Automatic locking and unlocking device for van gate of van semi-trailer

Abstract

The application discloses a warehouse grid type semi-trailer warehouse grid door automatic locking and unlocking device and belongs to the technical field of vehicles. The structure points are as follows: the bolt is provided with a guide strip and a cylindrical guide pin, the locking sliding block is provided with a sliding groove with a horizontal section, an inclined section and a circular arc transition, the guide protection cover is fixed by welding, the push-pull rod is fixedly connected with the locking sliding block, the L-shaped connecting frame is used for connecting the push force cylinder and the push-pull rod, the warehouse grid door bottom frame is provided with a guide channel, and the bolt positioning device is installed on the upper side of the warehouse grid door bottom frame. The push force cylinder is fixed to the inner side surface of the semi-trailer frame beam, the compressed air is input or released, the locking sliding block is driven to move horizontally through a transmission mechanism, and then the bolt is driven to move up and down to complete the locking and unlocking operation; the push force cylinder is provided with a magnetic sensor, can be controlled in the cab or through remote control, and operation efficiency and use safety are considered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo box door of a semi-trailer, belonging to the field of vehicle technology. Background Technology

[0002] In the use of stake semi-trailers, the locking and unlocking of the stake doors is crucial for the safe transportation of goods. Traditional locking and unlocking methods often rely on manual operation, which is inefficient and prone to problems such as delayed detection of insecure locking after long-term use, failing to meet the demands of modern logistics for efficiency and safety. Therefore, this invention aims to provide an automatic locking and unlocking device for stake semi-trailer stake doors to solve the problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer of the present invention mainly includes the following key components:

[0004] Pin (1): Used to lock the gate. Its up-and-down movement is controlled by subsequent components. Pin (1) is equipped with a guide bar structure. The guide bar can restrict the rotation of pin (1) to prevent the guide pin from failing to reach the top surface of the locking slider (4) when the gate is closed due to the pin (1) rotating on its own, thus affecting the normal operation of the locking operation. At the same time, pin (1) also has a cylindrical guide pin. The guide pin cooperates with the groove of the locking slider (4) to ensure the guiding effect when pin (1) slides in different directions of the groove, ensuring that pin (1) can move accurately between the locked and unlocked positions.

[0005] Guide protection cover (2): It is fixed to the inner side of the semi-trailer frame beam by welding. Its main function is to provide guidance for the push-pull rod (3), ensure the stability and accuracy of the push-pull rod (3) during the movement, thereby ensuring the reliable operation of the whole device, and at the same time provide certain protection for the locking parts of the pin (1) and the locking slider (4).

[0006] Push-pull rod (3): The push-pull rod (3) is fixedly connected to a locking slider (4) at each of the two locking pin positions. It is the key transmission component for realizing the position change of the pin (1). When driven by an external force, the push-pull rod (3) can drive the locking slider (4) to move horizontally, thereby realizing the up and down movement of the pin (1) and completing the locking and unlocking actions.

[0007] Locking slider (4): The locking slider (4) guides and limits the up and down position of the pin (1) through the slide rail. Its slide rail and guide surface have carefully designed horizontal and inclined sections with rounded transitions. The middle horizontal section of the slide rail corresponds to the locking position of the pin (1). When the pin (1) is in this position, the gate door can be stably locked. The top horizontal section corresponds to the unlocking position of the pin (1). When the pin (1) is pushed to this position, the gate door can be unlocked. This special slide rail structure design can ensure the smoothness and accuracy of the pin (1) in the locking and unlocking process, and improve the reliability and stability of the device.

[0008] Due to the mirror symmetry structure of the door leaf, the locking slider (4) of this device adopts a mirror structure in the structure of the other door leaf. The other parts are the same as the structure of this device and are installed in the mirror direction of this device. The locking and unlocking operation direction of the bolt is opposite to the operation direction of this device. That is, when unlocking, the mechanism drives the locking slider (4) to move to the right, and when locking, it moves to the left. Its mirror installation structure has the same function and stability as the structure of this device. It can reuse the structure of this device with less modification, saving design and manufacturing costs.

[0009] L-shaped connecting frame (5): The L-shaped connecting frame (5) connects the piston of the thrust cylinder (6) and the push-pull rod (3), converting the linear motion of the thrust cylinder (6) into the horizontal motion of the push-pull rod (3), ensuring the effective transmission of power, thereby driving the locking slider (4) and the pin (1) to achieve locking and unlocking operations.

[0010] Thrust cylinder (6): The thrust cylinder (6) is a single-acting cylinder. Its cylinder body is fixed to the inner side of the semi-trailer frame beam, and the cylinder piston rod is fixedly connected to the L-shaped connecting frame (5). The thrust cylinder (6) is the power source of the entire device. By introducing or releasing compressed air, it drives the piston to move linearly, thereby driving the push-pull rod (3) and the locking slider (4) to move, realizing the locking and unlocking functions of the latch (1). At the same time, magnetic sensors are set at the two extreme positions of the thrust cylinder (6) to detect the piston's position signal. Through this signal, it can be determined whether the structure is unlocked or locked. This design greatly enhances the fault detection and alarm capabilities of the equipment and improves the safety and reliability of the device. Once an abnormal situation is detected, such as the piston not reaching the predetermined position, the system can issue an alarm in time to remind the operator to check and repair, so as to avoid the loss of goods or transportation safety accidents caused by device failure.

[0011] The bottom frame of the warehouse door (7) provides an installation position and guide channel for the latch (1). Its structure cooperates with the guide bar of the latch (1) to restrict the rotation of the latch (1) and ensure the vertical movement of the latch (1) during locking and unlocking operations. At the same time, it provides an installation position for the latch positioning device (8) and works with the latch positioning device (8) to ensure the reliability of the locking operation.

[0012] The latch positioning device (8) is firmly installed on the upper side of the bottom frame (7) of the warehouse door. It locks the latch (1) when it moves up to the unlock position through the internal positioning steel ball, preventing it from falling down on its own after the door is opened and interfering with the closing operation; when the latch (1) moves down to the position, it assists in locking the position of the latch (1), further enhancing the stability of the warehouse door in the locked state and ensuring the safety of goods transportation.

[0013] During the operation of the device, when compressed air is introduced into the thrust cylinder (6), the cylinder piston drives the L-shaped connecting frame (5) to move, which in turn causes the push-pull rod (3) to move the locking slider (4) horizontally to the left, pushing the pin (1) to the upper limit position. At this time, the pin (1) is disengaged from the locking position, thus unlocking the warehouse door. When the thrust cylinder (6) releases the compressed air, the cylinder piston returns to its original position, and the push-pull rod (3) drives the locking slider (4) to move to the right. The pin (1) is pulled to the lower limit position and inserted into the corresponding lock hole, thus locking the warehouse door.

[0014] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0015] This invention replaces traditional manual operation with an automated locking and unlocking device, greatly improving the locking and unlocking efficiency of warehouse doors, saving operation time and labor costs, improving the overall efficiency of logistics transportation, and providing a technical foundation for automated loading and unloading of unmanned vehicles.

[0016] The precise coordination between the components in the device and the carefully designed structure, such as the special groove structure of the locking slider (4), the guide structure of the pin (1), and the magnetic sensor detection of the thrust cylinder (6), ensure the accuracy and reliability of locking and unlocking operations, effectively avoid the loss of goods or transportation safety hazards caused by poor locking or poor unlocking, and improve the safety of goods transportation.

[0017] For the mirror symmetric structure of the door leaf, the device with mirror design on the other side of the door leaf only needs to mirror the locking slider (4). The other components are the same and are installed in the mirror direction. This realizes the reuse of the design structure with less modification, saves design and manufacturing costs, and also improves the versatility and adaptability of the device, making it easy to promote its application in different stake semi-trailers.

[0018] This invention utilizes a pneumatic system to automatically lock and unlock the cargo doors of a semi-trailer. The driver can complete the entire operation from the cab or remotely via an electronic control system. The device automates the locking and unlocking of the cargo doors, completing the locking or unlocking of all seven sets of doors within seconds. It also allows for individual control of a single set of doors or a single door, improving driver efficiency compared to traditional manual locking methods while maintaining operational flexibility. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the inner side installation of a cargo door of the semi-trailer of the present invention (with the corrugated plate removed).

[0021] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the structure shown in Figure 1;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic locking and unlocking mechanism for the warehouse door of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a side view of the mechanism of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 After removing some of the obstructing components Figure 2 A bottom view;

[0025] Figure 6 Here are the three structural views of the locking slider (4);

[0026] Figure 7 A diagram showing the relative positions of the locking slider (4) and the pin (1) in the unlocked state;

[0027] Figure 8 The diagram shows the relative positional relationship between the locking slider (4) and the pin (1) in the locked state;

[0028] Figure 9 A partial structural diagram of the guide bar of the latch (1) and the guide part of the bottom frame (7) of the warehouse door;

[0029] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A partial structural diagram of the left view;

[0030] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structural shape of the guide hole in the bottom frame (7) of the rear gate after removing the latch (1). Detailed Implementation

[0031] This invention replaces the traditional manual operation method with an automated locking and unlocking device, which greatly improves the locking and unlocking efficiency of warehouse doors, saves operation time and labor costs, and improves the overall efficiency of logistics and transportation.

[0032] See Figure 1 The present invention relates to the installation of a cargo door on the side of a cargo truck.

[0033] See Figure 3 The present invention includes 1. a pin, 2. a guide protective cover, 3. a push-pull rod, 4. a locking slider, 5. an L-shaped connecting frame, 6. a thrust cylinder, 7. a bottom frame of a warehouse door, 8. a pin positioning device, as well as a pneumatic system and an electrical control system.

[0034] See Figure 3 The device of this invention is controlled by a pneumatic system, with the thrust cylinder 6 serving as the driving element to control the device's operation. The thrust cylinder 6 is mounted on the inner side fixing plate of the frame of the semi-trailer. The guide cover 2 is welded to the inner side of the frame of the semi-trailer. The push-pull rod 3 is guided by the guide cover 2. The groove on the locking slider 4 has a special guide shape, which can change the position of the pin 1, which can only move up and down, by acting on the guide pin on the pin 1 when moving left and right.

[0035] Unlocking process of the warehouse door: When it is necessary to unlock the warehouse door, compressed air is introduced into the thrust cylinder 6, and the piston rod begins to extend. The piston rod, through the L-shaped connecting bracket 5, drives the push-pull rod 3 to move linearly under the guidance of the guide protective cover 2. The movement of the push-pull rod 3 will cause the locking slider 4 to move horizontally to the left. When the locking slider 4 pushes the pin 1 to move upward along its slide. During this process, the pin 1 is restricted by the guide passage on the bottom frame 7 of the warehouse door and can only move vertically upward without rotation. When the pin 1 moves upward, the positioning steel ball of the pin positioning device 8 will temporarily release the lock on the pin 1. When the pin 1 is pushed to the upper limit position, the pin 1 disengages from the lock hole of the warehouse door. The positioning steel ball of the pin positioning device 8 temporarily locks the upper limit position of the pin 1, and the warehouse door is no longer restricted by the locking constraint of the pin 1, thus realizing the unlocking operation of the warehouse door.

[0036] Locking process of the warehouse door: When locking the warehouse door, the driver or operator controls the solenoid valve through the control system to release the compressed air in the thrust cylinder 6, causing the cylinder piston to return to its original position. This action moves the L-shaped connecting frame 5 and the push-pull rod 3, and the locking slider 4 moves to the right. The locking slider 4 guides the pin 1 through the slide rail, causing it to move downwards along the slide rail. The guide strip on the pin 1 prevents rotation under the guidance of the warehouse door bottom frame 7. When the cylinder returns to its original position, the pin 1 moves down into place and is locked in position by the locking slider 4. The positioning steel ball of the pin positioning device 8 also assists in locking the position of the pin 1, keeping the warehouse door stably closed during transportation. The entire locking process achieves reliable locking of the warehouse door through the coordinated operation of various components, and the operation is simple and safe.

[0037] See Figure 6 To accommodate the space requirements of the installation location, the locking slider 4 has an asymmetrical stepped fixed base. The slide of the locking slider is designed as shown in the figure, with a horizontal internal slide section and an inclined section. The top right side is also the surface that contacts the guide pin of the pin 1. The contact surfaces of each section are smoothly transitioned with arcs to ensure smooth operation of the mechanism.

[0038] See Figure 7 When the cylinder piston extends and the locking slider extends to the left, the relative positional relationship between the locking slider 4 and the pin 1 is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, this is the unlocked state. When the cylinder piston retracts and the locking slider extends to the left, the relative positional relationship between the locking slider 4 and the pin 1 is as follows. Figure 8 As shown, this is the locked state.

[0039] See Figure 9 The guide strip of the pin 1 is slotted with the guide hole on the bottom frame 7 of the guide slot gate, which can restrict the movement direction of the pin 1 and prevent it from rotating.

[0040] After the silo door is locked, the cylinder relies on spring force to keep the piston rod in the retracted position, and all pneumatic valves are de-energized, ensuring system reliability.

[0041] Example

[0042] In this device, the thrust cylinder 6 is mounted on a fixing plate on the inner side of the semi-trailer's body frame, using a two-end fixing method to ensure a firm and reliable fixation. The thrust cylinder 6, L-shaped connecting bracket 5, and locking slider 4 are all fixed with screws or nuts, making installation and disassembly easy and facilitating maintenance. The guide cover 2, which serves a protective and guiding function, is fixed to the inner side of the body frame by welding, ensuring a firm and reliable fixation.

[0043] The device was tested in the field and its operation was rapid, reliable, and effective.

Claims

1. An automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo box door of a semi-trailer, characterized in that, The system includes a latch (1), a guide cover (2), a push-pull rod (3), a locking slider (4), an L-shaped connecting frame (5), a thrust cylinder (6), a bottom frame of the cargo door (7), and a latch positioning device (8). The cylinder body of the thrust cylinder (6) is fixed to the inner side of the semi-trailer frame beam. The cylinder piston is fixed to the L-shaped connecting frame (5). The L-shaped connecting frame (5) is fixed to the push-pull rod (3). The push-pull rod (3) is fixed to a locking slider (4) at each of the two latch positions. The locking slider (4) guides and limits the up and down position of the latch (1) through a slide rail. The push-pull rod (3) is guided by the guide cover (2). The guide cover (2) is fixed to the inner side of the semi-trailer frame beam by welding. The latch positioning device (8) is fixed to the upper side of the bottom frame of the cargo door (7). When the latch (1) moves up or down into place, the positioning steel ball of the latch positioning device (8) locks the position of the latch (1).

2. The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The locking slider (4) is fixed on the push-pull rod (3) and guided by the guide cover (2). When compressed air is introduced into the thrust cylinder (6), the push-pull rod (3) drives the locking slider (4) to move horizontally to the left, pushing the pin (1) to the upper limit position to unlock. When the thrust cylinder (6) releases the compressed air, the cylinder returns to its original position, and the push-pull rod (3) drives the locking slider (4) to move to the right, pulling the pin (1) to the lower limit position to lock.

3. The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sliding groove and guide surface of the locking slider (4) have horizontal and inclined sections, and are transitioned by arc. The middle horizontal section of the sliding groove corresponds to the locking position of the pin (1), and the top horizontal section corresponds to the unlocking position of the pin (1).

4. The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pin (1) has a guide bar structure to restrict its rotation and prevent the guide pin from not reaching the top surface of the locking slider (4) when closing the gate after it rotates on its own. The pin (1) has a cylindrical guide pin, which is used to guide and limit the sliding of the locking slider (4) through the groove to ensure the guiding effect when sliding in different directions of the groove.

5. The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer according to claim 4, characterized in that, The thrust cylinder (6) is a single-acting cylinder with magnetic sensors at both extreme positions to detect the position. By using the position signal of the piston of the thrust cylinder (6), it can be determined whether the structure has been unlocked or locked, thus enhancing the fault detection and alarm capabilities of the equipment.

6. The automatic locking and unlocking device for the cargo door of a semi-trailer according to claim 5, characterized in that, Due to the mirror symmetry structure of the door leaf, in the structure of the device on the other side of the door leaf, the locking slider (4) adopts a mirror structure, and the other parts are the same as the structure of this device, and are installed in the mirror direction of this device; the locking and unlocking operation direction of the pin is opposite to the operation direction of this device, that is, when unlocking, the mechanism drives the locking slider (4) to move to the right, and when locking, it moves to the left; Its mirror-mounted structure has the same structure, function and stability as this device, and can reuse the structure of this device with minimal modifications, saving design and manufacturing costs.

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