AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING LOAD UNITS BETWEEN TWO CARRIERS

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring load units between two carriers comprises at least one transferring means movable between the carriers, said transferring means being adapted to carry the load unit in question during the transfer, and a device (5) being movable in order to bridge the gap between the carriers. The bridging device (5) forms a part of a support path device for supporting the transferring means during its movement and comprises support path portions (7), which, when the bridging device is moved into a bridging position, is located in overlapping relation, in the direction of movement of the transferring means, to further support path portions (8), which are arranged on the first carrier, while forming a path supporting the transferring means during its substantially entire movement from the first carrier to the second carrier.

Description: An apparatus for transferring load units between two carriers FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART This invention relates to an apparatus according to the preamble of the appended claim 1. Such an apparatus is described in the patent US A 1 830 740. There a bridging device is described, the two first support path portions of which extend inside, parallel with and on substantially the same level as the two further support path portions. This leads to that cross bars must be arranged between the support path portions in order to make them stable against movement in the horizontal plane. As a result of this the power means for moving the transferring means from one carrier to the other cannot be disposed on a lower level than said support path portions without the disposition of these portions on a level lying high with respect to the bottom of the load carrier. From this follows that the apparatus be¬ comes very bulky and therethrough a great part of the room otherwise being free for the load is lost. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to reduce the disadvan¬ tages discussed above. In accordance with the invention this object is obtained through that the apparatus has been provided with the characteristics which appear from the appended claims. Therethrough it is obtained that no cross bars are needed between the male members in order to attain stability against lateral movement of these members. An increased stability of the apparatus is also achieved through that the support path portions of the bridging device are com¬ posed of two parts, each of which is displaceably movable on an underlayer part on the first carrier. The apparatus does also make a locating of the power means for the trans¬ ferring of the transferring means in the channel so estab- lished between the male members possible, without causing the apparatus to be unnecessary high. The simplicity of the apparatus according to the invention does also make it very inexpensive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a specific description of an embodiment of the invention described as an example. In the drawings: fig 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the apparatus during load transfer, fig 2 is an enlarged, partly sectioned view of one of the carriers in fig 1, fig 3 is a cross section along the line III-III in fig 2, fig 4 is a cross section along the line IV-IV in fig 2, fig 5 is a cross section along the line V-V in fig 2, and fig 6 is an enlarged view of a detail in fig 2, besides which also a part of the second carrier is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In fig 1 two carriers are illustrated, the one 1 of which has the character of a load carrying superstructure on a vehicle for road transport, while the other 2 has the character of a load carrying superstructure on a rail way wagon. Transferring means 3 are moveable between the carriers 1, 2 and adapted to carry the load unit 4 in question during the transfer. The transferring means 3 are in this example intended to normally be located on the road vehicle 1 and they are provided with lift devices, so that a load unit resting on carrier portions beside the transferring means 3 can be lifted up and in the ele- vated state transported over to the other carrier and is there being lowered and supported by its carrier por¬ tions beside the transferring means. Locking means, in itself conventional, can be used in order to keep the load unit, for instance a container, in a defined position on the respective carrier during transport. A device 5, which is movably formed in order to be able to bridge the gap between the carriers 1 and 2, is for each transferring means 3 arranged on the road vehicle 1. This device 5 forms a part of a support path device 6 for supporting the transferring means 3 during its move¬ ment and it has support path portions 7, which, when the device is moved into a bridging position, are located in over-lapping relation, in the direction of movement of the transferring means, to further support path por- tions 8, which are fixed on the carrier 1, while forming a path supporting the transferring means 3, which is not shown in fig 2 and 6, during its substantially entire movement from the carrier 1 to the carrier 2. The support path portions 7 on the bridging device 5 are located generally in the same horizontal plane as the support path portions 8 on the carrier 1. The device 5 has at least one male member 9, which is displaceably received in a female member 10 on the carrier 1. The top side of the female member 10 forms the support path portions 8 on the carrier 1. The support path portions 7 of the bridging device 5 are constituted by a plate like part extending parallel with the direction of movement of the transferring means 3, said plate like part being displace¬ ably moveable on underlayer parts 12 on the carrier 1. In practice the bridging unit 5 comprises two male beam members 9, which are received in two female members 10 arranged on the carrier 1. The members 9, 10 consist of boxgirders with a rectangular cross section. The female members 10 are αisposed beside each other in a spaced relation while defining a channel 13 located therebetween. The device 5 does also have two plate like parts 11 dis¬ posed outside the male members 9. The underlayer parts 12 consist, in the example, of two sets, each of which is composed of two beams (see also fig 4 and 5) extending in the cross direction of the carrier 1, said beams being located in such a spaced relation to each other and at such a distance from the adjacent female beam members 8 on the carrier 1 and the adjacent transversal beams 14, which form limitations for the support path of the transferring means in the longitudinal direction of the carrier respectively that guiding portions 15 of the plate like parts 11 can protrude downwardly into rooms between said beams 12 and these beams and adjacent beams 8, 14. The device 5 has a transversal, stabilizing con¬ nection 16 at the outer end. When the device 5 is drawn back to the carrier 1 the plate like parts 11 cover the underlayer beams 12 completely. The fixed support path portions 8 on the carrier 1 have unequally wide parts 17 and 18. The width of the part 17 is substantially as great as the sum of the width of the part 18 and the surface 7. The plate parts 11 for¬ ming the two support surfaces 7 are always intended to be in over-lapping relation, in the length direction of the transferring means, to the support path parts 18, whereas said over-lapping is i-educed at the pushing out of the bridging device 5 away from the carrier 1. This does appear particularly clearly from fig 4-5. Through that such an over-lapping relation always remains, the support path portions 7 and the support path parts 17 and 18 will form a support path being continuous in the direction of movement of the transferring means. The movement back and forth of the bridging device 5 in the cross direction of the carrier 1 is caused by two power means 19, only the one of which appears and which are designed as cylinders. Said cylinders are disposed inside the female beam members 10 and they are acting between the male beam members 9 and attachments relative to the carrier 1. The transferring means 3 has the character of a slide through that it comprises a plate like part 20, which is intended to rest in a slidable manner on the support path portions 7 and 8 with its edge portions. The lift device of the transferring means 3 is here formed as a cushion like device 21, which through pressure fluid feed and tapping respectively can be brought into an expanded lift state and a contracted inactive state (com¬ pare figs 3 and 4). In order to cause movement of the lifting means 3 a power means 22 is provided, which here is indicated in the form of a cylinder, the one end of which at 23 is intended to be fixed to the carrier 1 (see fig 2) and the second end of which is fixed to the transferring means 3 at its end facing in the opposite direction away from the fixing place 23. The power means 22 can extend below the plate 20 and be received in the channel 13. As appears from fig 3 the transferring means 3 gets a good support by the support parts 17 in the region of the section III-III in fig 2. At the section IV-IV the underlayer beams 12 do not give any support, but the sup- porting function does instead come from the support parts 18 of the beams 10. At the section V-V the transferring means is supported by the support parts 18 as well as the support path portions 7. Outside the beams 10 the transferring means gets support only by the support part portions 7. The carrier 2 and the bridging device 5 comprise engagemen means (see fig 6) 23-26, which co-operate in order to avoid relative movement between the carriers in the ver¬ tical plane. Said engagement means are adapted to auto- matically engage with each other at the movement of the bridging device away from the first carrier 1. Through that male members 9 of the bridging device are telesco- pically guided in the beam means 10 of the carrier 1, the device 5 gets a turn rigid staying against devia- tions in the vertical plane relative to the carriers 1. Through the engagement means 23-26 a transfer of load from the bridging device 5 to the carrier 2 is obtained. The engagement means can more exactly have the character of engaging recesses and projections respectively, which face in the directions of movement of the transferring means 3. The carrier 2 and the bridging device 5 comprise locking means 27, 28, the means 27 of which consist of locking pins movable by means of a power means 29 substantially in the horizontal plane and across the direction of move¬ ment of the transferring means, while the locking means consist of holes for receiving of the locking pins. When the pins 27 are led into the holes 28 movement of the brid- ging device 5 away from the carrier 2 is prevented. When the bridging device 5 is extended and locked at the carrier 2 the support path portions 7 of the device 5 will be located in level with transversal support path portions 30 disposed on the carrier 2, which portions 30 are defining a channel 31, corresponding to the channel 13 on the carrier 1, between each other. Thus, when using the apparatus one can after having pushed out the bridging device 5 and fixed the same to the car¬ rier 2 push the transferring means 3 to and fro between the carriers 1 and 2, while the means is getting a secure support during its whole displacement movement. Of course the apparatus can be modified within the scope of the idea of the invention. Instead of forming the trans¬ ferring means as adapted to slide on the support path portions 7 and 8, rolling components could naturally be arranged either on the transferring means 3 or on the support path portions 7 and 8 or both. The support path portions 7 and 8 need not be plane as illustrated, but they may be formed as or present rails or tracks or the like. Although it is most suitable to form the trans¬ ferring means 3 to accompany that carrier, which the bridging devices are intended to accompany, it would be thinkable that the transferring means would accompany the second carrier. The number of transferring means 3 can vary in the range from one single and in the rising direction. The parts 11 may also have the character of beams.

Claims: Claims 1. An apparatus for transferring load units (4) between two carriers (1, 2), comprising at least one transferring means (3) movable between the carriers, said transferring means being adapted to carry the load unit in question during the transfer, and a device (5) arranged on at least a first (1) of the carriers, said device being movable in order to bridge the gap between the carriers, said bridging device (5) forming a part of a device for sup- porting the transferring means (3) during its movement, said support device comprising two path parts, which are located in a spaced relation to each other, said bridging device (5) having for each of said path parts, a support path portion (7), which, when the bridging device is moved into a bridging position, is located in over-lapping re¬ lation, in the direction of movement of the" transferring means (3), to a further support path portion (8), which is arranged on the first carrier (1 ) , while forming a path supporting the transferring means (3) during its substantially entire movement from the first carrier (1 ) to the second carrier (2), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the bridging device (5) comprises two male mem¬ bers (9) . , each of which is displaceably telescopically received in a female member (10) on the first carrier (1), that the top sides of the female members (10) are provided with or form the support path portions (8) on the first carrier, that the support path portions (7) of the bridging device are provided on or constituted by two plate or beam like parts (11), each of which is displaceably movable on an underlayer part (12) of the first carrier (1 ), and that said path parts define a channel (13) therebetween for receiving a power means (22) arranged in order to cause the movement of the trans¬ ferring means (3) from one of the carriers to the other. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that each of the underlayer parts (12) comprises two girders extending along the support path, and that support portions (15) of the plate or beam like parts (11) project downwardly into rooms between and be¬ side said beams (12). 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the bridging device (5) in the extended state has an ϋ-shape viewed from above, wherein the legs are formed by the plate or beam like parts and the two male members (9) and the base by an element (16) connecting said legs at their outer ends. 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the second carrier (2) and the brid¬ ging device (5) comprise engagement means (23-26) which co-operate in order to avoid relative movement between the carriers in the vertical plane. 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that said engagement means are adapted to automatically engage with each other at the movement of the bridging device (5) away from the first carrier. 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the second carrier (2) and the brid¬ ging device (5) comprise locking means (27, 28), at least one (27) of which is movable and arranged, in the locking position, to prevent movement of the bridging device (5) away from the second carrier (2).

Inventors: LOEVGREN STEN, LOEVGREN, STEN
Applicants: LOEVGREN STEN, LOEVGREN, STEN
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B65G63
IPC codes: B65G63, B65G67