-11-25 |
YU80203A (en) | 2004-11-25 |
JP2005519005A (en) | 2005-06-30 |
EP1494955A1 (en) | 2005-01-12 |
BR0303195A (en) | 2004-06-29 |
MXPA04007841A (en) | 2005-06-17 |
US7428940B2 (en) | 2008-09-30 |
MXPA04007840A (en) | 2005-09-30 |
EA006000B1 (en) | 2005-08-25 |
US20050034908A1 (en) | 2005-02-17 |
NO20034572L (en) | 2003-10-10 |
EA005999B1 (en) | 2005-08-25 |
NO20034573L (en) | 2003-10-17 |
NZ535203A (en) | 2008-12-24 |
NO20034572D0 (en) | 2003-10-10 |
CN1642844A (en) | 2005-07-20 |
CA2475913A1 (en) | 2003-08-21 |
EA200401068A1 (en) | 2005-02-24 |
NO20034573D0 (en) | 2003-10-10 |
CN1642845A (en) | 2005-07-20 |
KR20040101224A (en) | 2004-12-02 |
AU2003202652A1 (en) | 2003-09-04 |
EA200401069A1 (en) | 2005-02-24 |
WO2003068658A1 (en) | 2003-08-21 |
JP2005518321A (en) | 2005-06-23 |
BR0303194A (en) | 2004-06-29 |
EP1494955A4 (en) | 2009-03-18 |
EP1494954A4 (en) | 2008-04-30 |
NZ535202A (en) | 2007-06-29 |
KR20040101225A (en) | 2004-12-02 |
CA2475909A1 (en) | 2003-08-21 |
WO2003068659A1 (en) | 2003-08-21 |
EP1494954A1 (en) | 2005-01-12 |
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