Patent NZ-704760-A (NZ)
Title: A curtain sided vehicle with an improved curtain tensioning facility
Inventor: Adrian Hanley
IPC: B60J5/14
Filed: 2015-02-10
Abstract: Existing side structural components for the deck of a curtain sided truck or trailer are commonly found to be vertically tensioned by having engager members comprising hooks or similar devices that are able to engage with engageable members disposed along the adjacent side of the deck, such as openings in a coaming rail or locations along a tie-rail. Such arrangements can have 22 or more hooks and buckles along each side of the truck or trailer. Manual operation of these components is time consuming and dangerous in poor weather conditions. Further, regulations currently governing the transportation of cargo by road vehicles in Australian States set stringent minimum requirements for load restraint. These conditions are not easily met by the existing side structural components commonly used. Further, existing components that do meet the stringent requirements often require 2 or more people to operate. In this respect the present invention seeks to provide an improved tensioning control system for a curtain sided vehicle in compliance with load restraint regulations. The present invention also seeks to provide a curtain sided vehicle having a tensioning device that is safer, easier and more efficient to operate, and one which addresses the issue of partial tensioning of the curtain. In this respect the present invention provides a curtain sided vehicle, such as a truck or trailer, wherein a side curtain at a side of the body of the vehicle has at each of a number of locations along a lower edge margin of the curtain a respective engageable member, such as a hook, by which the curtain can be engaged to enable the curtain to be vertically tensioned or at least held in relation to, such as against, the adjacent side of the body, wherein a tensioning system for the vehicle includes a plurality of tensioning devices mounted in series in relation to and along the deck of the body of the vehicle, at or adjacent to the side of the deck at which curtain is provided, each of the tensioning devices has at least one engager member movable between a first position and a second position such that, with the devices so mounted, movement of each engager member from the first position towards the second position enables the engager member to engage a respective engageable member of the curtain to vertically tension the curtain or at least hold the hold the curtain in relation to the adjacent side of the deck of the body and, movement of each engager member from the second position towards the first position enables each engager member to release and move out of engagement with the respective engageable member, each tensioning device includes an actuator operable in response a supply of pressurised fluid, for moving the engager member at least to the second position, the tensioning system includes a controller device that is operable to enable the supply pressurised fluid from a source of the fluid to the actuator of each tensioning device for moving the respective engager member at least to the second position, and wherein an intermediate group of engageable members spaced from each end of the series is connected to the curtain by a respective adjustment device by which each engageable member of the group, by which the tensioning systems fails to achieve full vertical tensioning or at least holding of the curtain, can be adjusted manually to achieve engagement with a respective engager member to achieve full tensioning of the curtain. The system provides an efficient, robust, reliable arrangement for retaining the lower edge of a side curtain, and is relatively simple to maintain.