Patent Application
20250083728
The present invention concerns a transport apparatus, a system, and a method for the use of the same. More specifically, it concerns a lifting and transport apparatus for facilitating movement of an object. The object may typically be a receptacle arranged to transport goods, such as a closed or open cargo container. An open cargo container is also known as a “basket”. The object will in the following also be referred to as a container.
When it is necessary to move a container, it is usually lifted by connecting a lifting device to lifting lugs on the top portion of the container, or it may be moved by means of a forklift truck or other types of specialised vehicles arranged to be engageable with the container.
A forklift truck requires free passage to be able to manoeuvre the forks on the forklift truck into the forklift pockets on the container. In addition, a container borne by a forklift truck must be transported in a direction that is predominantly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the forklift pockets, which requires free space along the entire longitudinal axis of the container. In this document, the longitudinal axis of the container means the longest extension the container has, and which is commonly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the forklift pockets. As such, a so-called 20-foot container will for example require a free width of over 6 metres when being transported by means of a forklift truck. At for example a freight depot or a dock area that accommodates storing and movement of containers, requirements for free width will usually not pose a problem, and forklift trucks will be available. The situation may be different in other areas, such as the workshop industry and at processing plants where space and/or availability of forklift trucks may be limited.
Solutions with wheel sets are known that in different ways may be coupled to a cargo container so that the cargo container may be towed by a vehicle. A disadvantage of such known solutions is that they are relatively time-consuming and complicated to dispose on the container, and that equipment is needed to lift the container up off a base while wheel sets are disposed on it.
From publication U.S. Pat. No. 10,336,135B1, a wheel adapter for lifting a cargo container and providing rolling mobility to the cargo container is known. The wheel adapter comprises: an adapter body; a container coupling, wherein a front end of the container coupling extends outwards and forwards from the adapter body, wherein the container coupling further comprises a container coupling bolt configured for coupling to an ISO coupling of a cargo container, and a rear end of the container coupling is rotatably coupled to the adapter body. A similar solution is described in publications U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,570,694A and 10,625,997B1, which both describe container coupling bolts arranged to be fixed to the corner posts of the container.
Publications U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,243,193A and 4,570,959A disclose a transport apparatus for lifting and transporting a load unit. The transport apparatus comprises a pair of wheels and fasteners for being fixed to complementarily adapted fixing devices on the bottom and wall portions of the load unit. The fixing means are arranged to be lifted and lowered relative to the pair of wheels.
Publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,031A discloses a transport and lifting device for receptacles. The transport and lifting device has bearing devices coupled to the upper part of a two-piece bearing frame for the receptacle. The parts of the bearing frame may be mutually displaced by means of interior hydraulic cylinders, which makes it possible to place two devices along the sides of a transport vehicle to reach above a receptacle resting on the platform of the vehicle and thereafter pull its lower parts up to the level of the platform, whereupon bearing devices that chain together with supports and sliding rods enable lifting and lowering the receptacle.
The solutions according to prior art described above must be fixed to the object that is to be moved.
There is therefore a need for an apparatus that in a simple manner may be coupled to an object, such as a standard-type container, and may lift the container relative to a base and bear the container so as to facilitate transport of the container without modifying the construction of the container in any way.
The purpose of the invention is to remedy or reduce at least one of the disadvantages of prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative to prior art.
The purpose is fulfilled by the features specified in the description below and the subsequent patent claims.
According to the invention, an apparatus is provided that in a simple manner may be engaged with the object, for example a container to be moved, and wherein the apparatus is provided with wheels that may be activated from a passive first position to an active second position, wherein the apparatus is arranged to be able to lift at least a portion of the object relative to the base and bear the object at a distance from a base.
The invention is defined by the independent patent claims. The dependent claims define advantageous embodiments of the invention.
In a first aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for facilitating movement of an object, such as a cargo container, on a base, wherein the apparatus comprises:
The bearing body may have a longitudinal axis, and the arm may have a longitudinal axis, so that the mutual angle ratio of the longitudinal axes is changed when the arm is rotated between the passive first position and the active second position. In the passive position, it is advantageous if a lowermost portion of the wheel that faces the base is disposed at an elevation relative to an underside of the bearing body that is adapted to the portion of the object that receives the engagement means of the apparatus. The lowermost portion of the wheel that faces the base will, when the wheel is in its passive position, typically, but not exclusively, be arranged with an elevation that is equal to or higher than the underside of the bearing body. The effect of this is that the engagement means of the apparatus may in a simple manner be engaged with a portion of the object that is arranged to receive the engagement means of the apparatus without having to raise the object over the base.
It may be advantageous if the bearing body is provided with at least two arms, wherein each of the at least two arms is coupled to a driving device and a wheel, the arms being disposed at a mutual distance along the bearing body. The term along the bearing body refers to along a longitudinal direction of the bearing body. In a position of use of the apparatus, the bearing body is typically arranged predominantly parallel to a side portion of the object. By providing the bearing body with at least two arms and associated wheels and driving device, the weight of the object may be distributed between said at least two wheels. Further, at least two wheels disposed at a mutual distance along the bearing body will be able to provide a stable bearing of the object.
As described above, the engagement means of the bearing body is in the form of at least one protrusion arranged to be releasably inserted into a forklift pocket arranged at a bottom portion of the object. The object may typically be a container. By releasably inserting the protrusion into a forklift pocket, modification of the object's construction is avoided. For some of the applications of the object, modification of the object is not allowed without subsequent recertification of the object to ensure the technical integrity of the object. In one embodiment, the engagement means of the bearing body comprises two protrusions that are arranged to be inserted into one each of a pair of forklift pockets. At least one of said two protrusions may be arranged for sideways displacement along the longitudinal axis of the bearing body so that the protrusions may be adapted to objects with a pair of forklift pockets that have a non-standardised mutual distance. Two engagement means arranged at a mutual distance may provide a more stable lift and bearing of the object. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises engagement means arranged to engage with both a forklift pocket and a fixing hole arranged in a corner portion of a bearing structure of the object, the fixing hole configured to receive a fixing means for fixing the object, for example a container, to a base.
In one embodiment of the apparatus, the wheel may be coupled to the arm nearer the first end portion than the second end portion so that the arm is arranged to be rotatable relative to the bearing body between the passive first position and the active second position by an operator. As such, the arm that bears the wheel may act as a lever.
The power that must be supplied by the operator therefore depends on the length of the lever from the portion of the arm where the wheel is coupled to the arm. In one embodiment, the second end portion of the arm may be arranged to receive an elongation element, for example a rod, so that an effective length of the arm may be increased when necessary. It is advantageous if the arm is lockable at least in the active position so that the operator may remain at a distance from the apparatus when it, in a position of use, is in the active position.
In one embodiment, the wheel is coupled to the second end portion of the arm. In such an embodiment, the driving device may also be coupled to the second end portion of the arm, or between the first end portion of the arm and the second end portion of the arm. A driving device for rotating the arm from the passive first position to the active second position may in such an embodiment be chosen from the group: fluid-operated driving device, electrically operated driving device and manually operated driving device. A fluid-operated driving device may be hydraulic or pneumatic. An electrically operated driving device May typically be a motor arranged to rotate a threaded rod that is threadedly engaged with a housing. Correspondingly, a manually operated driving device may be in the form of a jacking device, for example in the form of a threaded rod that is threadedly engaged with a housing, wherein the threaded rod is provided with a crank arranged to be rotated by an operator, or for example a rack jack.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a system is provided that comprises at least two apparatuses according to the first aspect of the invention. The system may be arranged in such a way that, in a position of use, at least one apparatus is engaged with a first side of the object, and at least one apparatus in the system is engaged with a second side of the object, wherein the second side is opposite the first side. Such a system that is coupled to an object will in an active position, meaning a position wherein the apparatuses that constitute the system, have wheels that are in their active position, be able to bear the entire object at a distance from the base.
By bearing the entire object at a distance from the base, a friction between the object and the base will predominantly be eliminated, while at the same time wear on the base and the object is avoided. Depending on the weight of the object and any inclination of the base, the object may thus be moved by means of pushing force by personnel, possibly by means of a motor-driven device such as for example a vehicle.
It may be advantageous if the system further comprises a further bearing body arranged for engagement in two opposite engagement means, so that the engagement means of two opposite apparatuses along with the further bearing body form an engagement means that extends between the side portions of the object. One effect of such a further bearing body is that the risk of the apparatuses twisting relative to the borne object is at least reduced. Twisting of the apparatuses relative to the object may lead to a skewed load of the contacting surface of the wheels against the base. A further effect is that the axial reach of the engagement means may be relatively limited compared to a system that does not have such a further bearing body. An unladen weight of the individual apparatus that forms part of the system may thereby be reduced.
In one embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the system further comprises at least one nose wheel with a housing that is coupled to a bearing rod, wherein the bearing rod in a position of use is operatively connected to a bottom portion and a top portion of the object, wherein the nose wheel is arranged to be regulated in a linear manner relative to the housing between a retracted first position and an extended second position. In one embodiment, the system comprises at least two nose wheels coupled to one housing each, wherein the bearing rods of the at least two housings are disposed at a mutual distance in a side portion of the object that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the object, typically the container.
A system may also be conceivable that comprises only nose wheels with housings coupled to bearing rods, wherein a nose wheel, in a position of use, is coupled by or near each of the four corner portions of the container so as to thereby provide a bearing of the object that is as stable as possible when moving the object.
In a third aspect, the invention concerns a method for facilitating the movement of an object, such as a cargo container, on a base, wherein the method comprises:
The method may further comprise, before step B), engaging a further bearing body with the engagement means of one of the opposite apparatuses, and then, in step B), engaging the further bearing body with the engagement means of the other of the opposite apparatuses, so that the opposite engagement means and the further bearing body form a continuous engagement means that extends between the side portions of the object.
When using a system according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the system comprises two apparatuses that each comprise only one wheel, it may be advantageous to dispose at least one nose wheel with a housing that is coupled to a bearing rod on a side portion of the object, wherein the side portion may be perpendicular to the side portions that the engagement means of the apparatus is engaged with. Such a nose wheel may facilitate stable movement of the object.
In the following, examples are described of preferred embodiments which are illustrated in the attached drawings, wherein:
All position indicators refer to the position shown in the figures.
The same or corresponding elements are indicated with the same reference number in the figures. For the sake of clarity some elements may not have reference numbers in some of the figures.
A person skilled in the art will understand that the figures are only principle drawings. The relative ratio between individual elements may also be distorted.
In the figures, the reference number 1 indicates an apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 1 comprises a bearing body 3 provided with an engagement means 5 for engagement with a bottom portion of an object B, such as a cargo container B shown in
The apparatus 1 further comprises a wheel 10 operatively connected to the bearing body 3 via an arm 12 that has a first end portion 14 and a second end portion 16, wherein the first end portion 14 of the arm 12 is rotatably connected to the bearing body 3 via a swivel coupling 18.
A driving device 20 is operatively connected to the bearing body 3 and a portion of the arm 12 that is at a distance from the first end portion 14 of the arm 12. The driving device 20 is arranged to rotate the arm 12 and the wheel 10 relative to the bearing body 3 between a passive first position and an active second position, so that when the engagement means 5 of the apparatus 1 in a position of use is engaged with the cargo container B and the wheel 10 is in the passive first position, the cargo container B abuts the base, while when the wheel 10 is in the active second position, the bearing body 3 with the engagement means 5 is lifted so that the apparatus 1 bears a portion of the cargo container over a base U, such as a floor.
In the embodiment shown, the apparatus 1 is further provided with a contacting plate 51 for, in the position of use of the apparatus, abutting a portion of the object B.
A driving device 20 is in
The embodiment shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment (not shown), the distance between the wheel 10 and the second end portion 16 of the arm 12 may be shorter than the distance shown in
The apparatus 1 shown in
In
As best seen in
In the embodiment shown, a bracing plate 128 is arranged between a portion of the arm 12 and the driving arm 28 to provide a rigid connection between them.
A support body 32 is fastened in a fixed manner to and protrudes up from a portion of the bearing body 3 between the wheels 10. The purpose of the support body 32 is to provide a side support against a portion of a side face of a container that is borne by the apparatus 1. When the bearing body 3 is arranged in parallel with the bottom portion of the container, the axles of the wheels 10 will be predominantly parallel to the base. In one embodiment, a top portion of the support body 32 is provided with an adjustment device (not shown) that protrudes in a perpendicular manner relative to a longitudinal axis of the support body so that an angle between the longitudinal axis of the support body 32 relative to the wall portion of the container may be adjusted.
In
The support body 32 is in
As an alternative to a pneumatically operated driving device 20 in the form of the bellow 22 shown, the driving device 20 may be made up of a fluid-operated cylinder, for example a hydraulic cylinder (not shown), or the driving device 20 may be made up of an electrically operated driving device such as for example a motor arranged to rotate a threaded rod that is threadedly engaged with a housing. Correspondingly, a manually operated driving device may be in the form of a jacking device. As opposed to the bellow 22 shown in
In the embodiment examples described above and shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Reference is now made to
A further, significant difference between the embodiment shown in
Each of the rack jacks 20, which are of a per se prior art, comprises a housing and a rack that is coaxially displaceable relative to the housing, in a manner that will be known to a person skilled in the art. As shown in
By operating the rack jack 20 so that the rack is pushed outwards relative to the housing, the arm 12 is rotated relative to the bearing body 3 from the passive first position of the apparatus 1, which is shown in
As an alternative to driving devices 20 in the form of the rack jacks shown, the driving devices may be made up of for example fluid-operated driving devices, or of an electrically operated driving device such as for example a motor arranged to rotate a threaded rod that is threadedly engaged with a housing.
In a system according to the invention, wherein the system comprises at least two apparatuses 1 of any of the embodiments described above, and wherein the system is arranged so that, in a position of use, at least one apparatus 1 is engaged with a first side of an object, such as for example a container, and at least one apparatus 1 is engaged with a second side of the object, it may be advantageous if a further bearing body 52 is engaged with for example two opposite engagement means 5 of the type shown in
The bearing rod 50 has a first end portion 53 with connection means 54 configured for locking releasably to a hole H (see
The bearing rod 50 is at a second end portion 56 provided with an axially displaceable connection means 57 that comprises a locking tab 58 arranged to be lowered down and engaged with a complementary hole in an upper portion of a container.
The primary purpose of the nose wheel 40 is to act as a support for a container that is borne by apparatuses 1 according to the invention, especially when used in a system according to the invention with only one wheel 10 on each side of the container.
It should be noted that all embodiments mentioned above illustrate the invention, but do not delimit it, and persons skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without deviating from the scope of the attached claims. In the claims, the reference numbers in parenthesis shall not be considered delimiting.
The use of the verb “to comprise” and its different forms does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not mentioned in the claims. The indefinite articles “a” or “an” before an element do not exclude the presence of more such elements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220213 | Feb 2022 | NO | national |
This application is the U.S. national stage application of International Application No. PCT/NO2023/050012, filed Jan. 20, 2023, which international application was published on Aug. 24, 2023, as WO 2023/158315 in the English language. The International Application claims priority to Norwegian patent application No. 20220213, filed Feb. 16, 2022. The international application and Norwegian application are both incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NO2023/050012 | 1/20/2023 | WO |
