EP4086193B1

EP4086193B1 - Roller container with improved cover system

Info

Publication number: EP4086193B1
Application number: EP22171728.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Johan DE BAENE
Original assignee: Lvc Containerbouw; Valvan Containers & Milieutechniek NV
Current assignee: Lvc Containerbouw; Valvan Containers & Milieutechniek NV
Priority date: 2021-05-07
Filing date: 2022-05-05
Publication date: 2023-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 2042-05-05
Also published as: BE1029382B1; EP4086193C0; PL4086193T3; BE1029382A1; EP4086193A1

Description

The invention concerns a roller container with an open top side for transport and storage of loose goods, comprising a floor, two side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, and a cover system for covering the open top side of the container, wherein said cover system comprises two rotatable cover devices, wherein each cover device is rotatable between an open position in which the cover device lies against a side wall of the container, and a covering position in which a part of the open top side is covered.
The roller container according to this invention is a container for the transport and storage of loose goods or bulk goods. Such containers exist in various forms, such as for example standard open containers for all sorts of waste substances, scrap containers, rubble containers etc.
Roller containers are generally composed of a floor supported by cross members and two longitudinal members (standard IPN180), a front wall, two side walls, and a rear wall which may be configured as a door system with one or two so-called rear doors. For reinforcement, the side walls of the container are usually provided with vertically positioned reinforcing profiles.
When transporting materials in an open container, it is often necessary to cover the container in order to prevent material from being blown out. Known cover systems typically use a tarpaulin or net to cover such open containers. The tarpaulin is generally pulled tightly over the container by the driver by hand or by means of a specifically designed rod. Manual covering, in particular in the case of high containers, is unsafe and difficult for the driver. Whereas with a rod, often a number of complex actions must be carried out in order to cover the container.
Over the course of time, various types of cover device have been developed for positioning and pulling the tarpaulin over an open container. Some devices are operated by hand while others are equipped with a hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical system for automatic covering.
Another option for covering a container in a simple and relatively cheap manner uses so-called folding nets which can be folded open and closed. They are mounted at the level of an upper edge of the side walls of the container. Folding nets consist of two parts and unfold along both sides of the container. When they are closed, they overlap one another so the complete load is covered. This invention concerns a container provided with such a cover system. Document GB2236290A discloses an example of an open container provided with a cover system comprising folding nets.
Usually, folding nets are operated manually by means of a control rod, but there are also embodiments with a hydraulic control. Because the existing systems are mounted at the top of the side walls, they have the disadvantage that they are highly susceptible to wear, in particular when the container is loaded or unloaded. Because of their construction at the top of the side wall, they usually have limited dimensions, whereby the torsional stiffness of the assembly is somewhat restricted.
The folding nets must cover a turning circle of 270° for opening or closing. With modern folding nets with hydraulic systems, the complex systems developed for this have complicated transmission systems for executing this turning circle of 270°, which leads to early wear on the systems and multiple defects.
The object of the present invention is therefore to develop an improved embodiment of a cover system based on folding nets, which is less susceptible to damage and wear, is more rigid and in the first instance can easily be folded open and closed manually, but in addition is also simple to automate without the use of complicated transmission systems and/or the risk of damage.
The object of the invention is achieved by the provision of a roller container with an open top side for transport and storage of loose goods, comprising a floor, two side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, and a cover system for covering the open top side of the container, wherein said cover system comprises two rotatable cover devices, wherein each cover device is rotatable between an open position in which the cover device lies against a side wall of the container, and a covering position in which a part of the open top side is covered, wherein the top side of each side wall is provided with a top tube which extends over almost the complete length of the container, and each cover device comprises a U-shaped frame provided with a longitudinal part with head ends and two upright fixing legs, wherein said longitudinal part is arranged so as to be freely rotatable in the top tube of a side wall. Because the longitudinal part extends mainly in the interior of the top tube, this longitudinal part is protected and cannot be damaged by falling load, e.g. during loading or unloading of the container.
In a preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention, each cover device is manually rotatable between the open position and the covering position by means of a control rod, wherein at least one fixing leg of the U-shaped frame comprises a protruding part which forms an engagement point for the control rod. In this way, a user can easily open or close both cover devices from the ground.
The cover device concerned can also easily be automated, and for this, in a preferred embodiment, the container comprises a first and a second hydro-motor intended for driving respectively the one and the other cover device, wherein the hydro-motor which drives the one cover device is designed to engage on the head end of the longitudinal part of the cover device. The motor stands in the extension of the longitudinal part. The drive of the longitudinal part by the motor leads to the rotation of the longitudinal part and the connecting legs attached thereto. The hydro-motor is a motor which is supplied by the hydraulics of the truck which transports the container or by a hydraulic assembly mounted on the container.
In a more preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention, each cover device is rotatable over an angle of 270°. Each cover device accordingly has a turning circle of 270°.
According to a particular embodiment of the container according to the invention, each fixing leg and/or top tube comprises passage eyelets for the connection of a cover element. The cover element is preferably a mesh netting. This mesh netting is made of polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) and is provided with reinforced fixing eyes all around. A steel cable is woven through these fixing eyes. Nuts (M16) are welded onto the top tube of the container, and the steel cable is pushed through said nuts in order thus to hold the nets in place at the edge of the top tube. At the opposite edge, i.e. at the end of the fixing legs, a cable is also drawn tightly between the two fixing legs and in turn woven through the fixing eyes arranged in the net. Finally, on the short side, the net is fixed against the fixing legs with the steel cable or with a strong elastic cord which is again woven between the fixing eyes of the net.
The fixing legs are provided at the ends of longitudinal part. Preferably, both the longitudinal part and the fixing legs are tubular in design and made of metal, preferably steel S235JR. In practice, the longitudinal part and the fixing legs have a diameter between 40 and 45 mm.
In a more particular embodiment of the container according to the invention, the container is provided with two longitudinal members for loading the container onto a truck or trailer.
The side walls of the container according to the invention are preferably provided with vertical reinforcing profiles. The reinforcing profiles are in particular designed box-like and are preferably attached to the side walls via a welding process.
The container according to this invention preferably has a useful capacity between 6 and 50 m³.
The invention is now explained in more detail with reference to the following detailed description of a number of preferred embodiments of a roller container according to this invention. The aim of this description is exclusively to give clarifying examples and indicate further advantages and features of the system, and may thus in no sense be interpreted as a restriction of the area of application of the invention or of the patent rights claimed in the claims.
In this detailed description, reference is made by means of reference signs to the appended drawings in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective illustration of a roller container according to the invention, in which the cover devices of the cover system are in the open position and can be controlled manually;
figure 2 is a detail illustration of a control rod by means of which the cover devices of the container shown on figure 1 can be operated manually;
figure 3 shows the same container as figure 1 but in which the two cover devices are in the covering position;
figure 4 is an illustration of the area A circled on figure 1 , which shows the locking system which is present on a container with manually operatable cover devices and by means of which a cover device can be temporarily locked in the open position against the side wall of the container;
figure 5 shows a part of the container according to the invention which illustrates the lock for roller the cover devices temporarily in the closed position;
figure 6 is a perspective illustration of a roller container according to the invention in which the cover devices of the cover system can be operated automatically;
figure 7 is a detail illustration of the area B marked on figure 7 , in which the motor drive is clearly visible;
figure 8 shows the cross-section of the detail illustration shown in figure 6 .

The roller container (1) according to this invention and as shown in figures 1, 3 and 6 is an open container and comprises the following parts: a floor (2), a first and a second side wall (3), a rear wall (4) and a front wall (5), wherein the rear wall (4) is constructed from two rear doors which can be opened by folding. To make it possible to pull the container onto and off a truck, the front wall (5) comprises a so-called hook assembly (9). The container (1) may furthermore be provided with a step ladder (19) amongst others. The top side of the side walls (3) is provided with a hollow top tube (8) which preferably has a diameter of 116 mm.
The container (1) is suitable for transport and storage of loose goods. In order to be able to easily load and unload a container (1) onto and off a truck, it is provided with two longitudinal members. These longitudinal members are usually IPN or T profiles cut to length, in which for example openings for cross-members are made by means e.g. of a laser device (for example using a known industrial laser of 100 Watt) or plasma cutter.
The cross-members are formed by transverse profiles and/or transverse reinforcements. The transverse profiles used are standard, cold-rolled, U-shaped profiles (120 x 60 x 4 mm). For the sake of clarity, the dimensions given in this description text serve purely for illustration, and deviations may be made depending on the type and size of the container to be formed.
To prevent load loss, the container (1) furthermore comprises a cover system (6) in the form of two rotatable cover devices (7) which fold open and closed. The two cover devices (7) are each designed as a U-shaped frame consisting of two fixing legs (11) which are connected to one another via a longitudinal part (10). The fixing legs (11) extend approximately transversely from the longitudinal part (10). They are arranged in the vicinity of the ends of longitudinal part (10). In practice, both the fixing legs (11) and the longitudinal part (10) are tubular.
Eye-shaped elements are provided on the fixing legs (11) as shown in figure 7, which form passage eyelets (16) for the connection of a cover element (17) which is part of a cover device (7). The top tube (8) may also be provided with such passage eyelets (16). In order to form the passage eyelets, nuts (25) (M16) are welded against the bottom edge of the top tube (8). The cover element (17) is preferably a mesh netting as shown on figures 1, 3 and 5. This mesh netting is preferably made of polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) and has reinforced fixing eyes (20) all round.
The mesh netting is fixed to the fixing legs (11) in the vertical direction and to the top tube (8) and the cable in the horizontal direction as follows: the mesh netting has reinforced fixing eyes (20) all round. A steel cable is woven through these fixing eyes. Nuts (25) (M16) are welded to the top tube (8) of the container, and the steel cable can be pushed through these nuts so as to hold the nets in place on the edge of the top tube. At the opposite edge, i.e. at the level of the free end of the fixing legs (11), a cable is also drawn tightly between the two fixing legs (11) and in turn woven through the fixing eyes arranged in the net. Finally, at the short side, the net is attached to the fixing legs with a steel cable or with a strong elastic cord which in turn is woven between the fixing eyes of the net.
The feature of this invention is that the longitudinal part (10) of the U-shaped frame extends almost completely in the interior of the above-described top tube (8), up to approximately the position at which the fixing legs (11) connect to the longitudinal part (10). The longitudinal part (10) is freely rotatable in the top tube (8). Thus the cover devices (7) can be moved between an open position, in which the cover device lies against a side wall (3) of the container (1) as shown in figure 1, and a covering position in which a part of the open top side is covered. When both cover devices (7) are in their covering position, as shown on figure 3, the top side of the container (1) is covered.
Movement may take place manually. Such a container (1) is shown on figure 1 and figure 3. Here, a control rod (13) provided on the container is used. A possible embodiment of the control rod (13) is shown on figure 2. The control rod (13) comprises an elongate shank of around 2 to 3 m which is provided with an eye-shaped element at its ends (eye end).
In order to be able to open a cover device (7) easily using the control rod (13), the fixing leg (11) of the U-shaped frame (9) is provided with a protruding part (12) which forms an engagement point for the control rod (13). When both cover devices (7) are in the open position, the eye end of the control rod (13) can be pushed onto or engaged on the protruding part (12) of the one cover device. Then by means of the control rod, the cover device is rotated through 270° in order to move this to its covering position. The same applies to the other cover device (7). When the cover devices (7) are in their covering position, the control rod (13) may be stored below the container (1) as shown in figure 1. The cover devices (7) may also be locked by means of elastic straps (24) provided for this and a fixing hook (21) (see figure 5) which is welded onto the front wall and/or rear wall of the container. To guarantee that in open state, the cover devices lie tightly against the side walls (3) of the container (1), a locking system is also provided for this (see figure 4) using a chain (22) which is arranged (welded) on the fixing legs (11) and a fixing element (23) which is welded onto the front wall and/or rear wall and onto the side walls of the container (1).
For certain applications in which the cover devices (7) must be opened and closed several times per day, the above-described system may be adapted for hydraulic opening or closure by means of the hydraulic pump of the truck which transports the roller container, or by means of a hydraulic assembly mounted on the container. One possible application is for example roller containers in which the glass from glass containers is emptied into the container by means of a crane mounted on the truck.
In the present case and as shown on figure 6, a motor (14 and 15) is provided on both sides of the container (1) and positioned in the extension of the longitudinal part (10) of the cover device (7). As shown in figures 7 and 8, the motor is coupled directly, preferably via an elastic coupling, to said longitudinal part (10). Via the motor, the longitudinal part can be rotated automatically through 270° in order thus to move the cover device (7) between the open position and covering position. With the hydraulic design, the above-described locking systems for roller the cover devices in position are superfluous, since the cover devices (7) are held in place by the hydro-motors.
The roller containers (1) according to this invention have as standard the following dimensions: width 1.8 - 2.4 m, height 0.6 - 2.5 m, and length varying between 4 and 7.5 m. Depending on the selected length, the useful capacity of the roller container (1) according to the invention is between 6 and 50 m³.

Claims

Roller container (1) with an open top side for transport and storage of loose goods, comprising a floor (2), two side walls (3), a front wall (4) and a rear wall (5), and a cover system (6) for covering the open top side of the container (1), wherein said cover system (6) comprises two rotatable cover devices (7), wherein each cover device (7) is rotatable between an open position in which the cover device (7) lies against a side wall (3) of the container (1), and a covering position in which a part of the open top side is covered, characterized in that the top side of each side wall (3) is provided with a top tube (8) which extends over almost the complete length of the container (1), and that each cover device (7) comprises a U-shaped frame provided with a longitudinal part (10) with head ends and two upright fixing legs (11), wherein said longitudinal part (10) is arranged so as to be freely rotatable in the top tube (8) of a side wall (3).
Roller container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each cover device (7) is manually rotatable between the open position and the covering position by means of a control rod (13), wherein at least one fixing leg (11) of the U-shaped frame (9) comprises a protruding part (12) which forms an engagement point for the control rod (13).
Roller container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the container (1) comprises a first (14) and a second hydro-motor (15) intended for driving respectively the one and the other cover device (7), wherein the motor (14; 15) which drives the one cover device (7) is designed to engage on the head end of the longitudinal part (10) of the cover device (7).
Roller container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each cover device (7) is rotatable over an angle of 270°.
Roller container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each fixing leg (11) and/or top tube (8) comprises passage eyelets (16) for the connection of a cover element (17).
Roller container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (1) is provided with two longitudinal members for loading the container (1) onto a truck or trailer.
Roller container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side walls (3) are provided with vertical reinforcing profiles (18).
Roller container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said roller container (1) has a useful capacity between 6 and 50 m³.