Title: Installation for loading a road vehicle with loading units

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Claims: What we claim is:

1. An installation for loading a road vehicle with loading units which is positioned at an exit of a warehouse on an inclined rail track, comprising:

a loading platform supported on a rail track loading ramp at the end of said exit of said rail track;

said loading platform being displaceably supported on lifting means to lift said platform relative to said loading ramp and also relative to said exit end of said rail track;

a first conveying mechanism countersunk in the floor of said loading platform comprising conveying means provided with catches extending above the floor surface of said loading platform and adapted to catch the loading units standing on the loading platform;

a second conveying mechanism submersibly attached to the floor of said loading platform comprising a ram liftable out of the floor of said loading platform into a working position and adapted to rest against the back sides of the loading units to push them into the road vehicle;

a number of rail members connecting said end of said rail track to said loading platform;

each of said rail members being movably connected to the end of said rail track with their one end in alignment while their other end is adapted to rest on the surface of said loading platform;

said rail members being arranged so as to converge from a distance between each other given by the arrangement in the warehouse to a minimal distance given by the width of the loading units;

said loading platform comprising conveying means for conveying clusters of said loading units from said loading platform into the road vehicle.

2. An installation according to claim 1, in which the loading platform is displaceable in a parallel direction as well as in a perpendicular direction to the front side of said loading ramp.

3. An installation according to claim 1, in which the loading platform is provided with spring-loaded centering studs arranged on the front side of said loading platform facing the front edge of the ramp, said centering studs being adapted to fit in to holes provided at the back of a road vehicle.

4. An installation according to claim 1, in which the loading platform further is provided with guiding means convergingly arranged on both sides of said loading platform.

5. An installation according to claim 1, in which the loading platform includes a load centering device disposed at its's end facing the road vehicle, said centering device comprising two centering plates arranged on both sides of the platform in parallel, vertical planes and further comprising driving means to drive said centering plates to a circular motion in contrary sense while maintaining their parallel position.

6. An installation according to claim 5, comprising conveying means disposed in the floor of said loading platform to convey the loading units from the loading platform through the load centering device into the road vehicle, wherein

the tangential velocity of the driven centering plates is equal to the conveying velocity of the driven conveying means.

7. An installation according to claim 5, comprising guiding means arranged on both sides of the loading platform and having guiding elements revolving along the sides of the loading platform, wherein the tangential velocity of the driven centering plates is equal to the speed of revolution of the driven guiding elements.

8. An installation according to claim 5, in which each of the two centering plates are mounted on rotatable shafts eccentricly mounted to drive the plates to a circular motion.

9. An installation according to claim 5, in which the forward side of the loading ramp is provided with supporting means for supporting the bridge of a road vehicle.

10. An installation according to claim 9, in which said supporting means comprise cylinder-piston units equipped with a supporting haed, the latter being moveable out of the cylinder to rest against the underside of the bridge of a road vehicle.

11. An installation according to claim 10, in which there are provided two cylinder-piston units each equipped with a supporting haed, these units being arranged besides each other in a certain distance and may be activated individually for correcting an oblique position of a road vehicle.

12. An installation according to claims 6, wherein the conveying means and the guiding means are driven by a common motor.

13. An installation according to claim 9, in which the guiding means comprise two rollers each, rotatably arranged on a vertical axle in a certain distance from each other, and a number of endless belts surrounding said two rollers to form the revolving guiding elements, the part of each guiding belt directed against the center of the platform lying against a supporting plate.

Other info:

Inventors: Buehler, Max (Thalwil, CH)

Application Number: 557968
Filing Date: 1975-03-13
Publication_date: 1976-06-08
Assignee: Weelpal AG (Zug, CH)
Primary Class(es): 414/572 414/373, 414/398, 414/401
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2711835	Jun, 1955	Kappen	214/38.
3780893	Dec, 1973	Lassig et al.	214/41.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Sheridan, Robert G.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Saffitz; Abraham A.