Classifications

• • 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
  • B66F9/14—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members laterally movable, e.g. swingable, for slewing or transverse movements
  • B66F9/141—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members laterally movable, e.g. swingable, for slewing or transverse movements with shuttle-type movement

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an arrangement for a materials handling appliance which can be moved over a base surface, particularly a fork-lift truck, for moving pallets (4) and similar load-bearing elements in a plurality of directions, wherein, in the vicinity of the materials handling appliance and mounted thereon there is a load-moving arrangement for lifting a pallet, etc., and consisting preferably of an upper top slide member and preferably a lower base slide member, with an intermediate slide member connecting the said slide members, the said slide members being able to be connected to drive devices which enable the slide members to be displaced relative to each other and/or to be rotated around a substantially vertical axis of rotation relative to a frame, and the said slide members forming the slide arrangement can be connected to a lifting arrangement by means of which the slide arrangement can be lifted to a desired height relative to the frame so that a pallet, etc.
• the main object of the present invention is primarily to provide an arrangement of the above-described kind with which it is possible to accomplish compact materials handling with the aid of simple means, and with which pallets can be moved both in the movement direction of the materials handling appliance along a base surface as well as at an angle to the said movement direction.
• the said object is achieved with an arrangement according to the present invention which is essentially characterised in that between two storage stand girders or similar frame parts which project in the movement direction in front of the said appliance, extending longitudinally substantially horizontally from the appliance, there is a receiving space into which the slide members can be lowered for receiving, and that supports which can coact with the said girders are disposed on the slide arrangement, so that when the slide arrangement is in the lowered position in the said receiving space the top slide member is able to be displaced into and away from a position under the load surface of a pallet in the direction of movement of the appliance, and when the slide arrangement is in the position into which it is raised up from the receiving space and after rotation relative to the storage girders and subsequent resting of the supports against the girders, the top slide member can be moved into and away from a position under the load surface of a pallet at an angle to the direction of movement of the appliance.
• FIG. 1 is a basic sketch showing the loading and unloading area, with the arrangement according to the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a loading and unloading area with the previously known arrangement
• Figure 3 shows a load-moving arrangement constructed according to the present invention, viewed from the side
• Figure 4 is a view from above onto the load-moving arrangement
• Figure 5 is a sectioned view of the arrangement, viewed along the section A-A in Figure 4
• Figure 6 is a view of the part of the arrangement shown in the area ringed round in Figure 3, in crosssection
• Figure 7 is a view of the part of the arrangement shown ringed round in Figure 4
• Figure 8 is a schematic view of the arrangement from above, with the latter held in a pivoted, extended position
• Figure 9 is a side view, of the arrangement with the load element pivoted into a laterally offset position
• Figure 10 is a side view of the arrangement mounted on a materials handling appliance
• Figure 11 is a cross-section view of the arrangement along the section B-B in Figure 10, with the arrangement held in a lowered position,
• Figure 12 shows the drive device for effecting the displacement of the arrangement
• Figure 13 is a perspective view of a top slide member appertaining to the arrangement
• Figure 14 is a perspective view of an intermediate slide member appertaining to the arrangement, partially sectioned
• Figure 15 is a perspective view of a base slide member appertaining to the arrangement, partially sectioned, in the rotated position, and showing it supported on the stand girders,
• Figure 16 is a perspective view of the arrangement being used with a fork-lift truck in the position for moving pallets in the direction of movement of the truck, and
• Figure 17 is another perspective view of an arrangement being used with a fork-lift truck, but rotated into a position for moving pallets transverse to the movement direction of the fork-lift truck.
• the arrangement 1 according to the present invention is designed to be mounted on an supported by a materialshandling appliance 2, especially a fork-lift truck.
• the arrangement 1 is designed to replace the loading forks 3 normally located at the front 2A of the truck, and to take over their function of loading and unloading pallets 4 and similar load-bearing elements which may be stored packed close together in a warehouse 5.
• the arrangement 1 is composed of a load-moving arrangement, for example of the type which is illustrated on the drawings in Figures 3, 4 and 10, and which is equipped with a supporting arrangement 6 which is expediently designed to be connected to the materials handling appliance 2 and to the lifting arrangement provided for the load forks 3, and thus serves as supplementary truck equipment for moving pallets 4, etc., preferably of the two-way type.
• a horizontal lifting yoke 7 projecting at rightangles to the said supporting arrangement 6 is connected via a lifting screw 8 or some other suitable lifting device to the said supporting arrangement 6.
• the lifting screw 8 is supported at its two respective ends by brackets 9 which are fixed to the supporting arrangement 6.
• a hydraulic motor 10 or some other suitable drive mechanism which is mounted on a bracket 11 connected to the supporting arrangement 6 is connected via a power transmitting sleeve 12 or some other suitable coupling device to one end 8A of the lifting screw 8.
• a nut-type lifting element 13 which can be moved along the said lifting screw 8 and is provided with a thread which can co-act with the threads on the screw 8 which is connected to the said lifting yoke 7 is designed to form a bearing part for the said lifting yoke 7.
• Drive by means of motor 10 enables the lifting yoke 7 to be lifted to the desired level by displacing the element 13 along the screw 8.
• brackets 9 which bear the screw 8 bears a mounting arrangement 16 in the vicinity of the said end 8A of the screw, comprising an axial thrust plate, a running thrust plate and an axial needle roller bearing.
• a pivot device in the form of a pivot pin 17, for example, or some other suitable pivot articulation which has a toothed pinion 19 on one of its ends, preferably the lower end.
• a toothed rack 20 or some other suitable movement- transmitting arrangement which is mounted on the lifting yoke 7 is mounted rotationally fixed by means of a lock nut 18 so thatit can move in the longitudinal direction of the said yoke, and is designed to be acted upon by a toothed pinion 21 which is mounted on the shaft 22 of a hydraulic motor 23, etc. which is connected to a bracket 24 which is mounted on a supporting part connected to the lifting yoke 7.
• Actuation of the motor 23 brings about movement of the toothed rack 20 and rotation of the pivot pin 17 in the desired rotary direction as shown by the arrow 25 in Figure 8.
• a supporting disc 26 surrounds the said pivot pin 17, and a combination bearing 27 which is connected to a bearing part 28 forms the mounting for the said pin 17.
• the said pivotably mounted pin 17 is designed to extend in its longitudinal direction, for example by making the pin 17 telescopic.
• a so-called “base slide member” 29 which is preferably located the lowest down in a slide arrangement 30 consisting of a plurality of slide members, is connected to the said bearing part 28 and can be rotated together with the pivot pin 17 when the latter is caused to rotate around the central axis 31 with the pin held in a projecting extended position, for example as shown in Figure 9 on the drawings.
• a so-called “intermediate slide member” 32 is supported along its two respective longitudinally extending side edges, on which there are guide strips 33 in the form of tongue-shaped elements 33 projecting laterally over the length of the slide member and co-acting with complementary guideways 34 on the base slide member 29, for example in the form of strips to which supporting lugs 36 disposed on either side of the "base slide member” 29 are connected via fixing pins 35.
• an upper so-called “top slide member” 37 is mounted on the said “intermediate slide member " 32 via guideways 39 extending in its longitudinal direction and projecting laterally, for example towards the guideways 38 on the “intermediate slide member” 32.
• the said "top slide member” 37 is formed of a substantially flat plate 37A which is adapted to be introduced into the hollow space under the loading surface of a pallet, or supported resting on the upper surface 40A of the respective, preferably hollow, storage stand girders 40 or the like connected to the bearing arrangement 6, extending longitudinally substantially horizontally, and projecting out from the supporting arrangement 6 mutually spaced apart from each other.
• the said slide arrangement 30 has a drive device which enables it to be extended by the desired amount, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 8 on the drawings.
• a drive device 41 acts between the base slide member 29 and the intermediate slide member 32, and an additional drive device 42 acts between the intermediate slide member 32 and the top slide member 37.
• a hydraulic motor 43 with reversible drive which is expediently mounted on the base slide member 29 is designed to transmit drive movement via a plurality of toothed wheels 44 or similar devices which are mounted on the base slide member 29 in a row along its longitudinal extent and which are mutually connected with each other via interposed intermediate toothed wheels 45, to the intermediate slide member 32 by means of a toothed rack 46 or a similar power-transmitting arrangement.
• a plurality of toothed wheels 47 preferably also mounted in a row on the intermediate slide member 32 and mutually connected via interposed toothed wheels 48, are rotated, expediently by co-action with a toothed rack 49 connected to the base slide member 29.
• the rotary movement of the toothed wheels 47 is thereby transmitted to a toothed rack 50 which is mounted on the lower face of the top slide member 37.
• the said toothed wheels may consist of toothed components 47A, 47B which are connected to each other as shown in Figure 5.
• the slide arrangement 30 is aligned exactly in the direction in which it is desired it should be extended.
• the motor 10 after the said rotation of the slide arrangement 30 the latter can be lowered so that it rests via the supporting lugs 36 on the girders 40.
• the loading arrangement 1 is raised to the desired height setting for the slide arrangement 30, exactly on a level with a pallet 4 which it is desired to take out from the storage stack 5.
• a pressure monitor on the control valve of the hydraulic system for lifting the arrangement 30 be fore it is rotated restricts the lifting force so that the permitted lateral loading moment on the truck 2 is not exceeded.
• the lifting movement of the slide arrangement 30 before and after its rotation respectively in a direction away from and towards the girders 40 is accomplished by means of the preferably trapezoidal threaded screw 8 which is self-sustaining, so that the hydraulic lifting motor 10 can be relieved while the slide arrangement 30 is still held firmly locked against the girders 40.
• the drive of the screw 8 is linked to the drive arrangement
• the motor 43 is then operated to effect the extension of the slide arrangement 30 at an angle to the movement direction of the appliance so that the top slide member 37 is extended in the direction of either arrow 53 or 54 in Figure 1 and comes into position on the lower face of the said pallet 4.
• the pallet 4 is raised by means of the lifting arrangement of the truck.
• the slide arrangement 30 is retracted so that when the top slide member 37 is located in its original position above the gangway 51 the pallet 4 can be rotated by operating the motor 23.
• the slide arrangement 30 is lowered into its resting position on the girders 40 by retracting the pivot pin 17 by making the screw 8 lower the slide arrangement 30 via the nut 13.
• the pallet 4 can be moved across from one side of the truck gangway 51 to the opposite side without the need to turn the attachment 1.
• the pallets 4 or similar load-bearing elements can also be taken up from and unloaded onto floor level since it is possible to have the arrangement 1 at a low level, and the lifting capacity remains the same as the nominal lifting power when the slide arrangement 30 is located in its lowered receiving position in the space between the girders 40.
• the slide arrangement 30 when the slide arrangement 30 is located in the said lowered receiving position it can be displaced into and away from a position under the loading surface of a pallet in the movement direction of the appliance, i.e. in the direction of the gangway in the example shown, by operating the appliance 2 in the said desired transportation direction.
• Previous loading and unloading processes with trucks such as are illustrated in Figure 2 on the drawings and which are regarded as being already known, required amongst other things a wide gangway, and time-consuming manipulation is therefore eliminated by means of the present invention.
• the arrangement 1 When moving pallets 4 in the normal movement direction of the appliance 2, i.e. straight ahead in the example shown, the arrangement 1 replaces, for example, the ordinary load forks 3 on a truck, and displacement of the slide arrangement towards and away from a pallet which has been set on the floor is accomplished by driving the truck in the said desired direction.
• the lowest height above the floor which the arrangement is able to cope with when the load yoke of the truck is fully lowered is designated h 1 on the drawings and is lower than the free height above the floor with standard two-way pallets. This means that the arrangement according to the invention can be used for picking up or setting down a pallet at floor level.
• the dimension designated h 2 on the drawings which is obtained due to the co-action of the supports 36 with the girders 40, means that the slide arrangement 30 can be displaced into the desired position, rotated around the axis 31 in the desired direction, and can set the pallets in the pallet rack in compact storage operation, after picking them up from floor level, or take pallets out of the rack and set them down on the floor.
• a further possibility is that with the truck stationary a pallet can be taken out of a pallet rack, turned round, and then put into the pallet rack again, which is advantageous when storing items to be selected.
• the slide members may be positioned in another way than one above the other.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
• Forklifts And Lifting Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20348407

Family Applications (1)

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Citations (5)

• 1982
  • 1982-11-01 SE SE8206184A patent/SE436275B/sv unknown
• 1983
  • 1983-09-08 SE SE8304807A patent/SE445446B/sv unknown
  • 1983-10-28 EP EP83903432A patent/EP0125256A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1983-10-28 WO PCT/SE1983/000368 patent/WO1984001766A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (5)

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