LIFTING AND POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR A LIFTING ROOF OF A TRUCK BODY

Abstract

Lifting and positioning system for a lifting roof of a truck body. It comprises several positioning devices (3) for stabilizing the roof (2) of the body (1), and means for vertically displacing the roof to position it at the required height with final support on the positioning devices. Each positioning device comprises a movable vertical structure (8) with adjustable height, formed by an elongated profile (8a) and a tilting skid (8b), which is coupled to the elongated profile (8a) from below by means of a horizontal articulated connection (9). The tilting skid (8b) includes a horizontal transverse shaft (10) configured to engage in one of several recesses (15a) defined by teeth of a toothed rack (15) according to the required roof height (2).The positioning devices are arranged at least in the four vertical corner areas of the truck body (1), so that the roof (2) rests on some ends of the various movable vertical structures (8).

Description

LIFTING AND POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR A LIFTING ROOF TRUCK BODY Object of the invention The present invention relates to a lifting and positioning system for a liftable roof of a truck body comprising positioning devices to stabilize the roof of the body at the required height, and means to move the roof vertically and thus place it at the required height with final support on the positioning devices, each of which includes a movable vertical structure with adjustable height displacement, so that the roof rests on one end of the various movable vertical structures in the respective stable position. Technology sector The technical field in which the present invention is framed is that belonging to the industrial vehicle sector, and more specifically to the structures of their bodies with the possibility of being able to vary the interior volume delimited by their bodywork by varying the height of the roof of their bodywork. Technical problem to be solved and background of the invention In industrial goods transport vehicles, such as trucks, for example, one of the most requested body configuration options is to include a pop-up roof. This feature allows the carrier to vary the interior volume of the vehicle body by adjusting the roof height, thus achieving different heights depending on the roof's elevation. This height variation enables the transport of a wide variety of goods, including those with dimensions unsuitable for vehicles with fixed roofs that cannot be raised when needed to accommodate different cargo or load requirements. In order for the roof of the body to perform the movement of raising, lowering and fixing at a desired height, the roof includes vertical profiles at different points that are guided within vertical guide profiles, which can be part of the body itself so that the raising and lowering movement of the roof is as stable as possible. On the other hand, the lowering and raising action of the roof is achieved thanks to linear actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders, which are located in correspondence with at least the four vertical corners of the structure or chassis of the truck body. The roof height can be adjusted using hydraulic cylinder locks, mechanical pins, or mechanical positioners. Description of the invention In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the drawbacks in the previous sections, the invention proposes a lifting and positioning system for a liftable truck body roof comprising several positioning devices to stabilize the roof of the body, and means to move the roof vertically and thus place it at the required height with final support on the positioning devices. Each positioning device comprises a vertical movable structure with adjustable height displacement, consisting of an elongated profile with a C-shaped cross-section and a tilting skid, also with a C-shaped cross-section, which is coupled to the elongated profile by means of a horizontal articulated connection; where both the elongated profile and the tilting skid comprise central bodies and pairs of opposing parallel arms delimiting centered spaces; and where the tilting skid is coupled to a lower section of the elongated profile. The tilting skid includes a horizontal transverse shaft that is configured to fit into one of several gaps delimited between teeth of a toothed rack according to the required roof height. The movable vertical structure is guided within a hollow space delimited between a larger profile with a cross-section shaped like an 'a', and a smaller profile with a cross-section shaped like a 'C'; where both profiles comprise central bodies and pairs of parallel branches in opposition; and where the branches of the smaller profile are attached to the central body of the larger profile. Within the hollow space delimited between the two profiles is housed the toothed rack which is fixed to the central body of the smaller profile; where the transverse axis of the tilting skid of the movable vertical structure is faced with the teeth of said toothed rack in order to fit said transverse axis into one of the several gaps between teeth of the toothed rack according to the required height of the roof; and where the toothed rack is fitted within a centered space delimited by the parallel branches and the central body of the movable structure. On one of the two parallel branches in opposition to the larger profile of the mobile vertical structure is attached an elongated piece that includes a longitudinal wing parallel to the branches of said larger profile. The movable vertical structure includes two upper lateral appendages and two lower lateral appendages adjacent to the horizontal articulated connection that links the elongated profile and the tilting skid; where both appendages are vertically aligned and externally joined on the two opposing parallel arms of the elongated profile. The mobile vertical structure also includes a seat base attached to the upper end of the elongated profile above the upper appendages that are attached to said seat base; where the vertical guide profile assembly and the vertical roof profile run between said longitudinal wing and one of the two branches of the larger profile; and where this vertical profile rests on the seat base of the mobile structure. The central body of the larger profile includes a larger opening that is covered by a front plate which integrates a smaller opening, which is opposite the larger opening; where said front plate is fixed to the larger profile; and where said smaller opening is configured to allow access to the tilting skid in order to manipulate the movable vertical structure to place it at the required height by fitting its transverse axis into the corresponding gap between the teeth of the toothed rack. The lifting and positioning system for the lifting roof of the truck body comprises at least four positioning devices arranged in correspondence with four vertical corner zones of the truck body; where the roof includes vertical profiles fitted and guided along gaps in vertical guide profiles located in at least the four vertical corner zones of the body. The openings in the vertical guide profiles are aligned with the movable vertical structures below the vertical guide profiles; where the ceiling is configured to move vertically by means of linear actuators such as hydraulic cylinders, so that in one embodiment of the invention said lower ends The rods of the linear actuators are coupled to lower ends of the vertical roof profiles by means of articulated connections; where lower ends of the vertical roof profiles are configured to rest on upper ends of the elongated profiles of the movable vertical structures according to the planned height of the roof. To facilitate a better understanding of this descriptive report and forming an integral part thereof, a series of figures are included which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, represent the object of the invention. Brief description of the figures Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of a pop-up roof that is part of a truck body, including the lifting and positioning system of the pop-up roof of that truck body. Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of a positioning device that is part of the roof lifting and positioning system. Figure 3.- Shows another perspective view of a part of a positioning device. Figure 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the positioning device. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a part of the positioning device. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a part of what is shown in Figure 5. Figure 7.- Shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the positioning device. Figure 8.- Shows a perspective view of a vertical corner rear area of ​​the truck body, in which the positioning device is installed. Figure 9.- Shows a perspective view of the front of the truck body with two vertical corner areas where the respective positioning devices are installed. Figure 10.- Shows a perspective view of a vertical corner area of ​​the front of the truck body. Description of an example of embodiment of the invention Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the lifting and positioning system for a liftable roof 2 of a truck body 1 comprises positioning devices 3 to stably position the roof of the truck body 1 at the required height, such that said positioning devices 3 are arranged in vertical alignments, while being located in at least four vertical corner areas of the structure of the truck body 1. Roof 2 is an independent assembly from the rest of the truck body 1, such that said roof 2 includes at least four vertical profiles 4 arranged in the four corner areas of said roof 2, such that these four vertical profiles 4 are coupled and guided within vertical guide profiles 5 that may form part of the structure of the body 1 itself, or may be attached to said structure of the truck body 1, corresponding to the four vertical corner areas of the truck body 1. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the roof 1 includes four additional vertical profiles 4 located along the two longitudinal edges of the roof 1, such that these four additional vertical profiles 4 will fit into as many vertical guide profiles 5. The raising and lowering of the roof 1 to position it where appropriate is carried out by means of linear actuators 6 fixed to the structure of the truck body, so that in one embodiment of the invention, the rods of said linear actuators 6 are connected to lower ends of the vertical profiles 4 by means of articulated connections 7. In another embodiment of the invention, the rods of the linear actuators 6 could be connected to other points on the roof of the truck. On the other hand, each of the positioning devices 3 comprises a movable vertical structure 8 formed by an elongated profile 8a with a C-shaped cross-section, and a tilting skid 8b, also with a C-shaped cross-section, which is coupled to the elongated profile 8a by means of a horizontal articulated connection 9. This movable vertical structure 8 can be moved vertically to allow it to be stably positioned at the required height according to the desired height of the truck roof 2. Both the elongated profile 8a and the C-shaped tilting skid 8b comprise a central body and two opposing parallel arms, defining a centered space. The tilting skid 8b is fitted between the two branches of a lower section of the elongated profile 8a, so that this lower section lacks a portion of its central body. The tilting skid 8b of the mobile vertical structure 8 includes a horizontal transverse axis 10, as well as a tab 11 extending outwards below the transverse axis 10; wherein said tab 11 is configured to allow manipulation of the tilting skid 8b by rotating it around the articulated connection 9 in order to stably position the mobile vertical structure 8 assembly at the required height; wherein each stable position of the roof 2 is secured by the support of a portion of each of the lower ends of the vertical profiles 4 of said roof 2 on an upper seat base 12 integral with the elongated profile 8a of the mobile vertical structure 8. The entire mobile structure 8 is guided within a hollow space delimited between a larger profile 13 with a C-shaped section, and a smaller profile 14 also with a C-shaped section; where both profiles 13, 14 comprise a central body and two parallel opposing branches; and where the branches of the smaller profile 14 are attached to the central body of the larger profile 13. Within the hollow space delimited between the two profiles 13, 14, a toothed rack 15 is also housed, which is fixed to the central body of the smaller profile 14, so that the transverse axis 10 of the tilting skid 8b of the movable vertical structure 8 is facing the teeth of said toothed rack 15 in order to fit said transverse axis 10 into one of the several gaps 15a between teeth of the toothed rack 15 according to the required height of the roof 2. Thus, the toothed rack 15 is fitted within the centered space delimited by the parallel branches and central bodies of the movable structure 8. Following on from what was said in the previous paragraph, the central body of the larger profile 13 includes a larger opening 13a that is covered by a front plate 16 with a smaller opening 16a that is opposite the larger opening 13a; where said front plate 16 is fixed to the larger profile 14; and where through said smaller opening 16a the tilting skid 8b can be accessed to manipulate the entire movable structure 8 in order to place it at the required height by fitting its transverse axis 10 into the corresponding gap 15a between the teeth of the toothed rack 15. In Figure 7, the transverse axis 10 of the tilting skid 8b is fitted into the recess 15a located at the lower end of the toothed rack 15, so that in this position the truck roof will be in its lowest possible position. Conversely, if this transverse axis 10 were fitted into the recess 15a located at the upper end of the toothed rack 15, then the truck roof would be in its highest possible position. The elongated profile 8a of the movable vertical structure 8 further includes two upper side appendages 17 attached to the seat base 12, and two lower side appendages 18 adjacent to the horizontal articulated connection 9 that links the elongated profile 8a and the tilting skid 8b; wherein both appendages 17, 18 are vertically aligned. On one of the two parallel opposing branches of the larger profile 13 of the mobile vertical structure 8 is attached an elongated piece 19 which includes a longitudinal wing 19a parallel to the branches of said larger profile 13, so that between said longitudinal wing 19a and one of the two branches of the larger profile 13, runs the assembly of the vertical guide profile 5 and the vertical profile 4 of the roof 2; where this vertical profile 4 rests on the respective assembly of the mobile structure 8 and more specifically on its seat base 12 integral with the elongated profile 8a which forms part of the mobile structure 8. The width of the seat base 12 and also the width in the pairs of upper side appendages 17 and the pairs of lower appendages 18 of each movable structure 8 are adjusted to the width delimited between the two parallel branches of the smaller profile 14. In this way, during the displacement of the movable vertical structure 8 along the hollow space delimited between the larger profile 13 and the smaller profile 14, said movable vertical structure 8 is moved guided by the inside of the smaller profile 14. The vertical guide profiles 5, where the vertical profiles 4 connected to the ceiling 2 fit and are guided, are arranged within the hollow spaces delimited between the larger profiles 13 and the smaller profiles 14. The guidance of the vertical profiles 4 of the ceiling 2 could even be incorporated directly into the structure of the larger profiles 13 and / or smaller profiles 14. Thus, the vertical guide profiles 5 serve only to guide the roof 2 in its lifting and lowering movement and thus to fix the height of the roof 2 when it rests on the seat bases 12 of the mobile vertical structures 8, which are used only to position the roof 2 in its lowering movement, finally positioning the roof at the required height. In our case, we will use mechanical positioners with external actuation. We will focus on their operation for the purposes of the invention. The upper 17 and lower 18 side appendages of each movable vertical structure 8 serve as centering devices, since this movable vertical structure 8, in order to obtain the different heights of the roof 2, goes up and down through the hollow space delimited between the larger 13 and smaller 14 profiles, although this hollow space could be incorporated directly into the chassis or body structure of the truck. The articulated connection 9 between the elongated profile 8a and the tilting skid 8b comprises welded pins that allow rotational movement.

Claims

1. Positioning device for a lifting roof of a truck body, characterized in that: - it comprises a movable vertical structure (8) with adjustable height displacement, which is formed by an elongated profile (8a) with a C-shaped section, and a tilting skid (8b) also with a C-shaped section, which is coupled to the elongated profile (8a) by means of a horizontal articulated connection (9); where both the elongated profile (8a) and the tilting skid (8b) comprise central bodies and pairs of opposing parallel arms delimiting centered spaces; and where the tilting skid (8b) is coupled to a lower section of the elongated profile (8a); - the tilting skid (8b) includes a horizontal transverse axis (10) which is configured to fit into one of the several gaps (15a) delimited between teeth of a toothed rack (15);- the movable vertical structure (8) is guided within a hollow space delimited between a larger profile (13) with a C-shaped section, and a smaller profile (14) with a C-shaped section where both profiles (13, 14) comprise central bodies and pairs of opposing parallel arms; and where the arms of the smaller profile (14) are attached to the central body of the larger profile (13); - within the hollow space delimited between the two profiles (13, 14) is housed the toothed rack (15) which is fixed to the central body of the smaller profile (14); where the transverse axis (10) of the tilting skid (8b) of the movable vertical structure (8) is aligned with the teeth of said toothed rack (15) so that said transverse axis (10) can be fitted into one of the several gaps (15a) between the teeth of the toothed rack (15) according to the required height of the roof (2);and where the toothed rack (15) is fitted within a centered space delimited by the parallel arms and the central body of the movable structure (8).

2. Positioning device for a lifting roof of a truck body, according to claim 1, characterized in that an elongated piece (19) including a longitudinal wing (19a) parallel to the arms of said larger profile (13) is attached to one of the two opposing parallel arms of the larger profile (13) of the movable vertical structure (8).

3. Positioning device for a lifting roof of a truck body, according to claim 2, characterized in that: - the movable vertical structure (8) includes two upper lateral appendages (17) and two lower lateral appendages (18) adjacent to the horizontal articulated connection (9) that links the elongated profile (8a) and the tilting skid (8b);where both appendages (17, 18) are vertically aligned and externally joined on the two opposing parallel branches of the elongated profile (8a); - the movable vertical structure (8) further includes a seat base (12) attached to the upper end of the elongated profile (8a) above the upper appendages (17) which are attached to said seat base (12); where between said longitudinal wing (19a) and one of the two branches of the larger profile (13) runs the assembly of the vertical guide profile (5) and the vertical profile (4) of the roof (2);and where this vertical profile (4) rests on the seat base (12) of the movable structure (8). 4.- Positioning device for a lifting roof of a truck body, according to claim 3, characterized in that the width of the seat base (12), as well as the width in the pairs of upper lateral appendages (17) and the pairs of lower appendages (18) of each movable structure (8) are adjusted to the width delimited between the two parallel branches of the smaller profile (14);where during the displacement of the movable vertical structure (8) along the hollow space delimited between the larger profile (13) and the smaller profile (14), said movable vertical structure (8) is moved guided by the interior of the smaller profile (14).

5. Positioning device for a lifting roof of a truck body, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central body of the larger profile (13) includes a larger opening (13a) that is covered by a front plate (16) that integrates a smaller opening (16a), which is opposite the larger opening (13a); where said front plate (16) is fixed to the larger profile (14);and where said smaller opening (16a) is configured to access the tilting skid (8b) in order to manipulate the movable vertical structure (8) so as to place it at the required height by fitting its transverse axis (10) into the corresponding gap (15a) between the teeth of the toothed rack (15).

6. Lifting and positioning system for a lifting roof of a truck body, according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least four positioning devices (3) arranged in correspondence with four vertical corner areas of the truck body (1); where the roof (2) includes vertical profiles (4) fitted and guided along gaps in vertical guide profiles (5) located in at least the four vertical corner areas of the body (1);where the openings of the vertical guide profiles (5) are aligned with the movable vertical structures (8) located below the vertical guide profiles (5); and where the roof (2) is configured to move vertically by means of linear actuators (6); characterized in that the rods of the linear actuators (6) are coupled to lower ends of the vertical profiles (4) of the roof (2) by means of articulated connections (7); where lower ends of the vertical profiles (4) of the roof (2) are configured to rest on upper ends of the elongated profiles (8a) of the movable vertical structures (8) according to the intended height of the roof (2).

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