ZA200810536B - Covering equipment incorporating trailer - Google Patents

Description

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(1) TITLE OF THE INVENTION

COVERING EQUIPMENT INCORPORATING TRAILER

(2) FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a coverable open topped container type load-carrying vehicle as thus fitted with cover providing equipment. While not so limited the invention finds useful application when dealing with a covering equipment incorporating trailer. (3) BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The load carrying container of a load carrying vehicle and a load carrying trailer often requires covering during load transportation. In addition to its simple manual covering by a sheet of canvas, a variety of mechanisms are known to the applicant in achieving such covering. The mechanisms often require substantial adaptation of the container intended to be covered. Otherwise once covered the covering sheet lies onto a load while the covering process causes the covering sheet to come into contact with a load during the covering process especially where full load is carried. It is, amongst others, an object of this invention to address these problems. (4) SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided cover providing equipment installable for reopenably covering a container that is in use exposed to the elements of nature and that is conventionally used to hold matter that is required to be at meaoos /105 5 6 against such exposure comprising a flexible covering sheet that is extensible retractably associated with a sheet storage in being displaceable between container covering and uncovering conditions once the equipment is operatively installed, an-uncovering condition displacement facility arranged to cause the displacement of the sheet, at least once the equipment is so installed in which case the sheet storage is “mounted in the region alongside the mouth to such container, at least substantially into its storage and thus container uncovering condition, and 10. a covering condition displacement facility arranged to cause the displacement of the sheet towards its container covering condition also at least once the equipment is operatively installed, with the action of the displacement facilities accommodating one another in i - enabling the appropriate displacement of the sheet while at least one of the displacement facilities is powerable in achieving its displacing action.

The displacement facilities may preferably accommodate one another to the effect of at all times maintaining the sheet against substantial sagging if at all, at least once the equipment is operatively installed. -

The equipment may include a sheet displacement mechanism interacting with the leading end of the sheet in a way that causes the sheet to move into at least a container covering condition by way of an action that maintains the sheet spaced above the mouth to a container, once the equipment is operatively installed, for at least a substantial distance along its container covering path though performing a properly covering action once in its fully covering condition.

The sheet displacement mechanism may preferably include arms that are pivotally mounted in alignment with one another along spaced container walls, once the equipment is operatively installed, intermediate the outer end regions of which arms a sheet leading end securer extends that is displaceable along an arcuate path starting and ending in near proximity of the mouth to a container in conjunction with which the equipment is used once so operatively installed, displacement of the sheet into both its covering and uncovering conditions thus causing its leading end to follow an arcuate path in turn causing the sheet as trailing its leading end to remain spaced from such mouth except for coming to lie in close proximity to it once having been displaced into its fully covering condition.

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In an embodiment the covering sheet may be extensible retractably associated with the sheet storage by being rollable onto a rotor that is rotatably mounted within the storage.

The uncovering condition displacement facility may be in the form of a rotor drive for appropriately rotating the rotor while permitting its unpowered rotation in the opposite direction on operation of the covering condition displacement facility.

The covering condition displacement facility may be in the form of urging means at least indirectly exerting a permanent urging effect on the sheet via its leading end and in the relevant case the securer, at least once the equipment is installed, in biasing it to its container covering condition, which urging effect is, however, superseded by the uncovering force exerted by the uncovering condition displacement facility, as thus powerable, in at least substantially retracting the sheet to the sheet storage, once activated, though once the latter is released permitting the urging means to displace the sheet to its container covering condition.

In one variation the urging means may be in the form of a spring arrangement, in the case of the sheet being displaceable by means of the pivotally mounted arms the spring arrangement being in the form of springs that are secured to cause the arms to swivel appropriately, when so permitted, by the action of the springs in causing the securer and thus the sheet to be displaced into its container covering condition. :

The ends of the springs remote from being connected to the arms in the equipment being so constituted, may preferably be secured to the wall of a container thus requiring installation of the equipment prior to its proper operation.

In another variation the covering condition displacement facility may, in the case of the sheet displacement mechanism including arms that are pivotally mounted in alignment with one another along spaced container walls, once the equipment is operatively installed, as thus fitted with the sheet leading end securer, be in the form of a conventionally powerable piston and cylinder layout interacting between the arms and as lever fashion formed, and a fixed position to displace the arms between a container sheet uncovering condition and a sheet covering condition in response to the extension of the piston and cylinder layout once powered and vice versa on release of the piston and cylinder layout.

The uncovering condition displacement facility may be in the form of urging means for automatically at least substantially retracting the sheet into the sheet storage once the piston and cylinder layout is unpowered, the urging means in the appropriate case being in the form of a rotor winding and unwinding mechanism that is put under tension on powering of the piston and cylinder layout while unwinding and causing the at least substantial retraction of the sheet into its storage once the piston and cylinder layout is released.

Further according to the invention there is provided a coverable open topped container type load-carrying vehicle as thus fitted with cover providing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. :

The vehicle may in an embodiment be in the form of a tipper type vehicle that is thus also fitted with a tipping mechanism in a way that limits interference between the operation of the ‘cover providing equipment and the tipping mechanism. (3) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings

Figure 1 diagrammatically shows one embodiment of a coverable open topped container- type load-carrying vehicle, according to the invention, in the form of a covering equipment incorporating trailer as thus fitted with cover providing equipment, also according to the invention in its covered end elevation condition,

Figure 2 shows the trailer of figure 1 in plan view,

Figure 3 diagrammatically shows another embodiment of the trailer, in its covered end : elevation condition,

Figure 4 shows the trailer of figure 3 in plan view,

Figure 5 diagrammatically shows the operation of the figures 1 and 2 embodiment of the tipper, and

Figure 6 diagrammatically shows the operation of the figures 3 and 4 embodiment of the tipper. (5) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to figures 1 to 4 of the drawings a coverable open topped container type load- carrying vehicle, according to the invention, in the form of a covering equipment . incorporating tipper type trailer as thus fitted with cover providing equipment, also according to the invention, is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

The trailer 10 is thus fitted with the cover providing equipment as generally indicated by reference numeral 12 comprising a flexible covering sheet 14 that is extensible retractably associated with a sheet storage 16 holding a rotor 18 onto which the sheet 14 is releasably rollable, an uncovering condition displacement facility generally indicated by reference co 6 numeral 20 for substantially displacing the sheet 14 into the storage 16 and thus trailer uncovering condition and a covering condition displacement facility generally indicated by reference numeral 22 for causing the displacement of the sheet towards its trailer covering condition.

Being of the side tipping type the trailer 10 is fitted with the conventional hydraulic equipment 24 to deal with such action. The cover providing equipment 12 is naturally installed in a way that limits interference between itself and the equipment 24 during their respective operations. Co

The equipment 12 includes a sheet displacement mechanism that comprises arms 28 that are pivotally mounted in alignment with one another to the opposite end walls 30 of the trailer 10. The outer ends 28.1 of the arms 28 are interconnected by a sheet securer in the form of a sheet holding rod 32. The leading end 14.1 of the sheet 14 is consequently secured to the rod 32. The arms 28 in combination with the rod 32 form a sheet displacement assembly 34. The operation of the displacement facilities 20, 22 ensure that the sheet 14 is at all times maintained against substantial sagging and preferably held taut.

In referring to figures 1 and 2 and in one embodiment the covering condition displacement facility 22 is in the form of urging means as provided by a spring arrangement in the form of : springs 36 that each extends between a pre-selected location of securing to its trailer end wall 30 and a position along its associated arm 28. The uncovering condition displacement facility 20 is, in turn, in the form of a rotor drive as provided by an electric motor 38 that is mounted to rotate the rotor 18 in rolling the sheet 14 there onto. When unpowered the motor 38 is rotatable in the opposite direction enabling the progressive release of the sheet 14 from the storage 16. To limit the possibility of the motor remaining powered even once the sheet displacement assembly 34 has reached its fully uncovering condition the equipment 12 includes contact switches (not shown) that thus unpowers the motor 38 once this condition is reached. The sheet 14 is consequently biased to its trailer covering condition. To keep the trailer 10 open for charging and discharging and the sheet 14 thus in its uncovering and stored condition, the rotor 18 is fitted with a lock (not shown) to achieve such action. The characteristics of the springs 36 and their locations of securing to their respective arms 28 and end walls 30 in conjunction with the extent of power exertion of the motor 38 are naturally selected to ensure that the springs 36 can pull the sheet 14 to its trailer covering condition while the motor 32 is unpowered and any braking mechanism (if fitted) released.

The motor 38, in turn, has adequate power to overcome the force of the springs in returning the sheet 14 to its trailer uncovering condition once powered. y :

In referring to figures 3 and 4 and in another embodiment the covering condition displacement facility 22 is in the form of a conventionally powerable piston and cylinder layout as provided by piston and cylinder assemblies 40. Each of the assemblies 40 are swivellably secured at their cylinder end 40.1 to the relevant end wall 30 while its piston end s 40.2 is secured to its arm 28. The arms 28 are in this embodiment lever fashion mounted to - the trailer 10. The rod 32 extends between the arms 28 at a location remote from their positions of piston securing. The uncovering condition displacement facility 20 can, similar to the figure 1 and 2 embodiment, also be in the form of a motor (not shown). Activation of the motor naturally requires deactivation of the piston and cylinder assemblies 40 and vice versa to attain the required sheet covering and uncovering actions. Otherwise (while not shown) the rotor 18 can be tensioned in its direction of sheet rolling accumulation there onto. In such case the operation of the figures 3 and 4 embodiment will be opposite to that of the figures 1 and 2 embodiment. The sheet will consequently be biased to the trailer uncovering condition while covering is achieved by the actions of the piston and cylinder assemblies 40.

In referring to figure 5 and according to the figures 1 and 2 embodiment the operation of the covering providing equipment 12 in performing a covering action commences from its fully uncovered condition, as shown in figures 5(a) and 5(b). The sheet 14 is held against release by the action of the motor 38 as having turned the rotor 18 in the direction of arrow 42 or by means of the lock (not shown). In this condition to sheet 14 is substantially stored within the storage 16 as being rolled onto the rotor 18. When the contents of the trailer 10 is desired to be covered the power is removed from the motor 38 or the lock released resulting in the tensioning force of the springs 36 in causing the sheet displacement assembly 34 to swivel in the direction of arrow 44 in performing a sheet covering action through the position shown in figures 5(c) and 5(d) to the fully covered condition of figures 5(e) and 5(f). It is : consequently held in this condition by the continuously exerted tensioning action of the springs 36. Uncovering is achieved by simply re-powering the motor 38.

In referring to figure 6 and according to the figures 3 and 4 embodiment the operation of the covering providing equipment 12 in performing a covering action commences from its fully uncovered condition, as shown in figures 6(a) and 6(b). In this condition the sheet 14 is again rolled onto the rotor 18 while the pistons and cylinder assemblies 40 are fully contracted, as more clearly shown in figure 6(a). The covering action is achieved by simply pressurising the assemblies 40 again causing the sheet displacement assembly 34 to swivel in the direction of arrow 46 in response to lever type action of the arms 28. The action " continues through the position shown in figures 6(c), 6(d) until the covered condition of > .

figures 6 (e), 6(f) is reached. Uncovering of the trailer 10 is achieved by simply releasing the pressure from the assemblies 40 and activating the motor (if the equipment is so fitted) or permitting the sprung rotor 18 to automatically commence rotation in the direction of arrow 48. In the case of involving a motor the equipment 12 again incorporates appropriate stops to prevent its over-powering.

It is an advantage of the invention as specifically described that the covering of a trailer is achieved in a way that prevents the cover from being dragged across a full load while the covering sheet is properly stored when in its trailer uncovering condition. Owing to the swivelling action in performing the covering and uncovering steps the possibility of equipment malfunction is minimised.

Claims (1)

1. Co SO 1] — (6) CLAIMS a (1) Cover providing equipment installable for reopenably covering a container that is in use exposed to the elements of nature and that is conventionally used to hold matter that is required to be at least substantially protected against such exposure comprising aflexible covering sheet that is extensible retractably associated with a sheet storage in being displaceable between container covering and uncovering conditions once the equipment is operatively installed,

   an uncovering condition displacement facility arranged to cause the displacement of the sheet, at least once the equipment is so installed in which case the sheet storage is

   ‘10 mounted in the region alongside the mouth to such container, at least substantially into its storage and thus container uncovering condition, and a covering condition displacement facility arranged to cause the displacement of the sheet towards its container covering condition also at least once the equipment is operatively installed, with the action of the displacement facilities accommodating one another in

   "15 enabling the appropriate displacement of the sheet while at least one of the displacement : facilities is powerable in achieving its displacing action. : (2) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 1 in which the displacement facilities accommodate one another to the effect of at all times maintaining the sheet against substantial sagging if at all, at least once the equipment is operatively installed.

   (3) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 that includes a sheet displacement mechanism interacting with the leading end of the sheet in a way that causes the sheet to move into at least a container covering condition by way of an action that maintains the sheet spaced above the mouth to a container, once the equipment is operatively installed, for at least a substantial distance along its container covering path though performing a properly covering action once in its fully covering condition.

   (4) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 3 in which the sheet displacement mechanism includes arms that are pivotally mounted in alignment with one another along spaced container walls, once the equipment is operatively installed, intermediate the outer end regions of which arms a sheet leading end securer extends that is displaceable along an arcuate path starting and ending in near proximity of the mouth to a container in conjunction with which the equipment is used once so operatively installed, displacement of the sheet into both its covering and uncovering conditions thus causing its leading end to follow an arcuate path in turn causing the sheet as trailing its leading end to remain spaced from such

   ; 3 10 mouth except for coming to lie in close proximity to it once having been displaced into its fully covering condition. (5) Cover providing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the covering sheet is extensible retractably associated with the sheet storage by being rollable onto a rotor that is rotatably mounted within the storage.

   (6) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 5 in which the uncovering condition displacement facility is in the form of a rotor drive for appropriately rotating the rotor while permitting its unpowered rotation in the opposite direction on operation of the covering condition displacement facility.

   (7) Cover providing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the covering condition displacement facility is in the form of urging means at least indirectly exerting a permanent urging effect on the sheet via its leading end and in the relevant case the securer, at least once the equipment is installed, in biasing it to its container covering condition, which urging effect is, however, superseded by the uncovering force exerted by the uncovering condition displacement facility, as thus powerable, in at least substantially retracting the sheet to the sheet storage, once activated, though once the latter is released permitting the urging means to displace the sheet to its container covering condition. (8) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 7 in which the urging means is in the form of a spring arrangement, in the case of the sheet being displaceable by means of the pivotally mounted arms the spring arrangement being in the form of springs that are secured to cause the arms to swivel appropriately, when so permitted, by the action of the springs in causing the securer and thus the sheet to be displaced into its container covering condition. (9) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 8 in which the ends of the springs remote from being connected to the arms in the equipment being so constituted, are secured to the wall of a container thus requiring installation of the equipment prior to its proper operation. (10) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which, in the case of the sheet displacement mechanism including arms that are pivotally mounted in alignment with one another along spaced container walls, once the equipment is operatively installed, as thus fitted with the sheet leading end securer, the covering condition displacement facility is in the form of a conventionally powerable piston and cylinder layout interacting between the arms and as lever fashion formed, and a fixed position to displace the arms between a container sheet uncovering condition and a sheet covering condition in response to the

   : RE 11 extension of the piston and cylinder layout once powered and vice versa on release of the piston and cylinder layout. : (11) Cover providing equipment as claimed in claim 10 in which the uncovering condition displacement facility is in the form of urging means for automatically at least substantially retracting the sheet into the sheet storage once the piston and cylinder layout is unpowered, the urging means in the appropriate case being in the form of a rotor winding and unwinding mechanism that is put under tension on powering of the piston and cylinder layout while unwinding and causing the at least substantial retraction of the sheet into its storage once : the piston and cylinder layout is released. (12) A coverable open topped container type load-carrying vehicle as thus fitted with cover providing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. (13) A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 in the form of a tipper type vehicle that is thus also fitted with a tipping mechanism in a way that limits interference between the operation of the cover providing equipment and the tipping mechanism. (14) Cover providing equipment substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (15) A coverable open topped container type load-carrying vehicle substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (16) A coverable open topped container type load-carrying vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 or claim 14. A P S van der Merwe : Patent Agent for Applicant