WO2013095096A1

WO2013095096A1 - A vehicle for transport of compressed cargo

Info

Publication number: WO2013095096A1
Application number: PCT/NL2012/050818
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johannes Van Eck
Original assignee: Van Eck Beesd B.V.
Priority date: 2011-11-16
Filing date: 2012-11-16
Publication date: 2013-06-27
Also published as: NL2007798C2

Abstract

A vehicle for transport of compressed cargo, the vehicle being provided with a first and second sidewall (16), a bottom floor, an intermediate floor (12), and a roof. Upon loading, first a part of a cargo such as foam slabs is compressed in the vehicle by means of the intermediate floor (12), and then a part of the cargo is compressed with the roof. To this end, the vehicle includes pressing units (19) in the sidewalls, coupled to the roof. Press rods connected to the roof are used to transmit the pressing force to the intermediate floor. The vehicle includes locks (17,18) for locking the intermediate floor (12) to the press rods and the sidewalls, respectively. The sidewalls (16) include guides in the sidewalls for guiding vertical movement of the press rods. The pressing unit can provide for a stroke which enables a highest position of the roof in which lower ends of the press rods are above the top of the sidewalls, outside the guides. Because the pressing force at the start of pressing is not great yet, guiding is not indispensible then. Accordingly, a higher cargo can be compressed.

Description

A VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORT OF COMPRESSED CARGO

This invention relates to a compression vehicle, i.e., a vehicle, such as a trailer, for transport of compressed cargo, the compression vehicle being arranged to bring the cargo upon loading into compressed condition. The invention also relates to a method for loading a compression vehicle. The cargo can consist, for example, of foam slabs.

With a compression vehicle a cargo can be transported which upon loading is initially higher than the height of the roof of the vehicle during the transport. The roof can be used to compress the cargo. To that end, the compression vehicle is provided with pressing units with which the roof can be raised above the highest point of the walls, and then pulled towards the bottom floor. The cargo is introduced when the roof is in its highest position, and compressed by the downward movement of the roof.

The stroke of the roof (the feasible height above the top of the walls of the vehicle) is a limiting factor for the feasible height of the cargo. But by additionally using an intermediate floor, the total height of the cargo can be increased without the stroke of the roof needing to be increased. In a vehicle with such an intermediate floor, pressing units can raise the intermediate floor and then pull it towards the bottom floor. A part of the cargo is introduced between the bottom floor and the intermediate floor, with the intermediate floor in a raised position, and compressed by the downward movement of the intermediate floor. Then the rest of the cargo can be introduced between the intermediate floor and the roof, with the roof in a raised position, and then compressed by the downward movement of the roof. In this way, the total height of the cargo is increased owing to a part of the cargo being already compressed before the upper part of the cargo is loaded. As a result, the maximum height of the cargo during loading is lower than when all cargo were compressed at once. In principle, the total height of the cargo can be increased still further by making similar use of several intermediate floors, with which each time a part of the cargo is compressed.

In the use of one or more intermediate floors the number of pressing units can be limited by temporarily coupling the intermediate floor to the roof with press rods, which transmit the movement of the roof to the intermediate floor. In this way, pressing units which drive the roof can suffice. By coupling the intermediate floor with locks to the press rods, the intermediate floor, by movement of the roof, can be brought into the raised position and be moved downwards for compression. Thereupon, the intermediate floor can be locked to the wall, and uncoupled from the press rods, so that with the same pressing units the roof can be raised upwards relative to the intermediate floor and cargo can be pressed between the roof and the intermediate floor.

The maximum height of the roof, however, is a limiting factor. This height is limited by the maximum height that can be attained with the pressing units. Because the pressing units are arranged on the vehicle, for instance in the walls, and during transport need to fit under the low position of the roof, the height of the pressing units is limited. Also, a part of the available height may be lost because extra space is needed under the roof to load the vehicle. While it is true that the vehicle may be provided with conveyer belts to convey the cargo further in from the back portal, extra space is necessary at the back portal.

In a trailer additional room may be provided by giving the pressing units outside the gooseneck (the front part of the trailer above the coupling disc for the truck) a greater stroke, for which there is room because the walls are higher there. Owing to the greater stroke, the roof can then be raised higher above the back portal than above the gooseneck, i.e., sloping down obliquely towards the front. Thus a wedge-shaped space is obtained between the roof and the loading floor, which provides more space for loading at the back portal. The pressing units may be provided, for example, with a mechanically series-connected row of several hydraulic cylinder-piston combinations, in order to telescopically combine a greatest possible height in extended condition with the limited height in the wall in the retracted condition. The height of the wall, however, also limits the length of the press rod with which the pressing force of the roof is transmitted to the intermediate floor. It is desirable that the press rod, in pressing with the intermediate floor, runs in a guide in the wall of the trailer, in order to take up transverse forces. This can also hmit the height.

However, it has been found to be possible nonetheless to increase the workable height by raising the roof so high that the press rod is wholly out of the wall at the start of pressing. During pressing, the pressing force gradually increases as the cargo is compressed more. At the start of pressing, therefore, the transverse forces are still small and the press rod does not need to run through the guide in the wall yet. The press rod can be provided with a take-over beam which ensures that the press rod during pressing is led to the guide in the wall again for the part of the path where the greatest pressing force is used. This can be done, for instance, during compression between the intermediate floor and the bottom floor and/or during compression between the roof and the intermediate floor, so that more height becomes available.

The vehicle may be provided with a conveyer belt in the bottom floor to convey cargo forwards from the back portal without loss of height. This, however, entails the disadvantage that the vehicle cannot be used for the transport of cargo, such as a pallet, that might damage the conveyer belt. To make such transport possible nonetheless, the conveyer belt is preferably implemented such that it can be rolled wholly into the bottom floor. Brief description of the drawings

These and other objects and advantageous aspects of the compression trailer are illustrated below by a description of examples of embodiments, with reference to the following figures:

Figures la,b schematically show elevational views of a trailer Figure 2a illustrates the stroke of different pressing units

Figure 2b illustrates a wedge-shaped loading opening

Figures 3-8 illustrate a compression cycle

Figures 9 and 10 show a pressing unit

Figures 11 and 12 show a take-over beam coupled to the press rod

Figure 13 shows the pull shaft in two positions

Figures 14 and 15 shows the conveyer belt at the back portal of the trailer

Figure 16 shows the back portal with cover removed

Detailed description of embodiments

Fig. la shows a rear view of a trailer, having a bottom loading floor 10, an intermediate floor 12, a roof 14, walls 16, first locks 17, second locks 18, and press rods 20. The first and second locks 17, 18 serve for locking intermediate floor 12 to press rods 20 and walls 16, respectively. The first and second locks 17, 18 are formed, for instance, by extendible pins, which can be slid into corresponding openings in the lateral sides of intermediate floor 12. First locks 17 are coupled to press rods 20. Second locks 18 are coupled to walls 16, at a point lower than the top of walls 16, for instance, halfway between the top of walls 16 and bottom loading floor 10. Press rods 20 are attached to roof 14 and extend downwards.

Fig. lb shows a side elevational view of the trailer. Provided in the walls 16 are pressing units 19 which are coupled to roof 14. The coupling is schematically indicated with lines 22. Pressing units 19 are, for instance, hydraulically driven pressing units. Pressing units 19 are shown in extended condition, with roof 14 located above the top of walls 16. The trailer may be further provided with telescopic rods (not shown) between the roof 14 and walls 16. In one embodiment, three pressing units 19 per wall 16 are used, built into the wall 16. The walls on opposite sides of the trailer may each be provided with three pressing units 19. However, also more or fewer pressing units may be used, depending on the length of the trailer.

Fig. 2a shows the stroke of pressing units that is used at different positions in an embodiment of the trailer. As shown in Fig. 2a, the pressing units at the middle position have a nominal stroke, the rear pressing units a greater stroke, and the pressing units at the front position a smaller stroke. Fig. 2b illustrates that in this way a wedge-shaped space can be created. In this way, at the back, more room is made for putting in the slabs, while at the front a pressing unit can be used that is less high, and hence easier to fit in above the coupling disc with which the trailer can be coupled to a truck. Instead of three pressing units, more or fewer pressing units may be used, for instance, two, the front one then having a smaller stroke than the rear one.

General description of the process

A so-called "compression trailer" is designed to transport slabs of polyether foam. To be able to get as many slabs as possible into the available volume, the slabs are compressed in height direction. The forces required to compress the slabs run up with the density of the foam. The more the foam has already been compressed, the more pressing force is needed to compress the slabs still further. Compression of the slabs is done in height direction. The roof of the trailer is moved up hydraulically, the slabs of 1.2 m, in blocks of slabs stacked four or five high, are loaded onto the loading floor and pulled into the trailer with a conveyer belt system. Compression of the slabs, nine high, is done in two steps. First, five slabs which have been placed on the bottom floor are compressed by means of an intermediate floor, then another load of four slabs high is loaded on this intermediate floor and then compressed with the roof.

The vertical drive and movement of the intermediate floor is wholly effected by the cylinders that also move the roof. There is no extra set of cylinders necessary to realize the greater stroke to be made by the intermediate floor.

By the pressing of slabs nine high, the original height of nine slabs

(9x1.2 m), 10.80 m, is reduced to 2.76 m, about 25% of the original volume. The construction of walls, roof and intermediate floor provides sufficient stiffness to enable the required pressing force to be transmitted to the foam. The cylinders of pressing units built into the walls are designed to be able to produce the required pressing force.

Pressing is done in two steps. First, a layer of five slabs, hence 6 m high, is reduced to 1.4 m by the intermediate floor, and then a layer of four slabs, 4.8 m high, to a height of 1.36 m. Between loading floor and underside of intermediate floor, a height of 6.27 m is created to enable the five slabs to be simply introduced, and between intermediate floor and roof (when the bottom layer has been pressed) an interspace of 5.0 m is created to enable the four slabs to be simply introduced.

The roof, to achieve this, has to perform a stroke of 3.53 m at the back. The intermediate floor even has to perform an overall stroke of 4.87 m to create the spaces for the introduction of the foam slabs. In the trailer, all of the movements of roof and intermediate floor are realized with one cylinder set. The intermediate floor can be securely coupled to the roof at different positions (distances) with locks, which allows the whole required stroke of the intermediate floor to be made with the pressing units via the roof. In Figs. 4 and 5 the two coupled positions are shown. First, the coupled position of the intermediate floor against the roof (Fig. 4). Second, the coupled position of the intermediate floor at a distance of 1.36 m from the underside of the roof (Fig. 5). In this second position, the foam can be pressed to the lower position, 1.4 m from the bottom floor.

Figs. 3-8 illustrate the compression cycle in rear views of the trailer in a plane parallel to the axle direction of the trailer.

1) In a first step (Fig. 3), roof and intermediate floor are coupled to each other and moved by pressing units 19 to a highest position. Foam slabs are loaded five high on the bottom floor. Five columns each five slabs high are pulled into the trailer one by one with a conveyer belt lying on the bottom floor.

2) When the bottom layer has been wholly filled, in a second step (Fig. 4) the roof is moved down by pressing units 19, whereby the

intermediate floor is carried along in the movement. The roof is moved down at least to the top of the walls. The roof closes onto the walls. The

intermediate floor can be locked to the walls with a third set of locks (not shown) at the top of walls 16, and uncoupled from the roof.

3) In a third step (Fig. 5), the roof in turn is now moved up alone by pressing units 19 to a recoupling position. The roof having arrived in that position, intermediate floor 12 is coupled by first locks 17 via press rods 20 to roof 14 and then the lock, if any, of the intermediate floor to the walls is released. The intermediate floor is now coupled to the roof again, but at a distance of 1.36 m from the underside of the roof.

4) In a fourth step (Fig. 6), the roof is pressed down by pressing units 19, the intermediate floor thereby moving along between the walls. The roof moves down until it arrives adjacent the top of the walls and the

intermediate floor arrives at a desired position adjacent second locks 18. In this position the intermediate floor can be locked in the walls again, now with second locks 18. Then the roof is uncoupled from the intermediate floor. 5) In a fifth step (Fig. 7) the roof is moved to maximum height again, for loading the second layer. The slabs are now loaded on the intermediate floor in layers of slabs four high. The columns are conveyed forward one by one with the belt conveyer system on the intermediate floor until the whole intermediate floor is filled with 20 slabs, given these dimensions.

6) In a sixth step (Fig. 8), the top layer is all compressed with the roof until the roof has arrived on the walls again. The loading cycle is now complete. The roof can be locked to the top of the walls to prevent the roof possibly rising during the ride due to the stress in the foam slabs.

Unloading proceeds in the same manner but in reverse order.

The compression system

The compression system uses one cyhnder movement to realize a stroke of 3.53 m of the roof and a stroke of 4.87 m of the intermediate floor, built in with an overall height of 3.07 m (i.e., roof height during transport minus disc height). With the cylinder movement a force is produced which is sufficient to press the foam down to 25% of its original volume.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a pressing unit in retracted and extended condition, respectively. The pressing unit is built-in in the wall and does not project outside the wall in the retracted condition. In one embodiment, three of such pressing units can be included per wall.

The pressing unit includes a first, second, and third hydraulic cylinder -piston combination 1, 2, 3, which are telescopically coupled to each other, the press rod, and a guide of the press rod. The end of the

telescopically coupled cylinder-piston combinations is attached to the roof (not shown). To achieve the necessary stroke on the basis of the available space of 3.07 m, a cylinder is used which includes three cylinders that are coupled oppositely to each other. To obtain a uniform movement, the volume of cylinder 1 plus 2 is preferably equal to that of cylinder 3. The press rod is fixedly coupled to the roof and serves to transmit the force for the vertical movements of the roof to the intermediate floor. When the roof is moved up or down with the cylinders, the press rod moves along. As long as the lower end of the press rod remains below the level of the top of the wall, this lower end runs through the guide in the pressing unit.

Transverse forces on the press rod are thereby taken up.

Figs. 11 and 12 show a take-over beam coupled to the press rod. As a consequence of the stroke and the available space, the lower end of the press rod, with the roof in the highest position, moves to a height above the wall of the trailer and hence also out of the guide in the wall. In the trailer, a takeover beam is arranged which is automatically carried along by the press rod when the roof moves up. The take-over beam brings the press rod, as it moves down, back into the guide in the pressing unit.

In the embodiment shown, the press rod includes grooves and the take-over beam is provided with a carrier which can slide in the grooves through the press rod. The press rod includes stops which keep the carrier within the press rod. Within the wall of the trailer, the take-over beam runs in the guide of the pressing unit.

In use, the press rod is pushed up with the roof. In the process, the carrier can initially run down through the grooves relative to the press rod, until the carrier abuts against the stop. Thereupon, the press rod pulls up the take-over beam along with it, so that the end of the take-over beam is pulled above the top of the wall. When the roof is moved down again, the press rod presses the take-over beam back to the guide again, so that eventually also the press rod is led back to the guide. During pressing, the required pressing force gradually increases as the press rod is moved down and the cargo is compressed. The greatest forces occur when the end of the press rod runs in the guide of the pressing unit, so that transverse forces can be taken up then. The forces are smaller when the end of the press rod is outside the guide, so that in that stage taking up is not necessary. The loading floor clear for return transport

The foam slabs are set on the bottom floor in layers of slabs five high. A conveyer belt system pulls the layers of five slabs into the trailer one by one. Because this pull belt system sits in the trailer, the trailer virtually cannot be used for return cargo. If a pallet truck is wheeled over the belt, irreparable damage may result. One embodiment is configured to

semiautomatically retract the conveyer wholly into the loading floor. This renders the original loading floor entirely clear, allowing a pallet truck to be wheeled over it.

Fig. 13 shows a side elevational view of the conveying apparatus. The apparatus is arranged to pull the belt back. The apparatus is mounted in the floor at the back portal of the trailer. The apparatus includes a pull cable or pull cables, a circular pull shaft, a conveyer belt, a tension roller, a collecting roller, and a cover (small cover plate). For explanatory purposes, one and the same pull shaft is shown in two positions, corresponding to different stages of use; this does not mean there have to be two pull shafts. The conveyer belt has one end attached to the pull shaft and the other to the collecting roller. The top of the tension roller lies adjacent the conveying surface of the conveyer belt during normal transport. The conveyer belt passes via the tension roller to the collecting roller. The pull cable or pull cables are attached to the pull shaft. In the embodiment shown, use is made of a circular pull shaft which can rotate at the attachment points, in lieu of a conventional pull beam which cannot rotate. In the back portal of the trailer, the cover is constructed in the rear girder, such that the cover can be removed.

In normal operation, during loading the conveyer belt is gradually pulled off the collecting roll with the aid of the pull shaft to convey the foam slabs into the trailer. During unloading the conveyer belt is wound onto the collecting roll to convey the foam slabs out of the trailer. The pull shaft stops at a terminal point spaced from the rear girder of the trailer. In one embodiment, to that end, the trailer is provided with a mechanism (not shown) which is coupled to the drive (not shown) of the collecting roll, for switching off the drive in response to detection of arrival of the pull shaft at the terminal point.

When the trailer is used for transport without conveyer belt (e.g., for transport of pallets), first the cover plate is removed and then the pull shaft is pulled, by the conveyer belt, all the way beyond the tension roller. The pull shaft thus disappears completely into the floor. The cover plate can then be mounted again, so that the floor is ready for loading with pallets.

When the trailer is used for compression transport again, the pull shaft is pulled over the tension roller again.

Figs. 14 and 15 show the conveyer belt at the back portal of the trailer. The conveyer belt in normal operation always stops automatically at

30 cm from the rear girder of the trailer.

Fig. 16 shows the back portal with the cover taken off. If the cover is taken off, a hole is exposed in which the pull shaft can disappear completely.

Also, through the removal of the cover, a sensor is activated, so that the belt now does not automatically stop at 30 cm from the end anymore but stops only when it has disappeared into the floor.

Claims

1. A vehicle for transport of compressed cargo, wherein the vehicle is provided with

- a first and second sidewall, a bottom floor, an intermediate floor, and a roof;

- at least one pressing unit in the first sidewall, coupled to the roof, and arranged to move the roof vertically between a position on a top of the sidewalls and a position above the top of the sidewalls, and then down, so that with the roof a pressing force is transmitted;

- press rods attached to the roof, downwardly projecting from the roof, arranged to transmit the pressing force from the roof to the intermediate floor;

- guides in the sidewalls for guiding vertical movement of the press rods;

- first locks in the press rods and second locks coupled to the sidewalls below a level of the top of the sidewalls, for locking the intermediate floor to the press rods and the sidewalls, respectively.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pressing unit has a stroke which enables a highest position of the roof in which lower ends of the press rods are above the top of the sidewalls, outside the guides.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2, provided with extendible take-over beams, guidably arranged in the sidewalls and slidably coupled to the press rods, for guiding the press rods to the guides in the sidewalls upon a start of a downward movement of the roof.

4. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pressing unit includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders telescopically coupled to each other.

5. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a first and second pressing unit, of which the first pressing unit stands closer to a back portal of the vehicle than the second pressing unit and the first pressing unit has a greater stroke than the second pressing unit, so that the roof in a highest position slopes down obliquely from the back ortal to a front of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a trailer.

7. A vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the trailer has a gooseneck and the vehicle is provided with a first and second pressing unit, of which the first pressing unit stands in a part of the trailer behind the gooseneck and the second pressing unit stands at the gooseneck in the first sidewall, and the first pressing unit has a greater stroke than the second pressing unit.

8. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom floor is provided with a conveyer belt, and a mechanism to retract the conveyer belt in its entirety under the conveyer belt.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the mechanism for retracting the conveyer belt includes a pull shaft, a tension roller and a collecting roller, wherein the conveyer belt runs from the pull shaft via the tension roller to the collecting roller, and a top of the tension roller defines a height of a transport plane of the conveyer belt, wherein the bottom floor next to the tension roller is provided with an opening of a size allowing the pull shaft to be pulled into the bottom floor, and wherein the pull shaft is circular, so that it can be pulled over the tension roller.

10. A method for loading a vehicle for transport of compressed cargo, which method comprises the steps of

- loading a first part of the cargo between a bottom floor and an

intermediate floor of the vehicle;

- compressing the first part of the cargo between the intermediate floor and the bottom floor, by pressing the intermediate floor down with the aid of pressing force which is transmitted via press rods from a roof of the vehicle to the intermediate floor;

- coupling the intermediate floor to sidewalls of the vehicle after

compression of the first part of the cargo and uncoupling the intermediate floor from the press rods;

- loading a second part of the cargo between the roof of the vehicle and the intermediate floor;

- compressing the second part of the cargo directly with the roof.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the roof, for loading the first part of the cargo, is raised so high that lower ends of the press rods are raised above the top of the sidewalls, and wherein the lower ends of the press rods after a first phase of compression of the first part of the cargo are introduced into guides in the sidewalls by which the press rods are guided in a second phase of compression of the first part of the cargo.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the press rods in the first phase are guided to the guides in the sidewall with a take-over beam.

13. A method according to claim 10, 11, or 12, wherein the roof during at least a part of loading is brought into a position sloping down obliquely from the back portal to a front of the vehicle.

14. A method according to any one of claims 10-13, wherein the bottom floor is provided with a conveyer belt having one end coupled to a pull shaft which is put away in an opening in the bottom floor, and wherein the pull shaft is pulled out of the opening for loading the bottom floor.

15. A method for loading off a vehicle for transport of compressed cargo, the method comprising the steps of

- allowing a first compressed part of a cargo between a roof and an intermediate floor of the vehicle to expand by having a roof of the vehicle move up,

- loading off the first part of a cargo after expanding; - locking the intermediate floor to press rods which are attached to the roof, and uncoupling the intermediate floor from sidewalls of the vehicle;

- allowing a second compressed part of a cargo between the intermediate floor and a bottom floor of the vehicle to expand by raising the intermediate floor by having the roof move up;

- loading off the second part of a cargo after expanding.