Patent Publication Number: US-2017355575-A1

Title: Cargo container crane

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure relates generally to cargo transport devices and, more particularly, to cranes for cargo containers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Cargo containers are often used at factories to hold raw materials, accessories or products, and those cargo containers are usually transported around using a conventional cargo dolly. The dolly, commonly known as “tiger cart,” is a hand truck used for transporting goods in a warehouse. A dolly typically comprises a frame, the frame bottom is connected with a nose and a frame support, an axle is mounted on the frame support, with the two ends of the axle connected with wheels. In use, the nose is inserted underneath stacked goods, then the top end of the frame is tilted downward, such that the nose moves upward and leaves the ground, so that the goods are supported by the frame. When the dolly is moved to a designated new position, the top end of the frame is pushed upward, such that the nose moves downward to touch the ground, and then the goods can be unloaded. The whole process of loading, transporting and unloading cargo containers with a conventional cargo dolly is relatively cumbersome and inefficient. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure describes a cargo container crane, which solves the problems that make loading, transport and unloading of current cargo containers relatively cumbersome and inefficient. 
     One aspect of this disclosure involves a cargo container crane. The cargo container crane includes a body, having a bottom and top. The body includes at least one drive wheel and a turning wheel at the bottom, and a horizontal cantilever at the top. The cantilever and the top of the body include a turning device, a drive motor that drives the at least one drive wheel, a lift motor, a lifting rope, and a lifting rope drive device. The lifting rope runs through the turning device, with one end of the lifting rope connected to a hook and the other end of the lifting rope connected to the lifting rope drive device. The cargo container crane also has a control handle, having a first button that causes forward and backward movement of the cargo container crane, and a second button that causes raising and lowering of the hook. 
     Other aspects of the disclosure involve the lifting rope and the turning device respectively being a steel cable and a fixed pulley. 
     Still other aspects of the disclosure involve the lifting rope and the turning device respectively being a chain and a sprocket. 
     With still other aspects of the disclosure, there are two lifting ropes, and the cantilever and the top of the body are both provided with two turning devices. 
     With yet other aspects of the disclosure, the lifting rope drive device is a hydraulic cylinder, or the lifting rope drive device comprises a rewinding motor and a rewinding disc, and the rewinding motor drives the rewinding disc. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure involve a gearbox disposed between the drive motor and the drive wheels, and the drive motor drives the drive wheels via the gearbox. 
     Still further aspects of the disclosure involve the output shaft of the gearbox and the drive wheels all being provided with sprockets thereon, and the sprockets are connected to each other via chains. 
     Yet other aspects of the disclosure involve two drive wheels and one or two turning wheels, with the drive wheels and the turning wheels positioned in a triangle or a square arrangement. 
     With yet other aspects of the disclosure, the turning wheels are universal casters. 
     Further aspects of the disclosure involve, the body comprising a base and a support rod vertically disposed on the base, the base is formed with cargo container grooves, and the cargo container grooves are positioned underneath the cantilever. 
     Finally, additional aspects of the disclosure involve, the support rod being provided with an equipment box, and the drive motor, the lift motor and the rewinding device are disposed inside the equipment box, the cantilever and the support rod are hollow and the cavity formed thereby is for the lifting rope to go through. 
     Implementations of the present disclosure operate such that the lifting rope is lowered down to hook onto a cargo container, and the cargo container is then transported to a designated position and is then released. The entire process is, thus, simple and efficient; the buttons on the control handle can control the forward and backward movements of the cargo container crane, and can also control lift-up and lower-down of the lifting rope, leading to a high degree of automation and low work intensity for operators, thereby overcoming the problems with conventional cargo dollys. 
     The foregoing and following outlines rather generally the features and technical advantages of one or more embodiments of this disclosure in order that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of this disclosure will be described hereinafter, which may form the subject of the claims of this application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       This disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows, with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates, in simplified form, a schematic view of the structure of the cargo container crane; and 
         FIG. 2  illustrates, in simplified form, a schematic view of the structure of  FIG. 1  from another direction. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Specific examples of our cargo container crane will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described examples are only representative of a few, not all, of the embodiments that can be created based upon this disclosure. All other embodiments that can be created by those skilled in the art based on the examples herein are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a cargo container crane comprises a body  1 , and the body  1  is provided with drive wheels  11  and at least one turning wheel  12  at the bottom and with a horizontal cantilever  13  at the top. The cantilever  13  and the top of the body  1  are both provided with a turning device  14 . The body  1  is provided with a drive motor  2 , a lift motor  3 , a lifting rope  5  and a lifting rope drive device  9 . The drive motor  2  drives the drive wheels  11 , the lift motor  3  drives a rewinding device  4 , the lifting rope  5  runs through the turning device  14 , with one end of the lifting rope  5  connected to a hook  10 , and the other end of the lifting rope  5  is connected to the lifting rope drive device  9 . The body  1  is further provided with a control handle  6 , and the control handle  6  is provided with a button  17  for forward and backward movement and a button  18  for raising and lowering the hook  10  on the lifting rope  5 . During use, the lifting rope  5  is lowered down to hook on a cargo container  7 , and the cargo container  7  is released when transported to a designated position. The entire process is simple and efficient. The buttons  17 ,  18  on the control handle  6  can respectively comprise a forward moving button  17   a , a backward moving button  17   b , a raising button  18   a , and a lowering button  18   b , which then can control the forward and backward movements of the cargo container crane, and can also control raising and lowering of the lifting rope  5 , leading to a high degree of automation and reduce operator work intensity. 
     The lifting rope  5  and the turning device  14  are a steel wire cable (i.e., wire rope) and a fixed pulley or, alternatively, the lifting rope  5  and the turning device  14  are a chain and a sprocket. Steel cable and chain each have high strength and, thereby, each can be used as the lifting rope. Naturally, other structural forms for the lifting rope  5  may also be selected, as needed, so long as they have the strength to achieve the goal of raising and lowering the cargo container. 
     The cargo container crane ideally includes two lifting ropes  5 , and the cantilever  13  and the top of the body  1  are both provided with two turning devices  14 . When two lifting ropes  5  are provided, the cargo container  7  can be hooked at two places, such that the cargo container  7  will steadier during transport and swinging is reduced. 
     The lifting rope drive device  9  is either a hydraulic cylinder, or comprises a rewinding motor  3  and a rewinding disc  4 , with the rewinding motor  3  driving the rewinding disc  4 . The peripheral surface of the rewinding disc  4  is formed with rewinding grooves thereon. The rewinding device may also take other forms, as long as the goal of winding and unwinding the lifting rope  5  is achieved. 
     A gearbox  21  is connected between the drive motor  2  and the drive wheels  11 , and the drive motor  2  rotationally drives the drive wheels  11 , via the gearbox  21 . 
     The output shaft of the gearbox  21  and the drive wheels  11  are provided with sprockets  19 ,  20  thereon, and the sprockets of the drive wheels  11  are connected to the sprocket(s) of the output shaft of the gearbox  21  via chains  22 . 
     Ideally, there are two drive wheels  11  and one or two turning wheels  12 , with the drive wheels  11  and the turning wheels  12  arranged to form a triangle or a right quadrilateral (preferably a square). 
     Ideally, the turning wheels  12  are universal casters. 
     The body  1  comprises a base  15  and a support rod  16  that is vertically disposed on the base  15 . In addition, the base  15  is formed with cargo container grooves  17 , and the cargo container grooves  17  are positioned underneath the cantilever  13  that facilitates raising and lowering of a cargo container  7  using the lifting rope  5 . 
     Ideally, the support rod  16  is provided with an equipment box  8 . The drive motor  2 , the lift motor  3  and the rewinding device  4  are located inside the equipment box  8 . The provision of the equipment box  8  protects the parts therein and makes for a neater appearance. 
     Preferably, the cantilever  13  and the support rod  16  are internally hollow  22 ,  23  and the cavity formed thereby is for the lifting rope  5  to pass through. By providing the cavity, the lifting rope runs internally, thereby making the appearance neater and the crane safer by preventing an operator&#39;s fingers from easily being caught in the lifting rope  5 . 
     Having described and illustrated the principles of this application by reference to one or more example embodiments, it should be apparent that the embodiment(s) may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of the subject matter disclosed.