GB2606181A

GB2606181A - Safe deployment system

Info

Publication number: GB2606181A
Application number: GB2106063.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Carling Simon; Hepburn Graham; Challingsworth Dale
Original assignee: Jetting Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Jetting Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-28
Filing date: 2021-04-28
Publication date: 2022-11-02
Also published as: GB202106063D0

Abstract

A deployment apparatus from a side edge of a platform 5 has a cradle 3a-c suspended from a cross-bar 2c of a lifting frame 2a,3b moved by hydraulic rams 4a,4b attached to a base frame 1a,1b on the platform 5. A spreader beam 6a,6b can be pivotably connected to the cross-bar 2c with four cables 7a-d connecting it to the cradle, the pivotability and gravity maintaining the cradle orientation and the cables giving clearance for the load beneath the cross-bar 2c. The system can deploy a highway cleaning or maintenance auxiliary vehicle from a truck or trailer; or be used in stationary situations in warehouses, car parks or factories for stacking cars or moving heavy machinery.

Description

Safe Deployment System Field of the invention

10011 The invention relates to a mobile deployment system. In particular, the invention relates to a mobile system for the safe deployment from a platform of auxiliary vehicles and/or other cargo, without the need for said auxiliary vehicles and/or other cargo to be inclined away from an upright orientation during deployment.

Background of the invention

10021 It is typical in highway cleaning operations for a highway maintenance lorry 10 or truck to carry a smaller, auxiliary cleaning vehicle. Such auxiliary vehicles can operate on smaller carriageways and provide extra manoeuvrability when compared with larger vehicles.

10031 When stowed on board a truck, such an auxiliary vehicle is above ground level, with at least the truck's wheels and drivetrain beneath its storage compartment or platform. Conventionally, an auxiliary vehicle of this kind is deployed by means of a ramp which extends from or is attached to the storage compartment or platform during deployment. A driver may have to be onboard the auxiliary vehicle during deployment in order to drive it down the ramp.

10041 It is common, for operations involving auxiliary vehicles, for the space around the truck available for deployment to be limited. This may be because only one carriageway is closed for maintenance on a larger road, or because the road itself is narrow. In these circumstances, in order to reduce the ramp's lateral extension, it must be arranged with a relatively steep incline, often 30 degrees from horizontal.

10051 It can be dangerous to deploy auxiliary vehicles at such steep angles. In some cases they may get stuck, or tip over, potentially causing injury to a person standing nearby or a person on board the auxiliary vehicle.

[006] There are many other circumstances in which cargo, such as smaller vehicles, needs to be deployed from raised platforms such as trucks or lorries. Cars, fork-lift trucks, mobility scooters and the like are often delivered by larger vehicles.

[007] Some smaller vehicles or other equipment which may need deploying should not be tipped, perhaps because of the risk of damage to fragile components, or because said vehicles have a moveable centre of gravity such that tilting may cause them to become unstable. Deployment by ramp in these cases can be impossible, or at least high risk.

[008] A new solution is needed, by means of which auxiliary vehicles and similar loads can be safely deployed from a raised platform to a lower platform, such as the ground, without being tilted from an upright position. Said solution should preferably do so within a reduced lateral deployment zone proximate the raised platform compared with the prior art.

[009] W02018/016441 depicts a truck with a cargo platform which can be displaced laterally and then lowered to substantially ground level by means of a series of pivoting frame members and hydraulic rams. During the deployment process, however, the cargo platform is tilted slightly due to the geometry of the pivoting frame members. Furthermore, the whole of the cargo platform is deployed, so that the truck's width is effectively doubled in the deployed configuration. In situations wherein only one item of cargo needs to be deployed, this is wasteful of energy as well as space.

Summary of the invention

[010] The invention provides a deployment apparatus comprising: a platform having a deployment edge; a base frame fixed to the platform with a distal side proximate the deployment edge; a lifting frame pivotably connected at a proximal side to the distal side of the base frame, said lifting frame having an integral lifting beam at its distal side. an actuation means, pivotably connected at a proximal end to a proximal side of the base frame, and pivotably connected at a distal end to the lifting frame; and a cradle, pivotably supported beneath the integral lifting beam; such that when, in use, actuation of the actuation means causes the lifting frame to pivot about its proximal side, the orientation of the cradle remains substantially stable with respect to a stationary reference frame, due to gravity and the pivotal connection between the cradle and the lifting beam.

[011] The invention solves the problem of deploying cargo, such as a small service vehicle, from a platform such as the trailer of a truck, without tipping the cargo and without extending laterally farther than necessary from the footprint of the trailer. The invention is simple, relying on the principle that a weight, suspended from a pivot point that is moving in an arc, will change orientation with respect to the pivot such that the centre of gravity is always at its lowest possible point. There are very few moving parts, making the system inexpensive and simple to control.

[012] In some embodiments, the actuation means is controllable to cause the lifting frame to pivot about its proximal side between: a stowed position, wherein the cradle is held above the cargo platform or is at rest on the cargo platform; and a deployed position, wherein the cradle is held distally-beyond the deplaciment edge of the cargo platform.

[0131 In some such embodiments, the cargo platform is a raised platform with respect to ground level, and when the lifting frame is in the deployed position, the cradle is held at a level lower than the level of the cargo platform.

[014] In some such embodiments, when the lifting frame is in the deployed position, the cradle is substantially at ground level.

[015] In some embodiments, the cradle comprises two elongate platforms fixedly connected together, suitable for supporting a vehicle having two sets of wheels on respective opposing sides, each set of wheels being supported by respective elongate platforms of the cradle, and the cradle is connected to the integral lifting beam by means of elongate connectors so as to provide clearance for a vehicle supported on the cradle to be interposed between the cradle and the integral lifting beam.

[16] In some embodiments, the cargo platform is a mobile cargo platform. For 5 example, the cargo platform may be a trailer, or part of a truck.

[17] In some embodiments, the actuation means comprises at least one hydraulic ram.

Brief description of the drawings

[18] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of 10 example only, with reference to the following drawings.

[19] Figure 1 depicts a safe deployment system of the invention in a stowed configuration.

[20] Figure 2 depicts a safe deployment system of the invention between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration.

[021] Figure 3 depicts a safe deployment system of the invention in a deployed configuration.

[022] Figure 4 depicts a safe deployment system of the invention in a deployed configuration with cargo on the cradle.

Detailed description of the drawings

[023] Figures 1 to 4 depict an embodiment of the safe deployment system of the invention mounted on a trailer of a truck. The safe deployment system of the invention is particularly useful in mobile embodiments, such as when mounted on the trailer of a truck. The invention is not limited to such embodiments, however. The safe deployment system of the invention could be useful in stationary embodiments, such as in warehouses or factories in which heavy machinery may need to be deployed from a first area or a first level to a second area or a second level. Another useful application of the invention is in car parks, in which space saving is achieved by stacking cars on multiple levels.

[024] The basic components of the invention are a base frame 1, a lifting frame 2, a cradle 3 and actuation means 4. As is most clearly shown in Figure 3, in which the safe deployment system is shown in the deployed configuration with no cargo, the base frame 1 is fixed to a platform 5 from which, in use, cargo is to be deployed. In this case, the platform 5 is the trailer of a truck. The base frame 1 should be securely fixed to or integral with the platform 5, since it is not a moving component of the safe deployment system.

[025] The depicted base frame 1 comprises two triangular base sub-frames la, lb connected at their proximal ends by a base cross-bar lc. The base sub-frames are spaced apart so as to receive between them the cradle 3 and any cargo supported by the cradle 3 (as shown in Figure 1).

[26] The base sub-frames la, lb depicted are constructed as right-angled 15 triangles having their right-angles at their proximal ends. Their distal ends are at or close to the edge of the platform 5 from which the cradle 3 and any cargo supported by the cradle 3 are deployed.

[27] Although a triangular structure is depicted for the base frame 1, this is not essential. Triangles are well known for their structural strength, but the skilled person may select any suitable structure for the base frame 1, depending on the intended use. Typically, the base frame 1 will be formed of metal, for example steel or aluminium. For some purposes, typically relatively light purposes, wood may also be suitable. The skilled person will readily select the appropriate material or materials for each given purpose.

[028] The lifting frame 2 is pivotably connected at its proximal end to the distal end of the base frame 1. In the depicted embodiment, the lifting frame 2 comprises two lifting sub-frames 2a, 2b, connected at their distal ends by a lifting cross-bar 2c. Lifting sub-frame 2a is pivotably connected at its proximal end to the distal end of base sub-frame la. Lifting sub-frame 2b is pivotably connected at its proximal end to the distal end of base sub-frame lb. In this embodiment, the lifting sub-frames are formed as trapeziums. The length of the lifting frame 2, from its proximal end to its distal end, should be sufficiently greater than the height of the cargo, so that the lifting cross-bar 2c crosses above and clear of the cargo in the stowed configuration, shown in Figure 1.

L0291 Although a trapezium structure is depicted for the lifting frame 2, this is not essential. The skilled person will select any suitable shape for the lifting frame 2, depending on the intended use. Typically, the lifting frame 2 will be formed of metal, for example steel or aluminium. For some purposes, typically relatively light purposes, wood may also be suitable. The skilled person will readily select the appropriate material or materials for each given purpose.

L0301 A cradle 3 is suspended from the lifting cross-bar 2c. The cradle 3 in the depicted embodiment is designed for supporting a small service vehicle, and as such it comprises two sub-cradles 3a, 3b, connected by cradle cross-bars 3c. Each sub-cradle 3a, 3b is designed to support one of the left-hand wheels or the right-hand wheels of a small service vehicle. Each sub-cradle 3a, 3b has a respective supporting surface (the upper surface, assuming an in-use orientation) which is textured to provide frictional engagement with the wheels of a small service vehicle so that the small service vehicle can easily drive on and off the cradle 3. Each sub-cradle 3a, 3b also provides a respective groove for receiving each wheel when the small service vehicle is stationary on the cradle 3.

[0311 Although the cradle 3 has been depicted for use with small service vehicles, this is not necessarily the case. The cradle 3 may be used for any cargo, and may be configured accordingly. For example, the cradle may be formed of a single planar piece. Alternatively, it may be a crate, or a pallet. The skilled person will readily select suitable cradle configurations according to any given purpose.

[32] The cradle 3 depicted is typically made from metal, such as steel or aluminium. Other cradle 3 configurations for other purposes may be made of different suitable materials, such as wood.

[33] In the depicted embodiment, a spreader beam 6 is pivotably connected to 5 the lifting cross-bar 2c. The spreader beam 6 has a first end 6a, pivotably connected proximate the first lifting sub-frame 2a, and a second end 6b, pivotably connected proximate the second lifting sub-frame 2b.

[34] In the depicted embodiment, the cradle 3 is suspended from the spreader beam 6 by means of four cables 7. A first cable 7a connects the proximal end of the first sub-cradle 3a to the first end of the spreader beam 6a. A second cable 7b connects the distal end of the first sub-cradle 3a to the first end of the spreader beam 6a. A third cable 7c connects the proximal end of the second sub-cradle 3b to the second end of the spreader beam 6b. A fourth cable 7d connects the distal end of the second sub-cradle 3b to the second end of the spreader beam 6b.

[035] The spreader beam 6 is typically made of metal, such as steel or aluminium. For other purposes, such as lighter-weight purposes, other materials may be selected, for example wood.

[36] The length of the cables 7 should be selected so that the cradle 3 is resting on and supported by the platform 5 in the stowed configuration depicted in Figure 1. If the lengths of the lifting frame 2 and cables 7 are selected correctly, cargo supported on the cradle 3 will fit between the base sub-frames la, lb and the lifting sub-frames 2a, 2b, and will fit beneath the lifting cross-bar 2c and spreader beam 6.

[37] The cables 7 are typically made from metal, for example steel. Other 25 materials may be selected, for example for lighter-weight purposes. They may be detachable at one or both ends, as long as the attachment means has suitable strength and durability. This may be useful for safe deployment systems having a plurality of different cradles 3 which may be required on different occasions for different purposes.

[038] Although the depicted cradle 3 is pivotably connected to the lifting cross-bar 2c by means of a spreader beam 6 and cables 7, this is not essential. Any suitable means of suspending the cradle 3 beneath the lifting cross-bar 2c may be selected by the skilled person. The only essential factor is pivotability, so that the cradle 3 can, with the aid of gravity, maintain a stable orientation with respect to a fixed reference frame, such as the plane of the platform 5.

10391 In the depicted embodiment, the actuation means 4 takes the form of a first hydraulic ram 4a and a second hydraulic ram 4b. The first hydraulic ram 4a is pivotably connected at its proximal end to the top of the proximal end of the first base sub-frame la. The first hydraulic ram 4a is pivotably connected at its distal end to an approximate mid-point at the top of the first lifting sub-frame 2a The second hydraulic ram 4b is pivotably connected at its proximal end to the top of the proximal end of the second base sub-frame lb. The second hydraulic ram 4b is pivotably connected at its distal end to an approximate mid-point at the top of the second lifting sub-frame 2b.

[40] The hydraulic rams 4a, 4b may be actuated and controlled by any conventional means according to the particular purpose. They may be remotely, electronically actuatablc from a control station, such as in the cabin of a connected truck or aboard a small service vehicle aboard the cradle 3. They should be extendable and retractable so as to deploy and stow the cradle 3 as required.

[41] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, when the safe deployment system is being deployed from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration, the hydraulic rams 4a, 4b are actuated so as to be extended, causing the lifting frame 2 to pivot about its connection to the base frame 1. This causes the spreader beam 6 to follow the arc defined by the lifting cross-bar 2c, lifting the cradle 3 from the platform 5, guiding the cradle 3 over the side of the platform 5 and lowering it to the ground. Because of the pivotable connection between the spreader beam 6 and the lifting cross-bar 2c, and the effect of gravity, the cradle maintains a stable orientation with respect to the plane of the platform 5 throughout the deployment process.

[042] Figure 4 depicts an embodiment of the safe deployment system in the deployed configuration, with a small service vehicle supported by the cradle. The vehicle is ready to be driven off the cradle easily and without needing to descend a ramp.

[043] Although the invention has been described above with reference to a 10 preferred embodiment, the embodiment is not limiting. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A deployment apparatus comprising: a platform having a deployment edge; a base frame fixed to the platform with a distal side proximate the deployment edge; a lifting frame pivotably connected at a proximal side to the distal side of the 5 base frame, said lifting frame haying an integral lifting beam at its distal side; an actuation means, pivotably connected at a proximal end to a proximal side of the base frame, and pivotably connected at a distal end to the lifting frame; and a cradle, pivotably supported beneath the integral lifting beam; such that when, in use, actuation of the actuation means causes the lifting frame to pivot about its it) proximal side, the orientation of the cradle remains substantially stable with respect to a stationary reference frame, due to gravity and the pivotal connection between the cradle and the lifting beam.
2. A deployment apparatus wherein the actuation means is controllable to cause the lifting frame to pivot about its proximal side between: a stowed position, wherein the cradle is held above the cargo platform or is at rest on the cargo platform; and a deployed position, wherein the cradle is held distally beyond the deployment edge of the cargo platform
3. A deployment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cargo platform is a raised platform with respect to ground level, and wherein when the lifting frame 20 is in the deployed position, the cradle is held at a level lower than the level of the cargo platform.
4. A deployment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the lifting frame is in the deployed position, the cradle is substantially at ground level.
5. A deployment apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the 25 cradle comprises two elongate platforms fixedly connected together, suitable for supporting a vehicle having two sets of wheels on respective opposing sides, each set of wheels being supported by respective elongate platforms of the cradle, and wherein the cradle is connected to the integral lifting beam by means of elongate connectors so as to provide clearance for a vehicle supported on the cradle to be interposed between the cradle and the integral lifting beam.
6. A deployment apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the 5 cargo platform is a mobile cargo platform.
7. A deployment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cargo platform is a trailer.
8. A deployment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cargo platform is part of a truck.it)
9. A deployment apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the actuation means comprises at least one hydraulic ram.