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EP 0 555 194 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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11.12.1996 Bulletin 1996/50 |
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Date of filing: 04.02.1993 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC)6: B66F 9/07 |
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A crane for indoor handling of materials
Kran zum Handhaben von Materialien in Innenräumen
Grue pour la manutention, à l'intérieur, de matériaux
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AT BE CH DE FR GB IT LI NL SE |
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Priority: |
07.02.1992 SE 9200354
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Date of publication of application: |
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11.08.1993 Bulletin 1993/32 |
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Proprietor: ACCALON AB |
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S-433 38 Partille (SE) |
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Inventor: |
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- Johansson, Lennart
S-595 00 Mjölby (SE)
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Representative: Willquist, Bo |
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Willquist & Partners Patentbyra AB,
S:t Larsgatan 23 582 24 Linköping 582 24 Linköping (SE) |
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References cited: :
DE-A- 1 481 149 US-A- 4 354 579 US-A- 4 529 066 US-A- 5 048 642
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US-A- 4 331 418 US-A- 4 358 239 US-A- 4 538 954
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] The present invention relates to a crane for the indoor handling of materials, comprising
a wheeled chassis, which carries an upwardly projecting vertical mast, and lifting
carriage which can be moved up and down the mast and which is fitted with a load-unit
handling load-carrier, said carriage being guided along two guide members having the
form of fins arranged as outwardly projecting extensions which extend in opposite
directions and in parallel with a front side of the mast facing towards the lifting
carriage said guide members extending longitudinally along the mast and being intended
to guide the lifting carriage throug the agency of runners mounted on a vertical frame
part thereof.
[0002] Reference is made to US-A-5 048 642 and US-A-4,538,954 as relevant background art.
[0003] US-A-5 048 642 relates to a mast structure for a storage and retrieval machine which
provides the high structural strength necessary to withstand impact loading and support
the weight of a carriage movable vertically on the mast structure. The mast structure
includes first and second vertical members having lengths affixed to each other. The
first and second vertical members together have a physical center and a centroidal
axis both extending along the lengths of the two members. The physical center and
the centroidal axis preferably coincide with each other so that the two members together
have a maximum section modulus in the direction of the path of movement of travel
of the machine.
[0004] US-A-4,538,954 relates to a stacker crane comprising an upright rigid mast, an intermediate
mast and a load supporting carriage. The upright mast is rotatably connected at its
upper end to a horizontally movable trolley and the intermediate mast is movable relative
to the rigid mast. The load supporting carriage is guided for vertical motion by both
masts and raised and lowered by a winch on the trolley. The object of the subject
matter of this patent is to provide a mast structure that comprises the rigid mast
projecting downwardly from the overhead trolley and the intermediate mast which is
movable up and down relative to the rigid mast but in no wider than the rigid mast
in order to provide a stacker crane mast structure that is of minimal width to conserve
isle space between tiers of shelves or the like that are serviced by the crane and
to save floor area of the building in which the crane operates.
[0005] Cranes of the aforedescribed kind are used to handle materials in storage localities
in which the cranes normally run on rails in narrow corridors between the storage
shelves. Since the chassis is often supported by only one front and one back wheel,
it is also necessary to guide the crane on an overhead rail located at the top of
the mast. Hitherto, such cranes have been used mostly in large and high storage localities
which experience a high and frequent flow of materials, whereas other solutions are
often more competitive in smaller storage locations. This is mainly because the cranes
have been constructed with regard to the requirements that prevail in high storage
localities and only to a lesser extent with regard to other conditions that may prevail.
The simplicity in construction and installation is thus much more significant in the
case of a smaller crane which is perhaps to be installed in an existing locality than
a large crane which is to be installed in a newly built special storage plant. Furthermore,
it must be possible for the smaller crane to utilize the space available to a better
effect than a larger crane, since the idle areas adjacent walls, ceiling and floor
are of much greater significance in small storage localities.
[0006] It is also of greatest importance that such cranes have a high reliability because
a stand-still means costs and no material flow.
[0007] Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a crane for the
indoor handling of materials which is better adapted to small and medium-sized storage
locations than the earlier known cranes and has a good working reliability.
[0008] This object is advieved in that vertical movement of the lifting carriage is effected
with the aid of lines which extend over two parallel line pulleys at the top of the
crane, said line pulleys being mounted inwardly of the mast beam profile and respective
guide fins; and in that the line pulleys have a diameter which is so large as to enable
the lines to run on respective line pulleys from the front side of the beam profile
to the rear side thereof and from there to a lifting motor unit and that the mast
beam profile is a symmterical box beam profile having a front side and a narrowing
rear part; and in that the line pulley has a diameter which is greater than the depth
of said front part in the longitudinal direction of the crane, so that the line pulley
will project out from the front side of the mast and also laterally from the mast
and beyond said rear part of the box beam profile.
[0009] Other objects of the invention and advantages afforded thereby will be evident from
the subclaims and the following description.
[0010] The present invention is based on the realization that the properties of existing
cranes can be greatly improved, particularly with regard to their effective use in
small storage plants, with a more integrated view of the manner in which the lifting
carriage, mast and mast top are constructed. Thus, a mast construction which includes
guide fins that project outwardly from the sides of the mast and the crane not only
enable the lifting carriage to be raised to higher levels and lowered to lower levels
than those afforded with other solutions, but also enables the whole of the mast construction
to be simplified. Furthermore, the inventive solution enables the use of separate
runner units which can be pre-manufactured with great precision. This enables the
distance between and the angular position of the runners to be accurately determined,
so as to avoid all undesirable play. The inventive mast construction also enables
the line pulleys at the top of the mast to be placed inwardly of the guide fins and
at a height at which they will overlap the guide wheels by means of which the crane
is guided on the ceiling mounted rail. In this regard, the pulley wheel is conveniently
given a diameter of such size as to require only one pulley with each line, as compared
with earlier known solutions which require the use of at least two pulleys.
[0011] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
- Figure 1
- is a side view of an inventive crane construction;
- Figure 2
- is a perspective view of a lifting carriage forming part of the crane illustrated
in Figure 1;
- Figure 3
- is a perspective view of a runner unit forming part of the carriage illustrated in
Figure 2;
- Figure 4
- illustrates part of the lifting carriage with the runner unit fitted thereto;
- Figure 5
- is a cross-sectional view of a runner unit when fitted to the lifting carriage illustrated
in Figure 4, said view being taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 4; and
- Figure 6
- is a schematic view from above of the mast top of the crane illustrated in Figure
1.
[0012] The illustrated exemplifying embodiment of the inventive crane includes a chassis
or base frame 11 and a mast construction 12 which is mounted vertically on the chassis.
The crane is supported on a floor rail 13 through the medium of a front, freely rolling
front wheel 14 and a rear drive wheel 15 which is connected to a drive motor unit
16. The mast construction 12 has essentially the form of a beam profile which is mounted
on the chassis 11 in some convenient manner. It will be seen from Figure 6 that the
front side 17 of the mast construction is comprised of a flat plate 18 whereas the
remaining sides of the mast are formed from profiled sheet metal 19. The profile is
such that the mast obtains a broader front part 20 and a narrowing or tapering back
part 21 and a flat rear side 22. Welded firmly between the plate 18 and the front
part 20 of the profile are two longitudinally extending guide fins 23 which form an
integral and load-carrying part of the mast construction. The guide fins 23 thus connect
directly with the flat plate 18 and can be said to form an extension of said plate
laterally from the long sides of the mast.
[0013] The crane includes conventionally a lifting carriage 24 which can be moved along
the guide fins 23 on the mast with the aid of a line-pulley arrangement 25. This arrangement
is comprised of two mutually parallel lines which extend from the lifting carriage
24 over two guide pulleys 26 at the mast top and to a lifting motor unit 27 mounted
on the rear side 22 of the mast. The carriage 24 includes a vertical frame part 28
which moves along the front side 17 of the mast and a horizontal frame part 29 which
is rigidly connected to the first mentioned frame part. The horizontal frame part
29 carries a suitable load carrier, for instance a telescopic fork assembly 30 for
transporting pallet-carried load units between the lifting carriage and storage shelves
(not shown) on the sides of the corridor travelled by the crane. The vertical frame
part includes two frame beams 32 manufactured from square profiled sections, for instance
RHS. The ends 33, 34 of the beams are provided with grooves 35 and holes 36 for the
attachment of separate runner units 37 at the beam ends 33, 34.
[0014] The runners 37 are intended to guide the carriage 24 along the guide fins 23 and
each include three rollers 38, 39, 40 which are mounted on a common body 41. The first
and the second rollers 38, 39 are mounted in line with one another on the body 41,
whereas the third roller 40 is mounted at right angles to the other two rollers. When
fitted to the beam ends 33, 34, the third roller 40 will be located in the groove
35 and abut the upper part or outward edge 42 of the guide fin 23. At the same time,
the remaining two rollers 38, 39 will each be located on a respective side 43 or 44
of the guide fin. The runner units 37 are secured by means of bolts 45 inserted through
holes 36 in the frame beams and through screw-threaded holes 46 in the body 41. The
runner units can be fitted from the outsides 47 of the frame beams 32, which are provided
with holes 48 which enable bolts and tools to be inserted in the beam. Subsequent
to fitting the roller units 37, the holes are preferably plugged with plugs 49, as
shown in Figure 5. To facilitate guiding and power transmission, the body 41 of the
roller unit is provided with a shoulder 55 whose width corresponds to the width of
the groove 35 in the beam ends 33, 34. One of the rollers 38 of each runner unit will
take-up the major part of the vertically acting load, while the remaining roller 39
need only function as a guide roller. The third roller 40 functions essentially as
a side guide roller, these third rollers being loaded diagonally in pairs when a load
is transported laterally along the load carrier. All four runner units 37 have mutually
the same design and may be mounted selectively on the different beam ends 33, 34.
However, the runner units must be turned so that the larger roller will always take-up
the torque generated by the vertically acting load. The runner units can be fitted
very simply, by inserting said units into position from above and from beneath respective
beam ends 33, 34 with the lifting carriage held in its working position forwardly
of the mast. Also fitted to the beam ends 33, 34 is a protective plate 31 which partially
surrounds the guide fins 23 so as to protect said fins against dirt and damage, and
also functions as an additional safety means in holding the lifting carriage against
the fins.
[0015] The crane is also guided conventionally at the mast top by means of guide rollers
50 which are intended to run on respective sides of a top guide beam 51. Also mounted
on the mast top are two guide pulleys 26 which are placed inwardly of respective guide
rails 23 so as not to obstruct passage of the lifting carriage towards the mast top,
as evident from Figure 6. The diameter of the guide pulleys 26 is so large that the
pulleys extend from the front side 17 of the mast to free spaces 52 at the narrowing
rear part 21 of the mast profile. The construction thus enables the guide fins 23,
and therewith also the lifting carriage 24, to be moved right to the top of the mast
and to pass beyond the mast top guide 50. The inventive construction is thus cheaper
and much more favourable to the pulley lines than known constructions which include
twice the number of line pulleys.
[0016] The crane is constructed to handle the load units fully automatically. An electric
box 53 houses a control system for effecting all movements of the crane, and a comprehensive
control system is also provided externally of the crane. As before mentioned, the
crane is primarily intended for installation in buildings having a relatively low
ceiling height, from 6 to 8 m, and must therefore be utilized in the space available
as effectively as possible. The described mast construction 12 contributes substantially
to this end, partly because the frame beam profile is such as to provide a compact
and stable construction, and partly as a result of the illustrated attachment of the
guide fins 23 and the line pulley 26 at the mast top. The position of the guide fins
on the front side 17 of the mast also enables the construction and guidance of the
lifting carriage 24 to be simplified. For instance, the two frame beams 32 can be
formed from simple standard profiled sections and can be readily joined together with
the aid of straight transverse struts or stays 54 fitted to the front surfaces 17.
Positioning of the runner units 37 on the beam ends 33, 34 means that the distance
between respective pairs of runners will be as large as is possible, thereby resulting
in a smaller torque on the guide fins at an unchanged total building height. The solution
afforded by the use of four runner units 37 also greatly reduces the problems earlier
associated with the positioning of separate guide wheels in four groups. For instance,
the runner units 37 can be produced as identical units irrespective of where they
are later to be fitted. Fitting of the runner units is also greatly facilitated by
the fact that they can be fitted from above and from beneath each respective beam
end, and because fitting of said units can be effected from the sides of the crane
with the aid of the holes 48 provided on the outside of the frame beams 32. Instead
of the relatively complicated task of positioning twelve individual runners, four
readily fitted units can be used instead, which greatly facilitates initial fitting
of the units and also any subsequent exchange of a faulty runner and any other service
that needs to be carried out on the lifting carriage.
[0017] Another advantage afforded by the inventive mast construction is that the lifting
motor unit 27 can be carried on the rear side 22 of the mast and placed above the
travelling motor unit 16 and the electrical box 53, thereby reducing the longitudinal
extension of the crane as far as possible, which in turn increases the access to walls
and other vertical elements delimiting the storage space. The dimensions and general
construction of the crane also enables it to be finally assembled in the factory and
transported by standard vehicles to its place of use.
1. A crane for the indoor handling of materials, comprising a wheeled chassis (11), which
carries an upwardly projecting vertical mast (12), and a lifting carriage (24) which
can be moved up and down the mast and which is fitted with a load-unit handling load-carrier
(30), said carriage (24) being guided along two guide members (23) having the form
of fins (23) arranged as outwardly projecting extensions which extend in opposite
directions and in parallel with a front side (17) of the mast (12) facing towards
the lifting carriage said guide members extending longitudinally along the mast (12)
and being intended to guide the lifting carriage through the agency of runners (38,
39, 40) mounted on a vertical frame part (28) thereof;
characterized in that vertical movement of the lifting carriage (24) is effected with the aid of
lines (25) which extend over two parallel line pulleys (26) at the top of the crane,
said line pulleys being mounted inwardly of the mast beam profile and respective guide
fins (23); and in that the line pulleys (26) have a diameter which is so large as
to enable the lines (25) to run on respective line pulleys from the front side (17)
of the beam profile to the rear side thereof and from there to a lifting motor unit
(27) and that the mast beam profile is a symmetrical box beam profile having a front
part (20) of the same width as the mast front side (17) and a narrowing rear part
(21); and in that the line pulley has a diameter which is greater than the depth of
said front part in the longitudinal direction of the crane, so that the line pulley
will project out from the front side (17) of the mast and also laterally from the
mast and beyond said rear part (21) of the box beam profile.
2. A crane according to claim 1,
characterized in that the vertical frame part (28) of the lifting carriage includes two mutually
parallel frame beams (32) which are arranged along and outwardly of respective guide
fins (23); and in that the runners are fitted on four runner units (37) which are
detachably fitted to each of the ends (33, 34) of said frame beams and more in detail
in grooves (35) on the inside of the frame beams (32) facing the guide fins (23).
3. A crane according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the runner units (37) are of mutually identical constructions and can be
mutually exchanged on the frame beams (32) and that each of the runner units (37)
includes three rollers (38, 39, 40) which are mounted on a common body (41), of which
rollers a first and a second roller (38, 39) are placed in line with each other so
as to roll along a respective side (43, 44) of the guide fin (23), and of which a
third roller (49) is placed perpendicular to the remaining rollers and is intended
to run along the outer edge (42) of the guide fin.
4. A crane according to anyone of claims 1-3,
characterized in that the grooves (35) in the frame beams (32) extend from the end-parts (33, 34)
of said beams such a distance along respective beams, so that the runner units (37)
are enabled to be fitted from above and from beneath respective beam ends with the
lifting carriage (24) in its working position.
5. A crane according to claim 4,
characterized in that the bodies (41) of the runner units are detachably fitted to the beam ends
by means of screw devices (45) which are fitted from the outsides (47) of the vertical
frame part (28) facing the sides of the crane.
1. Kran für das Handhaben von Materialien innerhalb von Gebäuden, umfassend ein mit Rädern
versehenes Chassis (11), das einen stehenden, vertikalen Mast (12) trägt, sowie einen
Hubwagen (24), der entlang dem Mast auf und ab verfahrbar ist und mit einem eine Lasteinheit
handhabenden Lastträger (30) ausgestattet ist und der entlang zweier Führungselemente
(23) geführt ist, die ihrerseits die Form von Rippen (23) aufweisen, die als nach
außen gewandte Vorsprünge angeordnet sind und sich in entgegengesetzten Richtungen
sowie parallel zu einer Frontseite (17) des Mastes (12) erstrecken, dem Hubwagen zugewandt
sind, sich entlang des Mastes (12) erstrecken und dazu dienen, den Hubwagen mittels
Läufern (38, 39, 40) zu führen, die ihrerseits an einem vertikalen Rahmenteil (28)
montiert sind,
daduch gekennzeichnet, daß die Vertikalbewegung des Hubwagens (24) mit Hilfe von Gurten (25) ausgeführt
wird, die zwei zueinander parallele Gurtrollen (26) im oberen Bereich des Krans umschlingen,
daß die Gurtrollen innerhalb des Mastbalkenprofils und der Jeweiligen Führungsrippen
(23) montiert sind, daß die Gurtrollen (26) einen Durhmesser haben, der derart groß
ist, daß die Gurte (25) auf entsprechenden Gurtrollen von der Frontseite (17) des
Balkenprofiles zu dessen Rückseite laufen können und von dort zu einer Hubmotoreinheit
(27), daß das Mastbalkenprofil ein symmetrisches Kastenbalkenprofil ist, mit einem
Frontteil (20) von derselben Breite wie die Mastfrontseite (17) und mit einem schmaleren
rückwärtigen Teil (21), und daß die Gurtrolle einen Durchmesser aufwelst, der größer
ist als die Tiefe des genannten Frontteiles in Längsrichtung des Krans, so daß die
Gurtrolle über die Frontseite (17) des Mastes hinausragt und ebenfalls seitlich über
den Mast und über den rückwärtigen Teil (21) des Kastenbalkenprofils.
2. Kran nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der vertikale Rahmenteil (28) des Hubwagens zwei zueinander parallele Rahmenbalken
(32) umfaßt, die entlang und außerhalb jeweiliger Führungsrippen (23) angeordnet sind,
und daß die Läufer an vier Läufereinheiten (37) angeordnet sind, die abnehmbar montiert
sind an jedem Ende (33, 34) der genannte Rahmenbalken und, genauer gesagt, in Nuten
(35) an der Innenseite der Rahmenbalken (32) und den Führungsrippen (23) zugewandt.
3. Kran nach einem der vorausgegangenen Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Läufereinheiten (37) von jeweils identischem Aufbau sind und an den Rahmenbalken
(32) gegeneinander ausgetauscht werden können, daß jede Läufereinheit (37) drei Rollen
(38, 39, 40) umfaßt, die an einem gemeinsamen Korpus (41) montiert sind, daß eine
erste und eine zweite Rolle (38, 39) derart nebeneinander angeordnet sind, daß sie
entlang einer entsprechenden seite (43, 44) der Führungsrippe (23) laufen, und daß
eine dritte Rolle (49) senkrecht zu den verbleibenden Rollen angeordnet is und dazu
dient, entlang der Außenkante (42) der Führungsrippe zu laufen.
4. Kran nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß sich die Nuten (35) in den Rahmenbalken (32) von den Endteilen (33, 34) der
genannten Balken über eine solche Strecke entlang der entsprechenden Balken erstrecken,
daß die Läufereinheiten (37) von entsprechenden oberen und unteren Balkenenden her
montiert werden können, wobei sich der Hubwagen (34) in seiner Arbeitsposition befindet.
5. Kran nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gegennzeichnet, daß die Korpusse (41) der Läufereinheiten
an den Balkenenden mittels Schraubvorrichtungen (45) abnehmbar montiert sind, die
ihrerseits an den Aussenseiten (47) des vertikalen Rahmenteiles (28), der den Seiten
des Krans zugewandt ist, montiert sind.
1. Grue pour la manutention de matériels à l'intérieur d'un bâtiment,comprenant un châssis
à roues (11) qui porte un mât vertical s'étendant vers le haut (12), et un chariot
de levage (24) qui peut être déplacé vers le haut et le bas du mât et qui est équipé
d'une unité de charge entrainant un support de charge (30), le dit chariot (24) étant
guidé le long de deux éléments de guidage (23) ayant la forme d'ailettes (23) agencées
comme des prolongements vers l'extérieur qui s'étendent dans des directions opposées
et parallèlement à une face avant (17) du mât (12) tournée vers le chariot de levage,
les dits éléments de guidage s'étendant longitudinalement le long du mât (12) et étant
prévus pour guider le chariot de levage par l'intermédiaire de galets (38, 39, 40)
montés sur une partie de cadre vertical (28) du chariot ;
caractérisée en ce que le mouvement vertical du chariot de levage (24) est effectué
à l'aide de câbles (25) qui passent sur deux poulies de câble parallèles (26) placées
au sommet de la grue, les dites poulies de câbles étant montées vers l'intérieur du
profilé du mât et des ailettes de guidage respectives (23) ; en ce que les poulies
de câble (26) ont un diamètre qui est assez grand pour permettre aux câbles (25) de
se déplacer sur les poulies de câble respectives, du côté avant (17) du profilé de
mât à son côté arrière et de là à un groupe moteur de levage (27), le profilé de mât
étant un profilé en caisson symétrique ayant une partie avant (20) de la même largeur
que le côté avant (17) du mât et une partie arrière plus étroite (21) ; et en ce que
la poulie de câble a un diamètre qui est plus grand que la profondeur de la dite partie
avant dans la direction longitudinale de la grue, de sorte que la poulie de câble
fait saillie par rapport au côté avant (17) du mât et également latéralement par rapport
au mât et au-delà de la dite partie arrière (21) du profilé en caisson.
2. Grue suivant la revendication 1,
caractérisé en ce que la partie de cadre vertical (28) du chariot de levage comprend
deux poutrelles de cadre mutuellement parallèles (32) qui sont disposées le long et
vers l'extérieur des ailettes de guidage respectives (23) ; et en ce que les galets
sont montés sur quatre unités de galets (37) qui sont fixées de façon démontable à
chacune des extrémités (33, 34) des dites poutrelles de cadre et plus précisément
dans des rainures (35) ménagées du côté intérieur des poutrelles de cadre (32) en
face des ailettes de guidage (23).
3. Grue suivant une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
caractérisée en ce que les unités de galets (37) ont des constructions mutuellement
identiques et peuvent être mutuellement échangées sur les poutrelles de cadre (32)
; et en ce que chacune des unités de galets (37) comprend trois galets (38, 39, 40)
qui sont montés sur un corps commun (41), et dont un premier et un deuxième galets
(38, 39) sont placés mutuellement en ligne de façon à rouler le long d'un côté respectif
(43, 44) de l'ailette de guidage (23), et dont un troisième galet (49) est placé perpendiculairement
aux autres galets et est prévu pour se déplacer le long du bord extérieur (42) de
l'ailette de guidage.
4. Grue suivant une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3,
caractérisée en ce que les rainures (35) ménagées dans les poutrelles de cadre (32)
s'étendent à partir des extrémités (33, 34) des dites poutrelles sur une distance,
le long des poutrelles respectives, telle que les unités de galets (37) peuvent se
monter par le dessus et le dessous sur les extrémités des poutrelles respectives,
le chariot de levage (24) étant dans sa position de travail.
5. Grue suivant la revendication 4,
caractérisée en ce que les corps (41) des unités de galets sont montés de façon amovible
sur les extrémités des poutrelles au moyen de dispositifs à vis (45) qui sont montés
à partir des côtés extérieurs (47) de la partie de cadre vertical (28) en regard des
côtés de la grue.