Ship, ship ramp and kit of parts for dampening noise

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ship (100) comprising a ship access ramp (110), said ship access ramp (110) having a first end portion (110a) pivotably attached to the ship (100) and a second free end. Said ship access ramp (110b) further comprises a bridge plate (130), said bridge plate (130) having a first end portion (130a) pivotably attached to said first end portion (110a) of said ship access ramp (110) and a second free end (130b). Further, said bridge plate (130) and / or said ship (100) is provided with noise cancelling means (150) in a at least a portion of a contact area between said second free end (130b) of said bridge plate (130) and said ship (100). The noise cancelling means (150) is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a ship with a ship access ramp, such a ship access ramp and a kit of parts, each for dampening noise when the ship access ramp is installed and used on a ship.Background art

[0002] Ships adapted to carry vehicles of some kind are referred to as roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships. A Ro-Ro ship is a vessel designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter or a terminal tractor having a trailer for towing the wheeled cargo.

[0003] Ro-Ro ships have either built-in or shore-based ramps that allow the cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the ship when landing the cargo in port. Most large ships have built in ramps, which may also function as watertight doors, closing the interior of the ship. A ramp may be located in the stern, in the bow or in a side, or may be located in more than one location. There may also be various ramps installed inside a ship, to allow vehicles to move between different deck levels of the ship. Such ramps may be called ship ramps or ship access ramps.

[0004] There are different types of ship ramps, adapted to the use of the ramp and on the location on the ship. A ship ramp may be controlled by hydraulic cylinders or by winches.

[0005] One problem with ship ramps is that they make noise when a vehicle drives over the ship ramp. This may be a problem, especially for ships landing in city centers, where noise levels may be regulated by law. A further problem with the created noise is its negative influence on the working environment for the ship crew and for the vehicle drivers, especially for the drivers that drives trailers onto the ship.Summary of invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is therefore to reduce the noise originating from ship access ramps.

[0007] It is possible to achieve this object by using ships, ship access ramps and kit of parts as described in the attached independent claims.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, it is provided a ship comprising a ship access ramp, said ship access ramp having a first end portion pivotably attached to the ship and a second free end. Said ship access ramp further comprises a bridge plate, said bridge plate having a first end portion pivotably attached to said first end portion of said ship access ramp and a second free end. Further, said bridge plate and / or said ship is provided with noise cancelling means in a at least a portion of a contact area between said second free end of said bridge plate and said ship. Further, the noise cancelling means is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

[0009] An advantage of the present invention is that noise originating from the contact area between the bridge plate and the ship can be reduced or eliminated. An advantage is that polymeric material and rubber material are efficient noise cancelling materials.

[0010] In various example embodiments of the present invention, the ship has a noise cancelling device comprising a support plate and the noise cancelling means provided on the support plate. The support plate is configured for attachment to said ship or to said bridge plate in the at least portion of the contact area between said free end portion of said bridge plate and said ship.

[0011] An advantage of these embodiments is that the noise cancelling means may be securely fastened to said support plate in advance of installation. The noise cancelling device comprising the support plate and the noise cancelling means securely fastened to the support plate may then be safely and securely installed to the ship access ramp or the ship by securing the support plate to the ship access ramp or to the ship.

[0012] In various example embodiments of the present invention, the support plate is configured for welded attachment to said bridge plate or to said ship. The support plate may for this reason be made of a material that is suitable for welded attachment to the ship and the bridge plate, such as metal, and especially the same type of metal as the ship and / or the bridge plate. To weld the support plate of the noise cancelling device to the ship or the bridge plate result in a strong and durable attachment. In addition, lots of welding are performed on a ship when building it, so this procedure would then very well fit in with other work on the ship. In other example embodiments, the support plate is configured to be attached to said ship and / or said bridge plate with at least one screw joint.

[0013] In various example embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of said noise cancelling means may be between 1 and 50mm. In various example embodiments, the thickness of said noise cancelling means is in between 5 and 25mm.

[0014] An advantage of these embodiments is that the noise cancelling means may easily be installed to existing ships / bridge plates without affecting the functionality thereof.

[0015] In various example embodiments of the present invention said polymeric material is polyurethane.

[0016] An advantage of these embodiments is that said material has long durability and at the same time high noise cancelling properties.

[0017] In a second aspect, a ship access ramp is provided. The ship ramp has a first end portion for pivotable attachment to a ship and a second free end portion. Said ship access ramp comprises a bridge plate, said bridge plate having a first end portion pivotably attached to said first end portion of said ship access ramp and a second free end portion. Further, said bridge plate is provided with noise cancelling means in at least a portion of a contact area where said second free end portion of said bridge plate is to contact a ship, when the ship access ramp is mounted to the ship. Said noise cancelling means is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

[0018] In a third aspect, a kit of parts is provided. The kit of parts comprises a ship access ramp and at least one noise cancelling means. The ship access ramp has a first end portion for pivotable attachment to a ship and a second free end portion. Said ship access ramp comprises a bridge plate, said bridge plate having a first end portion pivotably attached to said first end portion of said ship access ramp and a second free end portion. The at least one noise cancelling means is configured for attachment to the bridge plate or to a ship on which the ship access ramp is to be mounted, in at least a portion of a contact area occurring between said second free end portion of said bridge plate and said ship when the ship access ramp has been mounted to the ship. Said at least one noise cancelling means is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

[0019] By offering such a kit of parts, the ship owner buying such a kit of parts can select to attach the at least one noise cancelling means to the ship access ramp, to the ship or to both, the latter in case the at least one noise cancelling means comprises at least two noise cancelling means.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the kit of parts comprises at least one noise cancelling device, each at least one noise cancelling device comprising a support plate and the at least one noise cancelling means provided on the support plate. The at least one noise cancelling means is configured for attachment to the bridge plate and / or to the ship on which the ship access ramp is to be mounted by attaching the support plate to the bridge plate and / or to the ship. Hereby, the noise cancelling means can easily and securely be mounted to the ship access ramp or to the ship by mounting the support plate to the ship access ramp or to the ship.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the support plate of each of the at least one noise cancelling device is configured for welded attachment to said bridge plate and / or to said ship.

[0022] According to an embodiment, for the at least one noise cancelling device, the noise cancelling means is molded to said support plate.

[0023] According to another embodiment, the at least one noise cancelling device comprises a first noise cancelling device configured for attachment to the bridge plate and a second noise cancelling device configured for attachment to the ship. Hereby, different noise cancelling devices can be offered in the kit and the owner of the ship can select from the kit of parts, which of the different specially adapted noise cancelling devices to use for the ship.Brief description of drawings

[0024] The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a side view of a ship with a ship access ramp in a first position. Fig. 2 shows a side view of a ship with a ship access ramp in a second position. Fig. 3a depicts a perspective view of a portion of a ship and a ship access ramp with a bridge plate being in a first position, according to embodiments. Fig. 3b depicts a side view of the same portion of a ship and a ship access ramp as shown in figure 3a. Fig. 4a depicts a perspective view of a portion of a ship and a ship access ramp with a bridge plate being in a second position, wherein a noise cancelling means is provided on the ship in a contact area between the bridge plate and said ship, according to embodiments. Fig. 4b depicts a side view of the same portion of a ship and a ship access ramp as shown in figure 4a. Fig. 5 depicts a side view of a portion of a ship and a ship access ramp with a bridge plate being in a second position, wherein a noise cancelling means is provided on the bridge plate in a contact area between the bridge plate and said ship, according to embodiments. Fig. 6a depicts a side view of a second noise cancelling device, especially adapted for attachment to the ship, according to embodiments. Fig. 6b depicts a side view of a first noise cancelling device, especially adapted for attachment to the bridge plate, according to embodiments. Description of embodiments

[0025] The embodiments of the invention with further developments described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the patent claims.

[0026] Fig. 1 and 2 respectively shows a side view of a ship 100 with a ship access ramp 110 in a first and second position. The first position corresponds essentially to an open position of the ship access ramp 110 as positioned when vehicles are to enter or leave the ship 100. The second position corresponds to a position when the ship access ramp 110 is halfway closed.

[0027] The ship access ramp 110 has a first end portion 110a and an opposite second end portion 110b. The first end portion 110a is pivotably attached to the ship 100 via a pivot shaft 160. The second end portion 110b is a free end portion. One or a plurality of actuating means 172, 174, in figure 1 and 2 there are two actuating means, may set the ship access ramp 110 in different positions by rotating the ship access ramp 110 around its pivot shaft 160. The actuating means 172, 174 may be hydraulically operated means and / or wire operated means. The actuating means 172, 174 is / are each with its first end attached to the ship 100 and with its second end attached to the ship access ramp 110. The actuating means is / are configured to be elongated or contracted on demand and thereby setting the ship access ramp 110 in a desired position, such as the open position of fig. 1, the halfway closed position of fig. 2 and a fully closed position when the ship access ramp 110 has an extension that is approximately perpendicular to its extension when in the open position. In the closed position, the second free end portion 110b of the ship access ramp 110 may be locked to the ship 100. In the example shown in figs. 1 and 2, the ship 100 comprises a hook 105 for locking the second free end 110b of the ship access ramp 110 to the ship 100.

[0028] The ship access ramp 110 may in its second free end portion 110b be provided with a flap 120. The flap 120 may be pivotably attached to the ship access ramp 110.

[0029] Figures 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b depict a portion of a ship access ramp 110 with a bridge plate 130 as well as a portion of a ship 100. In figs. 3a and 3b, the bridge plate 130 is in a first position allowing vehicles to be transported in and / or out of the ship 100. The portion of the ship access ramp 110 as depicted in figures 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b is the first end portion 110a of the ship access ramp 110, which is pivotably attached to the ship 100 via the pivot shaft 160. The bridge plate 130 bridges the ship access ramp 110 and the ship 100. In this embodiment, the bridge plate 130 covers the pivot shaft 160 of the ship access ramp 110, see figures 3b and 4b. The bridge plate 130 has a first end portion 130a pivotably attached to the ship access ramp 110 via a bridge plate pivot shaft 170 and a second free end portion 130b. Hereby, the bridge plate 130 is configured to rotate around the bridge plate pivot shaft 170. Further, as shown in figs. 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b, and according to embodiments of the invention, the ship 100 is provided with noise cancelling means 150 made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material. The noise cancelling means 150 is provided in at least a portion of a contact area of the ship, the contact area of the ship is the area of the ship where the free end portion 130b of the bridge plate 130 is to contact the ship 100, i.e., when the bridge plate 130 is in the first position shown in figs. 3a and 3b. The part of the ship 100 in which the contact area of the ship is, may be called a vehicle entrance / exit. According to other embodiments, the noise cancelling means may be made of or comprise wood.

[0030] Polymeric material or rubber material are well suited for absorbing noise since they are softer and / or more flexible than the ship or bridge plate, which are made of metal at least in their contact areas. Polymeric material and rubber material will hereby effectively cancel or at least reduce noise made when vehicles are rolling over the bridge plate 130.

[0031] Figure 4a and 4b illustrates the bridge plate 130 in a second, lifted-up position. The second position of the bridge plate 130 is for illustration purpose only and for more clearly visualizing the inventive concept of the noise cancelling means 150.

[0032] The contact area between said bridge plate 130 and said ship 100 may be defined as an overlapping area where said bridge plate 130 overlaps over said ship 100 when the bridge plate 130 is in the first position in which the bridge plate 130 is in contact with the ship 100. The overlapping of said bridge plate 130 over said ship 100 normally takes place when the ship access ramp 110 is in its first position when vehicles can be transported to and from the ship 100. At least a portion of said overlapping area may be provided with said noise cancelling means 150.

[0033] In an alternative embodiment, which is shown in fig. 5, the noise cancelling means 150 is provided on the bridge plate 130, in at least a portion of a contact area of the bridge plate 130. The contact area of the bridge plate 130 is the area of the bridge plate 130 where the free end portion 130b of the bridge plate 130 is to contact the ship 100, i.e., when the bridge plate 130 is in the first position.

[0034] According to some embodiments, the noise cancelling means 150 may be provided directly on the ship 100 or on the bridge plate 130, for example by molding the noise cancelling means 150 on the ship 100 or the bridge plate 130. According to other embodiments, the noise cancelling means 150 is provided on a support plate, which support plate is to be attached to the ship 100 or to the bridge plate. Such a device comprising a noise cancelling means provided on a support plate is called a noise cancelling device.

[0035] Fig. 6a and fig. 6b show embodiments of noise cancelling devices 191, 192. In such embodiments, each noise cancelling device 191, 192 comprises a support plate 185; 190 and the already described noise cancelling means 150 provided on the support plate 185; 190, more specifically provided on one side of the support plate 185; 190. The noise cancelling means 150 may be molded to said support plate 185; 190.

[0036] Fig. 6a shows an advantageous embodiment of a first noise cancelling device 191 comprising a support plate 185 provided with the noise cancelling means 150. The first noise cancelling device 191 is configured for attachment to the ship 100 in the contact area of the ship. Fig. 6b shows an advantageous embodiment of a second noise cancelling device 192 comprising a support plate 190 provided with the noise cancelling means 150. The second noise cancelling device 192 is configured for attachment to the bridge plate 130 in the contact area of the bridge plate 130. In an alternative, the first noise cancelling device 191 configured for the ship is broader than the second noise cancelling device 192 configured for the bridge plate 130. One reason for this is that there is more space on the ship 100 in and close to the contact area of the ship than in or at the contact area of the bridge plate 130.

[0037] Each of the noise cancelling devices 191, 192 is to be attached with the support plate 185, 190 facing the ship 100 or the bridge plate 130, so that the noise cancelling means 150 is facing towards the corresponding contact surface of the bridge plate 130 if provided on the ship 100, and facing towards the corresponding contact surface of the ship 100 if provided on the bridge plate 130.

[0038] Even if two different noise cancelling devices 191, 192 are shown in figs. 6a and 6b, other embodiments may have only one type of noise cancelling device 191; 192 that may be used on both ship and bridge plate 130.

[0039] According to an embodiment, the thickness of the noise cancelling means150 is between 1 and 50 mm. In various example embodiments, the thickness is between 5 and 25 mm.

[0040] According to another embodiment, the noise cancelling means 150 is molded or glued on to the support plate 185; 190. Alternatively, the support plate may be covered with rubber material.

[0041] According to an embodiment, the support plate 185; 190 is made of a weldable material, preferably a metal. The support plate 185; 190 is then configured for welded attachment to said bridge plate 130 or to said ship 100. The support plate 185; 190 may be made of the same material as the bridge plate 130 or the ship 100.

[0042] According to another embodiment, the noise cancelling device 191; 192 may be removably attached to the ship 100 and / or to the bridge plate 130. The noise cancelling device 191; 192 may be screwed onto the bridge plate 130 and / or the ship 100.

[0043] In various example embodiments, the noise cancelling means 150 is one piece covering the contact area of the ship or the bridge plate, the contact area where the ship and the bridge plate come into contact with each other. In various example embodiments, the noise cancelling means 150 is one piece covering only a portion of the contact area between the bridge plate 130 and ship 100. In various example embodiments the noise cancelling means 150 is made up of a plurality of noise cancelling means sub-parts covering at least a portion of the contact area between the bridge plate 130 and the ship 100.

[0044] In various example embodiments, the bridge plate 130 and / or the ship access ramp 110 may have a polymeric bushing for the pivot shaft 170 for further reducing / eliminating noise. The pivot shaft 170 may be a separate unit, i.e., pivot bushings may be provided in both the ship access ramp 110 and the bridge plate 130 for said pivot shaft 170.

[0045] According to another embodiment, which is shown in fig. 3a, the upper surface of the bridge plate 130 may be provided with a non-slip pattern 180 for vehicles and / or pedestrians comprising transverse protruding ribs. Other non-slip patterns are also possible such as a chevron pattern or circular studs.

[0046] The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent patent claims.

Claims

1. A ship (100) comprising a ship access ramp (110), said ship access ramp (110) having a first end portion (110a) pivotably attached to the ship (100) and a second free end portion (110b), said ship access ramp (110) further comprising a bridge plate (130), said bridge plate (130) having a first end portion (130a) pivotably attached to said first end portion (110a) of said ship access ramp (110) and a second free end portion (130b), characterized in that at least one of said bridge plate (130) and said ship (100) is provided with noise cancelling means (150) in at least a portion of a contact area between said second free end portion (130b) of said bridge plate (130) and said ship (100), wherein said noise cancelling means (150) is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

2. The ship (100) according to claim 1, further having a noise cancelling device (191; 192) comprising a support plate (185; 190) and the noise cancelling means (150) provided on the support plate (185; 190), which support plate (185;190) is configured for attachment to said ship (100) or to said bridge plate (130) in the at least portion of the contact area between said free end portion (130b) of said bridge plate (130) and said ship (100).

3. The ship (100) according to claim 2, wherein said noise cancelling means (150) is molded to said support plate (185; 190).

4. The ship (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said support plate (185; 190) is configured for welded attachment to said bridge plate (130) or to said ship (100).

5. The ship (100) according to any one of claim 1-4, wherein the thickness of said noise cancelling means (150) is between 1-50mm, more preferably between 5-25 mm.

6. The ship (100) according to any one of claim1-5, wherein said polymeric material is polyurethane.

7. A ship access ramp (110) having a first end portion (110a) for pivotable attachment to a ship (100) and a second free end portion (110b), said ship access ramp (110) comprising a bridge plate (130), said bridge plate (130) having a first end portion (130a) pivotably attached to said first end portion (110a) of said ship access ramp (110) and a second free end portion (110b), characterized in that said bridge plate (130) is provided with noise cancelling means (150) in at least a portion of a contact area where said second free end portion of said bridge plate (130) is to contact a ship (100), when the ship access ramp (110) is mounted to the ship, wherein said noise cancelling means (150) is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

8. The ship access ramp (110) of claim 7, further comprising a noise cancelling device (150, 185, 190) comprising a support plate (185; 190) and the noise cancelling means (150) provided on the support plate (185; 190), which support plate (185;190) is attached to said bridge plate (130) in the at least portion of the contact area where said second free end portion of said bridge plate (130) is to contact a ship (100), when the ship access ramp (110) is mounted to the ship.

9. A kit of parts comprising a ship access ramp (110) and at least one noise cancelling means (150), the ship access ramp (110) having a first end portion (110a) for pivotable attachment to a ship (100) and a second free end portion (110b), said ship access ramp (110) comprising a bridge plate (130), said bridge plate (130) having a first end portion (130a) pivotably attached to said first end portion (110a) of said ship access ramp (110) and a second free end portion (110b), wherein the at least one noise cancelling means (150) is configured for attachment to the bridge plate (130) and / or to a ship (100) on which the ship access ramp (110) is to be mounted, in at least a portion of a contact area occurring between said second free end portion (130b) of said bridge plate (130) and said ship (100), when the ship access ramp (110) has been mounted to the ship (100), wherein said at least one noise cancelling means (150) is made of one or more of polymeric material and rubber material.

10. The kit of parts according to claim 9, further comprising at least one noise cancelling device (191; 192), each at least one noise cancelling device comprising a support plate (185; 190) and the at least one noise cancelling means (150) provided on the support plate (185; 190), wherein the at least one noise cancelling means (150) is configured for attachment to the bridge plate (130) and / or to the ship (100) on which the ship access ramp (110) is to be mounted by attaching the support plate (185; 190) to the bridge plate (130) and / or to the ship.

11. The kit of parts according to claim 10, wherein the support plate (185; 190) of the at least one noise cancelling device (191; 192) is configured for welded attachment to said bridge plate (130) and / or to said ship (100).

12. The kit of parts according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, for the at least one noise cancelling device (191; 192), the noise cancelling means (150) is molded to said support plate (185; 190).

13. The kit of parts according to any of claims 10-12, wherein the at least one noise cancelling device (191, 192) comprises a first noise cancelling device (191) configured for attachment to the bridge plate (130) and a second noise cancelling device (192) configured for attachment to the ship (100).

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