US3498473A - Container-handling crane - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1970 P. F. SPAULDING ETA!- 3,498,473

V CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 17, 1968 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG I INVEN PHILIP F. SPAULDTESI F REDERIC L. SALINGER i F, g g g ORNEYS March 3, 1970 P. F. SPAULDING ET 3,498,473

CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 1'7, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PHILIP F. SPAULDING FREDERIC L. SALINGER INVENTOR.

ATTORNE YS;

March 3, 1970 P. fsAuLblNe EFAL CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE Filed Jan. 17, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet FIG 7 PHILIP-F. 'PAULDING FREDERIC L. SALINGER INVENTOR.

ATTORN E Y;S

United States Patent US. Cl. 212-41 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A material handling crane providing a spreader bar which is suspended from the cranes jib in a manner permitting the bar to be adjusted rotatively in relation to the jib about a vertical axis.

This invention relates to cranes, particularly cranes in which the jib is mounted for slewing and lufifing movements and has suspended from said jib a spreader bar or functionally similar apparatus adapting the crane to the handling of containers.

For its principal object the invention aims to engineer into a crane of this nature a perfected means of hanging the spreader bar, and one especially which mounts the spreader bar for controlled rotation about a vertical axis centered in relation to the width and length of the bar, thus permitting the bar to be located upon a container, attached thereto, and moved with the container to a desired point of deposit with unusual ease and expedition and wtih greater precision than has h retofore been possible.

It is a further and particular object to provide a container-handling crane in which the same is made levelluffing, having its jib mounted from the foundation platform by means of parallel linkages so that little headroom is needed in which to luff the jib between a lowcred stowing position and elevated operating positions.

These and yet additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a container-handling crane constructed to embody preferred teachings of the present invention, and incorporating therewith a showing of a container. It is here noted that the lowered non-working position of the jib is shown by full lines and the elevated working position by broken lines in order that a top plan view with the parts in a reach position may be projected from FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is said top plan view, made fragmentary, and with parts shown in horizontal section on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detail transverse vertical sectional view to a yet larger scale on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged-scale detail longitudinal vertical sectional view on line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view detailing a pocketing action which is provided between the cranes lifting frame and the boom; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring to said drawings, the crane is shown as being of the gantry type in which a bridge section denoted by the numeral 10 is carried by wheeled trucks "ice 11 tracking on rails 12. A carriage is mounted for transverse movement upon the bridge and supports a counter- Weighted platform 13. The platform admits to slewing movements and carries operating machinery and all controls necessary for the functioning of the craine, such controls being housed in a cab 14.

The jib for the crane is denoted by 15 and is mounted from the platform for bodily lutfing movement by two matching sets of parallel-motion front and rear links 16 and 17 having their root ends pivoted to the platform, as at 20 and 21, and their free ends pivoted to the jib, as at 22 and 23. The two sets are located one at one side and the other at the other side of the jib. The jib has a front-end overhang projecting well out beyond the pivot connections for the front links 16.

Stanchions 24 are provided adjacent the rear end of the platform at each side thereof, rising to a height elevated a substantial distance above the horizontal plane in which the root pivots 20 and 21 lie. A plurality of sheaves 25 are journeled from the upper ends of the stanchions to take the running bights of topping and hoisting lines spooled upon powered drums included in the platform-mounted machinery. Denoted by 26, the topping linesone for each of the two sides of the crane are trained from a respective sheaves 25 over a respective sheave 27 located at the rear extremity of the jib and are suitably dead-ended.

There are two hoisting lines, denoted by 30 and 31, at each of the two sides of the crane. By means of said two sets of hoisting lines and a system of upper and lower sheaves 32 and 33, respectively, about which the lines are trained from a respective sheave 25 over a respective the jibs front-end overhang a lifting head 34. The lifting head has a frame of rectangular plan configuration defined by side and end beams 35 and 36, and the lower sheaves in the sheave system are journal-mounted in the four corners thereof for rotation about transverse horizontal axes. The upper sheaves in the sheave system are arranged in the same pattern as the lower sheaves, and are carried by the jib.

Upstanding nose-pieces 37, angular in shape, are provided at each of the four corners of the lifting head. At the upper limit of the heads lift travel these nosepieces collectively find a mating fit within a pocket defined by angular guards 38 which depend from the underside of the jib. Rollers 40 (FIGS. 6 and 7) guide the nosepieces into the pocket.

A spreader bar 41 is hung below the lifting head and is journaled therefrom for rotation about a centered vertical axis while being held against relative movement endwise to said axis. The spreader bar has a generally planar frame including side and end beams 42 and 43, respectively. The crane is designed to handle either carrier frames 44, as ilustrated, or containers. For ease of description both of these types of cargo carriers will be hereinafter referred to by the term container. Plan profile considered, the shape of the spreader bar is rectangular, corresponding to the plan profile of the containers.

The mounting for the spreader bar includes a king-pin 45 and a ring gear 46 which is rigidly secured to both the king-pin and to the frame of the spreader bar. The ring gear underlies a bed plate 47. Formed with a centerbored hub 48 in which the king-pin is journaled, the bed plate is integrally secured to the frame of the lifting head and takes thrust through a roller bearing 50 from a plate 51 rigidly secured in surmounting relation upon the king-pin. A roller bearing 52 is provided between the bed plate and the ring gear. A reversing motor 53 powered by hydraulic fluid or other suitable medium controls the rotary movement of the spreader bar by passing drive to a pinion 54 meshing the teeth of the ring gear.

As with the spreader bars heretofore devised the bar of the present invention is equipped with means for vertically aligning the bar with respect to the container and for releasably securing the bar to the container. Bars 5, or flippers as they will be hereinafter termed, perform the former function, being located exteriorly of the frame along the sides and ends thereof. A parallel-motion linkage 56 supports the bars for bodily swing motion in a vertical plane between the inoperative upper position shown by full lines in FIG. and the operating lower position shown by broken lines. A respective double-acting hydraulic jack 57 connects by a bell-crank 59 which includes one link of the parallel-linkage.

The equipment for releasably securing the spreader bar to the container is shown as comprising a set of four hooks 58 occupying comer positions spaced a moderate distance to the inside of the edge margins of the spreader bar and each formed as the depending lower arm of a respective crank 60 fulcrumed at 61 to the spreader bar. The hooks are activated by double-acting hydraulic jacks 62 into and out of catch-holes 63 formed in a crowning rim section 64 provided by the container.

The invention and the manner of operation is believed to be clear from the foregoing detailed description of the now-preferred illustrated embodiment. The spreader bar, admitting to a controlled rotary shift relative to the lifting head about a vertical axis located central to the width and length of the spreader bar, gives to the crane unusual flexibility, containers being picked up more easily and expeditiously and deposited with greater precision than has been heretofore possible.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A crane for handling a container of generally rectangular plan configuration, said crane comprising a slewing platform, a jib supported from said platform, cable means secured to said jib for the raising and lowering thereof, pantograph linkage pivotally secured at one end to said platform at the other end to said jib whereby the jib is raised and lowered and moves inwardly and outwardly in a substantially horizontal position, said jib ineluding spaced, parallel beam members interconnected at their opposite ends to form a rectangular boom, a pair of sheaves secured to each beam in equally spaced longitudinal relationship, a plurality of cable drums positioned on said platform, cables mounted on the drums and extending about said sheaves, a rectangular lifting head adjustably supported at its four corners by said cables, at spreader bar rotatably secured to said lifting head and depending therefrom in a horizontal position, means between the lifting head and spreader bar to rotate the spreader bar, power means remotely controlled to cause' said rotation and means on the spreader bar to releasably engage a container.

2. A crane as in claim 1 including a vertical stanchion mounted on said platform and cables extending from drums on the platform over the stanchion and secured to said jib for raising and lowering the jib.

3. A crane according to claim 1 in which the powered means includes a ring gear fixed to the spreader bar in concentric relation to the rotary journal and having its teeth meshed by a motor-driven pinion rotating about an axis localized in relation to the lifting frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,541,766 6/1925 Luce 212-9 2,900,089 8/1959 McIntyre 21259 2,920,917 1/1960 Sheehan 212-81 3,081,884 3/1963 Minty 21214 3,101,967 8/1963 Wyrough. 3,402,824 9/1968 Zweifel 21217 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,283 11/1930 Netherlands.

587,372 4/1925 France. 1,098,906 1/1968 Great Britain.

153,107 10/1961 Russia.

HARVEY C. HORNSBY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

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