WO2015094113A1

WO2015094113A1 - Container covering apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2015094113A1
Application number: PCT/SG2014/000055
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lee Keng LIM
Original assignee: Lim Lee Keng
Priority date: 2013-12-19
Filing date: 2014-02-13
Publication date: 2015-06-25
Also published as: SG2013094354A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for covering and uncovering a top side of a container carried by a vehicle. The apparatus includes a base mounted to the vehicle and a frame pivotally mounted to the base. The frame is rotatable relative to the base between a first position and a second position. A reel is mounted to the base and a flexible sheet is wound on the reel, with one end of the flexible sheet attached to the frame. A first driving device is coupled to the reel for winding and unwinding the flexible sheet. A second driving device is coupled to the frame for rotating the frame from the first position to the second position. When the flexible sheet is unwound from the reel, the frame rotates towards the second position to extend the flexible sheet over the container to cover the container.

Description

CONTAINER COVERING APPARATUS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for covering a top side of a container. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for covering a top side of a container carried by a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Containers are widely used in land transportations for carrying various types of goods and/or materials. For the convenience of loading / unloading operations, loose materials such as garbage, sands etc are often transported by land vehicles using open-top containers. To prevent the material from dropping out of the container, a canvas or tarpaulin is used to cover the top side of the container during transportation.

To improve the operation efficiency, devices and mechanisms are developed to automatically lay a canvas to cover the container top after the materials are loaded into the container for transportation and to withdraw the canvas from the container top, to allow unloading of the materials from the container.

To meet the requirements of effective and secured covering/uncovering operations, and because canvas are typically in large size and heavy weight, known devices are provided with hydraulic-driven, heavy-duty, movable arms to pull the canvas from its storage reel to cover the container, and to return the canvas back to the reel to uncover the container. This is particularly the case for carrying out canvas covering / uncovering operations for large sized containers. Understandably, heavy duty arms and hydraulic driven devices will results in high manufacturing and maintenance costs which add to the equipment and operation costs to the end users. It is therefore desirable to provide a low-cost, easy operable container covering apparatus which is capable of providing the covering efficiency at the same level as or even better than that provided by known devices. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for covering and uncovering a top side of a container carried by a vehicle. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a base mounted to the vehicle and a frame pivotally mounted to the base. The frame is rotatable relative to the base between a first position and a second position. A reel is mounted to the base and a flexible sheet is wound on the reel, with one end of the flexible sheet attached to the frame. A first driving device is coupled to the reel for winding and unwinding the flexible sheet. A second driving device is coupled to the frame for rotating the frame from the first position to the second position. In use, a container is received on the base for loading goods / materials therein. Before the truck transports the container, the flexible sheet is unwound from the reel, the frame rotates towards the second position to extend the flexible sheet over the container to cover the container. The flexible sheet therefore prevents the materials from dropping out of the container during transportation. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, illustrating by way of example the inventive concept of the present invention.

BRffiF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lA is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. IB is an enlarged partial view showing details of the reel assembly of the container covering apparatus of Fig. 1A.

Fig. 1C is an enlarged partial view showing details of the arm movement driving assembly of the container covering apparatus of Fig. 1 A.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus of Fig. 1 A installed onto a truck.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a truck with the container covering apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 A when a container is loaded to the truck and before the canvas covers the top side of the container.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing a truck with the container covering apparatus as shown in Fig. 1A when a container is loaded to the truck and when the canvas covers the top side of the container.

Fig. 4B is a perspective view showing a truck with the container covering apparatus as shown in Fig. 1A when a container is loaded to the truck and when the canvas is withdrawn to open the top side of the container.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus shown in Fig. 5 and installed onto a truck.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a truck with the container covering apparatus as shown in Fig. 6 when a container is loaded to the truck and before the canvas covers the top side of the container.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial view showing the arm length adjustment assembly of the container covering apparatus of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged partial view showing the reel height adjustment assembly of the container covering apparatus of Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged partial view showing the arm movement driving assembly of the container covering apparatus of Fig. 6.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are perspective views showing the container covering process using a covering apparatus installed on a truck.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a truck with the container covering apparatus as shown in Fig. 6 when a container is loaded to the truck and when the canvas covers the top side of the container.

Fig.15 is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus installed onto a truck and using a wired control device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig.16 is a perspective view showing a container covering apparatus installed onto a truck and using a wireless control device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. DET AILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in Figs. 1 A, IB, Fig. 1C, a container covering apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of arms 110, a cross bar 120 fixed to the pair of arms 110 at first end 110a, and a pair of shafts 130 rotatably mounted to a base 102. Each of the arms 110 has a second end 110b mounted to a shaft 130. The pair of arms 1 10 and cross bar 120 form a frame structure which is rotatable relative to base 102, about shaft 130. Although shown in Fig. 1A as two separate shafts 130 co- axially mounted to base 102 about a common axis of rotation 132, it should be appreciated that a single piece of shaft will also serve the same purpose of and functions the same manner for supporting the rotation of the pair of arms 1 10, about the axis of rotation 132.

A sleeve 140 is mounted to base 102 adjacent to shaft 130. Disposed in sleeve 140 there is a spring 142 which is connected to shaft 130 at one end, via a link bar 144. Spring 142 is configured to exert a force Fl which will generate a torque Tl for rotating shaft 130 and arm 110, along a counterclockwise direction 1 11 about axis of rotation 132, as depicted in Fig. 1C.

As shown in Fig. 2, in use, container covering apparatus 100 is installed onto a truck 18, with the lower portion of base 102 attached to the rear side of the chassis of truck 18, and the upper portion of base 102 attached adjacent to the truck cab 18a.

A reel 150 is mounted to the upper portion of base 102, adjacent to the truck tub 18a. A flexible sheet 152, e.g. a canvas, a tarpaulin or the like, is wound on reel 150. A reel motor 160 is attached to reel 150, to rotate reel 150 to wind or unwind flexible sheet 152.

One end of flexible sheet 152 is attached to cross bar 120. When flexible sheet 152 is about fully wound on reel 150, cross bar 120 is held at an open position adjacent to reel 150, i.e. adjacent to truck cab 18a, as shown in Fig. 2. When cross bar 120 is at this open position, a container 12 may be loaded to truck 18, positioned on base 102 and between the pair of arms 110, as shown in Fig. 3. Further, when reel 150 is locked, e.g. by reel motor 160, winding or unwinding of flexible sheet 142 is prevented, and cross bar 120 is held at the open position. The top side of container 12 is now open for loading

goods/materials therein. When the goods / material loading process of container 12 is completed and the truck 18 is ready to transport to another location, reel motor 160 (Fig. IB) is activated to unwind reel 150 which, in turn, releases flexible sheet 152. Further referring to Fig. 1C and Fig. 4A, following the release of flexible sheet 152, and driven by the torque Tl generated by spring 142, the pair of arms 110 is allowed to rotate along counterclockwise direction 111, together with cross bar 120, about shaft 130. Following the movement of cross bar 120 to a close position, as shown in Fig. 4 A, and together with the unwinding operation of reel 150, flexible sheet 152 is extended over container 12, and covers the top side of container 12. Truck 18 can now transport to another location during which, container 12 is fully covered at top side. The goods / material loaded in the container is prevented from dropping out of the container during the transportation process.

When it is desired to unload the goods / materials from the container e.g. at the transportation destination, reel motor 160 is activated to wind reel 150. The force applied to reel 150 by motor 160 overcomes the spring force applied to the pair of arms 110.

Accordingly, cross bar 120 is pulled back to the first position (Fig. 4B), by flexible sheet 152 which is wound back onto reel 150. Movement of cross bar 120 back to the open position rotates the pair of arms 110 along clockwise direction 112.

Referring again to Fig. 1C, during the rotational motion of the pair of arms 110 along clockwise direction 112, the spring 142 applies force Fl against the pair of arms 110, via link bar 144 and shaft 130. Force Fl therefore generates a tension at cross bar 120 which stretches and tightens flexible sheet 152 during the winding process. This causes the winding process of the flexible sheet 152 more smoothly, and any entangling or stuck of the flexible sheet 152 is prevented. In the meantime, with the flexible sheet 152 being progressively wound onto reel 150, the counterforce applied to spring 142 is increased, and spring 142 is stored with potential energy for next time use. It should be appreciated that according to the present emboiment, since the flexible sheet is extended to cover the container by following the unwinding operation of the reel motor and the movement of cross bar, the load borne by the pair of arms and the cross bar is relatively low. As such, the pair of arms, the cross bar as well as the driving mechanism used to rotate the pair of arms can be constructed with relatively light-weight and requires low driving energy. Complicated hydraulic driven mechanism used in conventional systems is avoided and the cost is greatly reduced.

Fig. 5 shows a container covering apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Container covering apparatus 200 includes a pair of arms 210, a cross bar 220 fixed to the pair of arms 210 at first end 210a, and a pair of shafts 230 rotatably mounted to a base 202. Each of the arms 210 has a second end 210b mounted to a shaft 230. The pair of arms 210 and cross bar 220 form a frame structure which is rotatable relative to base 202, about shaft 230.

As shown in Fig. 6, in use, container covering apparatus 200 is installed onto a truck 28, with the lower portion of base 202 attached to the rear side of the chassis of truck 28, and the upper portion of base 202 attached adjacent to the truck cab 28a.

Similar to the structure of the previous embodiment, a reel 250 is mounted to an upper portion of base 202, adjacent to the truck tub 28a. A flexible sheet 252, e.g. a canvas, a tarpaulin or the like, is wound on reel 250. A reel motor 260 is attached to reel 250, to rotate reel 250 to wind or unwind flexible sheet 252.

One end of flexible sheet 252 is attached to cross bar 220. When flexible sheet 252 is about fully wound on reel 250, cross bar 220 is held at an open position adjacent to reel 250, i.e. adjacent to truck cab 28a, as shown in Fig. 6. When cross bar 220 is at this open position, a container 22 may be loaded to truck 28, and positioned between the pair of arms 210, as shown in Fig. 7. Further, when reel 250 is locked, e.g. by reel motor 260, winding or unwinding of flexible sheet 242 is prevented, and cross bar 120 is held at the open position. The top side of container 22 is now open for loading goods/materials therein. According to the present embodiment, a container covering apparatus is capable of covering containers of different heights, as illustrated in detail below. As shown in Fig. 8, each arm 210 includes a first segment 214 and a second segment 216 coupled to first segment 214. An arm-driving motor 270 is attached to second segment 216. A first gear 272 is attached to arm-driving motor 270, and a second gear 274 is attached to second segment 216 of arm 210, and engages with first gear 272. Arm-driving motor 270, first gear 272, second gear 274, first segment 214 and second segment 216 are configured such that when arm-driving motor 270 rotates, first gear 272 follows the rotation of arm-driving motor 270, and drives the rotation of second gear 274. Rotation of second gear 274 causes the sliding motion of first segment 214 relative to second segment 216. As such, first segment 214 is slidable relative to second segment 216, to adjust the length of arm 210, by controlling the rotation of arm-driving motor 270.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 9, reel 250 is attached to base 202 via support pillars 254. A rack-driving motor 280 is fixed to base 202 and drives the rotation of pinion 286, via gear box 282 and shaft 284. Pinion 286 is engaged to gear rack 256 formed on support pillar 254. Rotation of motor 280 will cause rotation of pinion 286 which drives the sliding motion of support rack 254. Support rack 254 is therefore slidable relative to base 202 to vary the height of reel 250.

The arm driving mechanism of the present embodiment is shown in Fig. 10. Shaft 230 is rotatably mounted to base 202. A sleeve 240 is mounted to base 202 adjacent to shaft 230. Disposed in sleeve 240 there is a first spring 242 which is connected to shaft 230 at one end, via a link bar 244. First spring 242 is configured to exert a force F21 against link bar 244, to generate a first torque T21, for rotating shaft 230 and arm 210, along a clockwise direction 211, as depicted in Fig. 10. To improve the driving operation to arms 210, the container covering apparatus

200 according to the present embodiment further includes a second spring, e.g. a gas spring 290, pivotally connected between base 202 and link bar 244. Gas spring 290 exerts a force F22 which will generate a second torque T22, for rotating shaft 230 and arm 210, along clockwise direction 211, as depicted in Fig. 10. An addition of a gas spring assists the first spring 242 by providing more driving torque to rotate the arm 210.

When a container 22 with relatively greater height is loaded to truck 28, as shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, reel 250 may firstly be unwound to release a starting portion of flexible sheet 252, to allow rotation of arms 210 towards the back side of truck 28. With further release of flexible sheet 252, arm-driving motor 270 (referring to Fig. 8) may be activated to extend the length of arm 210, i.e. by sliding the first segment 214 along second segment 216. Extension of arm 210 adapts to further release of flexible sheet 252, as shown in Fig. 12.

Thereafter, rack-driving motor 280 (referring to Fig. 9) is activated, to cause sliding of support pillar 254 relative to base 202 which raises the height of reel 250, as shown in Fig. 13, to a position slightly above the container 22. The length of arm 210 may also be adjusted to follow the height adjustment of reel 250, as show in Fig. 13.

When reel 250 is at an appropriate height position, flexible sheet 252 is further released following the unwinding operation of reel motor 250. Flexible sheet 252 unwound from reel 250 allows the rotation of arms 210 and movement of cross bar 220 towards the back side of truck 28. Cross bar 220 therefore extends the flexible sheet 252 to cover the top side of container 22, as shown in Fig. 14.

The operation of the reel motor, rack-driving motor, arm-driving motor may be carried out via a wired control panel 298 mounted to an appropriate position of the truck 28 and connected to these motors, as shown in Fig. 15. Alternatively, a wireless control panel 299 may be used to control the operation of these motors, as shown in Fig. 16.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed. Therefore, the present invention should be understood to be capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, alternatives and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and recited by the following claims.

Claims

An apparatus for covering a container carried by a vehicle, the apparatus

comprising:

a base mounted to the vehicle for receiving the container thereon;

a frame pivotally mounted to the base, the frame being rotatable relative to the base between a first position and a second position;

a reel mounted to the base;

a flexible sheet wound on the reel, wherein one end of the flexible sheet is

attached to the frame;

a reel driving device coupled to the reel for winding and unwinding the flexible sheet;

a frame driving device coupled to the frame for rotating the frame from the first position to the second position,

wherein when the flexible sheet is unwound from the reel, the frame is released to rotate towards the second position to extend the flexible sheet over the container to cover the container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame includes a pair of arms and a cross bar, the pair of arms each having a first end pivotally mounted to the base and a second end joint by the cross bar, wherein said one end of the flexible sheet is attached to the cross bar.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each arm includes a first segment and a second segment slidably coupled to the first segment for varying a length of the arm.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an arm-driving mechanism coupled to each arm for sliding the first segment relative to the second segment.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame driving device includes a first resilient member coupled between the base and the frame, wherein the first resilient member is to generate a torque to rotate the frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a shaft fixed to the frame, wherein the first resilient member is coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reel is movably mounted to the base via a rack, wherein the rack is slidable relative to the base to vary a height of the reel.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a rack driving mechanism coupled to the base for moving the reel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the flexible sheet is wound onto the reel, the flexible sheet pulls the frame towards the first position to uncover the container.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the flexible sheet is wound onto the reel, the frame driving device counter-acts against the frame to stretch and tension the flexible sheet.