Door lock for bulk containers

Abstract

Container door locking assembly (1) for a road transportable container (100), the door locking assembly comprising: - a rotatable locking rod (10) which can be rotatably connected to a door (101) of the container and which, when rotated, is configured to bring the door locking assembly into a locked configuration and into an unlocked configuration, - a locking element (21, 22) which is fixedly attached to the locking bar and which, in the locked configuration, is configured to engage the container, e.g. a wall (102), a floor (103) or a second container door (101'), and - a lever arm (30) connected to the locking bar and operable by a person to rotate the locking bar between the locked and unlocked configurations to open and close the container door, characterized in that, the door locking assembly further comprises a releasable connection (40) between the lever arm and the locking rod, which can be brought into an engaged state and a released state, wherein, in the engaged state, the lever arm and the locking rod are connected so that movements of the lever arm are translated into rotations of the locking rod, and wherein, in the released state, the lever arm and the locking rod are separated from each other to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod into movements of the lever arm.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a bulk container door locking assembly for a road transportable bulk container, e.g. for use in bulk containers for road transport, such as bulk containers transported by trucks. State of the art

[0002] Roadworthy bulk containers are currently widely used for transporting goods. The containers typically have doors at their rear ends through which they can be emptied or loaded. These doors are usually held closed by door locking assemblies when goods are loaded into the container; an example of this is disclosed in DE20019309U1.

[0003] If the container is to be emptied while loaded onto a truck, a truck driver standing behind the truck must open the door locking assembly, whose lever arm is positioned approximately at the driver's eye level, so that the truck driver can grasp it. This can lead to a potential risk of injury, as the door locking assembly may be under tension due to the container's loading, for example, due to the load being pressed against the container walls and container doors. When unlocking the doors, the lever arm can suddenly open due to the forces generated, swing away from the container door, and injure the driver standing behind it. Detailed description

[0004] The present invention provides a container door locking assembly for a road-transportable container according to claim 1. The door locking assembly can be incorporated into road-transportable bulk containers, which are typically transported by road and can transport, among other things, bulk materials such as sand, rubble, manure, and waste. However, the present invention can also be used in seagoing containers, such as the well-known 20- and 40-foot ISO containers, which can also be transported by road. In the following, the terms "road-transportable container" and "road-transportable bulk container" are used synonymously.

[0005] The door locking assembly is configured to hold the rear doors of a road-transportable bulk container in a closed position when they are in a locked configuration. The door locking assembly can be configured to connect the doors to each other when closed and / or it can be configured to connect the doors to other parts of the container, such as the container floor. When the door locking assembly is moved to its unlocked position, the doors are no longer locked and can therefore be opened.

[0006] For this purpose, the door locking assembly includes a locking rod designed to be pivotally connected to the container door so that it can rotate relative to the door about its longitudinal axis. The rotational position of the locking rod can determine the configuration of the door locking assembly, i.e., whether it is locked or unlocked.

[0007] The locking bar can be oriented vertically, allowing its longitudinal axis of rotation to be aligned parallel to a vertical direction. Alternatively, the locking bar can also be oriented horizontally.

[0008] The locking element is rigidly connected to the locking rod, so that rotation of the locking rod corresponds to rotation and / or displacement of the locking element. Conversely, the rigid connection means that movements of the locking element cause rotations of the locking rod.

[0009] The locking element is designed to engage with the bulk container. This engagement can be with parts of the container body itself, for example with the side walls or the bottom of the container. Alternatively or additionally, the locking element can be locked to another door of the container, i.e. this second door is different from the door to which the locking bar is connected. For example, two different locking elements can be attached to a single locking bar, of which a lower locking element can be arranged at a lower end of the locking bar, which can be configured to engage with a counter element attached to the bottom of the container. An uppermost locking element can be arranged at an upper end of the locking bar and can, for example,indirectly via a coupling mechanism, be configured to engage with another door of the container.

[0010] The lever arm is designed to be operated by a person, e.g., the truck driver. The lever arm serves to increase the torque that the person can apply to close the doors when turning the locking bar from the unlocked to the locked position. For this purpose, the lever arm can be positioned centrally along the length of the locking bar, e.g., between the lowest and highest locking elements.

[0011] The present invention is distinguished from existing door locks in that the lever arm is no longer rigidly connected to the locking bar, i.e., all rotations of the locking bar no longer need to be coupled with movements, e.g., pivoting of the lever arm and vice versa. Instead, the lever arm is connected to the locking bar via a detachable connection. This means that, depending on the state of the connection, the lever arm can be connected to the locking bar to transmit all movements and / or rotations between them, or they can be functionally separated to prevent rotations of the locking bar from being transmitted into swinging of the lever arm and / or to prevent swinging of the lever arm from being transmitted into rotations of the locking bar.

[0012] If movements of the lever arm are to be transferred to the locking rod, e.g., when closing the container, the detachable connection can be arranged in an engaged state. In the engaged state, a (temporarily) rigid connection can be established between the lever arm and the locking rod. Such an engaged state would correspond to the rigid lever arms known from the prior art.

[0013] To prevent injuries during opening, the detachable connection can be released. When released, rotations of the locking rod can be prevented from being translated into movements of the lever arm. Should the forces built up in the container doors tend to twist the locking rod, the detachable connection prevents these twists from leading to uncontrolled swinging of the lever arm.

[0014] However, the detachable connection does not necessarily prevent the opposite. Even when the detachable connection is released, it may still be permissible for movements of the lever arm to be translated into rotations of the locking rod. This can be the case, for example, when opening container doors, when a truck driver pulls the lever arm to disengage the locking elements.

[0015] However, the released state ensures that further rotations emanating from the locking rod are transmitted to the lever arm. For example, when closing the container doors, the releasable connection can be in the engaged state, and the locking rod can be rotated by moving the lever arm clockwise.

[0016] If you want to open the doors, the detachable connection is released. The lever arm can then be pulled counterclockwise to also rotate the locking bar counterclockwise. This initiates the opening of the doors. If forces build up in the doors, the locking bar can rotate counterclockwise faster than the truck driver pulls the lever arm. These rapid rotations are then not transmitted to the lever arm via the detachable connection and are not converted into movement of the lever arm, thus preventing uncontrolled movement of the lever arm.

[0017] The detachable connection enables the targeted transmission or prevention of mutual rotations and / or movements between the lever arm and the locking rod, thus reducing the risk of injury.

[0018] In one embodiment, the releasable connection further includes a selector for switching between the engaged state and the released state. Such a selector can be advantageous because a truck driver can select the state of the releasable connection based on the desired behavior of the door locking assembly. For example, the truck driver can operate the selector to place the door locking assembly in the engaged state when closing the container doors and in the released state when opening them.

[0019] The selector can, for example, be designed as an exposed lock that can be grasped by the forklift operator to switch between the two states. The selector can further include a switching mechanism within the detachable connection that can be actuated by the lock, wherein the switching mechanism can selectively engage the locking rod and the lever arm.

[0020] In one embodiment, the releasable connection comprises a ratchet mechanism with a pawl for switching the ratchet mechanism between the engaged state and the released state. The ratchet mechanism according to this embodiment can function similarly to ratchet tools, which can be arranged in a tightening and a loosening state. In the present embodiment, such a tightening state can correspond to the engaged state of the door locking assembly, so that clockwise actuation of the lever arms causes the container doors to close. When the doors are opened, the locking mechanism is brought into the released state by the pawl, which corresponds, for example, to the release state of a locking tool, wherein counterclockwise actuation of the lever arms causes counterclockwise rotation of the locking rods.Uncontrolled left-hand rotations of the locking rods, which are due to built-up forces, are not transferred to the lever arm.

[0021] The ratchet mechanism of this design can be advantageous because it is relatively easy for a truck driver to operate. Furthermore, the ratchet mechanism can also ensure that the lever arm and the locking bar can be temporarily securely connected, for example, during transport of the container on a truck. This can prevent the container doors from opening at times when such opening is undesirable.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the ratchet mechanism is configured in the engaged state to selectively transmit movements of the lever arm in a first direction, e.g., clockwise, to the locking rod and / or is configured to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod to the lever arm in an opposite second direction, e.g., counterclockwise.

[0023] According to this embodiment, the engaged state of the door locking assembly can be utilized when the container doors need to be closed. A truck driver can then push against the lever arm to move it, thereby rotating the locking rod accordingly.

[0024] In an alternative or additional embodiment, the ratchet mechanism is configured in the released state to selectively transmit movements of the lever arm in the second direction, e.g., counterclockwise, to the locking rod and / or is configured to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod to the lever arm in the first direction, e.g., clockwise.

[0025] Likewise, the released state according to this embodiment can prevent uncontrolled rotary movements from being transmitted to the lever arm, which can occur particularly when opening the container doors.

[0026] In one embodiment, the door locking assembly further comprises a pivot joint between the lever arm and the locking bar. This pivot joint serves to guide the mutual rotational movements between the lever arm and the locking bar, particularly during uncontrolled opening of the doors.

[0027] In a further embodiment, the swivel joint has a circular through-hole in the lever arm through which the locking rod extends. The opening of the swivel joint encloses the locking rod, with both having, for example, concentric, mutually facing sliding bearing surfaces.

[0028] The circular through-hole can also accommodate the gear and / or pawl, if present, which can be beneficial to protect these components from damage and thus improve the reliability of the door lock assembly.

[0029] In one embodiment, the door locking assembly further comprises a lever arm lock configured to be attached to the bulk container, for example, to the container door, and to hold the lever arm in a secured position relative to the bulk container.

[0030] The lever arm lock can provide an additional security measure, especially during transport of the container, as it can prevent the door locking assembly from being opened when not desired.

[0031] The lever arm lock holds the lever arm in its position. At least when the door lock is engaged, this locking of the lever arm also ensures that the locking bar is held in its closed position, allowing the doors to remain closed.

[0032] However, this holding of the locking rod can also occur when the lever arm is held in the released state of the door locking assembly, depending on the direction in which the rotations of the locking rod relative to the lever arm are permitted.

[0033] In one embodiment, the locking element comprises a door bracket configured to engage a second container door, e.g., to latch behind a locking notch provided on the second container door. The door bracket is connected to the locking bar, e.g., provided as the topmost locking element. The door bracket can accommodate greater forces acting on the container doors than if the doors were only connected to the container floor.

[0034] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a road transportable bulk container comprising: - a container floor, - one or more container walls attached to the container floor, a - one or more container doors, e.g. container rear doors, which are rotatably connected to the container walls, e.g. rotatable about a vertical axis,characterized in that the bulk container further comprises the bulk container door locking assembly according to any one of the preceding claims attached to one of the container doors, wherein the locking bar is rotatably connected to the container door and wherein the locking element, in the locked configuration, is configured to engage the container floor, the container wall and / or another of the container doors, e.g. with one or more locking notches thereof.

[0035] The bulk container according to the second aspect of the invention may have one or more of the features and / or advantages disclosed herein in relation to the door locking assembly according to the first aspect of the invention, for example as set out in the claims.

[0036] The container according to this second aspect comprises a base, one or more walls, and one or more doors. Typically, such containers are open at the top and consist of two opposite side walls and a front wall, while the rear is provided with two doors that can be opened by rotating about a vertical axis to empty the container.

[0037] The door locking assembly is connected to at least one of the container doors. Optionally, all doors are equipped with such a door locking assembly. The door locking assembly can engage with the container floor and / or another container door to secure the position of the doors and keep them closed.

[0038] Compared to existing containers with door locking assemblies, the present container can enable safe operation by truck drivers because it can prevent the lever arm from swinging out due to uncontrolled opening of the doors. Short description of the drawings

[0039] Further features of the invention will be explained below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 an embodiment of a bulk material container according to the present invention is shown schematically, in Fig. 2 an embodiment of a bulk container door locking assembly according to the present invention is shown schematically and the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B shows a detailed view of one embodiment of the bulk container door locking assembly.

[0040] The same reference symbols are used in the illustrations to indicate corresponding components or components with a corresponding function. Detailed description of the embodiments

[0041] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic rear view of an embodiment of the bulk container according to the invention, designated by the reference number 100. The container 100 is in Fig. 1 is shown from the rear and shows two rear doors 101, each connected to a corresponding side wall 102 of the container 100 via four hinges. The container 100 further includes a floor 103 and is open at an upper end to allow bulk material to be placed in an interior space of the container 100 defined between the side walls 102, the floor 103, and the doors 101.

[0042] The container 100 further comprises a door locking assembly 1, which is Fig. shown in detail. The door locking assembly 1 is configured to hold the doors 101 in a closed position, as shown in Fig. shown when they are in a locked configuration. The door locking assembly 1 thereby connects the doors 101 to each other when they are closed and connects the doors 101, e.g., the left door 101 in Fig. , with the container floor 103. When the door locking assembly 1 is placed in its unlocked configuration, the doors 101 are no longer locked and can be opened.

[0043] The door locking assembly 1 comprises a locking rod 10 which is rotatably connected to the door 101 so that it can be rotated relative to the door 101 about its longitudinal axis L which is oriented in the vertical direction.

[0044] The door locking assembly 1 also comprises two locking elements 21, 22 which are fixedly connected to the locking rod 10, so that a rotation of the locking rod 10 corresponds to a movement of the locking elements 21, 22.

[0045] Conversely, the fixed connection means that movements of the locking elements 21, 22 cause rotations of the locking rod 10.

[0046] The locking elements 21, 22 are designed to engage the container 100. In particular, the lowermost locking element 21 is arranged at a lower end of the locking rod 10 and is configured to engage a counter element 23 attached to the bottom 103 of the container 100.

[0047] The uppermost locking element 22 is arranged at an upper end of the locking rod 10 and is configured to engage with another door 101 of the container 100, e.g., the right door 101' in Fig. , engages. The uppermost locking element 22 comprises a door bracket that engages behind a locking notch provided on the second door 101'. The door bracket allows the absorption of greater forces acting on the container doors 101 than if the doors were only connected to the container floor 103.

[0048] The door locking assembly 1 further comprises a lever arm 30 connected to the locking bar 10. In previous door locking assemblies, such a connection was a fixed connection. In the present embodiment, the lever arm 30 is connected to the locking bar 10 via a detachable connection 40. Fig. The detachable connection 40 and its position are shown schematically. In Fig. An example of the detachable connection 40 is shown in more detail.

[0049] The lever arm 30 is designed to be operated by a person and serves to increase the torque that can be applied by the person to close the doors 101 when the locking bar 10 is to be rotated from the unlocked state to the locked state. For this purpose, the lever arm 30 is arranged centrally along the length of the locking bar 10 between the two locking elements 21, 22.

[0050] The door locking assembly 1 further comprises a lever arm lock 31, which is attached to the container door 101 and serves to hold the lever arm 30 in a secured position relative to the door 101. The lever arm lock 31 thus forms an additional safety measure, particularly during transport of the container 100, since it prevents the door locking assembly 1 from being opened when such opening is not desired.

[0051] In the present door locking assembly 1, the detachable connection 40 is provided, which means that the lever arm 30 is no longer rigidly connected to the locking rod 10, i.e., that all rotations of the locking rod no longer need to be coupled to the swinging of the lever arm and vice versa. Instead, the detachable connection 40 provides that, depending on the state of the connection 40, the lever arm 30 can be connected to the locking rod 10 to transmit all movements and rotations between them, or that they can be functionally separated to prevent rotations of the locking rod 10 from being transmitted into swinging of the lever arm 30 and to prevent swinging of the lever arm 30 from being transmitted into rotations of the locking rod 10.

[0052] In the event that movements of the lever arm 30 are to be transmitted to the locking rod 10, e.g., when closing the container doors 101, the releasable connection 40 is arranged in an engaged state. In the engaged state, a (temporarily) rigid connection is established between the lever arm 30 and the locking rod 10. To avoid injuries when opening the doors 101, the releasable connection 40 can be brought into a released state, which prevents rotations of the locking rod 10 from being translated into movements of the lever arm 30. Should forces built up in the container doors 101 tend to twist the locking rod 10, the releasable connection 40 prevents these twists from leading to uncontrolled swinging of the lever arm 30.

[0053] As in Fig. As shown, the releasable connection 40 can, for example, be in the engaged state during the closing of the container doors 101, whereby the locking rod 10 can be rotated clockwise by moving the lever arm 30. If the doors 101 are to be opened, the releasable connection 40 is brought into the released state. The lever arm 30 can then be pulled counterclockwise to also rotate the locking rod 10 counterclockwise. This initiates the opening of the doors 101. If forces have built up in the doors 101, the locking rod 10 can rotate counterclockwise faster than the truck driver pulls on the lever arm 30. These rapid rotations are then not transmitted to the lever arm 30 via the releasable connection 40 and are not converted into movements of the lever arm 30, thus preventing uncontrolled movements of the lever arm 30.

[0054] The door locking assembly 1 further comprises a pivot joint between the lever arm 30 and the locking rod 10, which is provided at a circular through-opening 43 in the lever arm 30 through which the locking rod 10 extends. This pivot joint serves to guide the mutual rotations between the lever arm 30 and the locking rod 10, since the opening 43 of the pivot joint surrounds the locking rod 10 via concentric, mutually facing sliding bearing surfaces.

[0055] The Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B shows a detailed view of an embodiment of the door lock 1, in which the detachable connection 40 consists of a main body fastened to the locking bar 10, wherein the selector designed as a locking pin 42 can be inserted selectively into a locking pin opening 47 and an opening pin opening 48.

[0056] In Fig. The pin 42 is inserted into the locking pin opening 47, so that movement of the lever arm 30 in the direction of the large arrow causes the door locking assembly to move into the locked configuration. This corresponds to the engaged state of the releasable connection 40.

[0057] In Fig. the pin 42 is inserted into the opening of the pin 48, so that a movement of the lever arm 30 in the direction of the large arrow causes the door lock to be moved into the unlocked configuration. This corresponds to the released state of the releasable connection 40. If the locking rod 10 and the main body of the releasable connection 40 are in the configuration of Fig. 3B, the lever arm 30 does not move because no pin is inserted into the locking pin opening 47. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20019309U1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Container door locking assembly (1) for a road transportable container (100), the door locking assembly comprising: - a rotatable locking rod (10) which can be rotatably connected to a door (101) of the container and which, when rotated, is configured to bring the door locking assembly into a locked configuration and into an unlocked configuration, - a locking element (21, 22) which is fixedly attached to the locking bar and which, in the locked configuration, is configured to engage the container, e.g. a wall (102), a floor (103) or a second container door (101'), and - a lever arm (30) connected to the locking bar and operable by a person to rotate the locking bar between the locked and unlocked configurations to open and close the container door, characterized by , that, the door locking assembly further comprises a releasable connection (40) between the lever arm and the locking rod, which can be brought into an engaged state and a released state, wherein, in the engaged state, the lever arm and the locking rod are connected so that movements of the lever arm are translated into rotations of the locking rod, and wherein, in the released state, the lever arm and the locking rod are separated from each other to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod into movements of the lever arm. [2] The container door lock assembly according to claim 1, wherein the releasable connection further comprises a selector (42) for switching between the engaged state and the released state. [3] A container door locking assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the releasable connection comprises a ratchet mechanism including a pawl (42) for switching the ratchet mechanism between the engaged state and the released state. [4] Container door locking assembly according to claim 3, wherein the ratchet mechanism, in the engaged state, is configured to selectively transmit movements of the lever arm in a first direction, e.g. clockwise, to the locking rod and / or is configured to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod to the lever arm in an opposite second direction, e.g. counterclockwise. [5] Container door locking assembly according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the ratchet mechanism in the released state is configured to selectively transmit movements of the lever arm in the second direction, e.g. counterclockwise, to the locking rod and / or is configured to prevent the transmission of rotations of the locking rod to the lever arm in the first direction, e.g. clockwise. [6] Container door locking assembly according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the releasable connection (40) comprises a main body attached to the locking rod (10), and wherein the selector formed as a locking pin (42) is selectively insertable into a locking pin opening (47), whereby the releasable connection (40) is in the engaged state, and an opening pin opening (48), whereby the releasable connection (40) is in the released state. [7] Road transportable container (100) comprising: - a container floor (103), - one or more container walls (102) attached to the container floor, - one or more container doors (101), e.g. container rear doors, which are pivotally connected to the container walls, e.g. pivotally connected about a vertical axis, characterized by , that, the container further comprises the container door locking assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims mounted on one of the container doors, wherein the locking rod (10) is rotatably connected to the container door, and wherein the locking element (21, 22) in the locked configuration is configured to engage the container floor, the container wall and / or another of the container doors, e.g. with one or more locking notches thereof.

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