INDUSTRIAL TRUCK DEVICE

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for a yoke (2) which may be tipped and which is provided with a load function and which may be detachable connected to the forks (3) of a lift truck (4) or another vehicle which is provided with forks. The yoke (2) is provided with a driving motor (5) and generators (6, 7) of lifting force which are separate from said vehicle (4), and that the yoke (2) has such a centre of gravity that it stays within the ordinary lift forks (3) of the vehicle both in empty as well as in filled condition. The yoke (2) is designed so it may be used by all trucks and vehicles with lift forks for Europe type pallets or corresponding. The fork lift vehicle does not need to be adapted and with the yoke as an aid, it is possible to lift, handle and empty containers for secondary material, waste or corresponding.

Description: Industrial truck device The present invention relates to a device for a yoke which may be tipped and which is provided with a load function and which may be detachable connected to the forks of a lift truck or another vehicle which is provided with forks. The use of vehicle equipped plastic vessels within the industry for collection of secondary material and waste has increased considerably. Besides, demands for sorting into different fractions will gain more penetration also out in industrial enterprises. The wheel equipped vessels are easy to empty with a special equipped refuse collection vehicle, like in residential districts. On the other hand, this handling is experienced as circumstantial when the vessels must be rolled or be transported to a centrally located larger container within a factory or an industrial area. The more sorting of waste at the source gains acceptance, the longer the distance will also be to the collecting centre. For example, a full size container which only shall contain waste paper and not corrugated cardboard must have a much larger area of collecting than a collection container for unsorted waste . Today there is stationary equipment which may empty one vessel at a time at the location of the container. However, then a person must manually roll up each vessel separately and perform emptying by means of the equipment. Or that several vessels are loaded manually on some form of cart which then is pulled out to the centrally located truck container. All vessels must then be handled manually one by one at this. Thus, there are good possibilities within the industry for solving the demand for sorting waste at the source by means of wheel equipped plastic vessels, but the handling has not found a rational solution. Furthermore, there are commonly used fork-lift trucks as dominating logistics systems when stationary installations may not be motivated. Fork-lift trucks may not today handle the wheel equipped vessels, but must have truck adapted metal containers. These containers are not adapted for sorting at the source, and are considered as difficult to handle at the locations of collecting closest to the individual working sites. Nevertheless, in order to perform the secondary material/waste collection which is needed at each working site within the industry different equipment aids have been provided. So far, all known handling systems and equipment require that a person manually moves each vessel to position for gripping for the equipment that shall fetch or empty the vessel. The operating mode of the collecting vehicle will then be different from the desired. The driver must park the vehicle and go out and do a manual labour, by moving vessels during the time which the vehicle is waiting. This is not the optimum from the viewpoint of logistics. In order to somewhat reduce the element of manual labour, the truck vehicle may be equipped with all sorts of special equipment for side displacement of the lifting equipment. But the truck vehicle then will have a completely different and more demanding work pattern than what is given priority to during design and driver education. Furthermore, the equipment requires that the driver leaves his driver's seat and performs a coupling of the equipment and the truck vehicle, in view of power supply and control linkage. The main object of the present invention is therefore primarily to try to solve the problem with simple and still well functioning means for combining the advantages of in itself previously known systems and thereby enabling rational fork-lift truck handling of wheel equipped container vessels of primarily plastic material. This object is achieved by means of a device according to the invention which is substantially characterized in that the yoke is provided with a driving motor and generators of lifting force which are separate from said vehicle, and that the yoke has such a centre of gravity that it stays within the ordinary lift forks of the vehicle both in empty as well as in filled condition. Thereby, fork-lift trucks or other fork equipped work vehicles may fetch and use the device according to the invention for complete handling of it without any need for the driver to leave the designated normal driver's seat for this purpose. The invention will be described as a preferred embodiment wherein is referred to the accompanying drawings in which, Fig 1 and 2 shows device in function for different tipping of vessels and containers. A device 1 for a yoke 2 which may be tipped and which is provided with a load function, and which may be detachable connected to the ordinary forks 3 of a truck vehicle 4 or any other transportable vehicle which is provided with fork-lift, has the yoke 2 arranged so that it is provided with its own motor 5, which is individual of the vehicle 4. Also, the yoke 2 is provided with generators 6 , 7 of lifting force and that it has such a centre of gravity that it stays within the ordinary lift forks 3 of the vehicle both in empty as well as in filled condition. Thereby the yoke 2 is arranged thanks to its independent power supply and function as emptying equipment for lifting and moving vessels 8 which are provided with handles to be tipped into intended container 9 of the yoke 2 in question. A smaller collecting container which contains the contents from a number of even smaller vessels 8 provided with wheels 10, may thus be received to be carried by the yoke 2 and form said collecting container 9. The mentioned with the yoke 2 connected collecting container 9 is provided with handling and lifting means 11 at the end which is facing away from the vehicle 4, in order to lift and empty receiving vessels 8 into the collecting container 9 after gripping. The yoke 2 is provided with its completely independent power supply by rechargeable battery connection 5 and that the drive means of the yoke and the control means 6 , 7 are arranged to be controlled via wireless remote control without external connection to the referred vehicle 4. The vehicle 4 preferably consists of a transportable lift truck which with the yoke 2 as a facility maintains the normal work function of the vehicle by driving along the normal route for lifting 12 and sinking 13 respectively of the lift forks 3. The lift yoke 2 is provided with a pivot bearing 14 at that end A which is distal from the vehicle coupling side, for the referred collecting container 9. Preferably, the mentioned pivot bearing 14 is located on an upright 15 in a raised position with reference to the lift forks 3 and the connection member 16 of the vehicle for the yoke 2 for this. The own separate preferably remotely controlled lift function means of the yoke are performance locked via pressure limiters in lift jacks 6, 7, preferably hydraulic operating cylinder pistons, so that overloading is avoided and/or cautioned against. Preferably, the yoke 2 is provided with means 16 with insert function for connection with the forks 3 in the direction from its front so that the driver of the lift truck 4 may manoeuvre the yoke 2 from the driver's seat 17 for all goods handling when the yoke 2 is used for lifting and moving vessels 8 which are provided with handles and wheels for emptying into the collecting container 9 which may be carried by the yoke for subsequent emptying out of it by tipping into a larger collecting container 18 intended to be transported away by car. The collecting container 9 may be tipped for emptying at optional height by exploiting the lifting function of the fork-lift truck 4 for reaching the height, and the tipping function of the equipment in order to empty it into a larger central container 18 or cargo truck container. The tipping function is operated via remote control without that the driver need to leave the truck 4. The emptying function for e.g. plastic vessel 8 may be used without the driver having to leave the truck 4. The truck, with the equipment on the forks 3 is driven towards the vessel 8 which shall be emptied. The driver remotely controls the vessel emptying function of the equipment and drives on to the next vessel when the vessel has been returned to its original position. When a number of vessels are empty or when the collecting container 9 is full, the truck 4 for example drives out to the central large container and tips into it. The invention is not limited to the above described and in the drawings shown embodiments of the invention but may be varied within the scope of the claims without departing from the inventive concept.

Claims: C l a i m s 1. Device (1) for a yoke (2) which may be tipped and which is provided with a load function and which may be detachable connected to the forks (3) of a lift truck (4) or another vehicle which is provided with forks, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the yoke (2) is provided with a driving motor (5) and generators (6, 7) of lifting force which are separate from said vehicle (4) , and that the yoke (2) has such a centre of gravity that it stays within the ordinary lift forks (3) of the vehicle both in empty as well as in filled condition. 2. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the yoke is arranged to function by its independent power supply as emptying equipment for lifting and moving vessels (8) which are provided with handles to be tipped into intended collecting container (9) of the yoke (2) and which is carried thereby. 3. Device according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the collecting container (9) of the yoke is provided with handling and lifting means (6, 7) at the end (A) which is facing away from the vehicle (4) , in order to lift and empty the receiving vessel (8) into the collecting container (9) after gripping. 4. Device according to any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the yoke (2) is provided with its completely independent power supply by rechargeable battery connection. 5. Device according to any one of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the vehicle (4) consists of a transportable lift truck which with the yoke (2) as a facility maintains the normal work function of the vehicle by driving along the normal route for lifting (12) and sinking (13) of the lift forks (3) . 6. Device according to any one of claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the drive means of the yoke and the control means (6, 7) are arranged to be controlled via wireless remote control without external connection to the referred vehicle (4) . 7. Device according to any one of claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the lift yoke (2) is provided with a pivot bearing (14) at that end which is distal from the vehicle coupling side, for the referred collecting container (9) . 8. Device according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pivot bearing (14) is located in a raised position with reference to the lift forks (3) and the connection member (16) of the vehicle for the yoke (2) for this. 9. Device according to any one of claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the own separate preferably remotely controlled lift function means of the yoke are performance locked via pressure limiters in lift jacks (6, 7), which preferably are formed of hydraulic cylinder pistons, so that overloading is avoided and/or cautioned against. 10. Device according to any one of claims 1-9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the yoke (2) is provided with means (16) with insert function for connection with the forks (3) in the direction from its front so that the driver of the lift truck (4) may manoeuvre the yoke (2) from the driver's seat (17) for all goods handling when the yoke (2) is used for lifting and moving vessels (8) which are provided with handles and wheels for emptying into the collecting container (9) which may be carried by the yoke for subsequent emptying out of it by tipping. •

Inventors: FALK INGEMAR, FALK, INGEMAR
Applicants: TEKNIKKUSTEN AB
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B66F9
IPC codes: B66F9