Hoisting device and adapter device

Abstract

A hoisting device comprising a set of hoisting members (31..34) which is coupled via at least one joint yoke (21,22) to a hoisting line (7) forming part of the hoisting device. The hoisting members (31..34) each comprise an adapter device (40), these each comprising a housing (41) with a chamber (42) which is filled at least partially with liquid and in which a piston body (44,45) is movable against the liquid in sealing manner. The housing (41) and the piston body (44,45) are each coupled to one or the other of the yoke and the load, or vice versa. The chambers (42) of the individual adapter devices (40) are mutually connected for liquid communication.

Description

[0001] Hoisting device and adapter device

[0002] The present invention relates to a hoisting device, comprising a hoisting line which forms part of the hoisting device, and hoisting means for engaging on a load to be hoisted, wherein the hoisting means comprise a set of adapter devices which is coupled or at least couplable to the hoisting line via a joint yoke. The invention particularly relates here to a hoisting device for use in salvaging an aircraft or other relatively heavy load which has been involved in an accident or other incident.

[0003] It is otherwise noted that, in the present application, in the context of the hoisting means terms such as line, ribbon, rope, chain, cord, belt, strap, cable, sling and the like will be used interchangeably while no individual definition should be attached thereto, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0004] Such a hoisting device is known from an American patent USP 3,602,544, wherein a fuselage of an aircraft is salvaged using a helicopter. The hoisting device between the helicopter and the aircraft comprises a hoisting cable to which a length-adjustable yoke is coupled. A front and rear loop are trained around the fuselage of the aircraft and jointly coupled to the hoisting cable via the yoke. Each of the loops is composed here of three mutually adjacent straps, each individually connected pivotally to a relevant outer end of the yoke. The outer ends of the yoke are connected to each other by means of a looped cable, wherein therebetween the looped cable runs over a roller assembly which forms part of a lifting eye in which a hook of the hoisting cable can be received.

[0005] Owing to the suspension of the looped cable over the roller assembly a better spread of the load distribution over the two loops is achieved in combination with the yoke, so that these two will be loaded more equally. There is a similar levelling and distribution of forces of a load over the individual lifting members in a salvage system which is sold by General Dynamics and is equipped with a so-called Equalizing Load Bar. The hoisting members here also run over pulleys in pairs in order to achieve a more optimal load distribution.

[0006] A drawback of these known hoisting devices is that there must always be a fixed number of hoisting straps or loops, which will be connected to the hoisting cable via the yoke. Depending on the type of aircraft, hoisting must take place with two, three, four or even eight straps. The yoke must be adapted thereto and / or be equipped with an adjusting mechanism. In a conventional adjusting mechanism the chosen number of suspension points is fixed, so that for different types of aircraft different types of yoke with an adjusting mechanism must be available for use. These adjusting mechanisms are always large, heavy and expensive. The number of suspension points is also always a fixed number in the known hoisting device, which is all the more detrimental to the flexibility and utility of the system. This known solution for distributing the load over the individual lifting members is furthermore delicate in the sense that all rollers and cables must run smoothly, which cannot always be guaranteed when the terrain is rough and there is a high risk of mechanical overload.

[0007] The present invention has for its object, among others, to provide a hoisting device which can be utilized a great deal more flexibly and which takes a mechanically more robust form.

[0008] In order to achieve the stated object a hoisting device of the type described in the preamble has for this purpose the feature that the adapter devices each comprise a housing with a chamber which is filled at least partially with liquid and in which a piston body is movable against the liquid in sealing manner, wherein the housing and the piston body are each coupled to one or the other of the yoke and the load, or vice versa, and that the chambers of the individual adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are mutually connected for liquid communication.

[0009] The hoisting means thus comprise a set of adapter devices, in each case in the form of a liquid chamber and a piston movable therein. When loaded by the load, the piston body will act on the liquid and drive it out via the liquid connection to a chamber of one or more of the other adapter devices, or vice versa, as a system of mutually communicating vessels. Finally, an equilibrium will occur wherein each adapter body, and so the part of the hoisting means coupled thereto, will be subjected to the same load. It is of great importance, particularly in the case of aircraft, that the forces do not exceed a maximum locally. This distribution of ferees is not dependent on further moving parts between the adapter devices, nor on the number of adapter devices or the hose of the piston body. If desired, it is particularly possible to give the yoke any desired number of adapter devices required in a determined, concrete situation. In this respect a preferred embodiment of the hoisting means has the feature according to the invention that the adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are coupled directly to each other in manually releasable manner for the purpose of liquid exchange between their chambers. A suitable number of adapter devices can thus be used in the set of adapter devices, and be mutually interconnected in simple manner, depending on a concrete situation. Compared to the known hoisting device, the device according to the invention is relatively inexpensive, highly accurate and flexible in use. The device according to the invention is also comparatively very light-weight since no chains and / or heavy pulleys and bearings are necessary.

[0010] In addition to the system levelling the forces, the system ensures that flexible hoisting members, such as for instance hoisting straps, applicable therein are free to adapt optimally to a contour of the object to be hoisted, such as a (double) curve of an underside of a fuselage of an aircraft or a ship’s hull, the shape of which can vary greatly depending on the position of the hoisting member. Another advantage of the hoisting device according to the invention is that the distribution of ferees thereover is able to adapt continuously, particularly also during a hoisting movement wherein an angle of incidence of the hoisting means relative to the object to be hoisted can change when the object is lifted and may suddenly take on a different orientation. An aircraft fuselage may in practice for instance rotate over the main landing gear as soon as its nose is lifted.

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the hoisting device has the feature according to the invention that the adapter device comprises resetting means which are able and configured to drive the piston body to a starting position in an unloaded state. Owing to such resetting means, particularly a resetting device, the adapter devices will return to a rest position once a load thereon has been removed.

[0012] In the starting position thus taken up the hoisting means are coupled to the load, after which the adapter devices will independently adjust themselves in the above described manner in order to distribute the load over the hoisting means as uniformly as possible In a further particular embodiment the hoisting device is characterized for this purpose in that the resetting means comprise a coil spring between the piston body and a wall of the chamber. In this case the coil spring drives the piston body in unloaded state back over a spring path taken by the spring until a non-tensioned spring state is reached.

[0013] For salvaging an aircraft that has run into problems the aircraft is preferably taken up by its fuselage, at the position of one or more transverse girders therein. With this in mind a particular embodiment of the device has the feature according to the invention that the hoisting means comprise a set of loops, that corresponding first outer ends of the loops are connected to a first joint yoke via first adapter devices, that corresponding second outer ends of the loops are connected to a second joint yoke, and that the first and second yoke are jointly coupled to the hoisting line. The loops of the hoisting device are here trained around the fuselage so that the one yoke will be located on one flank of the aircraft and the second yoke on the opposite flank. The two yokes are taken up together with the hoisting line. At least the adapter devices coupled to the first yoke here enhance a uniform distribution of the load over individual hoisting members under the hoisting means.

[0014] The adaptive ability of an adapter device is limited to at most the path that can be travelled by the piston body in the chamber. In order to obtain a longer hose the adapter device can be dimensioned for this purpose. It is also possible to apply more than one adapter device, in series with each other, per hoisting member. This is applied in a further particular embodiment of the hoisting device according to the invention, characterized in that corresponding second outer ends of the loops are connected to the second yoke via second adapter devices. Not only does this embodiment therefore provide on both flanks as well as between the two flanks for a distribution of the load over the individual hoisting members; the adapter members on both flanks thus also co-act in order to together cover a greater operational area.

[0015] With a view to limiting a mechanical effect of the hoisting means on a wall of the load to be salvaged a further particular embodiment of the hoisting device has the feature according to the invention that the first yoke and the second yoke are coupled to respective outer ends of a joint spreader device and are connected with interposing thereof to the hoisting line, wherein the spreader device is intended and configured to extend at least partially over the load. The spreader device thus positions the two yokes laterally on either side of the load, such as particularly a fuselage of an aircraft, in order to receive the load purely therebetween; clear of the wall thereof as far as possible.

[0016] For the adapter devices use can advantageously per se be made of a hydraulic cylinder which is filled with a hydraulic liquid (oil) and in which a piston body is movable against the liquid and connects sealingly to an inner wall of the cylinder. A further preferred embodiment of the hoisting device therefore has the feature that each of the adapter devices comprises a hydraulic cylinder device with a cylinder housing in which the piston body is displaceable against a hydraulic liquid.

[0017] The exchange of (hydraulic) liquid between the chambers of the adapter devices can be realized in various ways. A particularly flexible solution thereto is provided with a further preferred embodiment of the hoisting device, which is characterized according to the invention in that the chambers of the individual adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are mutually connected for liquid communication by means of flexible liquid conduits. The flexible conduits, such as hoses, can here be opted to have an excess, adapted to a distance between the adapter devices to be connected thereby. The adapter devices thus maintain a freedom of movement and freedom of positioning.

[0018] The outer ends of the conduits can simply be coupled to the chambers of the two adapter devices. For this purpose a particular embodiment of the hoisting device has the feature according to the invention that the chambers each comprise a first and a second rapid coupling for a liquid-transporting connection to a liquid conduit to a further chamber of the individual adapter devices. In order to limit leakage and loss of liquid from the chambers as far as possible here a further particular embodiment has the feature here that the rapid couplings comprise a self-closing check valve which is forced out of a seat when a liquid conduit is coupled. Such a rapid coupling will close independently as soon as the liquid conduit is removed.

[0019] The invention also relates to an adapter device as applied in the above described hoisting device and will be further elucidated hereinbelow with reference to an exemplary embodiment and an accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

[0020] Figure 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of the hoisting device according to the invention;

[0021] Figure 1A is a first detail of figure 1;

[0022] Figure 1 B is a second detail of figure 1;

[0023] Figure 2 is a side view of the hoisting device of figure 1;

[0024] Figure 2A is a detail of figure 2;

[0025] Figure 3 is an isometric view of a set of adapter devices applied in the device of figure 1; and

[0026] Figure 4 is a partially cut-away view of an adapter device of the assembly of figure 3.

[0027] It is otherwise noted here that the figures are purely schematic and not always drawn to (the same) scale. Some dimensions in particular may be exaggerated to greater or lesser extent for the sake of clarity. Corresponding parts are designated in the figures with the same reference numeral.

[0028] Figure 1 and figure 2 show respectively an isometric view and a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a lifting device according to the invention. The lifting device comprises here a mobile crane 3 on a truck 1 and with a telescopic lifting arm 5 of a system of tubes which extend telescopically to several times a length of base tube 6. The lifting arm 5 can pivot upward and downward, and the whole can rotate in the horizontal plane. A hoisting line in the form of a steel cable 7 runs over the lifting arm 5. A hook 9 is attached at a free outer end of the cable, and at the other outer end the cable is carried by a driven winch on the truck 1, whereby cable 7 can be taken in or payed out. This enables crane 3 to hoist.

[0029] The hook 9 of the hoisting installation is coupled to a lifting eye 10 of a spreader device, see also figure 1 B. The spreader device comprises a set of round slings or cables 1 1, 12 which are connected to lifting eye 10 for freely pivoting and together enclose a triangle, a horizontal side of which is formed by a telescopically adjustable spreader body 13. In this embodiment the hoisting device is used to salvage an aircraft 2 and a length of the spreader body 13 is adjusted to a width of the fuselage of the aircraft 2 to be salvaged. Spreader body 13 thus protrudes with both outer ends outside the fuselage of craft 2 on either side. The two round slings or cables 1 1, 12 are each pivotally connected on an opposite side to each of the outer ends of the spreader body

[0030] 13. The same outer ends of spreader body 13 also provide an engagement point 15 to which a first yoke 21 and a second yoke 22 are respectively coupled. Each yoke 21, 22 comprises a steel frame with mutually adjacent engagement points 25 for individual hoisting members 31..34 of hoisting means whereby the load can be engaged. In this embodiment each yoke can be equipped with two to a maximum of four of such hoisting members 31..34 but, if desired, each yoke can also be provided with a smaller or greater number of engagement points, even or odd, whereby the maximum number of hoisting members can be smaller or greater depending on the size and mass of the load having to be lifted.

[0031] In this embodiment the hoisting members 31..34 each comprise a loop, an opposite outer end of which is received in the second yoke 22 in the same way and fastened therein in the same way. The loops 31..34 are each trained around the fuselage of aircraft 2, wherein the spreader body 13 keeps the loops removed from an upper side of the fuselage so that during lifting the fuselage of aircraft 2 will be engaged substantially only vertically and a lateral effect and loading of the fuselage is limited to a minimum. With a view to a desired smoothness in combination with an extremely high tensile strength, use is made for loops 31..34 of textile straps of polyester or polyamide, the outer ends of which are turned over and stitched down around a steel D-ring 35, see also figures 1A and 2A.

[0032] Each of the hoisting members 31..34 is connected via an adapter device 40 to the relevant yoke 21, 22. Figure 3 shows the four adapter members 40 via which the first outer ends of the loops 31..34 are connected to the first yoke 21. The adapter members 40 each comprise, see also figure 4, a cylinder housing 41 with therein a hollow chamber in which a piston body 45 is freely movable in sealing manner. The part 42 of the chamber on a first side of the piston body 45 is filled with a liquid, in this case hydraulic oil. The opposite part 43 of the chamber is atmospherically filled with air and is optionally in open communication with the outside air. The piston body connects leak-tightly to an inner wall of the chamber in cylinder housing 41 so that the liquid will not escape from first part 42 to the other part 43. For this purpose the piston body 45 is provided all around with a gasket (not shown), also referred to as piston ring.

[0033] A drive rod 44 is connected to the piston body 45 and exits the cylinder housing 41 via a leak-tight gasket (not shown) in order to retain the liquid in the liquid-filled part 42 of the chamber. The adapter device 40 comprises on opposite outer ends a fastening eye 47 on the cylinder housing 41 and a fastening eye 49 on an outer end of drive rod 44, whereby adapter device 40 can be coupled in particularly practical manner between yoke 21 on one side and a loop 31..34 to be connected thereto on the other.

[0034] As shown in more detail in figure 3, the oil-filled first parts of the chambers in each of the adapter devices 40 of the set of adapter devices 40 which is coupled to a joint yoke 21 are mutually interconnected for liquid communication. For this purpose two rapid couplings 51, 52, to which a hydraulic hose 50 can be coupled, are in each case provided on this part of the cylinder housing 41. The couplings 51, 52 are self-closing and for this purpose provided internally with a check valve, so that the coupling is leak- tight if no hose 50 is coupled thereto. In the assembly of figure 3 this is the case for both outermost adapter devices 40 on respectively the left-hand side and the righthand side. If desired, an end stop can be arranged thereon in order to secure this seal even better.

[0035] Because the chambers 42 of the individual adapter devices 40 communicate with each other for liquid exchange, liquid can flow freely from the one adapter device to one or more others. Liquid from the part under piston body 45 will particularly be driven out from an adapter device if this adapter device 40 is loaded such that the piston body 45 reduces this part of the chamber. The piston body 45 in one or more of the other adapter devices 40 will thereby conversely be driven in opposite direction under the influence of the liquid now entering therein and driving out the piston body 45.

[0036] The adapter devices therefore behave in the manner of a set of communicating vessels in which an equilibrium will automatically occur in which each of the straps 31..34 is equally loaded. The hoisting device thus adapts with its own movement to any possible initial imbalance by removing this imbalance and distributing the forces optimally over the individual hoisting members 31..34. On the opposite side this same happens at the second yoke 22 and the adapter members 40 connecting the second outer ends of loops 31..34 to yoke 22 there.

[0037] Each of the adapter devices 40 is furthermore provided in this embodiment with optional resetting means in the form of a coil spring 48 in the atmospheric part 43 of the chamber. This spring 43 is placed operatively between an inner wall of cylinder housing 41 and the piston body 45 and tensions when the piston body is driven out from the starting position shown in figure 4. In unloaded state of adapter body 40 the spring 48 releases tension in order to return the piston body to the shown rest position. The same starting position can hereby always be used during use of the hoisting device.

[0038] Although the invention has been further elucidated above with reference to only a single exemplary embodiment, it will be apparent that the invention is by no means limited thereto. On the contrary, many variations and embodiments are still possible within the scope of the invention for a person with ordinary skill in the art. All in all, the invention provides a hoisting device with a self-adjusting yoke, owing to the adapter devices which are coupled thereto and which communicate with each other for liquid communication. This makes the device according to the invention relatively inexpensive, compact, accurate and flexible in use. The device according to the invention is also comparatively very light-weight and can be expanded as desired to any desired even or odd number of suspension points.

Claims

Claims:

1. Hoisting device, comprising a hoisting line, which forms part of the hoisting device, and hoisting means for engaging on a load to be hoisted, wherein the hoisting means comprise a set of adapter devices which is coupled or at least couplable to the hoisting line via a joint yoke, characterized in that the adapter devices each comprise a housing with a chamber which is filled at least partially with liquid and in which a piston body is movable against the liquid in sealing manner, wherein the housing and the piston body are each coupled to one or the other of the yoke and the load, or vice versa, and that the chambers of the individual adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are mutually connected for liquid communication.

2. Hoisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are coupled directly to each other in manually releasable manner for the purpose of liquid exchange between their chambers.

3. Hoisting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the adapter device comprises resetting means which are able and configured to drive the piston body to a starting position in an unloaded state.

4. Hoisting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the resetting means comprise a coil spring between the piston body and a wall of the chamber.

5. Hoisting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hoisting means comprise a set of loops, that corresponding first outer ends of the loops are connected to a first joint yoke via first adapter devices, that corresponding second outer ends of the loops are connected to a second joint yoke, and that the first and second yoke are jointly coupled to the hoisting line.

6. Hoisting device according to claim 5, characterized in that corresponding second outer ends of the loops are connected to the second yoke via second adapter devices.

7. Hoisting device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the first yoke and the second yoke are coupled to respective outer ends of a joint spreader device and are connected with interposing thereof to the hoisting line, wherein the spreader device is intended and configured to extend at least partially over the load.

8. Hoisting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the adapter devices comprises a hydraulic cylinder device with a cylinder housing in which the piston body is displaceable against a hydraulic liquid.

9. Hoisting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chambers of the individual adapter devices of the set of adapter devices are mutually connected for liquid communication by means of flexible liquid conduits.

10. Hoisting device according to claim 9, characterized in that the chambers each comprise a first and a second rapid coupling for a liquid-transporting connection to a liquid conduit to a further chamber of the individual adapter devices.

11. Hoisting device according to claim 10, characterized in that the rapid couplings comprise a self-closing check valve which is forced out of a seat when a liquid conduit is coupled.

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