WO1999064342A1

WO1999064342A1 - Hoistable personnel transporting device

Info

Publication number: WO1999064342A1
Application number: PCT/NL1999/000354
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cornelis Stinis
Original assignee: Stinis Beheer B.V.
Priority date: 1998-06-08
Filing date: 1999-06-07
Publication date: 1999-12-16
Also published as: AU4293499A

Abstract

The invention relates to a hoistable device (1) for transporting personnel including a suspension frame (2) having means for connecting it to a hoisting frame (12) or spreader and one or more personnel carriers (3) connected to the suspension frame (2) and movable perpendicularly to the direction of hoisting. The suspension frame (2) may have extensible and retractable parts (5), from each of which a personnel carrier (3) is suspended so as to be movable between an innermost position in which they are substantially placed together and an outermost position in which they are spaced relatively far apart. In that case the extensible and retractable parts (5) of the suspension frame (2) may be attached to corresponding extensible and retractable parts (14) of the hoisting frame (12). The personnel carrier(s) (3) may comprise a working space defined by substantially continuous bounding means in the shape of a railing (9), which may have an opening shut off or by a gate (11). The transporting device allows personnel to be safely transported to any desired location on or along a stack of containers on board a ship in order to install or remove stacking fittings.

Description

HOISTABLE PERSONNEL TRANSPORTING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a hoistable device for transporting personnel . Such a hoisting device is intended primarily for use at locations where containers are transhipped by means of cranes . When containers are transported by ship they must be attached to each other such as to minimize the risk of containers being lost at sea. This is called "stacking the containers". The stacked containers are attached by stacking fittings engaging in and mutually connecting the corner castings of two adjacent containers . There are two main types of stacking fittings, the passive or fixed stacking fittings and the active stacking fittings.

A fixed stacking fitting is a plate having protrusions on both sides for engagement with the corner castings of two containers, whereby a sliding movement between the containers is prevented. As these fittings do not actually lock the containers together, they are used in combination with harnessing means or lashings extending in vertical or diagonal direction and holding the stacked containers together.

Active stacking fittings are mechanical locking devices which are placed in engagement with the corner castings and then locked such as to prevent sliding movement of the containers and at the same time hold the containers together. These active stacking fittings may be locked either manually or automatically when the next container is placed on top of a container.

Although under certain circumstances the stacking fittings may be placed on the containers when they are standing on the quay, most of the time these fittings can be placed only after a container has been lowered into the hold of a ship. Obviously, the active stacking fittings can only be locked after the containers have been moved to their final position, and therefore locking of the manually operable stacking fittings will also take place on board the ship. Furthermore, unlocking and removal of the stacking fittings is also done mostly when the containers are still on board the ship.

Unlocking the fittings is always done manually, also in the case of fittings which will lock automatically. The unlocking operation is often performed using a stick several meters long with which a handle or latch of the fitting is moved.

Placing or removing the stacking fittings on board the ship is often awkward and sometimes dangerous work, as it requires personnel to move about on the stacked containers while being surrounded by moving containers . The personnel is moved to and between containers by a cradle that is carried by a crane. After the cradle has reached a certain stack of containers personnel responsible for placing or removing stacking fittings will get off the cradle and on the containers . As the containers are moved by means of huge cranes operated by an operator who may be tens of meters above the deck of the ship, there is great risk of such personnel going unnoticed by the crane operator, who may then inadvertently move containers in their direction. Also containers being hoisted out of the hold may make sudden sideways movements due to the crane and thus the hoisting cables not being exactly vertically aligned with the stack of containers . Such movements may lead to personnel being hit by or crushed between containers . Furthermore, the tops of the containers may be slippery and conditions will often be windy as the containers are usually stacked high above the deck of the ship. There is thus a great risk of personnel slipping and falling between the stacked containers . This risk is further aggravated by the fact that personnel will tend to jump from one stack of containers to the next, rather than wait for the cradle to pick them up and move them to the next stack. In order to reduce the risk of personnel falling from stacked containers the use of life-lines is being contemplated. However, such life-lines introduce new problems of their own, since they will hamper movement and thus actually increase the risk of the wearer losing his balance. Furthermore, life-lines must be attached to other structures, in this case probably the crane or spreader carrying the cradle, which entails the risk of personnel wearing a lie-line being inadvertently hoisted off a container when the spreader is lifted.

The invention thus has for its object to provide a device with which personnel may be safely transported to locations where stacking fittings have to be placed or removed. This is accomplished in accordance with the invention by a hoistable device comprising at least one suspension frame having means for connecting it to a hoisting frame and at least one moveable personnel carrier connected to the suspension frame. By using a personnel carrier that is moveable, personnel may be moved to any desired location without having to leave the device by a combination of a hoisting movement of the frame and a movement of the personnel carrier with respect to the frame, preferably perpendicularly to the direction of hoisting. Furthermore, the device of the invention constitutes a structural unit that may be handled in the same way as a container, and can thus be easily used in the surroundings of a container terminal . Furthermore, due to the possibility of moving the personnel carrier, a single transport device may be used in a terminal where various sizes of containers are handled. This is an advantage as the device, when not in use, will take up valuable quayside space.

In a preferred embodiment the device comprises a plurality of personnel carriers connected to the suspension frame and moveable with respect to each other. In this way any desired movement, especially a movement to one of the ends of a container may be performed swiftly and efficiently.

In order to facilitate the structural design of the device, the suspension frame may have extensible and retractable parts, from each of which a personnel carrier is suspended. The extensible and retractable parts of the suspension frame are preferably attached to corresponding extensible and retractable parts of the hoisting frame or spreader. In this way any movement of the personnel carriers may easily be effected by normal operation of the container spreader.

In a preferred embodiment of the device the personnel carriers are moveable between an innermost position in which they are substantially placed together and an outermost position in which they are spaced relatively far apart. This allows personnel to safely move from one carrier to another when they are fully retracted, after which the carriers may be extended so as to move personnel to the far ends of containers . The at least one personnel carrier preferably comprises a working space defined by substantially continuous bounding means so as to prevent personnel from falling off. The bounding means, which may comprise a railing, may include at least one opening, in which case the device preferably includes moveable means for closing off said opening. This opening, which may be closed by a door or gate, will allow personnel easy access to the working space of the carrier.

The device may further include storage means arranged on the or each personnel carrier for temporarily storing the stacking fittings, as well as canopy means at least partially covering the at least one personnel carrier in order to protect personnel both from the weather conditions and from falling objects. The invention will now be illustrated by means of two embodiments thereof, which are given by way of non-limiting example only, with reference being made to the annexed drawing, in which like parts are identified by the same reference numerals, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the device of the invention in its fully extended state and lowered onto a stack of containers;

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding with Fig. 1 of a second embodiment of the device; and

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view of the device of Fig. 2 in its fully retracted state. A hoistable device 1 for transporting personnel to and from containers 17 comprises a suspension frame 2 having a main beam 4 and two auxiliary beams 5 (Fig. 1) . The auxiliary beams 5 are offset from the center line of the main beam 4 and may be extended and retracted. The free end 18 of each auxiliary beam 5 carries a subframe 6 which in turn supports a personnel carrier 3.

At the corners of the subframes 6 and of the main beam 4 there are pick-ups which are dimensioned and configured like container corner castings, and which allow the suspension frame 2 to be connected to a conventional hoisting frame or spreader 12. This hoisting frame, which it has been stated is conventional in structure and design and will therefore not be described in detail, includes a center beam 13 and T-shaped telescoping beams 14. Four inner twist locks 15 are arranged at the corners of the main beam 13 , with a further four outer twist-locks 16 being arranged at the ends of the T-beams 14, so that the suspension frame 2 may be picked up at these points in the same way as would a container.

Each personnel carrier 3 comprises a floor 7 bounded on all sides by a railing 9 and raised lower edges 10 which will prevent personnel from sliding under the railing 9. Each carrier 3 further includes several easily accessible storage bins 8 for temporarily storing fittings that have been removed from corner castings 19 of the containers 17 or are meant to be fitted in these corner castings . In an alternative embodiment each personnel carrier 3 has a substantially T-shaped planforτn, defining a gangway that is closed off at the end by a door or gate 11 (Fig. 2) . This gate 11, which may be locked or latched when shut, will preferably be biased to its closing position by e.g. a spring (not shown) and may include provisions to prevent it from being opened until the two carriers 3 have been moved closely together (Fig. 3) . In this way personnel may safely cross from one carrier 3 to the other without having to climb over the railing 9. Thus personnel may climb into one of the personnel carriers when the device 1 is on the quay or on deck of the ship, and may then be safely transported to any desired location on or alongside a stack of containers 17 by a combination of vertical and lateral movement of the spreader 12 (which itself is suspended from a container crane) and further lateral movement of the personnel carriers 3, caused by extension or retraction of the T-beams 14 of the spreader 12. As all corner castings 19 may easily be reached through the railing and as any fittings may conveniently be taken from or thrown into the storage bins 8, there is no need for personnel to leave the safe environment of the carrier 3 , which is sturdy enough to withstand any impact by a loosely swinging container. Furthermore, the carrier 3 may include a canopy (not shown) which will protect personnel both from the weather and from any falling objects.

By moving the carriers 3 together personnel may also safely cross from one carrier to the other in order to be transported to the other side of a container 17. Furthermore, full retraction of the device 1 allows it to be lowered between stacks of 20 feet containers, whereas in its fully extended state personnel on the carriers 3 may even reach the corner castings of 45 feet containers. In this way a single transport device 1 may be used in a terminal where various sizes of containers are handled. Although the invention has been illustrated by reference to two exemplary embodiments thereof, it is by no means limited thereto. The invention may be adapted in many ways within the scope of the claims. For instance the number of personnel carriers could be varied; a single carrier moving along a fixed or telescoping beam would be possible. The personnel carrier (s) could also be attached to the hoisting frame directly, without the use of a separate suspension frame. Furthermore, other ways of moving the personal carrier (s) could be considered. The scope of the invention is thus to be defined solely by the appended claims .

Claims

1. Hoistable device for transporting personnel, characterized by at least one suspension frame having means for connecting it to a hoisting frame and at least one moveable personnel carrier connected to the suspension frame.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the personnel carrier is moveable perpendicularly to the direction of hoisting.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , characterized by a plurality of personnel carriers connected to the suspension frame and moveable with respect to each other.

4. Device as claimed in claim 3 , characterized in that the suspension frame has extensible and retractable parts, from each of which a personnel carrier is suspended.

5. Device as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the personnel carriers are moveable between an innermost position in which they are substantially placed together and an outermost position in which they are spaced relatively far apart.

6. Device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the extensible and retractable parts of the suspension frame are attached to corresponding extensible and retractable parts of the hoisting frame.

7. Device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one personnel carrier comprises a working space defined by substantially continuous bounding means.

8. Device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the bounding means comprise a railing.

9. Device as claimed in claim 7 or 8 , characterized by at least one opening in the bounding means and moveable means for closing off said opening.

10. Device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized by storage means arranged on the or each personnel carrier.

11. Device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized by canopy means at least partially covering the at least one personnel carrier.