Container device for livestock transportation

Abstract

To provide a container device for livestock transportation which can safely perform opening / closing operation of an opening / closing door for ascending / descending.SOLUTION: A container 1 for livestock transportation includes a container 2 which is mounted on a vehicle 3, and stores and conveys livestock. The container 2 includes: a rectangular opening / closing door 6 for ascending / descending which is provided on a lower end edge part of a rear end of the container 2 to open / close the rear end, and functions as a walking plate for walking and ascending / descending livestock with respect to the container 2 mounted on the vehicle 3, in an opened state; and an opening / closing device for opening / closing the opening / closing door 6 for ascending / descending. The opening / closing device includes: link mechanisms 7 which are provided on right and left sides of the lower end edge part of the rear end of the container 2; and energization mechanisms 8 which are provided on right and left sides of an upper end edge part of the rear end of the container 2, and impart energization force to the link mechanism 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a livestock transport container device that is installed on a vehicle to accommodate and transport livestock. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, livestock transport vehicles have been known as vehicles for transporting livestock (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The livestock transport vehicle described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with pulleys on both sides of the top of a rear door pivotally attached to the rear lower part of the livestock transport vehicle, for passing a cable from the inside to the outside, and a pulley that changes the direction of the cable that has passed through the pulleys at the rear door side to pass it to the left and right.

[0003] One end of the cable is fixed to the upper rear part of the livestock transport vehicle, and the cable is passed around the pulleys in sequence, and then passed around a pulley installed at the upper rear part of the livestock transport vehicle, and the end of the cable is wound up with a winch. This allows the winch to pull up both sides of the rear door evenly. When the rear door is open, it is used as a running board for livestock to climb up and down. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Jpn. Jpn. Published No. 50-38106 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the livestock transport vehicle of Patent Document 1, the rear door, which is the lifting door, is opened and closed with a winch. If the winch malfunctions or the cable is cut during the opening and closing operation, the lifting door may suddenly open fully, which may cause a strong impact.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION In view of the above problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a livestock transport container apparatus in which a lifting door can be opened and closed safely. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The livestock transport container device of the present invention comprises a container mounted on a vehicle for housing and transporting livestock. The container comprises a rectangular lifting door that is attached to the lower edge of the rear end of the container via a hinge so that the rear end can be opened and closed, and that functions as a walking board for allowing livestock to walk up and down the container mounted on the vehicle in the open state, and an opening and closing device that opens and closes the lifting door.

[0008] The opening and closing device includes link mechanisms provided at the left and right positions of the lower edge, and biasing mechanisms provided at the left and right positions of the upper edge of the rear end of the container, which apply a biasing force to the link mechanisms.

[0009] Each link mechanism includes a first rotating shaft provided at the lower edge portion and extending in the left-right direction, a second rotating shaft provided at the lower edge portion higher than the first rotating shaft and extending in the left-right direction, a third rotating shaft provided at the lifting opening and closing door and extending in the left-right direction, a first arm having one end rotatably mounted around the first rotating shaft, a second arm having one end rotatably mounted around the third rotating shaft, and a first connecting shaft rotatably connecting the other end of the first arm and the other end of the second arm to each other.

[0010] In addition, each link mechanism further includes a triangular link member that is rotatably mounted around the second rotation shaft and has a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole, the second connecting hole being positioned at a predetermined angle counterclockwise to the right around the second rotation shaft relative to the first connecting hole, and a connecting arm having one end rotatably connected to the intermediate portion of the first arm and the other end rotatably connected to the triangular link member via the first connecting hole.

[0011] The biasing mechanism biases the triangular link member upward through the second connecting hole.

[0012] According to the present invention, since the above-mentioned connecting mechanism and biasing mechanism are provided, the lift door can be opened and closed safely. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an oblique view showing a livestock transport container device according to one embodiment of the present invention mounted on a vehicle with the lifting and lowering opening and closing door closed, and shows the use of outriggers or the like as a container attachment / detachment device. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a link mechanism in the livestock transport container device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2(a) to 2(c) are diagrams showing the configuration and operation of a link mechanism 7 in the livestock transport container apparatus of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the livestock transport container device of FIG. 1 mounted on a vehicle with the lifting door open, and showing the use of a balance wire or the like as a container attachment / detachment device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a livestock transport container apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the livestock transport container apparatus 1 includes a container 2 for housing livestock such as cows, and a container attachment / detachment device (described later) for attaching and detaching the container 2 to and from a flat bed 4 of a vehicle 3.

[0015] An example of the vehicle 3 is a small freight vehicle with a number 4 (total width 1700 mm) having a flatbed 4. The container 2 is made of a single steel plate from the floor to at least the lower part of both side walls, and has an upper width that is larger than the lower width. For example, on one side, the upper width is approximately 100 to 150 mm larger than the lower width.

[0016] The bottom surface of the container 2 that comes into contact with the flatbed 4 is coated with an anti-rust paint to improve rust resistance and prevent scratches. The floor surface inside the container 2 is coated with a newly developed anti-slip paint that has water-resistant and anti-corrosive properties to ensure a good grip for the hooves of cows and other animals during transport and when entering and exiting the container, and also to protect against urine and manure.

[0017] The container 2 is equipped with a rectangular opening / closing door 6 for lifting and lowering, which is provided at the lower end of the rear end of the container 2 via a hinge 5 so as to be able to open and close the rear end, and an opening / closing device (described below) for opening and closing the opening / closing door 6. When in the open state, the opening / closing door 6 for lifting and lowering functions as a walking board for allowing livestock to walk up and down the container 2 attached to the vehicle 3.

[0018] In Fig. 1, the lifting door 6 is shown in a closed state. The lifting door 6 is made of aluminum material, which is corrosion resistant and lightweight. Note that the roof covering the container 2 is not shown in Fig. 1.

[0019] The opening and closing device includes a link mechanism 7 provided on the left and right positions of the lower edge at the rear end of the container 2, and a biasing mechanism 8 provided on the left and right positions of the upper edge at the rear end of the container 2 and applying a biasing force to the link mechanism 7.

[0020] 2 shows a portion of the link mechanism 7. As shown in FIG. 2, each link mechanism 7 includes a first rotating shaft 9 provided at the lower end edge of the rear end of the container 2 and extending in the left-right direction, a second rotating shaft 10 provided at the lower end edge above the first rotating shaft 9 and extending in the left-right direction, a third rotating shaft 11 provided at the lifting opening and closing door 6 and extending in the left-right direction, a first arm 12 one end of which is rotatably provided around the first rotating shaft 9, a second arm 13 one end of which is rotatably provided around the third rotating shaft 11, and a first connecting shaft 14 connecting the other end of the first arm 12 and the other end of the second arm 13 to each other rotatably. The length of the second arm 13 may be, for example, about 210 to 340 mm.

[0021] In addition, each link mechanism 7 is rotatably mounted around the second rotating shaft 10 and has a first connecting hole 15 and a second connecting hole 16. The second connecting hole 16 is equipped with a triangular link member 17 that is positioned a predetermined angle away from the first connecting hole 15 in a counterclockwise direction toward the right, centered on the second rotating shaft 10, and a connecting arm 18 whose one end is rotatably connected to the middle portion of the first arm 12 and whose other end is rotatably connected to the triangular link member 17 via the first connecting hole 15.

[0022] The urging mechanism 8 (see FIG. 1) urges the triangular link member 17 upward via the second connecting hole 16. The urging mechanism 8 includes a traction shaft 19, one end of which is rotatably connected to the second connecting hole 16 of the triangular link member 17 via a connecting shaft extending in the left-right direction, and a coil spring 20 (see FIG. 1) that is provided on the upper edge of the rear end of the container 2, has an upper end fixed to the upper edge, and a lower end connected to the other end of the traction shaft 19.

[0023] 3(a) to (c) are views of the left link mechanism 7 as viewed from the left side, and show the operation of the link mechanism 7. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the second connecting hole 16 of the triangular link member 17 is a two-stage hole that can change the amount of expansion and contraction of the coil spring 20 in two stages. That is, the second connecting hole 16 has a heart shape in which two holes are connected, and when the lifting door 6 is closed as shown in Figs. 1 and 3(a), the two holes are aligned vertically.

[0024] 1, the above-mentioned container attachment / detachment device is provided with two fork pockets 21 that can be attached to and detached from a container 2. In order to attach the two fork pockets 21 to the container 2, reinforcing members 23 that extend in the front-rear direction and bulge (project) in a convex shape in the outward left-right direction are provided on the upper ends of both side walls of the lower portion 22 of the container 2 that is made of the above-mentioned single steel plate.

[0025] Each fork pocket 21 is attached by securely fixing the left and right ends to the left and right reinforcing members 23. Each fork pocket 21 is attached to any position in the front-rear direction of the left and right reinforcing members 23 so as to fit the width of the tines of the forklift in use.

[0026] The container mounting / dismounting device may also include four outriggers 24 configured to be inserted from the left and right into the fork pockets 21 on the front and rear sides of the container 2 to support the container and to raise and lower the container 2. As the outriggers 24, for example, those driven by an electric hydraulic actuator can be used. Figure 1 shows the outriggers 24 in use.

[0027] Fig. 4 shows another example of a container mounting / detaching device. As shown in Fig. 4, this container mounting / detaching device includes four fixing members 25 that are inserted from the left and right into the left and right ends of the front and rear fork pockets 21 of the container 2 from the left and right and two balance wires 26 on the left and right that are connected to the front and rear fixing members 25 on the left side and the front and rear fixing members 25 on the right side, respectively, and are raised and lowered by a simple crane or an overhead crane. Note that the roof covering the roof of the container 2 is not shown in Fig. 4.

[0028] In this configuration, when transporting cattle by vehicle 3, first, the container 2 with the lifting door 6 closed is loaded onto the vehicle 3. Prior to this loading, fork pockets 21 are attached to the container 2. The container 2 can be loaded using a forklift. Note that, as described later, loading can also be performed using outriggers 24 or a balance wire 26 and a crane.

[0029] When using a forklift to load the container 2, the forklift's claws are inserted into the fork pockets 21 of the container 2, the container 2 is lifted with the forklift, the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3 is positioned under the container 2, and the container 2 is lowered to a predetermined position on the flat bed 4 with the forklift. Then, the fork pockets 21 are removed, and the side gates 27 on both sides of the vehicle 3 are raised to securely fix the container 2 on the flat bed 4.

[0030] 3(a), since the lift-up door 6 is closed, the coil spring 20 is at its shortest and the traction force applied to the triangular link member 17 is at its smallest. In addition, the moment applied to the triangular link member 17 by the lift-up door 6 via the second arm 13, the first arm 12, the connecting arm 18, and the first connecting hole 15 is also at its smallest.

[0031] Therefore, in order to open the lifting / lowering door 6, the worker can easily tilt the lifting / lowering door 6 in the opening direction and start opening the lifting / lowering door 6. At this time, if the lifting / lowering door 6 itself is heavy or if the tip of the lifting / lowering door 6 is heavy due to accessories or the like, the position of the connecting shaft with the traction shaft 19 in the second connecting hole 16 may be set to the lower one of the two holes in the second connecting hole 16, and the traction force from the coil spring 20 acting on the second connecting hole 16 may be set to be strong.

[0032] When the lift door 6 starts to open, as the lift door 6 opens to a greater extent, the triangular link member 17 also tilts more about the second rotation shaft 10, and the coil spring 20 is stretched accordingly. Also, the moment applied by the lift door 6 to the triangular link member 17 via the second arm 13, the first arm 12, the connecting arm 18, and the first connecting hole 15 increases.

[0033] 3(b), when the opening / closing door 6 for lifting / lowering is almost horizontal, the moment that the opening / closing door 6 for lifting / lowering applies to the triangular link member 17 is almost maximum. Since the length of the coil spring 20 also increases, the traction force (moment about the second rotation shaft 10) that the coil spring 20 applies to the triangular link member 17 also increases.

[0034] As the opening degree of the lift door 6 increases, and the upper end of the lift door 6 comes into contact with the ground and the opening of the lift door 6 is completed, as shown in Figure 3(c), the traction force of the coil spring 20 reaches its maximum and the moment applied by the coil spring 20 to the triangular link member 17 is still large.

[0035] In this way, when the lifting door 6 is opened or closed, the moment applied to the link mechanism 7 from the lifting door 6, which rises as the opening degree of the lifting door 6 increases, is always almost balanced with the opposite moment applied to the link mechanism 7 by the coil spring 20 via the traction shaft 19. Therefore, the worker can easily open and close the lifting door 6.

[0036] In this way, the lifting door 6 is opened, and livestock such as cows can be stored in the container 2 by walking on the lifting door 6. Thereafter, the lifting door 6 is closed in the reverse order to the above, and when the container 2 arrives at the destination by the vehicle 3, the lifting door 6 is opened in the same manner as above, the livestock are taken out of the container 2, the lifting door 6 is closed in the same manner, and the container 2 is removed from the flatbed 4 of the vehicle 3 in the reverse order to the procedure for mounting the container 2. This completes the transportation of the livestock.

[0037] On the other hand, when the container attachment / detachment device is equipped with the above-mentioned outriggers 24, the attachment / detachment (mounting and detaching) of the container 2 to / from the flatbed platform 4 of the vehicle 3 can be performed in the following manner instead of the procedure when using a forklift as described above.

[0038] That is, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1, four outriggers 24 are inserted from the left and right into the front and rear fork pockets 21 attached to the container 2 with the lifting door 6 closed, and the container 2 is supported by the outriggers 24. Next, the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3 is positioned under the supported container 2, the container 2 is lowered by the four outriggers 24, and the container 2 is placed on the flat bed 4 by removing the four outriggers 24.

[0039] Then, the side gates 27 on both sides of the vehicle 3 are raised to securely fix the container 2 to the flat bed 4, and the fork pockets 21 are removed to allow installation.

[0040] Moreover, by following the procedure in reverse, the container 2 can be removed from the flat bed 4. In this case, after removal, the container 2 can be stored while still supported by the four outriggers 24.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the container attachment / detachment device is equipped with the above-mentioned four fixing members 25 and left and right balance wires 26, the container can be attached to and detached from the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3 by the following procedure instead of the above-mentioned procedure.

[0042] That is, as shown in FIG. 4, fixing members 25 are inserted from the left and right into the front and rear fork pockets 21 attached to the container 2 with the lifting door 6 closed, and left and right balance wires 26 are connected to the left and right fixing members 25. The left and right balance wires 26 are then raised by a crane 28 via a lifting balance 29, thereby lifting the container 2.

[0043] Next, the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3 is positioned under the lifted container 2, and the left and right balance wires 26 are lowered by the crane 28 to place the container 2 on the flat bed 4. Then, the fixing members 25, balance wires 26 and fork pockets 21 are removed, and the side gates 27 on both sides of the vehicle 3 are raised to fix the container 2 on the flat bed 4, thereby mounting the container 2. The container 2 can also be removed from the flat bed 4 by following the procedure in reverse.

[0044] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the livestock transport container apparatus 1, the opening / closing device for opening and closing the lifting / lowering door 6 includes the link mechanism 7 and the biasing mechanism 8, and the biasing mechanism 8 almost cancels out the moment applied to the link mechanism 7 of the lifting / lowering door 6, which changes depending on the degree of opening of the lifting / lowering door 6. Therefore, the lifting / lowering door 6 can be opened and closed easily and safely without the risk of the lifting / lowering door 6 suddenly opening during the opening / closing operation and causing an impact.

[0045] In addition, the link mechanism 7 can be compactly configured at the lower end portions on both sides of the lifting / lowering door 6, and the biasing mechanism 8 can also be compactly configured on both sides of the lifting / lowering door 6. Therefore, the amount of rearward protrusion of the opening / closing device of the livestock transport container apparatus 1 during vehicle operation can be minimized.

[0046] Furthermore, since the biasing mechanism 8 is composed of the traction shaft 19 and the coil spring 20, the opening and closing device for the livestock transport container apparatus 1 can be configured to be safer and more compact.

[0047] In addition, a two-stage hole is adopted as the second connecting hole 16 of the triangular link member 17, which allows the amount of expansion and contraction of the coil spring 20 to be changed in two stages. Therefore, even if the lift-up opening / closing door 6 itself is heavy or the tip of the lift-up opening / closing door 6 is heavy due to accessories, etc., it is possible to deal with this by simply selecting the lower of the two-stage holes without having to replace the coil spring 20 with a stronger one.

[0048] In addition, since the vehicle is equipped with a container attachment / detachment device for attaching and detaching the container 2 to the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3, as long as one owns a vehicle equipped with a flat bed 4, livestock can be transported easily, at low cost and without hindrance, even if one does not have a vehicle dedicated to transporting livestock.

[0049] In addition, since the container 2 is provided with detachable fork pockets 21 as a container attachment / detachment device, the container 2 can be easily attached to and detached from the flat bed 4 by using a forklift.

[0050] In addition, if the container attachment / detachment device is equipped with outriggers 24 that are inserted into the above-mentioned fork pockets 21 to raise and lower the container 2, the container 2 can be easily attached and detached to and from the flat bed 4 using the outriggers 24, and the container 2 can be stored while supported by the outriggers 24.

[0051] Furthermore, when the container mounting / detaching device is equipped with the above-mentioned fixing member 25 which is inserted into and fixed in each fork pocket 21, and the above-mentioned balance wire 26 which is connected to the fixing member 25 and raised and lowered by a crane 28, the container 2 can be easily mounted on and detached from the flatbed 4 using the crane 28.

[0052] Furthermore, the lower portion 22 of the container 2 is made of a single steel plate from the floor to the lower portions of both side walls, and is formed to be resistant to buckling and twisting. Therefore, there is no need to reinforce the area underneath the flat bed 4 of the vehicle 3, and the container 2 can be placed and attached to the flat bed 4 as is without any problems. Therefore, since there is no need to place a reinforcing member underneath the flat bed 4, the container 2 can be loaded onto the flat bed 4 without changing the height to the flat bed 4.

[0053] In addition, the width of the lower part of the container 2 is the same as the width of the flatbed platform 4, but the width of the upper part is greater than that, making it easy to turn the cows around inside the container 2 when they are transported out of the container 2.

[0054] That is, although the width of the flatbed 4 of the small freight vehicle is narrow and the loading space for the cows is cramped, the width of the part of the floor of the lower part of the container 2 that is occupied by the body of the cow above the width equivalent to the width of the base of the cow's legs can be made wider. This makes it easy to change the direction of the cows inside the container 2 when they are transported out of the container 2.

[0055] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the traction shaft 19 in the biasing mechanism 8 may be provided with a length adjustment means for adjusting its length. Also, a lock mechanism for fixing the lifting door 6 in the closed state may be provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] Reference Signs List 1...livestock transport container device, 2...container, 3...vehicle, 4...flat bed, 5...hinge, 6...lifting opening and closing door, 7...link mechanism, 8...biasing mechanism, 9...first rotating shaft, 10...second rotating shaft, 11...third rotating shaft, 12...first arm, 13...second arm, 14...first connecting shaft, 15...first connecting hole, 16...second connecting hole, 17...triangular link member, 18...connecting arm, 19...traction shaft, 20...coil spring, 21...fork pocket, 22...lower portion, 23...reinforcing member, 24...outrigger, 25...fixing member, 26...balance wire, 27...side gate, 28...crane, 29...lifting balance.

Claims

1. A container is attached to the vehicle and used to house and transport livestock. The container comprises: a rectangular lifting door that is provided on a lower edge of a rear end of the container via a hinge so as to be capable of opening and closing the rear end, and that functions as a walking board when in an open state for livestock to walk up and down the container mounted on the vehicle; an opening / closing device for opening and closing the lifting door, The opening and closing device includes: Link mechanisms provided at the left and right positions of the lower edge portion; a biasing mechanism provided on each of the left and right sides of an upper edge portion of a rear end of the container, the biasing mechanism applying a biasing force to the link mechanism, Each link mechanism is A first rotation shaft provided at the lower end edge portion and extending in the left-right direction; a second rotation shaft provided at the lower end edge portion above the first rotation shaft and extending in the left-right direction; a third rotation shaft provided on the lift door and extending in the left-right direction; a first arm having one end rotatably provided around the first rotation axis; a second arm having one end rotatably provided around the third rotation axis; a first connecting shaft that rotatably connects the other end of the first arm and the other end of the second arm to each other; a triangular link member that is rotatably provided around the second rotation shaft, the triangular link member having a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole, the second connecting hole being positioned at a predetermined angle from the first connecting hole in a counterclockwise direction toward the right around the second rotation shaft; a connecting arm having one end rotatably connected to the intermediate portion of the first arm and the other end rotatably connected to the triangular link member via the first connecting hole, A livestock transport container apparatus, characterized in that the biasing mechanism biases the triangular link member upward through the second connecting hole.

2. The biasing mechanism includes: a traction shaft having one end rotatably connected to the second connecting hole of the triangular link member via a connecting shaft extending in the left-right direction; 2. The livestock transport container device according to claim 1, further comprising a coil spring provided on the upper edge of the rear end of the container, the upper end of which is fixed to the upper edge and the lower end of which is connected to the other end of the towing shaft.

3. 3. The livestock transport container device according to claim 2, wherein the second connecting hole of the triangular link member is a two-stage hole that allows the amount of expansion and contraction of the coil spring to be changed in two stages.

4. a container attachment / detachment device for attaching and detaching the container to and from a flat bed of the vehicle, 2. The livestock transport container device according to claim 1, wherein the container attachment / detachment device includes a fork pocket that is detachably attached to the container.

5. The livestock transport container device according to claim 4, characterized in that the container mounting / detaching device is provided with four outriggers configured to be inserted from the left and right into the front and rear fork pockets attached to the container to support the container and raise and lower the container.

6. The container attachment / detachment device includes: four fixing members that are inserted from the left and right into the left and right ends of the front and rear fork pockets of the container and fixed thereto; 5. The livestock transport container device according to claim 4, further comprising two balance wires on the left and right sides which are connected to the front and rear fixed members on the left side and the front and rear fixed members on the right side, respectively, and which are raised and lowered by a crane.

7. 2. The livestock transport container apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container is constructed from a single steel plate from the floor to the lower portions of both side walls.

8. 2. The livestock transport container apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container has a width at the top that is greater than a width at the bottom.

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