WO2011073515A1

WO2011073515A1 - Transportation and working platform arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2011073515A1
Application number: PCT/FI2010/051030
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pekka Puranen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-15
Filing date: 2010-12-14
Publication date: 2011-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-15
Also published as: FI20096325A7; FI20096325A0; EP2512841A1; FI20096325L

Abstract

The object of the invention is a transportation and working platform arrangement, which arrangement comprises at least a platform fitted to move in water, on land and in difficult terrain, which platform comprises at least a frame (1) and actuators (2, 4, 6) for moving the platform. The frame (1) of the platform is a floating structure, and the top surface of the frame (1) comprises an essentially flat deck structure (Ia) fitted to be a transportation platform and/or a working platform.

Description

TRANSPORTATION AND WORKING PLATFORM ARRANGEMENT

The object of the invention is a transportation and working platform arrangement as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

The invention relates more particularly to a transportation and working platform according to the arrangement, which platform is able to move on land and in water as well as in difficult terrain, such as in unknown terrain as well as in marshlands and wetlands. As a working platform the device operates e.g. such that some power tool, such as an excavator, is fixed to its deck, which power tool dredges the bottom of a water area or performs some other digging work.

Solutions known in the art present power tools provided with tracked pontoons, which are able to move on land and in water as well as in marshlands and wetlands. European patent no. EP1727687B1 presents one tracked pontoon solution, on top of which a power tool is fixed. The distance between the pontoons can be changed, in which case the platform structure can be made narrower e.g. for road transportations. A problem in this solution and in other solutions of the same type is that the power tool is fixed directly to the tracked pontoon structure, so that nothing can be done with the power tool other than what it is intended for. Excavated soil cannot be transported away from the excavation site with it, for^' example, nor can any other material. Solutions intended simply for transportation, on the other hand, are not suited as a power tool platform because they are not well enough equipped to be the platform of a power tool. In addition, solutions intended for transportation generally only operate well in water or in easy terrain. The aim of this invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to achieve a simple, effective, reliable and advantageous transportation and working platform arrangement, wherein a device that is a transportation platform and/or a working platform is able to travel also in difficult terrain. The aim of the invention is also to achieve a multipurpose and modular transportation and working platform arrangement, in which the device that is the transportation and/or working platform can be easily modified to be suited to different purposes. The transportation and working platform arrangement according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims.

One advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the device is able to move under its own power on land as well as in water and in marshes in all seasons of the year, and the frame structures of the device do not freeze in winter. Another advantage of the device is the multipurpose and modular nature of the device, in which case the device can be quickly and easily modified e.g. into an excavator platform, suction dredger platform, forest machine platform, transport platform, oil dispersal platform or working platform. Thus from the same platform it is possible to e.g. dig, load, drive piles, lay cables or pipes, and for instance to drill as well as to perform oil dispersal. Compared to the methods that are currently in use, with the arrangement according to the invention up to 30-45% of the time spent at the worksite can be saved. When the excavation work has been done, the platform device according to the invention can be used for transporting bulk away from the working area. Yet another advantage is the possibility to reach difficult worksites without impacting the environment. Another advantage is that a structure consisting of a simple frame structure and of subassemblies enables simple and cost- efficient serviceability. One advantage is also that the device can, owing to its construction, be widened or narrowed during a drive, so that e.g. if when driving in water it feels that more stability is needed the tracked pontoons or wheel trains of the device can be spread during the drive without time being spent on stopping unnecessarily. Correspondingly, if a narrow place is encountered during a drive, the tracked pontoons or the wheel trains of the device can be narrowed during the drive. Yet another advantage is that a normal transport carriage is sufficient for transporting the device over long distances, and the device does not require a front vehicle or a rear vehicle because of its length or width, nor any other expensive special arrangements.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by the aid of an example of its embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention in its narrow position,

Fig. 2 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention in its broad position,

Fig. 3 presents a side view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention, when cross-sectioned and simplified,

Fig. 4 presents a side view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention,

Fig. 5 presents a bottom view of the transportation and working platform when partially sectioned

Fig. 6 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention when in its broad position and equipped with additional pontoons,

Fig. 7 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention when in its broad position and performing a load transportation task, and

Fig. 8 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention when in its broad position and equipped with additional pontoons while transporting a power tool, and

Fig. 9 presents an oblique top view of the transportation and working platform according to the invention in its broad position as the working platform of an excavator .

Fig. 1 presents a transportation and working platform used in the arrangement according to the invention. The platform comprises a hollow and waterproof frame 1, which comprises an essentially flat deck structure la, which comprises a plurality of hatches lb for gaining access to the hollow inner part of the frame 1. The flat deck structure la enables the transportation of goods, machines and skips intended for bulk material' and also enables the platform to function as a working platform. The deck structure la comprises various fixing means and fixing points lc, provided with screw threads and without threads, for fastening skips and machines to the deck of the platform. In addition, separate platform structures with their pulling and lifting devices can be fastened to the deck structure la to the same fixing means lc, by the aid of which structures e.g. skips containing earth masses that have come in connection with dredging can be moved onto the platform and off the platform.

The hollow and compartmentalized frame 1 forms a pontoon structure that floats on the ^' surface of the water. Additionally, the platform comprises tracked pontoons 2 that are essentially the length of the frame 1 and are provided with caterpillar tracks 2a, one of which pontoons is on each side of the platform under the frame. The platform is equipped to move by means of the tracked pontoons 2 e.g. on land and in marshy terrain. The first end of the frame 1 comprises a control cabin 3, which contains the means needed to drive the platform and to operate the actuators of the platform. Preferably the control cabin is equipped with a rotating control unit so that the platform can be driven in both directions such that the controller can always be in the drive direction.

For moving on open water the second end, i.e. the stern end, of the frame 1 comprises a drive motor 4, by means of which the platform can at the same time be steered on water. In addition, on both sides of the platform are support legs 5, which can be raised to be vertical by the aid of a power means, such as a hydraulic cylinder 5a, and can be lowered by means of a hydraulic actuator 5b to rest at their second end on the surface of the ground or on the bottom of the water. There are a total of four support legs 5 and they are placed on the horizontal plane on both sides of the deck structure la when they are out of use. When being raised to be vertical the support legs 5 turn to the corners of the deck structure la. The support legs 5 also comprise fixing means, by the aid of which the platform can be connected end-on-end to one or more other platforms to produce a larger platform entity. The fixing means are not shown in the figures.

In the situation according to Fig. 1 the platform is in the narrow position, i.e. its tracked pontoons 2 are fully retracted under the frame 1. In this case the total width of the platform is suitable for road transportations and the platform can be moved quickly also over long distances to a new worksite. In the narrow position the width of the platform has been fitted to be such that road transportations can be normal transportations without special arrangements. In the situation according to Fig. 2 the platform is in the broad position, i.e. its tracked pontoons 2 are pushed in the transverse direction out from under the frame 1. In this case the span of the platform is at its maximum and the platform is, e.g. in water, very stable. The outer edge of the tracked pontoons 2 also comprises fixing means 2b, by the aid of which the platform can be connected at its sides to one or more other platforms to produce a larger platform entity. The fixing means 2b can also be used for connecting the additional pontoons described later to improve the flotation capability of the platform.

Fig. 3. presents the platform when cross-sectioned through the center. The inside of the hollow frame 1 contains at least a fuel tank and a drive motor 6 to be used for driving on land, as well as a hydraulic machine 7 for operating the actuators of the platform. The drive machinery 2c, which is at the front end of the tracked pontoons 2, is driven with the drive motor 6. Correspondingly, the rear end of the tracked pontoons 2 comprises a diverting pulley 2d that guides the caterpillar tracks. The exhaust piping of the drive motor 6 circulates inside the frame 1, which exhaust piping is placed near the bottom surface of the deck structure la to warm the deck structure la and thus to prevent the freezing of the surface of the deck structure la in the winter. The exhaust piping contains many bends and it warms most of the surface of the deck structure la.

Fig. 4 presents a side view of the platform according to the invention without any sections. Both sides of the frame 1 of the platform comprise two rectangular fixing apertures 8, near the top surface of the frame, for the fixing of additional pontoons. The additional pontoons comprise supporter rods suited to the fixing apertures 8.

Correspondingly, the outside edge of both tracked pontoons 2 comprises fixing apertures 9 that correspond to the two fixing apertures 8, for the fixing of additional pontoons.

Fig. 5 presents a partially sectioned bottom view of the platform according to the invention at the point of the second moving mechanism of the tracked pontoons 2. The tracked pontoons 2 are arranged to be moved outwards and inwards in the width direction of the platform for changing the span of the platform. The moving mechanism comprises, on the frame 1 of the platform, guide means 10 and power means 11, such as hydraulic cylinders, which are in the transverse direction with respect to the direction of travel of the platform. The guide means 10 forms . a hollow tubular space, the cross-section of which is e.g. rectangular, and inside which a rod-like support means extending from the inside edge of the tracked pontoon 2 is placed to be moved. For each tracked pontoon 2 there are e.g. two guide means 10 and also two power means 11, which move the tracked pontoons 2 in the width direction of the platform such that the rod-like support means of the tracked pontoons 2 move inside the guide means 10. The moving mechanism is implemented such that the span can be changed to be wider or narrower also during a drive .

Fig. 6 presents the platform according to the invention provided with altogether four additional pontoons 12, which improve the load-bearing capacity of the platform. The upper additional pontoons 12 are fixed to the fixing apertures 8 in the frame 1 of the platform and the lower additional pontoons 12 are fixed to the fixing apertures 9 in the tracked pontoons 2. The top edge of the ^' additional pontoons 12 comprises fixing means 12a, by the aid of which the additional pontoons 12 are fixed to the tracked pontoons 2 and to the frame 1 of the platform. The tracked pontoons 2 and the frame of the platform comprise corresponding fixing means 2b. The additional pontoons 12 are similar to each other and there can be e.g. two or four of them fixed at one time to the platform. If there are only two additional pontoons 12, they can be attached either on the frame 1 of the platform or on the tracked pontoons 2.

Fig. 7 presents the platform according to the invention performing a transportation task. In this case a skip 13 is fixed to the flat deck of the platform for transporting soil, such as dredged earth. Any bulk goods whatsoever can just as well be transported. In the situation according to Fig. 7 the skip 13 has been pulled onto the deck of the platform by means of a special pulling apparatus 14 fixed to the deck structure la. In addition the skip 13 is on top of a suitable platform structure fixed to the deck structure la. The skip could just as well have been fixed directly to the deck structure la.

In the situation according to Fig. 8 the platform is transporting an excavator 15 that is the power tool e.g. along the water to the dredging site. Additional pontoons 12 are fixed to the vessel ready for the dredging phase. The excavator 15 is fixed to a platform structure 16 that is fixed onto the deck structure la, by means of which platform structure the excavator is e.g. pulled onto the deck structure la.

Correspondingly, in the situation according to Fig. 9 the platform according to the invention operates , as a working platform for an excavator 15, which performs dredging work. The support legs are turned to be vertical and they are driven to the bottom of the water to support the excavation work. For the sake of clarity, the water is not presented in the figure. The excavator 15 can move the soil it lifts e.g. directly into a skip 13 that is on a second similar platform beside the platform, after which skip has been filled the second platform takes ^'the skip to land for emptying and comes to collect a new load.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited solely to the example described above, but that it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below. Thus, for example, instead of tracked pontoons the sides of the vessel can have wheels for traveling on the ground. The broadening and narrowing of the span of the wheel trains function in essentially the same way as the lateral movement of the tracked pontoons.

Claims

1. Transportation and working platform arrangement, which arrangement comprises at least a platform fitted to move in water, on land and in difficult terrain, which platform comprises at least a frame (1) and actuators (2, 4, 6) for moving the platform, characterized in that the frame (1) of the platform is a floating structure, and in that the top surface of the frame (1) comprises an essentially flat deck structure (la) fitted to be a transportation platform and/or a working platform.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the deck structure (la) of the platform comprises a plurality of fixing elements, fixing means and fixing points (lc) for fastening goods, skips, machines and separate platform structures to the deck structure (la).

3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actuators that function to move the platform when moving on land are a drive motor (6), placed in the frame (1) , and the tracked pontoons (2) driven by it, which pontoons are placed on the sides of the frame (1) of the platform under the deck structure (la) .

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that in connection with the frame (1) of the platform are moving mechanisms of the tracked pontoons (2) for changing the span of the platform, which moving mechanisms comprise at least guide means (10) separately fitted to both tracked pontoons (2) and power means (11), such as hydraulic cylinders, that move the tracked pontoons (2) in the transverse direction of the platform,_, and which moving mechanisms are arranged to function also during a drive of the device.

5. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in connection with the frame (1) of the platform are support legs (5) provided with power means (5a), such as hydraulic cylinders, which support legs can be raised to be vertical by the aid of the power means (5a) , and can be lowered by means of a hydraulic actuator (5b) to rest at their second end on the surface of the ground or on the bottom of the water, and which support legs (5) are placed on a horizontal plane on both sides of the deck structure (la) when they are out of use.

6. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that to improve the load-bearing capacity of the platform the arrangement comprises a plurality of additional pontoons (12), which are fitted to be fixed to the fixing apertures (8) in the sides of the frame (1) of the platform and/or to the fixing apertures (9) in the sides of the tracked pontoons (2) by the aid of fixing means (2b, 12a).

7. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the platform comprises a separate drive motor (4) for moving and steering the platform in water.

8. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exhaust piping of the drive motor (6) is fitted to circulate inside the frame (1) near the surface of the deck structure (la) and to warm the surface of the deck structure (la) .

9. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support legs (5) comprise fixing means for connecting the platform end-on-end to one or more other platforms to produce a larger platform entity, and in that the outer edge of the tracked pontoons (2) comprise fixing means (2b) for connecting the platform at its sides to one or more other platforms to produce a larger platform entity.

10. Arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the platform is arranged to function as a transportation platform for different goods, machines and skips or containers containing soil or other bulk material, and/or the platform is arranged to function as a working platform for different machines and equipment, such as for an excavator, a dredging device, a forest machine, a pile driver, a drill, oil dispersal gear, cable-laying and pipe- laying apparatuses, etc.