A filling-out device for cargo spaces

Abstract

 Device at cool cargo spaces (1), for securing the cargo sideways, and comprising at least one inflatable body (6) provided between the side wall of the hold (2) and the cargo space (1), whereby said at least one body (6) is arranged in inflated state to fill out essentially all space (3) between the side wall (2) and the cargo, not used for cargo, and thereby at the same time to reduce the volume of cooling air required for cooling the cargo space.

Description

Background of the invention

[0001] In cargo spaces and in particular in holds of ships where today to a great extent standard pallets are used, frequently great unutilized dead spaces are obtained between the piles of pallets piled onto each other, and the wall of the cargo space. This is particularly accentuated at holds where the sloping sides of the ship bring about relatively large wedge-shaped, dead spaces against the ship's side. To secure the pallets sideways frequently diagonal planks are nailed, at the same time as in some locations cushions are inserted as a further lock.

[0002] At cool cargo spaces channels are provided in the side walls of the space through which cooling air from a refrigerating machine frequently is conducted into the bottom part of the cargo space, from where it is brought to flush upwards through the cargo space and cool the cargo and the cargo space. In that design which holds have today, in particular in ships, even dead spaces between the cargo and the ship's side continuously will be supplied with cooling air without any cooling being needed there, which implies an appreciable unnecessary energy consumption.

[0003] Through US-A-3,847,091 is known a cargo space equipment intended to prevent the cargo from being dislocated and including a number of movable panels, facing the cargo and inflatable cushions provided between these panels and the wall of the cargo spaces. In the space between these inflatable cushions and between the same and the panels there will still be "dead" spaces, which means that the equipment in question indeed secures the cargo but only to a part eliminates the unused space which thereby needs to be cooled. WO,A1, 88/05006 describes a pressure packing system for a hold, at which the walls and the ceiling of the hold are equipped with flexible diaphragms, arranged to be able to be inflated so that they in an airtight way surrounds and fits up against the cargo from all sides and from the top. It is true that by this method one attains that the cargo is secured, but such a solution cannot be used for cargos, which need continuous supply of cooling air, since the air never has a possibility to reach the goods in the cargo.

Purpose and most essential features of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the invention is to provide a device by means of which the need of manually attaching planks and providing cushions into selected places between cargo and wall of the hold is eliminated at the same time as a reduced need for energy for the cooling is obtained, and this is achieved at a device at cool cargo spaces, for securing the cargo sideways, and comprising at least one inflatable body between the side wall of the hold and the cargo space, by said at least one body arranged in inflated condition to fill out essentially all space unused for cargo between side wall and cargo, and thereby at the same time reducing necessary volume of cooling air for refrigeration of the cargo space.

Description of the drawings

[0005] Hereinafter the invention will be described more in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the enclosed drawings.

Fig. 1 shows in a diagrammatic cross-section a portion of a hold of a ship with the device according to the invention in a mounted, operative position.

Fig. 2 and 3 are likewise diagrammatic sections in a reduced scale, which discloses the device according to the invention mounted in a hold of ship in an inert and in an active, operative position respectively.

Description of a preferred embodiment

[0006] In Figure 1 is shown a portion of a hold 1 in a ship, where the curved ship's side 2, entails that there is an upwards broadening, essentially wedge-shaped space 3 between the ships's side 2 and the efficient loading volume in the hold. This depends on that the goods, that is loaded in this type of cargo space almost exclusively lies on pallets, which stand on the floor 4 of the hold and with their floor area defines the maximum lateral extension and thereby makes it impossible to fill said, essentially wedge-shaped space 3 with cargo.

[0007] At cool cargo ships there is frequently a column or a shaft 5 along the side of the ship, through which cooling air is led from a not shown cooling machine to the lower part of the hold 3, where the cooling air shaft 5 is arranged to discharge in the hold, so that the cooling air can flow from below and upwards through the cargo. This circumstance does not essentially change anything since the shaft 5 for aerodynamic reasons should have essentially the same size along its entire length. This implies that the wedge-shaped non-usable or dead space remains in spite of such cooling air columns or shafts.

[0008] To ensure that the cargo during transport, for example during a ship roll, does not move so much that it or the hold is damaged one must secure the cargo in lateral direction. As mentioned above this has earlier been carried out by means of wood, which is nailed to hold walls and the like as well as by separate stuffed cushions, which are positioned between the cargo and the nailed wood. At such a solution a great portion of said dead spaces remain along the sides of the hold.

[0009] In the dead space 3 between hold wall and the cargo are provided one or several inflatable bellows 6, preferably of rubber covered web, which either are permanently fastened with one of their surfaces against the hold wall resp., the wall of the cooling air shaft or which can be loosely insertable between this wall and the cargo area. This or these bellows 6 is provided with a primarily line formed connection 7 located in the lower part of the cargo space, which connection serves as a hinge or moment point, about which the side of the bellows facing the hold can swing as a fan when the bellows is connected to a not shown air source, which for example can be a blower, a compressor or the like already present aboard or in connection to the cargo space, and by means of which the bellows can be held in inflated, spread out position with low energy consumption even during longer times.

[0010] Fig. 2 shows in reduced scale and diagrammatically a bellows 6 of the same type as in Fig. 1, but where the bellows is in uninflated condition, whereby it has the shape of a flat "covering", while after being inflated in a manner suggested above in accordance with Fig. 3, has a wedge-shape, essentially corresponding to the space it shall fill.

[0011] By this method the cargo is secured laterally in a simple and efficient way, without need for extensive timbering and manual stuffing with cushions, at the same time as there will be only minimal dead spaces, which demand energy for unnecessary cooling. The bellows can be inflated either from separate air sources or e.g. by means of the blower, which later shall convey the cooling air.

[0012] According to the invention is achieved a considerably reduced energy need at the same time as one eliminates the need of building up a supporting wooden structure in relatively narrow and from working aspects uncomfortable spaces and subsequently loosely fiting cushions in the still further confined spaces built-in with wooden structures.

[0013] As a contrast to this earlier extensive manual handling one can with the device according to the invention simply connect the bellows or several bellows to one or more suitable air sources, which inflate the bellows and thereby both arrest the cargo in position, whereby the material of the bellows softly adapts to the contour of the cargo, and at the same time to a very high extent eliminate the dead space, and eliminate the need of unnecessary supplying cooling air to a volume which corresponds to the volume of the bellows. When the cargo is to be unloaded the air can either be pumped out from the bellows or be pressed out from this by opening air nipples and mechanical influence of the surface of the bellows facing the cargo. Through its structural design the bellows formed body 6 when it is emptied of air will resume its original basic form, whereby it occupies a very small volume.

[0014] The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the enclosed drawings and described in connection thereto, but modifications and variants are possible within the scope of following claims.

Claims

1. Device at cool cargo spaces (1), for securing the cargo sideways, and comprising at least one inflatable body (6) provided between the side wall of the hold (2) and the cargo space (1),
characterized therein,
that said at least one body (6) is arranged in inflated state to fill out essentially all space (3) between the side wall (2) and the cargo, not used for cargo, and thereby at the same time to reduce the volume of cooling air required for cooling the cargo space.

2. Device according to claim 1,
characterized therein,
that the body (6) is bellows-formed and designed with a side edge, which in active position is located in the area of the lower part of the hold in connection to the wall of the hold and forms a swinging axis (7), about which the side wall of the bellows-formed body can swing in relation to each other in fan-form.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized therein, that one of the side walls of the body (6) is attached to the side (2) of the hold respectively to a wall in a cooling air shaft (5) arranged between the side of the hold and the cargo space.

Drawing