Load moving device for lift trucks

Abstract

 A load moving device (10) to be preferably mounted on a lift truck comprises a bearing structure (12, 14, 22, 23) comprising, in its turn, supporting means (18) to support the load from its lower part, pressing means (16) to press the load on its upper part, said pressing means (16) being movable vertically relative to said supporting means (18), and pushing means (20) to translate and remove the load from the supporting means (18), said pushing means (20) being movable horizontally relative to said supporting means (18).

Description

[0001] The present invention refers to a load moving device, preferably for lift trucks or the like, allowing the handling of loads such as packages in stores for the storage and stockage of wares and the loading of the packages on suitable transporting means.

[0002] In particular, the present invention is applied in the storing and handling of big electrical household appliances such as refrigerators, dish-washing machines, washing-machines as well as small electric household appliances such as microwave ovens, televisions and any kind of package shaped like a parallelepiped or not, to be displaced alone or together with other packages. As is known, there are several types of equipments to be applied on a lift truck to allow the moving and handling of particular types of load and material.

[0003] The most diffuse apparatuses are shaped like a fork in order to be inserted in a support, the so-called pallet, on which the load to be displaced rests.

[0004] The development of new different moving apparatuses has allowed to avoid the utilization of supports such as the pallets and to utilize other more specific supports or even to do without them.

[0005] In fact, said supports are only useful for the movement and do not have any value for the final client.

[0006] Consequently, owing to the problems deriving from the management of said supports, which are usually produced in wood and are, therefore, destined to a short life, an alternative to them has been looked for.

[0007] In the course of the years, new systems and apparatuses have been conceived to allow the displacement, loading and unloading of material without an utilization of supports.

[0008] In particular, apparatuses for electrical household appliances or other cumbersome objects have been developed. These apparatuses comprise side pliers which clamp the load at both sides, as described in the patent application EP-A-1997771.

[0009] In said side clamping systems it is no more necessary to utilize a lower support; however, the electrical household appliances must have at least one pair of faces to support the pressure of the clamping pliers so as to avoid damages.

[0010] In addition, the development of the electrical household appliances has involved a more and more accentuated reduction of the dimensions of said appliances and the sides for the support of the pressure of the clamping pliers are no more sufficient to displace or move said objects. A loading in containers, railway carriages or trucks (below containers) does not allow an optimal filling of the same.

[0011] In fact, at the end of the loading phase, the side clamping is released. To this end, it is necessary to have room between the load and the walls of the container to permit the pliers to be released.

[0012] Said room can not be utilized for the storing of the load.

[0013] An aim of the invention is the movement of the loads without damaging them on permitting the construction of electrical household appliances that do not need an excessive rigidity.

[0014] A further aim of the invention is to permit the stockage of electrical household appliances on obtaining an optimization of the space and improving the maximum quantity of stocked units.

[0015] Further features and details of the invention will be better understood from the following specification which is given as a non-limiting example as well as from the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the load moving device according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device, the various components being arranged according to a compact conformation;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device, the various components being arranged according to an extended conformation;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the device, the various components being arranged according to a compact conformation;

Figures 5, 6 are top views of the device, the loading means of which being arranged in two different positions;

Fig. 7 is an axonometric view of some actuating mechanisms of the device.

[0016] With reference to the accompanying drawings, in particular Figure 1, number 10 denotes a load moving device according to the present invention, which comprises a fixing plate 12 and a column 14 on which a load pressing means 16, a load supporting plane 18 and an expelling means 20 are mounted.

[0017] The fixing plate 12 is to mount the load moving device 10 on a lift truck (not represented in the figure) through suitable fixing means according to the prior art.

[0018] As it can be seen in Figure 2, two horizontal guides 22, a rack 26, and connecting elements 24 for fluid conduits are fixed on the fixing plate 12.

[0019] The column 14 comprises sliding blocks 23 which slide along both horizontal guides 22 of the fixing plate 12 so that the column 14 can translate sidewise relative to the fixing plate 12. A pinion (not represented) is actuated by suitable motor means and engages the rack 26 so as to control the translation of the column 14.

[0020] The pinion is mounted in the middle of the column 14 and therefore, the gear consisting of pinion and rack 26 allows the load supporting plane 18 to go beyond the contour of the fixing plate 12, from both sides. In Figure 6 it is possible to see the position of the load supporting plane 18 at one end of the fixing plate 12.

[0021] The column 14 comprises two vertical structurals 28 which are connected with each other through a crossbar 30 on the upper part of the column 14 and through a horizontal element 32 on the lower part, the horizontal element 32 being connected with the load supporting plane 18.

[0022] As represented in Figures 3 and 4, sliding structurals 34 are coupled with the vertical structurals 28 and a U-shaped plate 36 in turn is coupled with them.

[0023] A flexible element 38 and a fork 40 are connected with said U-shaped plate 36. The fork 40 supports a load pressing plate 42 so as to allow the rotation of same about the axis A. The flexible element 38 is fixed on the vertical structurals by means of a support 44 and receives, in the inside, suitable connecting means for the regulation and control of the load pressing plate 42. A holed plate 46 is arranged vertically and is connected with the lower part of the vertical structurals 28. An end of a cylinder 48 is constrained to said holed plate 46. The cylinder 48 is provided with a rod 50 which is connected with a fork 40, as represented in Figure 3.

[0024] As it can be seen in Figure 1, the ejector 20 comprises a plate 74 and a shield 76.

[0025] Two first bars 56 and two second bars 70 in cooperation with cylinders 66 connect and move the ejector 20 relative to the column 14. In particular, the first ends of the first bars 56 and the first ends of the second bars 70 are connected with the ejector 20.

[0026] Each first bar 56 is pivoted on a respective second bar 70 by means of pins 72 which are inserted in the middle of each bar.

[0027] With reference to Figure 7, two vertical guides 52 are fixed on the edges of the holed plate 46, respectively.

[0028] A roller 54 slides along each of said vertical guides (in Figure 7 only one roller is visible). Each roller 54 is connected with a second end of each of the first bars 56.

[0029] The second ends of the first bars 56 are connected with each other through a double fork 60, constrained to each of the second ends by means of a respective pin 58.

[0030] The double fork 60 is shaped in such a way as to be coupled with the rollers 54, the first bars 56 and two rings 62.

[0031] In turn, the two rings 62 are constrained to the ends of two rods 64 of two cylinders 66, respectively. Both cylinders 66 are fixed on the holed plate 46 on the lower part 46.

[0032] A joint 68 is fixed on each vertical guide 52, on the lower part. In turn, the joint 68 is connected with the second end of the second bars 70.

[0033] The first bars 56 and the second bars 70 are connected with the ejector 20 through a connecting system which is analogous to the system as utilized to constrain said bars to the column 14.

[0034] In fact, each first end of the first bars 56 is connected with a respective joint which is fixed on the ejector 20. The first end of the second bars 70 is connected with a respective roller (not visible in the Figures).

[0035] The working of the load moving device 10 is described below.

[0036] For instance, in case of a column of electrical household appliances or a load showing a generic prismatic shape, after positioning the load supporting plane 18 in front of the load, by moving the lift truck and utilizing the function of training (inclination of the lift truck forward), the present load moving device 10 allows to insert the load supporting plane 18 under the generic load. Once the load has been positioned on the load supporting plane 18, the load pressing plate 42, which was in an extended position previously, as it appears from Figure 3, is brought onto the load and presses the load on the upper side. In this way, a vertical grasp of the load is guaranteed with a sufficient pressure which prevents the load from falling down during the displacement without damaging the transported material.

[0037] Then, it is possible to transport the load to the place of destination where the load is discharged into a wished space.

[0038] During the displacement, the side translation of the column 14, as it appears from Figure 6, makes possible a displacement of the load to a very close position or even a contact position with the walls of the container of destination.

[0039] Said peculiarity of the present invention solves the problem of the unused space as explained above and allows to take advantage of the loading space of the container in the best way.

[0040] Once the unloading position has been reached, the load supporting plane 18 is brought substantially in touch with the surface which will support the stocked load.

[0041] The load pressing means 16 is lifted to allow the discharge of the transported material by means of the ejector 20.

[0042] In fact, the working of the two cylinders 66 allows to move the first bars 56 and the second bars 70 which make the ejector 20 go out so as to reach the end of the load supporting plane 18, as it appears from Figure 1.

[0043] The operator con further draw back with the lift truck during the run of the ejector in order to discharge the load on maintaining the moved material always in the correct position.

[0044] Besides, variants of the various components of the device according to the present invention could be provided. These variants are to be considered as included in the scope of protection of the present invention. For instance, the cylinders or the pinion-rack coupling could be replaced with alternative driving means.

Claims

1. Load moving device (10) to be preferably mounted on a lift truck, characterized in that it comprises a bearing structure (12, 14, 22, 23) comprising:

- supporting means (18) to support the load from its lower part,

- pressing means (16) to press the load on its upper part, said pressing means (16) being movable vertically relatively to said supporting means (18),

- pushing means (20) to translate and remove the load from the supporting means (18), said pushing means (20) being movable horizontally relatively to said supporting means (18).

2. Load moving device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the bearing structure (12) comprises lateral translation means (14, 22, 23) on which said supporting means (18), said pressing means (16) and said pushing means (20) are fixed so that said supporting means (18), said pressing means (16) and said pushing means (20) translate laterally.

3. Load moving device (10) according to claim 2, wherein said lateral translation means comprise at least a horizontal guide (22), fixed on the bearing structure (12), and at least a sliding block (23), fixed on a column (14), said supporting means (18), said pressing means (16) and said pushing means (20) being connected with said column (14).

4. Load moving device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said lateral translation means comprise a rack (26), fixed on the bearing structure (12), and a motorized pinion, fixed on the column (14) and engaging said rack (26) so that a rotation of the pinion provokes a translation of the column (14) relatively to the bearing structure (12).

5. Load moving device (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the pressing means (16) are mounted on the column (14) through vertical translation means (28, 34, 48, 50) so that the pressing means (16) are moved vertically.

6. Load moving device (10) according to claim 5, wherein the column (14) comprises at least a vertical structural (28) in which a sliding structural (34) slides, the pressing means being mounted slideably on the sliding structural (34); said translating means comprising a cylinder (48) and a rod (50) which is fixed on the pressing means (16) with its free end so that said pressing means (16) are actuated by said cylinder (48) and said rod (50) and translate vertically relatively to the vertical structural (28) and to the sliding structural (34).

7. Load moving device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pressing means (16) comprise a load pressing plate (42), fixed on a fork (40) so as to rotate.

8. Load moving device (10) according to any of claims 3 to 7, wherein the pushing means (20) comprise a plate (74), movably fixed on the column by means of a first bar (56) and a second bar (70), a first end of said first bar (56) and a first end of said second bar (70) being connected with the plate (74) so as to rotate, a second end of said first bar (56) and a second end of said second bar (70) being connected with the column (14) so as to rotate so that a respective opening of said first bar (56) and second bar (70) allow the pushing means (20) to approach the column (14).

9. Load moving device (10) according to claim 8, wherein the ends of said first bar (56) and second bar (70) are moved away from each other by utilizing extensible means (66).

10. Load moving device (10) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said first end of the first bar (56) is fixed on the plate (74) so as to rotate, said first end of the second bar (70) is movable on a vertical guide fixed on the plate (74), said second end of the first bar (56) is movable on a vertical guide (52) fixed on the column (14) and said second end of the second bar (70) is fixed on the column (14) so as to rotate.

Drawing