GB2175345A - Pallet fastening - Google Patents

Abstract

A latching means for a pallet includes at least one spigot (17) having a sleeve (19) projecting from the pallet (10), and a shaft (16) coaxial with the sleeve (19). The sleeve (19) has an open portion (20). The shaft (16) is rotatably mounted in a housing (14) welded to a rubbing strip (12) and to a web (15) of the pallet (10). With the open portion (20) at the top dead centre position (Fig. 2) the sleeve (19) is adapted to receive a locking pin (5) when projecting from a box section side rail (1) to latch the pallet (10) at a latching station. The sleeve (19) can be rotated to locate the open portion (20) at the bottom dead centre position (Fig. 4) to clear the flange of a flanged side rail to allow the pallet (10) to slide along the flanged side rail. The sleeve (19) can be locked in a desired position by a catch pin. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION The present invention relates to a latching means to enable a pallet to be latched at a required latching station between side rails mounted in a pallet carrier vehicle. This latching means is mounted on a flat rectangular pallet having a pair of opposed sides, a pair of opposed ends, and a pair of rubbing strips, one along each side of the pallet. This latching means will be referred to as a latching means as herein defined.

Cargo pallets used in the cargo bays of aircraft are commonly made for use with either the so-called "British" system in which they are accommodated between side rails of box section, or the so-called "American" system in which they are accommodated between flanged side rails. In both systems, the pallets are supported on roller conveyors, and the spacing between the side rails is the same; but different methods of latching the pallets to the side rails have been employed in the "British" and "American" systems. Consequently the problem has previously arisen that it has not been possible to use British pallets with American side rails and vice versa.

It is an aim of the invention to alleviate this difficulty, and according to the present invention there is provided a latching means as herein defined, comprising at least one latch element in the region of each of the rubbing strips, each latch element having a protruding spigot which is rotatable about an axis parallel with the ends of the pallet, and a spigot lock for each of said latch elements, the spigot having the form of a sleeve with a single minor part of its circumference absent to provide an open portion centred on the rotational axis of the spigot so as to accommodate the shaft of a locking pin mounted on an adjacent boxsection side rail at a latching station, said locking pin having its axis co-linear with the axis of the sleeve, in which the spigot lock is adapted to lock the spigot with the open portion in a "top-dead-centre" position relative to the pallet for latching the pallet to latching stations along said box-section side rail, and in a "bottom-dead-centre" position relative to the pallet with the sleeve clearing the flange of a flanged side rail to permit sliding of the pallet along the flanged side rail.

Normally, a pallet in accordance with the invention includes rubbing strips which are castellated so that the pallet can be latched in known manner to the "American" flanged side rails.

The spigot may include a shaft portion which is co-axial with the sleeve; this shaft portion being rotatably mounted in a tubular housing.

Preferably, the shaft portion of the spigot may be retained in the tubular housing by means of a bolt located on the rotational axis of the shaft portion. The tubular housing may be secured to the rubbing strip and to an internal component of the pallet.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show more clearly how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a latching element of a pallet according to the present invention, and the adjacent part of a box-section side rail of the cargo bay of an aircraft adapted to handle pallets according to the "British" system; Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line Y-Y of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a plan view, corresponding to that of Fig. 1, in the cargo bay of an aircraft adapted to handle pallets according to the "American" system; and Figure 4 is a vertical section along the line X-X of Fig. 3.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the pallet 10 is supported on individual rollers 2 of a roller conveyor track 11. It moves between two box section side rails of which only one, 1, is shown in the drawings. The pallet 10 has a castellated rubbing strip 12 which runs along the inward facing side 13 of the side rail 1 and similar rubbing strips on its other side and both of its ends. The pallet carries a plurality of latching elements, generaly designated 6, spaced at intervals along each of the two sides and two ends of the flat rectangular pallet.

Each element 6 is made up from a spigot housing 14 welded to the rubbing strip 12 and to a web 15 within the pallet itself.

Mounted for rotation within the housing 14 is a shaft portion 16 of a spigot element 17, being held within the housing 14 by a bolt 18 on the rotational axis of the spigot element 17. The shaft 16 extends into a sleeve portion 19 of the spigot element 17, which protrudes from the side of the pallet 10, above the rubbing strip 12. As shown in Fig. 2, a cut-away portion 20 of the sleeve 19 is disposed in a "top-dead-centre" position relative to the flat pallet 10.

Received within the sleeve 19 is the distal end of a locking pin 5 mounted for horizontal reciprocatory movement in a journal 21 in the box section side rail 1. In Fig. 1, there can be seen a spring-loaded catch with a pin 23 for engagement with the spigot 17 to retain the cut-away portion 20 in the top-dead-centre position as shown or in an alternative bottomdead-centre position.

In use, the pallet is loaded into the cargo bay, between the side rails 1, with the distal ends of the locking pins 5 withdrawn into the interior of the box section side rails 1 until the pallet is in the required transport disposition.

At this point the locking pins 5 are moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, to be accommodated within the sleeves 19, themselves locked with the open portion 20 in the top centre disposition. This engagement prevents both fore and aft movement of the pallets on the roller conveyors 11 and also upward movement of the pallet 10 away from the roller conveyor tracks 11.

Turning now to Figs. 3 and 4, the same pallet and latching element is shown, identified with identical reference numerals, but carried on a different roller conveyor 11' and between different side rails 1'. The side rails have a flange 30 which extends the full length of the side rail inside face 13'. Along the length of the side rails 1' at regularly spaced intervals, which correspond harmonically with castellations of the pallet, there are anchorage stations at which a locking lever 4 is pivotable between a locking disposition where it engages one of the castellation recesses 31 of the pallet, and a withdrawn disposition within the side rail 1', in a manner known per se.

In use, the pallet 10 is loaded into the cargo bay in which are disposed the roller conveyor track 11' and the side rails 1' so that the rubbing strip 12 is accommodated beneath the flange 30, to prevent the pallet 10 from lifting up away from the roller conveyors. Additionally, contact of the distal edge 32 of the rubbing strips 12 with the adjacent side rail faces 13' prevents sideways movement of the pallet 10 relative to the side rails.

With the latching elements locked with the cut-away portions 20 in the bottom-deadcentre position, as shown in Fig. 4, the pallet 10 is free to slide fore and aft relative to the side rails 1'. This fore and aft movement is prevented, when the pallet is in a desired position relative to the side rails, by the pivotal movement of the locking levers 4, at those anchorage stations which surround the periphery of the pallet, from their withdrawn disposition to their locking disposition.

Pallets in accordance with the invention are of particular use in British and American systems (known per se) for aerial delivery of palleted loads from the rear cargo door of a transport aircraft such as the Lockheed Hercules.

Claims (8)

1. A latching means as herein defined, comprising at least one latch element in the region of each of the rubbing strips, each latch element having a protruding spigot which is rotatable about an axis parallel with the ends of the pallet, and a spigot lock for each of said latch elements, the spigot having the form of a sleeve with a single minor part of its circumference absent to provide an open portion centred on the rotational axis of the spigot so as to accommodate the shaft of a locking pin mounted on an adjacent box-section side rail at a latching station, said locking pin having its axis co-linear with the axis of the sleeve, in which the spigot lock is adapted to lock the spigot with the open portion in a "top-dead-centre" position relative to the pallet for latching the pallet to latching stations along said box-section side rail, and in a "bottom-dead-centre" position relative to the pallet with the sleeve clearing the flange of a flanged side rail to permit sliding of the pallet along the flanged side rail.

2. A latching means according to claim 1 wherein the spigot includes a shaft portion coaxial with said sleeve; the shaft portion being rotatably mounted in a tubular housing.

3. A latching means as claimed in claim 2 in which the shaft portion is retained in the tubular housing by a bolt located on the rotational axis of the shaft portion.

4. A latching means as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which the tubular housing is secured to the rubbing strip and to an internal component of the pallet.

5. A latching means as claimed in any preceding claim in which the spigot lock is spring-loaded.

6. A pallet including a latching means as claimed in any preceding claim.

7. A latching means substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.

8. A pallet and side rail system substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings.