WO2018020294A1

WO2018020294A1 - Safety device for loading platforms of motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2018020294A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/054439
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luciano TREBBI
Original assignee: Anteo S.P.A.
Priority date: 2016-07-26
Filing date: 2016-07-26
Publication date: 2018-02-01

Abstract

The safety device for loading platforms of motor vehicles (5) comprises: detection means (8A) mounted to the vehicles (1 ) and designed to detect said platforms (5) in the open or closed position, and generating at least one signal to be received; receiver means (9) for receiving said at least one signal to be received, mounted in an area that is visible to vehicle drivers; means for power supply to said detection means (8A) and receiver means (9); signal transfer means (10) for transferring said at least one signal to be received from said detection means (8) to said receiver means (9); said transfer means (10) comprising a wireless connection.

Description

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LOADING PLATFORMS OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a safety device for loading platforms of vehicles, which is generally used to check the position of a loading and unloading platform of a transport vehicle, e.g. a truck, before the latter starts on its way again after loading or unloading products into or from the truck body.

Background art

Goods carrying vehicles are known to be equipped at their back with a movable platform, which is used by the driver to load and unload goods.

Typically, these platforms may be formed of one piece or made up of two sections, that can be folded one onto the other to reduce their overall dimensions.

All the platforms are mounted to the rear area of the truck chassis, and in their operating configuration, they are vertically movable between a position coplanar to the loading floor of the truck body and a position that is lowered to contact with the ground.

When the truck moves along the roads, the platform must be in a retracted position within the profile of the truck, to prevent any collision with other vehicles on the way.

Typically, one-piece platforms can rotate from a horizontal active position to a vertical inactive position, in which they are placed against the rear wall of the truck body and, in this position, the truck may circulate without creating any hazard for other vehicles.

The platforms composed of at least two contiguous sections are z- folded and slipped below the rear area of the truck, thereby being actually hidden within the profile of the latter, before moving the track after completion of the loading and unloading operations.

Nevertheless, it may happen that, as a result of undue haste by the driver, the truck is moved after loading or unloading without retracting the platform into its withdrawn position, retracted into the profile of the truck. In order to avoid this dangerous circumstance, some manufacturers supply platform position indicating devices to truck buyers, such that the driver may check or be warned of the irregular or left-open position of the platform, before starting on its way again.

This prior art suffers from certain drawbacks.

A first drawback is that the devices that warn the driver of the open position of the platform are mounted to the trucks only as an optional accessory, although the standards require it to be used on all transport vehicles.

A second drawback is that the installation of prior art devices requires special wiring to be provided by manufacturers during assembly of the truck.

Such wiring requires the use of a series of signal transfer cables, a power source, a multiplicity of connectors and the transfer of the signals in the driver's cab.

This leads to a problem associated with the costs of these devices and the design of the trucks, as special installation areas have to be provided for the components and the bundles of cables that connect them.

An even more critical problem is that existing trucks cannot feature these devices as aftermarket products, i.e. when the truck has already been purchased ad used with no such devices, unless expensive changes and operations are made for installation and wiring of the components, if no special paths are provided therefore in the structure of the truck.

It shall be noted in this respect that one of the components, namely a platform detection sensor, shall be mounted in the rear area of the truck, proximate to the platform, whereas the alarm and monitoring devices shall be mounted in the driver's cab, i.e. many meters away from the detection sensor.

Disclosure of the invention

The object of the invention is to improve the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device for loading platforms of devices that can be easily manufactured and installed, have a save operation and be tamper-proof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device for loading platforms of vehicles that can be easily mounted to existing trucks without requiring, in this case, expensive and complex changes to truck structures.

In one aspect the invention relates to a safety device for loading platforms of vehicles as defined in the features of claim 1 .

Further features are described in the dependent claims.

The invention affords the following advantages:

- all transport vehicles that use loading and unloading platforms may be equipped with a safety device that warns drivers in the cab of any improper and hazardous position of the platform, i.e. when the latter extends in a horizontal of substantially horizontal position from the rear area of the vehicle for a long time;

- the installation of the safety device for loading platforms of vehicles is greatly simplified, leading to an overall cost reduction.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment of a safety device for loading platforms of vehicles, which is shown as non-limiting example in the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a highly schematic side view of a truck having a safety device for a first embodiment of a loading platform of vehicles of the invention;

FIGS. 2 to 4 are highly schematic broken-away side views of the rear portion of the truck equipped with a safety device of the invention, which is configured for additional embodiments of the loading platform.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment Referring to the above mentioned figure, 1 generally designates a truck having a driver's cab 2 and a truck body 3, both mounted to a support chassis 4.

The truck body 3 has a rear wall consisting of a movable platform 5 which is mounted to pivot about a transverse axis of rotation "A", between a closed position of the truck body 3 and an open position thereof.

Furthermore, the platform 5 is articulated to the chassis 4 by means of support arms 6 which allow it to be lifted and lowered parallel to itself when it is in the open position.

A transfer device 8 is mounted to an area of the chassis 4 or the side board, and is designed to send a signal indicative of the position of the platform 5, i.e. to indicate when the latter is in the closed position or to warn the driver that the truck 1 platform 5 is in the open position.

For this purpose, a detection device, referenced 8A, is mounted to the platform 5, and is normally connected via a cable 8B to the transfer device 8 to detect when the platform 5 is in the closed position.

The transfer device 8 comprises a signal transmitter, with signals being captured by a receiver device 9 which is normally housed in the driver's cab 2 and can emit a sound or light or sound and light combined warning, for the driver to readily determine the position of the platform 5, while sitting on his/her driver's seat.

It shall be noted that both the transmitter device 8 and the receiver device 9 are of wireless type and communicate via a wireless transfer line, which can be schematically seen in the figure by means of a broken line 10.

By this arrangement, every transport vehicle, not necessarily a truck 1 , provided that it has a loading platform, can be equipped with a safety device of the invention, both directly at the factory during manufacture, and when the vehicle has been sold and used, the installation being very simple as it does not require special wiring between the transmitter device 8 and the receiver device 9.

It shall be also noted that if the transmitter device 8 or the detection device 8A are accurately installed in protected and difficultly accessible areas, preferably in the side board, but also in the chassis 4 of the truck 1 and the platform 5, any attempted tamper of the device aimed at bypassing its effectiveness is discouraged, whereas such attempt was readily successful in certain types of prior art devices. In practice, when the platform 5 is in the open position, the transmitter device 8 cannot detect the presence of the detection device 8A and this condition generates a warning sign all that is sent to the receiver device 9 through the wireless transfer line 10.

Therefore the receiver device 9 emits its warning signal that shows the driver that the platform, 5 is in the open position and hence the truck 1 cannot move.

For this purpose, in addition to sending the open platform 5 signal to the receiver device 9, the transmission device 8 may be connected to the controller that controls the operation of the engine of the truck 1 , e.g. to prevent ignition thereof when the platform 5 is accidentally left in the open position, and to allow ignition of the engine when the transmitter device 8 detects the closed position of the platform 5.

In this position, the transmitter device 8 determines that the detection device 8A is near, and sends a signal to the receiver device 9 indicating that the platform 5 is closed, thereby stopping the warning signal.

Referring to Figure 1 , the detection device 8A may be formed in the form of an inclinometer that can "sense" the tilt of the platform 5e with respect to a reference line, for instance a horizontal line, and provide a signal indicating that the platform 5 is closed, when the latter is in the vertical position, again the body 3 of the truck 1 .

Referring to Figures 2 to 4, the detection device 8A is provided in the form of micro-switch mounted to chassis 4 or the truck body 3 and having a tracer 12 for contact-detection of the platform 5 in the closed position or folded or retracted beneath the chassis 4, thereby generating the signal indicating that the platform 5 is closed, to be transmitted by the transmitter device 8 to the receiver device 9 mounted in the cab, via the wireless line 10.

In this state, the driver may move the truck in safe conditions, and be sure that he/she has not left the platform 5 open.

The skilled person may understand that the transmitter device 8, the detection device 8A and the receiver device 9 may be powered by the electrical system of the truck 1 or by autonomous means, here by means of batteries accommodated in containers 1 1 associated to each of them.

Furthermore, the transmitter device 8 and/or the receiver device 9 may be equipped with means for checking proper operation of both, to prevent the drivers from receiving a warning signal even when the platform 5 is in the closed position.

The invention has been found to fulfill the intended objects.

The invention so conceived is susceptible to changes and variants within the inventive concept.

Also, all the details may be replaced by other technical equivalent elements.

In its practical implementation, any material, shape and size may be used as needed, without departure from the scope as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1 . A safety device for loading platforms (5) of motor vehicles (1 ) having a frame (4), comprising:

- Detecting means (8A) fitted on vehicles (1 ) and designed to detect said platforms (5) in an opened or closed position and emitting at least a position signal to be received;

- Receiving means (9) of said at least a position signal to be received, fitted on a visible zone to drivers of vehicles;

- Feeding means of said detecting means (8A) and receiving means (9);

- Transfer means (10) from said detecting means (8A) to said receiving means (9) of said at least a position signal to be received;

characterized in that said transfer means (10) comprise a connection without wires, known as wireless connection.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said detecting means comprise:

- A platform (5) position detecting device (8A) designed to produce said position signal; and

- Transmission means (8) connected with said detecting device (8A) and designed to transfer said position signal to said receiving means (9).

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said position detecting device is selected among a slope sensor, a presence sensor; a contact switch.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said receiving means and said transmission means are equipped with good-working detection means of said transferring means.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detecting device (8A) is alternatively associated with said platform (4) or said frame (4) and said transmission means (8) are associated with said frame (4).