WO2010097679A1

WO2010097679A1 - Machine for fitting and removing fastening devices for containers

Info

Publication number: WO2010097679A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/000350
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luciano Fantuzzi
Original assignee: Luciano Fantuzzi
Priority date: 2009-02-24
Filing date: 2010-02-23
Publication date: 2010-09-02
Also published as: ITMO20090048A1

Abstract

The machine (1) for fitting and removing fastening devices (2, 3, 4) for containers (5) comprises at least a base housing (8) for fastening to the ground, at least a grip body (9) for gripping a hammer head (3) of a fastening device (2, 3, 4) for containers (5), the hammer head (3) being turnable in the fastening device (2, 3, 4) around a rotation axis (R) and the grip body (9) being associated with the base housing (8) by interposition of automated means (12) for operating the hammer head (3) in rotation.

Description

MACHINE FOR FITTING AND REMOVING FASTENING DEVICES FOR CONTAINERS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic machine for fitting and removing fastening devices between two or more containers. Background art

The use is generally known of large containers commonly identified as "containers", which allow transporting goods with the same geographic destination by sea and which are designed and used to facilitate storing both on board ships and in the various port or interport terminals.

The containers consist of a steel container, closed watertight, the measurements of which in height, width and length are defined by international standards and have on one of the two heads a double-door opening for loading and unloading goods. All the containers have eight corner blocks positioned in correspondence to their four lower corners and to their four upper corners.

Such corner blocks have two precise functions: the first function is performed by the four upper corner blocks, which are fastened onto by special equipment (the spreaders) to permit their lifting and relative handling; the second function is performed by the lower corner blocks, which are arranged to allow joining two or more containers together integrally by means of special fastening devices (commonly called "interblocks") on top of one another on the deck of ships to lock them together during navigation. For this purpose, the corner blocks have at their centre respective rectangular slots which allow fitting corresponding twistlocks, mounted on the spreaders to permit them to be lifted and handled, or for fitting the fastening devices (interblocks), mounted on those containers to be loaded on the deck of a ship to integrally join them together during navigation. Such interblocks, in particular, are interposed starting from below, between the surface of the ship's deck and a first container, and subsequently interposed between one container and all those that are subsequently superimposed, for the purpose of locking them integrally together on the ship's deck up to the completion of each bay made up of 6/7 containers fastened together. The interblocks generally comprise a central pin having, in correspondence to the two opposite extremities, two hammer heads displaced the one to the other by a preset angle. The central pin is fitted in a revolving way inside a support body containing a mechanical system for operating the pin in rotation.

The mechanical operating system is usually of the manual type, but a new type of interblock has an automatic operating system able to rotate the central pin by exploiting the weight of the container when this is superimposed on another. In both cases, the loading of the containers from a port area to the deck of a ship for stacking is first of all done by transporting the containers from the yard to the quay, lifting the containers off the ground by means of a crane and, before hoisting them on board, manually fitting the upper hammer heads of the interblocks in each of the slots of the lower corner blocks. Once fitted, these upper heads are rotated, always manually, and arranged crossways with respect to the slots, so as to fasten onto the four lower corner blocks of the container.

The container is then hoisted on board the ship and fastened to the deck, if it is the first of the hold, or to other previously loaded underlying containers; in this phase, fastening is done manually or automatically depending on the type of interblock used.

During the unloading of the containers from the ship, the previously performed operations are carried out in reverse sequence and, in particular, before resting the containers on the ground on the quay, the operators must again manually operate the mechanical system of each of the interblocks to remove them.

It must be emphasised however that these manual interblock fitting and removal operations are performed in potentially hazardous conditions for the operators themselves, inasmuch as they have to work in the proximity of hanging loads. These operations, also performed in bad weather conditions, consist in operating, moving and pulling levers or other mechanisms suitable for securing and freeing the interblocks. Furthermore, these operations involve a considerable waste of time during container loading and unloading, thus reducing the productivity of the quay cranes.

Object of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a machine for fitting and removing fastening devices for containers that allows reducing to the utmost the need for manual operator intervention on the quay during container loading and unloading operations onto and off the deck of a ship.

In particular, the present invention allows performing, in a fully automatic way, both the insertion and the extraction (fitting/removal) of the interblocks from the containers during loading and unloading, eliminating lengthy operator intervention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for fitting and removing all the types of interblocks existing on the market, which allows overcoming the mentioned drawbacks of the state of the art within the ambit of a simple and rational solution that is easy and effective to use, and which cuts intervention times and costs to the utmost, as well as reducing the problems and risks affecting the operators.

The above objects are achieved by the present machine for fitting and removing fastening devices for containers, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a base housing for fastening to the ground, at least a grip body for gripping at least a hammer head of a fastening device for containers, said hammer head being turnable in said fastening device around a rotation axis and said grip body being associated with said base housing by interposition of automated means for operating said hammer head in rotation. Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the description of some preferred, but not sole, embodiments of a machine for fitting and removing fastening devices for containers, illustrated purely as an example but not limited to the annexed drawings in which: figure 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of the machine according to the invention; figure 2 is a side view of the machine of figure 1 ; figure 3 is a section view along the track plane III - III of figure 1 ; figure 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the machine according to the invention; figure 5 is an exploded view of a fitting and removal block envisaged by the machine according to the invention; figure 6 is a section view of the fitting and removal block of figure 5; figure 7 is a section view along the track plane VII - VII of figure 6; figures from 8 to 12 show, in a sequence of side, schematic, partially sectioned views, the operation of the machine according to the invention in the unloading phase of the containers from a ship; figures from 13 to 17 show, in a sequence of side, schematic, partially sectioned views, the operation of the machine according to the invention in the loading phase of the containers on a ship.

Embodiments of the Invention With particular reference to such figures, globally indicated by 1 is a machine for fitting and removing fastening devices 2, 3, 4 for containers 5.

The fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks), in particular, can be indistinctly of the manually operated type and of the automatic-operation type.

In both cases, the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 consist of a central block 2 inside which a pin is fitted having, at the opposite extremities, a first hammer head 3 and a second hammer head 4 respectively.

Conventionally, as first hammer head 3 has been indicated that which during use is arranged downwards, and as second hammer head 4 that which in use is arranged upwards. The hammer heads 3, 4 are displaced by a preset angle and are revolving with respect to the central block 2 around a rotation axis R.

In point of fact, the machine 1 consists of a platform suitable for allowing the resting of one or more containers 5 on the quay of a port area.

In particular, in the embodiment of the figures from 1 to 3, the platform 1 is ready for receiving a 40-foot container or two 20-foot containers aligned.

In the embodiment of figure 4, on the other hand, the platform 1 is ready to accommodate two 40-foot containers one aside the other or, alternatively, four 20-foot containers, two by two, aligned and aside one another. The platform 1, in particular, has a supporting structure 6, designed to receive, on top, the containers 5.

To make it easier to centre the containers 5 and to correctly position them on the supporting structure 6, the machine 1 has a plurality of inclined invitation guides 7, which are distributed along the perimeter of the machine itself. In correspondence to the corners of the machine 1 and of its central portions a plurality of fitting and removal rotating actuators are distributed which allow fitting and removing an equal number of fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) on/from the containers 5.

Each of these rotating actuators, in point of fact, consists in a base housing (or base frame) 8 which, together with the machine 1, is designed to be rested on the ground on the quay. To the base housing 8 is associated a grip body 9 suitable for gripping the first hammer head 3 of the fastening device 2, 3, 4 (interblocks).

For this purpose, the grip body 9 comprises a first recess 10 shaped to couple with the first hammer head 3 during the unloading phase of the containers 5 and a second recess 11 shaped to couple with the first hammer head 3 during the loading phase. The recesses 10, 11 are displaced the one to the other by a preset angle, corresponding to the displacement angle of the hammer heads 3, 4 of the various types of interblocks.

The machine 1 can be equipped with various series of grip bodies 9, corresponding to every type of interblock existing on the market and made exactly in conformity with the different displacements of the hammer heads 3, 4 and with the different rotation angles of each interblock; this allows the machine 1 to adapt to any work condition simply by means of an easy and quick operation of replacement of the grip bodies 9. The coupling of the grip body 9 with the first hammer head 3 occurs by the simple fitting of the head in the recesses 10, 11.

In particular, the recesses 10, 11 are obtained on the two opposite sides of the grip body 9 and are made to be arranged alternately upwards depending on the loading or unloading operation to be performed to couple with the first hammer head 3.

The choice of which of the recesses 10, 11 should be turned upwards, in fact, depends on whether the machine 1 is used to load or unload the containers 5, as will be better described below; in particular, the first recess 10 is designed to operate during unloading of the containers 5, while the second recess 11 is used to load the containers 5.

The grip body 9 is associated with the base housing 8 by interposition of automated means 12 suitable for operating the hammer heads 3, 4 in rotation around their rotation axis R.

The automated means 12, in particular, are suitable for operating the hammer heads 3, 4 in rotation by effect of the weight of the container during the phase of resting on the machine 1. The automated means 12 are linked to guide means 13, 14, 15, 16 of the grip body 9 and create during their downward movement a rotary-translation motion around a substantially vertical work direction L which, in use, is substantially coinciding with the rotation axis R of the hammer heads 3, 4. By virtue of the guide means 13, 14, 15, 16, in point of fact, the grip body 9 is moving between a first substantially raised operating configuration and a second substantially lowered operating configuration and rotated by a preset angle corresponding to the displacement angle of the hammer heads 3, 4. For this purpose, inside the base housing 8 is obtained a seat 13 of substantially cylindrical shape with round section and the grip body 9 is cylinder shaped and coinciding with the seat 13 to be fitted sliding in it. Furthermore, the guide means 13, 14, 15, 16, comprise a series of grooves 14, 15 obtained along the side surface of the grip body 9, each of which has a first section substantially inclined with respect to the work direction L. The grooves 14, 15 consist of a first pair of grooves 14 obtained in the proximity of the first recess 10, and of a second pair of grooves 15, obtained in the proximity of the second recess 11.

The guide means 13, 14, 15, 16, furthermore, comprise a pair of overhanging elements 16 which protrude from the inner surface of the seat 13 and which can be fitted sliding inside the first pair of grooves 14 or the second pair of grooves

15.

The overhanging elements 16 are composed of the same number of balls housed inside suitable cavities 17 obtained on the base housing 8. Usefully, each ball 16 is kept inside a corresponding groove 14, 15 by means of a pusher 18a and a thrust spring 18b operated by a respective eccentric lever 19.

The movement of the grip body 9 between the first operating configuration and the second operating configuration results in the sliding of the balls 16 between a first extremal position of the first inclined section of the grooves 14, 15, in which the grip body 9 is in the first operating configuration, and a second extremal position of the first inclined section of the grooves 14, 15, in which the grip body 9 is in the second operating configuration.

Advantageously, the grooves 14, 15 have a second section substantially parallel to the work direction L. The sliding of the balls 16 along such second sections allows the sliding of the grip body 9 along the work direction L to provide the machine 1 with greater play during its operation.

In point of fact, the grip body 9 moves from the first operating configuration to the second operating configuration by effect of the thrust action applied by the positioning of the containers 5 above the machine 1 by effect of the weight of the containers 5 themselves.

This movement occurs in contrast to first elastic means 20, of the type of a helical spring fitted in the base housing 8 and suitable for allowing the grip body 9 to return from the second operating configuration to the first operating configuration when the containers 5 are lifted.

Usefully, temporary retention means 21, 24 are provided for retaining the grip body 9 in the second operating configuration, in order to allow the total removal of the corner block from the interblock of the container 5.

These temporary retention means comprise a lock pin 21 with a free extremity 21a and which is associated sliding with the base housing 8 between an idle position, in which the free extremity 21a is moved away from the grip body 9, and a retention position, in which the free extremity 21a is substantially closer to the grip body 9 and is suitable for fastening inside a corresponding housing

22 obtained on the grip body 9 in the second operating configuration.

Advantageously, on the grip body 9 are obtained two housings 22 which are used alternately depending on which of the two recesses 10 or 11 is turned upwards and, therefore, as already said, according to whether the machine 1 is used to load or unload the containers 5.

On the lock pin 21 a thrust spring 23 acts that presses it from the idle position towards the retention position.

The lock pin 21 is connected to an operating lever 24 which is hinged to the base housing 8 and which has a shaped profile 24a suitable for pushing on the lock pin 21 and a contact portion 24b suitable for coming into contact with the container 5.

The operating lever 24, in detail, extends to a height above the supporting structure 6; the lowering of the containers 5 on the machine 1, therefore, results in the containers 5 resting on the contact portion 24b before reaching the supporting structure 6.

This causes the rotation of the operating lever 24 and moves the shaped profile

24a so this can interact with the lock pin 21 to move it between the idle position and the retention position. Advantageously, at the top of the base housing 8 are locator means 25, 26 suitable for coming into contact with the central block 2 of the fastening device

2, 3, 4 (interblocks) during the rotation of the hammer heads 3, 4.

The locator means 25, 26 comprise an element shaped like an overturned glass

25 which is fitted in the base housing 8 in a way sliding along the work direction L.

For this purpose the overturned-glass element 25 has a series of slits 27 open at their lower extremity suitable for fitting between the eccentric levers 19 and the operating lever 24.

At the top of the overturned-glass element 25 a transit opening 28 is obtained for the first hammer head 3 which is suitable for locating a portion of the central block 2.

The overturned-glass element 25 rests on a helical spring 26 arranged around the base housing 8 and suitable for contrasting the lowering of the overturned- glass element 25.

The operation of the machine 1 is suitable both for loading and for unloading the containers 5 and is regulated from time to time depending on the required type of operation.

During the unloading of the containers 5, the operation of the machine 1 is schematically represented in the figures from 8 to 12; for the sake of easier representation these figures are shown without the locator means 25, 26. In this phase, the quay operators first of all fit the grip bodies 9 inside the base housings 8 so the first recess 10 is arranged upwards.

For this purpose, for them it is enough to operate on the eccentric levers 19 to allow the correct positioning of the grip bodies 9 in the base housings 8. Once all the grip bodies 9 have been fitted on the machine 1, the unloading phase of the containers 5 can begin. In this phase, the containers 5 are unloaded from the ship by means of a quay crane and appear with their lower corner blocks 29 engaged by the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) to be removed which are in correct position for fitting the lower hammer heads 3 in the recesses 10 of the grip bodies 9. For this purpose, the containers 5 are moved close to the machine 1 (figure 8) in order to remove the fastening devices 2, 3, 4, an operation performed by resting them on the supporting structure 6 of the machine 1.

When the containers 5 come into contact with the portion 24b of the operating levers 24 they automatically complete a rotation that moves the shaped profile 24a away from the lock pin 21, which is thus free to slide in the housing 22 (figure 9).

Afterwards, the further lowering of the containers 5 conveys the hammer heads 3 of the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) inside the first recesses 10, which are suitably both arranged in the same identical phase. By effect of the weight of the containers 5 themselves, the grip bodies 9 are lowered and moved from the first to the second operating configuration, forcing the grip bodies 9 and the hammer heads 3, 4 to turn around the work direction L and the rotation axis R by a pre-set angle (figure 10). In this configuration the grip bodies 9 arrange themselves so as to align the housings 22 with the lock pins 21 to allow them to be fitted and permit blocking the grip bodies 9.

When the containers 5 are again lifted, the blocking by means of the lock pin 21 maintains the grip bodies 9 in the second operating configuration and the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) are released from the lower corner blocks 29 of the containers 5 (figure 11).

Once the containers 5 have been lifted to transfer them from the quay to the yard, the operating levers 24 return to their original position and free the lock pin 21 from the housings 22, releasing the grip bodies 9 (figure 12).

The operators assigned to handling the containers 5 on the quay only have to remove the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) remaining simply resting on the grip bodies 9 and the machine 1 is again ready for unloading the next containers 5. The loading phase of the containers 5 onto the ship is schematically shown in the figures from 13 to 17; for the sake of easier representation these figures are also shown without the locator means 25, 26.

In this phase, a quay operator merely overturns the grip bodies 9 inside the base housings 8 so the second recess 11 is arranged upwards; this way the machine 1 is ready for the ship loading phase.

At this point an operator rests on each grip body 9 the corresponding fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) which automatically fasten onto the lower corner blocks 29 of the containers 5 to be loaded onto the ship's deck. The containers 5 reach the quay by means of the yard transport vehicles and are unloaded onto the machine 1.

During the container resting phase, the second hammer heads 4 of the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) are perfectly aligned with the slots of the lower corner blocks 29 of the containers 5 to be embarked, allowing these to be fitted (figure 13). Continuing in the phase of resting on the supporting structure 6, the container 5 comes into contact with the operating levers 24, blocking the lock pins 21 (figure 14). The further lowering of the containers 5 pushes downwards the grip bodies 9, which automatically rotate together with the hammer heads 3, 4 by a preset angle (figure 15), allowing the second hammer head 4 to fasten on inside the lower corner blocks 29 of the container 5. In this configuration, the grip bodies 9 are secured by means of the lock pins 21 and, when the containers 5 are again lifted by the quay cranes, the fastening devices 2, 3, 4 (interblocks) remain fastened to the containers 5 (figures 16 and 17).

It has in fact been ascertained how the described invention achieves the proposed objects and in particular the fact is underlined that the machine according to the invention allows eliminating the manual interventions of the operators in conditions of possible danger, eliminating dead times in quay crane movement operations and increasing their productivity with considerable economic benefits.

Claims

1) Machine (1) for fitting and removing fastening devices for containers, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a base housing (8) for fastening to the ground, at least a grip body (9) for gripping at least a hammer head (3) of a fastening device (2, 3, 4) for containers (5), said hammer head (3) being turnable in said fastening device (2, 3, 4) around a rotation axis (R) and said grip body (9) being associated with said base housing (8) by interposition of automated means (12) for operating said hammer head (3) in rotation.

2) Machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said grip body (9) comprises at least a first recess (10) shaped for fitting and removing said hammer head (3).

3) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said grip body (9) comprises at least a second recess (11) shaped for fitting and removing said hammer head (3) and displaced by a preset angle with respect to said first recess (10).

4) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said automated means (12) are suitable for operating said hammer head (3) in rotation by effect of the resting of at least one container (5) on said base housing (8). 5) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said automated means (12) comprise guide means (13, 14, 15, 16) of said grip body (9) in a rotary translation motion around a substantially vertical work direction (L) coinciding with said rotation axis (R) of the hammer head (3), said grip body (9) being movable between a first substantially raised operating configuration and a second substantially lowered operating configuration and rotated by a preset angle.

6) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said guide means (13, 14, 15, 16) comprise at least a substantially cylindrical seat (13) obtained in said base housing (8), said grip body (9) being shaped at least partially cylindrical and coinciding with said seat (13) to be fitted sliding in said seat (13).

7) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said guide means (13, 14, 15, 16) comprise at least a groove (14, 15) obtained along a portion of said grip body (9) and having at least a first section substantially inclined with respect to said work direction (L), and at least an overhanging element (16) which protrudes from said base housing (8) and fitted sliding inside said groove (14, 15) between a first position of said first substantially inclined section, in which said grip body (9) is in the first operating configuration, and a second position of said first substantially inclined section, in which said grip body (9) is in the second operating configuration. 8) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said groove (14, 15) has at least a second section substantially parallel with respect to said work direction (L).

9) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said automated means (12) comprise first elastic means (20) for the return of said grip body (9) from said second operating configuration to said first operating configuration.

10) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises temporary retention means (21, 24) of said grip body (9) in said second operating configuration. 11) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said temporary retention means (21, 24) comprise at least a lock pin (21) having at least one free extremity (21a) and associated sliding with said base housing (8) between an idle position, in which said free extremity (21a) is substantially moved away from said grip body (9), and a retention position, in which said free extremity (21a) is substantially closer to said grip body (9) and is suitable for being fitted inside a corresponding housing (22) obtained on said grip body (9) in said second operating configuration. 12) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said temporary retention means (21, 24) comprise at least an operating lever (24) which is associated with said base housing (8) and which has at least a shaped profile (24a) suitable for operating said lock pin (21) and at least a contact portion (24b) suitable for coming into contact with at least a container (5), the lowering of said container (5) against said contact portion (24b) being suitable for operating said shaped profile (24a) on said lock pin (21) to move it between said idle position and said retention position.

13) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said temporary retention means (21, 24) comprise at least a thrust spring (23) for pressing said lock pin (21) from said idle position towards said retention position.

14) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises locator means (25, 26) for locating said fastening device (2, 3, 4) suitable for contacting said fastening device (2, 3, 4) during the rotation of said hammer head (3).

15) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said locator means (25, 26) comprise at least a glass element (25) fitted on said base housing (8) and having at least a transit opening (28) for the transit of said hammer head (3) and at least a portion of said fastening device (2, 3, 4).

16) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said glass element (25) is sliding on said base housing (8) along said work direction (L). 17) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact ^'that said locator means (25, 26) comprise at least a helical spring (26) for contrasting the lowering of said glass element (25).

18) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a platform (1) for resting at least one container (5).

19) Machine (1) according to the claim 18, characterized by the fact that said platform (1) comprises at least an invitation guide (7) for positioning said container (5).

20) Machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises a plurality of said base housings (8) associated with said platform (1).