CN101959786A - Machines for lifting and handling loads, especially containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for lifting and handling loads, in particular containers, comprising: a first (4) and a second (5) vertical structure sliding on the ground; a frame (6) mounted substantially horizontally on the vertical structure; lifting means (10, 12) connected to the frame and adapted to lift/lower a load; a plurality of wheels (13) for sliding the vertical structure on the ground in a sliding direction, the wheels being mounted on a wheel box (16) connected to the vertical structure by interposing hydraulic cylinders (21) connected to a hydraulic circuit controlled by a control unit for regulating the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinders to distribute the weight of the entire structure evenly on the wheels. The wheel box is mounted on balancers (17, 18) which are connected to the carrier beams (4b, 5b) by means of pivots (20) and hydraulic cylinders.

Description

Machines for lifting and handling loads, especially containers

technical field

The invention relates to a machine for lifting and handling loads, in particular containers.

Background technique

It is known that the main activity of loading and unloading containers onto and off ships takes place in port docks.

These docks are equipped with larger dock cranes which travel on rails longitudinally and parallel to the vessel.

The two handling systems or work cycles used to unload and load ships are called container handling activities.

In particular, for unloading or loading operations of a vessel, the handling of the containers does not start until the berthing of the vessel is completed.

Once moored, the dock crane moves into position in preparation for the actual loading or unloading. These cranes are positioned on the dock in front of the vessel with their jibs raised.

When the dock cranes are side by side, the jib is then lowered and positioned above the vessel's hold for unloading to start handling the container (unloading and loading).

The cranes are each equipped with their own spreader. In recent years the so-called "double lift" spreader model has been used. It is capable of handling one 40ft container or two 20ft containers per cycle and unloads up to 35/40 40ft containers or 60/70 20ft containers per hour.

As soon as the dock cranes start their work cycle, the port comes into play for the whole continuous sorting and distribution of the containers, from the homing dock to the storage yard, or vice versa.

The unloading of the container proceeds like this:

directly from a dock crane onto a trailer (towed by a prime mover or tractor) for their transfer to a storage yard where they are then carried by a yard crane in the yard arranged for further stacking;

Or directly to the ground, when ports are equipped with self-loading and self-unloading equipment such as forklifts, reach-stackers or straddle carriers, they can transfer unloaded containers to a storage yard where They are then stacked. With this unloading method, dock cranes are able to increase their productivity. This is because by placing the container directly on the ground, rather than placing it on a trailer, they can work more quickly and reliably.

After the containers arrive at the yard, they are stacked one on top of the other by a series of yard cranes of the so-called RTG (Rubber Tired Gantry Crane) or RMG (Rail Mounted Gantry Crane) type.

The high daily short stay costs of ships in port (especially for larger ships) must also be considered.

As a result, ports that are able to release ships in a shorter period of time are able to capture more and more traffic and attract new shipping companies.

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for ports to increase their productivity in all stages of container handling so that port operators can release ships as quickly as possible.

To ensure faster turnaround times, it is necessary to enable large dock cranes, yard cranes and other container transport devices from the dock to the yard to load and unload as many containers as possible in the shortest available time, avoiding possible loss of time any downtime and operations.

However, in order to achieve all these purposes, it is necessary that all machines be made sufficiently strong and able to transmit an overall greater weight to the ground without unduly increasing the overall size of the machines themselves.

In this regard, it must be pointed out that conventional machines, usually mounted on a wheel system, do not adequately meet the aforementioned basic needs.

Contents of the invention

The main purpose of the machine of the invention is to be able to handle a greater number of containers in the same time period with the same comparative dimensions relative to more commonly used machines.

This and other objects are achieved by a machine according to the invention for lifting and handling loads, in particular containers, comprising: at least first and second vertical structures sliding on the ground; at least one frame, the frame a frame mounted substantially horizontally on said vertical structure; and lifting means connected to said frame and adapted to lift/lower at least one load; characterized in that the machine comprises a plurality of wheels for causing said vertical structure to slide on the ground in a sliding direction, said wheels being mounted on wheel boxes connected to said vertical structure by inserting at least one hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic cylinder being controlled at least by a control unit At least one hydraulic circuit connection for regulating the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder and distributing the weight of the entire structure evenly on the wheels.

Description of drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the description of a preferred (but not exclusive) embodiment form of a machine for lifting and handling loads, especially containers, which is illustrated by way of example only and not limited to As shown in the accompanying drawing, in the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a possible embodiment form of the machine of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial front view of the wheel box of the machine of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a further simplified partial front view of one of the wheel boxes of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic partial side view of the wheel box of Figure 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial top view of the wheel box of FIG. 3 .

Detailed ways

With particular reference to the drawings, a machine for lifting and handling loads, in particular containers, is indicated generally at 1 .

In the form of embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the machine 1 consists of a dock crane for loading/unloading a plurality of containers 2 on/off a vessel 3; however, this does not exclude alternative embodiments form, wherein the machine 1 is of the yard crane type, such as an RTG or RMG, or comprises means for transporting the container 2 from the yard to the yard and from the yard to the yard, such as a straddle carrier type or the like.

The crane 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a first vertical support structure 4a, 4b and a second vertical support structure 5a, 5b for supporting a frame 6a, 6b which is substantially horizontal and aligned with The first vertical support structure 4a, 4b and the second vertical support structure 5a, 5b are connected.

Two jibs 7a, 7b are cantilevered substantially horizontally from the frames 6a, 6b, on each jib 7a, 7b a lifting device 8 for lifting the container 2 is mounted; however this does not exclude alternative embodiments forms in which the crane 1 is equipped with a single jib, or with three or more jibs.

In detail, the first vertical structure 4a, 4b consists of a plurality of vertical feet 4a mounted on a carrier beam 4b connecting the feet 4a and extending in an orthogonal direction with respect to the jibs 7a, 7b.

The first vertical structure 4a, 4b is located at the middle part of the jib 7a, 7b.

Similarly, the second vertical structure 5a, 5b consists of two or more vertical feet 5a mounted on a carrier beam 5b which connects the feet 5a and is perpendicular to the jibs 7a, 7b. direction extension.

The second vertical structure 5a, 5b is located at the middle part of the space defined between the first vertical structure 4a, 4b and one end of the jib 7a, 7b.

In fact, the first vertical structure 4a, 4b is close to the edge of the dock 9 for loading/unloading the container 2 on/off the vessel 3 by means of the jib 7a, 7b extending to completely cover the cargo hold of the vessel 3 in order to perform the lifting and placing of the container 2 from said cargo hold.

Frames 6a, 6b are mounted on top of the vertical feet 4a, 5a. It comprises a perimeter structure formed by a crossbeam 6a parallel to the carrier beams 4b, 5b and a longitudinal beam 6b connecting the crossbeam 6a and parallel to the jibs 7a, 7b.

The beam 6a is connected to jibs 7a, 7b which are parallel to each other, of the same length as each other and side by side.

Each jib 7a, 7b is formed by a sea-facing, moving front part and a land-facing rear part, which front part can be raised and which when lowered can be extended to completely cover the cargo hold of the vessel 3, This rear part is fixed and is integral with a crossbeam 6a which in turn is connected to the vertical feet 4a, 5a.

The length of the rear portion is almost equal to the length of the front portion of the jibs 7a, 7b. This also allows containers 2 to be unloaded from the rear of the crane 1 and from the part between the vertical support structures 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b, so that the containers 2 are distributed rationally and efficiently, thereby optimizing space, which enables them to Fast sorting in the storage yard by means of suitable transport devices A.

Indeed, in the working configuration, the front part of the jibs 7a, 7b will be located above the vessel 3 (after the vessel 3 has been moored at the dock 9).

The lifting arrangement 8 comprises, for example, two trolleys 10 on each jib 7a, 7b and a series of lifting units connected to the trolleys 10, adapted to work simultaneously in order to lift and/or lower individual containers 2.

In a particular form of embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, each jib 7a, 7b typically has: two trolleys 10 which move along the jib; Engine compartment 11 with two lifting units (hoisting winches), one for one trolley 10 .

The lifting unit is not detailed in the figure.

Each trolley 10 supports at least two "double lift" type spreaders 12, and since the crane 1 is equipped with two jibs 7a, 7b, with four trolleys 10, there are eight spreaders in total. The spreaders 12 are capable of handling simultaneously and independently to load or unload eight 40-foot containers or sixteen 20-foot containers.

Consequently, the machine 1 shown in the figures will be capable of moving and handling a significantly higher number of containers 2 than conventional cranes and must therefore be able to support a considerably higher overall weight.

The weight of the crane 1 is transmitted to the ground by means of a series of wheels 13, 14 which are slidably connected to the carrier beams 4b, 5b on respective rails (rails) 15, so that the crane 1 is positioned relative to the jib 7a. , 7b along the orthogonal sliding direction and parallel to the edge of the dock 9 movement.

The wheels 13 , 14 are manufactured from steel and are mounted in double pairs on suitable supports or wheel boxes 16 .

Wheel boxes 16 are anchored along the entire length of the carrier beams 4b, 5b and are connected to the carrier beams 4b, 5b by means of equalizers 17,18.

Each balancer 17 , 18 consists of two levers 17 positioned opposite each other and connected by a series of connecting brackets 18 .

In fact, the approximately central part of the balancer 17, 18 is hinged to the wheel box 16 by a first connecting pin 19, one end of the balancer 17, 18 is hinged to the carrier beam 4b, 5b by a second connecting pin 20, the balancer The opposite ends of 17, 18 are connected to the carrier beams 4b, 5b by inserting hydraulic cylinders 21 .

Each hydraulic cylinder 21 is connected with the balancer 17,18, and one end of the hydraulic cylinder 21 is hinged on the corresponding balancer 17,18 through the third connecting pin 22, and the opposite end of the hydraulic cylinder 21 is hinged on the corresponding balancer 17,18 through the fourth connecting pin 23. On one of the carrier beams 4b, 5b.

In effect, the hydraulic cylinders 21 act as hydraulic suspensions and are connected together for equal load distribution and in effect create a single piece between the wheel box 16 and the carrier beams 4b, 5b.

The cylinders (hydraulic jacks) 21 are connected together by a hydraulic circuit 24 capable of delivering the same level of oil and pressure between one cylinder and the other, and it is controlled by a control unit according to the The load in motion maintains a constant preset pressure.

Conveniently, the wheels 13 , 14 are associated with handling means 25 suitable for moving the whole crane 1 .

The transport device 25 is constituted, for example, by a motor-driven gearbox, a plurality of which are installed in order to satisfy the power required for transporting the crane 1 on the rail 15 of the crane.

In particular, a motor-driven gearbox 25 is provided mounted on each wheel box 16 and arranged substantially coaxially with one of the two wheels 13, 14 connecting the wheel box.

Advantageously, the motor-driven gearboxes 25 are made integral with each other in pairs in a single unit 26 arranged to straddle two consecutive wheel boxes 16; in this way, one motor-driven gearbox of the unit 26 25 drives the rear wheels 13, 14 of the wheel box 16, while another motor drives the gearbox 25 to drive the front wheels 13, 14 of the adjacent wheel box.

It has actually been determined how the invention achieves the objects.

In this respect, the particular innovation of the invention is the provision of a series of wheel boxes mounted on the hydraulic suspension system according to the invention in order to be able to reduce and preferably evenly distribute the weight of the structure to the wheels and rails , and therefore also distributed over the dock.

This allows the machine to be of a rather heavy and solid structure, and the machine is capable of handling many containers at the same time, and in any case transmits to the ground a suitable and bearable load with respect to the resistance of the ground.

With particular reference to the illustrated dock crane, for example, the invention enables the manufacture of a crane with two jibs that can be positioned so as to be perfectly centered over the two container holds of a vessel to be loaded or unloaded, This enables them to work simultaneously with four trolleys and eight spreaders and up to 36 wheels per side, all within a maximum overall dimension of 40 meters.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications, all of which fall within the scope of the inventive concept.

Moreover, all parts may be replaced by other parts which are technically equivalent.

In fact, the materials used and possible shapes and dimensions can be set as desired without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the following claims.

Claims (25)

1. machine that is used to promote and carry load, particularly freight container comprises: at least the first vertical structure of Hua Donging and the second vertical structure on the ground; At least one frame-saw, this frame-saw essentially horizontally are installed on the described vertical structure; And bont, this bont links to each other with described frame-saw, and is applicable at least one load of lifting/reduction; It is characterized in that: described machine comprises a plurality of wheels, be used to make described vertical structure to slide on the ground along direction of slip, described wheel is installed on the roller box, described roller box links to each other with described vertical structure by inserting at least one hydraulic actuating cylinder, described hydraulic actuating cylinder is connected with at least one hydraulic circuit of being controlled by control unit at least, be used for regulating the hydraulic pressure of described hydraulic actuating cylinder, and the weight of total is uniformly distributed on the described wheel.

2. machine according to claim 1 is characterized in that: at least one described vertical structure comprises a plurality of vertical substantially legs, and these vertical substantially legs are installed on the carrier beam of essentially horizontally extending along described direction of slip.

3. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: at least one described roller box links to each other with described vertical structure by balancing device at least.

4. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described balancing device makes the part of basic central authorities be hinged in the described roller box at least one at least.

5. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described balancing device makes an end be hinged on the described vertical structure at least and the opposite end links to each other with described vertical structure by described hydraulic actuating cylinder.

6. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described balancing device comprises at least two levers, and these at least two levers are positioned to toward each other, and it is continuous to connect support by at least one.

7. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine comprises a plurality of described balancing devicees, and described roller box links to each other with described vertical structure by corresponding balancing device.

8. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described wheel can slide in orbit.

9. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described wheel is installed on the described roller box with becoming biconjugate.

10. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described roller box links to each other with carrier beam along the whole length of described carrier beam.

11. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine comprises along Handling device described direction of slip, described vertical structure.

12. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described Handling device comprises at least one motor driven gear box that links to each other with at least one described wheel.

13. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described Handling device comprises a plurality of described motor driven gear box, one in each described motor driven gear box and the described roller box links to each other.

14. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine comprises the crane arm of at least one basic horizontal, this crane arm stretches out from described frame-saw cantilever.

15. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine comprises a plurality of described crane arms.

16. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described crane arm is parallel to each other.

17. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described crane arm mutually side by side.

18. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described bont comprises: at least one trolley, this trolley slides along described crane arm; And at least one load lift unit, this load lift unit is connected with described trolley.

19. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described trolley comprises at least one suspender, is used to catch described load.

20. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described bont comprises at least two trolleys, each trolley is connected with corresponding load lift unit, and they are suitable for working simultaneously so that promote and/or reduce each load.

21. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described trolley is separate.

22. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described lift unit is separate.

23. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine is a dock crane.

24. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine is to stack a hoisting crane.

25. according to the described machine of one or more aforementioned claims, it is characterized in that: described machine is to be used for described load is carried and from stacking a device of carrying to dock to stacking from dock.

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