ANTI-CRUSH-SYSTEM FOR OPEN SAFETY FRAMES OF FOR EXAMPLE FORK-LIFT TRUCKS

Abstract: The present invention is related to an anti-crush-system (6) for open safety frames (2) of for example fork-lift trucks (1), by which on a surprisingly way under an angle alpha of approximately 30 DEG a very rapidly extending support leg of the anti-crush-system (6) moves or shoots out and by a special ingenious locking device (7) stays in the extended position, so that the driver cannot get dangerously/fatally trapped between the very heavy fork-lift truck (1) and the ground (5).

Description: ANTI-CRUSH-SYSTEM FOR OPEN SAFETY FRAMES OF FOR EXAMPLE FORK-LIFT TRUCKS The present invention relates to a device, also called anti-crush-system, to protect drivers in open safety frames of for example fork-lift trucks and articulated loaders against getting trapped during situations when due to wrong manouvres the mentioned fork-lift truck tips over and the driver jumps or falls off and gets trapped between the heavy vehicle and the ground with possible serious physical injury or possibly worse. Open safety frames are used on several vehicles in the business. Concerning vehicles are fork-lift trucks, articulated loaders and such. Mentioned vehicles can tip over under certain circumstances, by which the driver can get trapped between the bars of the open safety frame and the ground and it should be taken into account that these vehicles weigh tons. The injuries can be very serious to fatal. To avoid accidents, often warning signals are given on eye-level, such as fasten seatbelt, if truck tips over do not jump, lean forward and lean away from impact, but the effect shall be minor when tipping over, as this usually happens very fast. The possible tipping of motorized vehicles with an open safety frame around the driver generally has a high risk for the driver. The purpose of the present invention is to prevent (serious) physical injury of the driver when tipping over of the fork-lift truck, articulated loader and such, which have open safety frames. So the driver should never get part of the vehicle's weight on himself leading to crushing of the body and/or limbs. Therefore a device according to the invention is surprisingly develloped in such a way characterized in that the vehicle with open safety frame, here the fork-lift truck or articulated loader, has sideways, preferably in the mentioned open safety frame approximately squared (at right angels) on the longitudinal axis (direction of the traffic of, for example, the fork-lift truck) , two in opposite direction very fast extending (shooting out) mounted support legs of the anti-crush-system, by which when sideways tipping over of the fork-lift truck with open safety frame, the mentioned concerned mounted rapidly extending support legs are released at a pre-set tipping angle ( ) and locked in extended position. The advantage is that well above the driver, out of a horizontal tube of the roof frame a spacer sleeve of sufficient length shoots out quickly between the overhead guard of the machine and the ground through which getting trapped of the driver if he falls off is being avoided. Furthermore the device according the invention is further developed in such a way that the mentioned fast extending support legs as a preferred construction are strongly preloaded and double locked extending or shooting out telescopic support legs and are mounted in the rear, as tube constructed transverse beam of the mentioned open safety frame and that the mentioned preload consists of a long spring which is mounted over approximately the complete rear transverse beam of the existing open safety frame . The advantages are a very rapid and strong reacting support leg as a spacer sleeve between the ground and preferably the upper part of the machine and mounted to the heaviest part of the machine, here the fork-lift truck. Then the device according the invention is developed in such a way that the mentioned lock is executed as a articulated hinging spring loaded locked rod system coupled to a pawl or pawl construction, by which the mentioned locking takes place by means of a pendulum supplied with a circle segment and weight, which locking construction activates under a tipping angle larger than and the anti- crush-system is extended, and that the mentioned tipping angle x is preferably approximately 30°. The advantage of this is that by a pre-set tipping angle α of approximately 30° to the vertical the locking construction absolutely releases and the afore mentioned telescopic support legs shoot out, so that with absolute certainty a safety device to avoid crushing of the drivers body is realised, no matter how the driver reacts in the panic situation. Furthermore the device according to the invention is developed in such a way that the mentioned pawl construction with rounded ends in operation rests against a roller construction of the mentioned anti-crush-system which is situated in a tubular casing of the mentioned open safety frame and that the pawl construction in tipped position by means of the other rounded end keeps the telescopic anti-crush-system in position and locks it. The advantage of this is that the extended telescopic support leg is absolutely kept in position. Furthermore the device according to the invention is developed in such a way that the two mentioned telescopic legs of the anti-crush-system are hinged folding from the roof of the open safety frame by which the drive can be spring loaded or gas loaded. This concerns a second preferred possibility to apply the first described safety device. Also in this case the safety device can be achieved very rapidly. Now the preferred construction of the invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a view in oblique perspective of a fork- lift truck with open safety frame on which the safety device according to the invention can be applied; Fig. 2 shows a rear view of a fork-lift truck with open safety frame in upright and tipped over position if no anti-crush-system according to the invention has been applied; Fig. 3 shows a rear view of a fork-lift truck with open safety frame in tipping and tipped over position when the anti-crush-system according to the invention has been applied; Fig. 4,5,6 show a rear view of the fork-lift truck with open safety frame in tipping position, when the anti-crush-system according to the invention is activated; Fig. 7 shows a partial front view and sectional view of the locking device of the anti-crush-system according to the invention; Fig. 8 shows a partial side view and sectional view of the locking device of the anti-crush-system according to figure 7; Fig. 9 shows a partial front view and sectional view of the activation of the locking device of the anti-crush-system according to the invention; and Fig. 10 shows further possible second preferred constructions of the anti-crush-system according to the invention. Figure 1 shows a view in oblique perspective of a fork- lift truck 1 with open safety frame 2, constructed of solid or bending rigid steel sections. Figure 2 shows a rear view of the mentioned fork-lift truck in upright position 3 and tipped over position 4. In tipped over position 4 the drivers' body, possibly seized by panic (not shown) can be trapped between the open safety frame 2 and the ground 5, which due to the heavy weight of the fork-lift truck 1 can be fatal. To avoid danger for the driver a space between the open safety frame 2 and the ground 5 should be created. Tipping of by example the fork-lift truck can always happen unexpectedly in spite of careful driving and the mentioned warnings for the driver concerning tipping over as stated in the introduction can, due to the panic of the driver, be neglected. Due to the kind of work that is done with a fork-lift truck, it means a lot of stepping on and off the fork- lifter and therefor fastening the safety belt (if present) by fork-lift drivers is hardly done. Besides, a safety belt does not prevent arms, legs, feet or torso from getting outside the satefy frame when tipping over and can therefore get trapped. A not buckled-up fork-lift driver (most of them) shall jump off the vehicle in a reflex. In case he falls off and cannot hold on he will always fall in the direction that is most dangerous, the side of the truck that will hit the ground. The present invention relates to an anti-crush-system for open safety frames, that always works, and which is integrated in the existing open safety frame. The essence of the added revision is to make sure that the truck during a tipping over accident does not fall on its side, but due to the anti-crush-system 6 on or in the open safety frame 2 will keep a clearance between the truck and the ground in such a way that there is no or considerably less danger for the driver getting trapped is achieved. The tipping over in this situation is shown in figure 3. Figures 4, 5 and 6 show in rear view the fork-lift truck 1 with open safety frame 2 in tipped position, in which the anti-crush-system 6 according the invention under the angle αc releases the locking device 7 and shoots out. During tipping over a distance sensor 8 to the ground can also drive a solenoid for the anti-crush-system. Figure 7 shows in partial front view and sectional view the locking device 7 of the anti-crush-system. In the normal rest position or in activated position a telescopic or shoot out support leg 9, mostly preloaded by a heavy spring 26, is locked by a pawl 10 against a roller 11 of the support leg rod 12. The mentioned pawl 10 is kept in position by the hinged articulated rod system 13, that in their turn are kept in sheded position by a pendulum 14 with on its end a weight 15. The pendulum 14 rests by means of a circular segment 16 on an axel roller 17 of the mentioned hinged articulated rod system 13. When the fork- lift truck 1 reaches the critical tipping over angle , the pendulum 14 releases by means of the circular segment 16 the axle roller 17 and thus the hinged articulated rod system 13. See also figure 9. Figure 8 shows in partial side view and sectional view the locking device 7 of the anti-crush-system 6. For the sake of clarity in figure 8 the pendulum 14 with the circular segment 16 and the weight 15 are left out. We also see two square tubes 18 and 19, which are meant for the anti-crush-system for tipping over respectively to the one and the other side. Figure 7 also shows the draw spring 20 of the hinged articulated rod system 13. Figure 9 shows the shooting out of the anti-crush-system 6 with several positions of the locking device 7. The pawl 10 hinges around an axis 21, so that the same pawl 10 fixes the support leg 12 in extended position at the stop block 22. The extended stroke of the support leg 12 is limited by the end stop block 23. In order to withstand the impact of the crash better, in this position (figure 9) the pawl 10 also supports on an angle steel 24 applied as a corner reinforcement in the open safety frame 2 and welded on the post 25. Figures 10 and 11 show variants of the construction of the anti-crush-system 6, which figures as far as the working shall be clear to the experts in this area and which can be further modified and constructed by them by means of this patent. Finally it has to be emphasized that the above description constitutes the preferred construction of the present invention but as shown in the last figures 10 and 11 that further variations and modifications are possible without departing the scope of this patent description.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Device, also called anti-crush-system, to protect drivers in open safety frames, of for example fork-lift trucks and articulated loaders against getting trapped during situations when due to wrong manouvres the mentioned fork-lift truck tipps over and the driver jumps or falls off and gets trapped between the heavy vehicle and the ground with possible serious physical injury or worse, characterized in that, the vehicle with open safety frame (2), here the fork-lift truck or articulated loader (1), has sideways, preferably on the mentioned open safety frame (2) approximately squared (at right angles) on the longitudinal axis (direction of the traffic of, for example, the fork-lift truck) , two in opposite direction very fast extending (shooting out) mounted support legs of the anti-crush-system (6), by which when sideways tipping over of the fork-lift truck (1) with open safety frame (2), the mentioned concerned mounted rapidly extending support legs (6) are released at a pre-set tipping angle (α) and locked (7) in extended position. 2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the mentioned fast extending support legs (6) as a preferred construction are strongly preloaded and doubly locked extending or shooting out telescopic support legs and are mounted in the rear, as tube constructed upper transverse beam of the mentioned open safety frame (2) . 3. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, that the mentioned preload consists of a long spring (26) which is mounted over approximately the complete upper rear transverse beam of the mentioned open safety frame (2) . 4. Device as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that, the mentioned lock (7) is constructed out of hinged spring loaded locked articulated rod system (13) coupled to a pawl or pawl construction (10) , by which the mentioned locking (7) takes place by means of a pendulum (14) supplied with a circle segment (16) and weight (15), which locking construction activates under a tipping angle larger than and the anti-crush-system (6) is extended. 5. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, that the mentioned tipping angle is preferably approximately 30°. 6. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, that the mentioned pawl construction (10) with rounded ends in operation rests against a roller construction of the mentioned anti-crush-syste (6) which is situated in a tubular casing of the mentioned open safety frame (2) and that the pawl construction (10) in tipped position by means of the other rounded end keeps the telescopic anti-crush- system (6) in position and locks it. 7. Device as claimed in aforementioned claimes, characterized in that, The anti-crush-system (6) is applied with a baseplate (9) on its telescopic rod end. 8. Device as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that, that releasing of the mentioned telescopic leg of the anti-crush-system (6) with pawl (10) is coupled to an electric energized coil or solenoid, by which the solenoid receives the order or command from an electronic control unit (electronic levelling sensor, angle sensor and such) . 9. Device as claimed in claime 1, characterized in that, that the two mentioned telescopic legs of the anti-crush- system (6) are hinged folding from the roof of the open safety frame (2) by which the drive can be spring loaded or gas loaded. 10. Device as claimed in aforementioned claims, characterized in that, that the material of the device is steel, for example normal construction steel (Fe 360).

Inventors: JANSEN CHRISTIAAN JOHAN, JANSEN, CHRISTIAAN, JOHAN
Applicants: JANSEN CHRISTIAAN JOHAN, JANSEN, CHRISTIAAN, JOHAN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B66F17
IPC codes: B60R21, B66F9, B66F17