Patent EP-0267989-A3 (EP)
Title: Installation for transferring freight, in particular from containers, and for positioning transport vehicles
IPC: B65G63/00
Filed: 1986-12-17
Abstract: 1. System for moving goods to be transported, more particularly receptacles such as containers, from means of transportation travelling in one direction, particularly railroad vehicles with cable hooks (37) provided on the vehicle frame, on to travelling depositing surfaces, especially trucks, trackbound vehicles, also for intraplant conveyance, etc., while employing a positioning means for positioning the railroad vehicles within the transportation area, the system in this case comprising a stationary hoisting device (20) for the goods to be transported (C) driven by a hydraulic or other suitable driving means, the hoisting device (20) being provided with four elevating columns (21, 22, 23, 24), of which, in each case, two elevating columns (21, 23; 22, 24) are arranged spaced apart from each other on each side of the vehicle track (30) and the elevating columns (21, 23) of the one side of the hoisting device (20) are located opposite the elevating columns (22, 24) of the other side, while each elevating column (21, 22, 23, 24) comprises four vertical guide beams (25, 26, 27, 28) complementing each other so as to form a square or rectangular base and elevating carriage (40) displaceable within the guide beams (25, 26, 27, 28) in the vertical direction which, with the aid of a driving means (45), can be raised and lowered and is provided with a horizontal supporting arm (50) which, with the aid of a driving means (55), are able to travel inwardly and outwardly, in which supporting arms (50) of the elevating carriage (40) of the elevating columns (21, 23) on the one side of the vehicle track (30) are located opposite the supporting arms (50) of the elevating carriage (40) of the elevating columns (22, 24) on the other side of the vehicle track (30) and all the supporting arms (50) are able to travel within the area of the goods to be transported and capable of travelling out of said area, and in which the driving means (45, 55) of the etevating carriages and of the supporting arms (50) are constructed in the form of compressed air-operated, electromotively or internal combustion engine-operated drives and comprises a track vehicle positioning and towing means (60), which comprises a conveying means (62) able to travel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle track with the aid of a driving means (65), said conveying means (62) being provided with a coupling arm (63) located in the path of movement of the point of application of the means of transport, which can be secured to the means of transport to be transported, characterized in that the towing and positioning means (60) in the form of a conveying means comprises a guide track (61) disposed parallelly and laterally to the vehicle track (30) and a towing and positioning carriage (62) able to travel on the guide track (61) in the longitudinal direction of the guide track which is provided with a laterally projecting coupling arm (63) located in the path of movement of the cable hook (37) on the frame (36) of the track vehicle (35), with manually or automatically operable cable hook closing members (claws 64), and with control sensing elements, such as sensors, approximation initiators, etc., (191) for stopping and aligning the towing and positioning carriage (62) within the cable hook area of the track vehicle (35), in which the coupling of the coupling arm (63) with the cable hook (37) is effected with the aid of bolts or by means of claws (64), etc., that can be actuated by driving means, the drive of the towing and positioning carriage (62) being effected with the aid of a driving means (65) that is constructed in the form of a chain drive which comprises a stretched chain (165) proceeding on the guide track (61) of the towing and positioning carriage (62) in the longitudinal direction of the guide track which is fastened at the ends and extending between the terminal fastening points across the entire length of the chain which rests loosely against the guide track (61), and a sprocket wheel (166) driven on the towing and positioning carriage (62) engaging into the links of the chain (165) so that, by means of the driven sprocket wheel (166), the towing and positioning carriage (62) moves along the chain (165), said carriage comprising a housing (162) constructed in the form of a double T-shaped girder engaging over the guide track (61) on both sides supporting the chain (165) on its upper horizontal flange (61a), in which housing (162) the sprocket wheel (166) with the driving means (167) of the sprocket wheel (166) is disposed, while the housing (162), within its upper area, is provided with a pair or with two pairs of travelling wheels (163, 164) and with two guide rollers (170, 171) each on both sides of the web (61b) of the guide track (61), with the aid of which the towing and positioning carriage (62) is supported on the underside of the upper flange (61a) of the guide track (61), and in that a control unit (90) is provided, by means of which the individual operational sequences of the elevating carriages (40) and of the supporting arms (50) of the elevating columns (21, 22, 23, 24) and of the towing and positioning carriage (62) are combined in such a way that the track vehicle (35) coupled to the towing and positioning carriage (62) is, by means of the towing and positioning carriage (62), made to travel into the area of the elevating columns (21, 22, 23, 24), the supporting arms (50) hereupon being lowered in the retracted state as far as into the area where the supporting arm engages underneath the goods to be transported and are extended for engaging underneath said goods to be transported, whereupon the supporting arms are raised together with the goods to be transported, the track vehicle is moved out of the elevating column area by means of the towing and positioning carriage (62) and a travelling loading or depositing area is brought underneath the goods to be transported, upon which the goods to be transported are deposited and transported out of the area of the elevating columns.