Locking device for locking container with each other

Abstract

To provide a locking device for connecting an upper container and a lower container stacked on each other.SOLUTION: A locking device for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on each other, includes: a lower corner piece (7) of the upper container that has a bottom flange (9); an upper corner piece (10) of the lower container that has a top flange (12); and a container lock for locking the lower corner piece (7) and the upper corner piece (10) together. The locking device is configured at a tension position to satisfy the tension clearance equation TC=E-B=F+D3, and the tension clearance is in a range of 0 to 12 mm. A container lock (1) and a method are also provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates generally to a locking arrangement, and more particularly to joining together an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other. [Background technology]

[0002] At sea, when a ship lists, large compressive and tensile forces act on the container locks and the container corner pieces, causing a corresponding tilt of the stack of containers on its deck. Known container locks have a relatively large free space between the contact surfaces of the container locks and the corresponding container corners. This can cause large vertical gaps between the container corners when the ship heels and when the container stack lists left or right in heavy seas. The geometry of the container lock relative to the container corner pieces to which it is attached can be optimized to improve the safety of the container lock. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. The scope of protection sought for various embodiments of the present disclosure is indicated by the independent claims.

[0004] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a locking device for connecting upper and lower containers stacked on top of each other using a container lock with an optimized geometry. When using this type of container lock, heavier containers are permitted in the container stack on the ship's deck, allowing more cargo to be carried on the same ship. This can have a positive impact on ship productivity. Furthermore, greenhouse gas emissions per ton of cargo carried can be reduced by fully utilizing the container ship's capacity. From a manufacturing perspective, the optimized geometry does not pose any new challenges, and conventional manufacturing methods can be applied. As a result, manufacturing costs may not be higher than those of conventional container locks.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a locking device for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other is disclosed. The locking device includes a lower corner piece of the upper container having a bottom flange, an upper corner piece of the lower container having a top flange, and a container lock for locking the lower corner piece of the lower container and the upper corner piece of the lower container together. In a tensioned position, the locking device may be configured to satisfy a tension clearance formula TC=EB=F+D3, where E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the top flange, B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock, D3 is a third vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange (21) and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock, and F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the central flange of the container lock. The tension clearance (TC) may be 0 to 12 mm. A container lock with optimized geometry improves the safety of the container locks, i.e. the safety of the container-to-container locks in each stack of containers on the ship's deck, by minimizing opening loosening or clearance under full tensile load.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the tension clearance may be the total vertical clearance caused by an upward tension stress from the upper container.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the tension clearance may be between 0 and 8 mm.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the tension clearance may be between 0 and 4 mm.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the tension clearance may be 0 mm.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, in a rest position, the top container may be configured to rest on the bottom container, and there may be a rest clearance of 0-4 mm between the upper cone bottom surface and the lower cone contact point. A container lock with optimized geometry can minimize opening sag under full tension load, allowing for larger loads.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the static clearance may be comprised of the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2, where D1 is the first vertical distance that is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point (16) and the lower cone contact point (17), and D2 is the second vertical distance that is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface (18) and the upper cone bottom surface (19).

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the static clearance may be between 0 and 2 mm.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the static clearance may be 0 mm.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, in a rest position, the locking device may be configured to satisfy the formula X=A+B+C+D1+D2, where X is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the upper cone and the contact point of the lower cone, A is the thickness of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece of the upper container, B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock, C is the thickness of the top flange of the upper corner piece of the lower container, D1 is a first vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the contact point of the lower container corner piece and the contact point of the lower cone, and D2 is a second vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the contact surface of the upper container corner piece and the bottom surface of the upper cone.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the container lock may be a fully automatic lock, which allows for easy locking of the container.

[0016] According to a second aspect, a container lock for locking an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other is disclosed. The upper container may include a lower corner piece, and the lower container may include an upper corner piece. The container lock may be configured to lock the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece together. In a tensioned position, the container lock may be configured to satisfy the equation: tension clearance TC = EB = F + D3, where E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece and the top surface of the top flange of the upper corner piece, B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock, D3 is a third vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock, and F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange of the upper corner piece and the bottom surface of the central flange of the container lock, and the tension clearance is 0 to 12 mm. The container lock according to the second embodiment may have all the features of the container lock according to the first embodiment described above.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the upper container may rest on the bottom container, and there may be a static clearance between the upper cone bottom surface and the lower cone contact point. The static clearance may be the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2, where D1 is the first vertical distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point, D2 is the second vertical distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface, and the static clearance RC = D1 + D2 is 0 to 4 mm.

[0018] According to a third aspect, a method for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other with a locking device is disclosed. The locking device may include a lower corner piece of the upper container having a bottom flange, an upper corner piece of the lower container having a top flange, and a container lock. The method may include locking the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece to each other with the container lock. In a tensioned position, the locking device satisfies a tension clearance equation TC=EB=F+D3, where E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the top flange, B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock, D3 is a third vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock, and F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the central flange of the container lock. The tension clearance may be 0 to 12 mm. A container lock with optimized geometry can improve the safety of the container locks, i.e. the safety of the container-to-container locks in each stack of containers on the deck of a ship, by minimizing opening loosening or clearance under full tensile load.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment of the third aspect, the upper container may rest on the lower container, and there may be a static clearance between the bottom surface of the upper cone and the contact point of the lower cone. A container lock with an optimized geometry can minimize opening slack under full tension load, allowing for larger loads. The static clearance may be the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2, where D1 is the first vertical distance between the contact point of the lower container corner piece and the contact point of the lower cone, D2 is the second vertical distance between the contact surface of the upper container corner piece and the bottom surface of the upper cone, and the static clearance RC = D1 + D2 is 0 to 4 mm.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment of the third aspect, in the rest position, the rest clearance RC=D1+D2=XABC, where X is the vertical distance between the upper cone bottom surface (19) and the lower cone contact point, A is the thickness of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece, B is the thickness of the middle flange of the container lock, C is the thickness of the top flange of the upper corner piece, D1 is the first vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point, and D2 is the second vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B schematically illustrate an example of a cross-sectional side view of a locking device in a rest position according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] 2A and 2B schematically illustrate an example of a cross-sectional side view of the locking device of FIG. 1 in a tensioned position according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0023] In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below in connection with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the embodiments and is not intended to represent the only manner in which the embodiments may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth functions of the embodiments and the sequence of steps or actions for constructing and operating the embodiments. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments.

[0025] On cargo ships, containers may be transported on deck above hatch covers in several parallel rows and columns, and in several layers, stacked on top of each other. Containers may have corner pieces at all eight corners, which may lock the containers together. Typically, two containers, one above the other, may be locked together with a container lock installed at the corner pieces of the container. When a container lock is used, the container lock may first be manually installed at the bottom corner of the container. A total of four container lock pieces may be installed at the bottom of one container, one at each corner. More specifically, the upper cone of the container lock may be located inside the bottom corner of the container. The container may then be lifted onto another container on the ship's deck by a crane. The lower cone of the container lock, hanging from the lifted bottom corner of the container, may be guided to and locked onto the upper corner of a container already on the ship. The same procedure may be repeated for all containers being lifted onto the deck.

[0026] At sea, container locks may connect containers in a vertical stack. When a ship heels in bad weather, each stack of containers may tilt sideways. In this situation, the container locks are subjected to large tensile loads. The upper container may pull the container lock upward, while the lower container may exert an opposing force downward. Because there is usually some clearance between the container locks and the container corner pieces, additional dynamic forces may be generated. When a ship heels, the forces may create large vertical gaps between the container corners, causing the container stack to tilt left or right in rough seas. Because this type of large vertical gap may exist between all the containers in a stack, the overall effect can be significant. For example, there may be 10 containers on top of each other in a stack. As a result, large tensions may be generated in the container locks and lashing bars, providing additional support to the stacked containers. Therefore, any excess slack or clearance between the mentioned components should be eliminated.

[0027] According to exemplary embodiments, containers can be locked together such that tension forces induced on sea routes are smaller than before, allowing for an increase in the number and / or weight of containers transported on cargo ships. The locking device may exhibit an optimized geometry of the container lock relative to the container corner piece to which the container lock is attached. The optimized geometry may mean that the container lock has no or very little clearance between the contact surface of the corner piece and the container lock. A container lock with an optimized geometry can improve the safety of the container lock, i.e., the safety of the container-to-container locks in each stack of containers on the ship's deck, by minimizing opening looseness or clearance under full tension load.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment, the container lock may be a so-called fully automatic lock, which does not require any manual locking and unlocking operations when the container is lifted onto or off the cargo ship. This automatic function may be based on the lateral diagonal movement of the container, which may be caused by a wedge-shaped guide surface at the bottom of the container lock, when the container lands on a container below or when the container is lifted from above another container.

[0029] The examples in Figures 1 and 2 show a container lock 1 between containers on board a ship. Possible fastening elements that may be used to attach the container lock 1 to the bottom corners of the container are excluded. It may also be possible to change the geometric shape of the container lock 1 compared to what is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The angle of the triangular section 6 may also be changed. A container may have at least one locking device. However, a container may also have locking devices at all eight of its corners, and the containers may be locked to each other by these locking devices.

[0030] The example in Figure 1 shows a schematic side cross-sectional view of a locking device in a rest position. This diagram can show the corner pieces of two containers, one above the other. Lower corner piece 7 belongs to the upper container, and upper corner piece 10 belongs to the lower container. Although the actual containers are not shown in these drawings, the containers may have corner pieces at each corner, and the corner pieces may be used to lock the containers together using the container lock 1. Therefore, the container lock 1 may lock the upper and lower container corner pieces 7, 10 together.

[0031] The container lock 1 may include the following functional parts: an upper cone 2, a central flange 3, and a lower cone 4. The lower cone 4 may be divided into a straight section 5 located below the central flange 3 and a nose-shaped triangular section 6 located further below.

[0032] The container locking upper cone 2 may be installed in the lower corner piece 7 of the upper container through a bottom flange opening 8 in the bottom flange 9. The container locking lower cone 4 may be inside the upper corner piece 10 of the lower container. There may be a top flange opening 11 in the top flange 12 of the upper corner piece 10. The front surface 13 of the container locking triangle may be formed by an inclined upper contact surface 14 and an inclined lower contact surface 15.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment, a container lock 1 is disclosed for locking an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other. The upper container 1 may include a lower corner piece 7, and the lower container may include an upper corner piece 10. The container lock 1 may be configured to lock the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece together. The container lock 1 in a tensioned position may be configured to satisfy the tension clearance equation TC = EB = F + D3, where E is the vertical distance between the bottom flange surface 21 of the lower corner piece 7 and the top flange surface 23 of the upper corner piece 10, B is the thickness of the central flange 3 of the container lock 1, D3 is a third vertical distance that is the vertical distance between the bottom flange surface 21 of the lower corner piece 7 and the central flange top surface 20 of the container lock 1, and F is the vertical distance between the top flange surface 23 of the upper corner piece 10 and the central flange bottom surface 22 of the container lock 1. The tension clearance TC may be 0 to 12 mm.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment, in the rest position, the upper container rests on the bottom container, and there is a rest clearance RC between the upper cone bottom surface 19 and the lower cone contact point 17, where the rest clearance RC is the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2, where D1 is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point 16 and the lower cone contact point 17, and D2 is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface 18 and the upper cone bottom surface 19. The rest clearance RC may be 0 to 4 mm.

[0035] The example in Figure 1 shows the container lock 1 and container corner pieces 7, 10 in a rest position. In this position, the bottom flange 9 of the upper container may contact the central flange 3, which may in turn contact the top flange 12 of the bottom container. Depending on the actual dimensions of the flanges 3, 9, and 12 and the dimension X of the container lock, there may be some vertical clearance between the lower container corner piece contact point 16 and the lower cone contact point 17 on the upper contact surface 14. This may be marked as a first vertical distance D1, as shown in Figure 1. The lower cone contact point 17 may be the closest point of the container lock 1 vertically below the lower container corner piece contact point 16 in the rest position. The lower container corner piece contact point 16 may be the point that the upper contact surface 14 of the container lock 1 first hits when the container lock 1 is lifted vertically upward from the rest position.

[0036] There may be another vertical clearance between the upper container corner piece contact surface 18 and the upper cone bottom surface 19 of the container lock 1. This second vertical distance may be marked D2 as shown in Figure 1. The total vertical rest clearance RC may consist of the sum of D1 and D2. The container lock 1 may have no or little clearance between the contact surfaces of the container corner pieces 7, 10 and the container lock 1.

[0037] According to an exemplary embodiment, in the rest position, the top container is configured to rest idle on top of the bottom container, with a rest clearance RC of 0-4 mm between the top cone bottom surface 19 and the bottom cone contact point 17. A container lock with optimized geometry can minimize opening sag under full tension load, allowing for large loads.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment, the static clearance RC is the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2, where the first vertical distance D1 is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point 16 and the lower cone contact point 17, and the second vertical distance D2 is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface 18 and the upper cone bottom surface 19.

[0039] According to exemplary embodiments, the static clearance RC is between 0 and 4 mm. This may allow, for example, a load that is at least 5% greater than a static clearance of 10 mm of a conventional locking device. According to exemplary embodiments, the static clearance RC is between 0 and 2 mm. This may allow, for example, a load that is at least 10% greater than a static clearance of 10 mm of a conventional locking device. A static clearance RC of 0 mm may allow, for example, a load that is 20% greater than a static clearance of 10 mm. Even a static clearance of 0 mm may be possible due to variations caused by manufacturing tolerances and container dimensions.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment, in the rest position, the locking device is configured to satisfy the equation X=A+B+C+D1+D2, X is the vertical distance between the upper cone base 19 and the lower cone contact point 17; A is the thickness of the bottom flange 9 of the lower corner piece 7; B is the thickness of the central flange 3 of the container lock 1, C is the thickness of the top flange 12 of the upper corner piece 10; D1 is a first vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the lower container corner piece contact point 16 and the lower cone contact point 17; D2 is a second vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface 18 and the upper cone bottom surface 19.

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment, the static clearance RC=D1+D2=XABC.

[0042] The example in Figure 2 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the locking device of Figure 1 in a tensioned position. Tension acts at least in the direction of tension arrow T. For example, a tensile load may occur when a ship heels sufficiently at sea that the second edge of the upper container begins to rise upward, causing the container stack to tilt. The container lock 1 and container corner pieces 7, 10 may be in a tensioned position. On one side of the container stack, the container corner may be compressed downward, while on the other side of the stack, the container lock 1 and the upper corner piece 10 of the lower container are pulled upward by the upper container. However, the container lock 1 may still hold the container stack together. The smaller the clearance between the container corner pieces 7, 10 and the container lock 1, the smaller the tension acting between these components may be when the ship heels left or right.

[0043] In the tension position, the upper container bottom corner piece 7 may typically be moving both upward and sideways due to the vertical and horizontal clearances between the container corner pieces 7, 10 and the container lock 1. In the tension position, the contact surface 18 of the upper container bottom corner piece 7 may be in contact with the upper cone bottom surface 19, and the lower container corner piece contact point 16 may be in contact with the lower cone contact point 17 of the upper contact surface 14 of the container lock 1.

[0044] The total vertical tension clearance, or vertical clearance or the sum of distances F and D3 (F+D3) in Figure 2, may be beneficially as low as possible, or even zero. The vertical tension clearance may also be the difference between E and B at the tension location (EB). With optimized container lock geometry, the total vertical tension clearance TC may be between 0 and 12 mm.

[0045] According to an exemplary embodiment, a locking device for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other is disclosed, the locking device comprising a lower corner piece 7 of the upper container having a bottom flange 9, an upper corner piece 10 of the lower container having a top flange 12, and a container lock 1 for locking the lower corner piece 7 of the upper container and the upper corner piece 10 of the lower container together. In a tensioned position, the locking device is configured to satisfy the tension clearance equation TC=EB=F+D3, E is the vertical distance between the bottom flange surface 21 and the top flange surface 23; B is the thickness of the central flange 3 of the container lock 1, D3 is a third vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the bottom flange bottom surface 21 and the central flange top surface 20 of the container lock 1; F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the central flange 22 of the container lock 1 .

[0046] The tension clearance TC may be 0 to 12 mm. The tension clearance TC may be the total vertical clearance caused by the upward tensile stress T from the upper container.

[0047] According to an exemplary embodiment, the tension clearance TC is 0 to 8 mm. Preferably, the tension clearance TC may be 0 to 4 mm. More preferably, the tension clearance TC may be 0 mm.

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment, the tension clearance TC is between 0 and 12 mm. This may allow for at least a 5% greater load compared to, for example, a 20 mm tension clearance of a conventional locking device. According to an exemplary embodiment, the tension clearance TC is between 0 and 8 mm. This may allow for at least a 10% greater load compared to, for example, a 20 mm tension clearance of a conventional locking device. According to an exemplary embodiment, the tension clearance TC is between 0 and 4 mm. This may allow for at least a 15% greater load compared to, for example, a 20 mm tension clearance of a conventional locking device. A tension clearance TC having a value of 0 mm may allow for, for example, a 20% greater load compared to, for example, a 20 mm tension clearance of a conventional locking device.

[0049] In optimal circumstances, the static clearance RC may be 0 and the tension clearance TC may also be 0. Even a tension or static clearance of 0 mm may be possible due to variations caused by manufacturing tolerances and container dimensions.

[0050] 3 shows an example of a method for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other with a locking device. The locking device may comprise a lower corner piece 7 of the upper container with a bottom flange 9, an upper corner piece 10 of the lower container with a top flange 12, and a container lock 1.

[0051] In operation 300, the method may include locking the bottom corner piece 7 and the top corner piece 10 together with the container lock 1.

[0052] In operation 310, the method determines whether the locking device satisfies the tension clearance equation TC=EB=F+D3 in the tension position.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment, E may be the vertical distance between the bottom flange bottom surface 21 and the top flange top surface 23, B may be the thickness of the central flange 3 of the container lock 1, D3 may be a third vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the bottom flange bottom surface 21 and the central flange top surface 20 of the container lock 1, F may be the vertical distance between the top flange top surface 23 and the central flange bottom surface 22 of the container lock 1, and the tension clearance TC may be 0 to 12 mm.

[0054] Further features of the method result, for example, directly from the function of the locking device.As explained in connection with the various exemplary embodiments, different variants of the method can also be applied. A locking device for joining together an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other may be configured to perform or cause to be performed any aspect of the method described herein.

[0055] Any range or device value given herein may be extended or modified without losing the effect sought, and any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0056] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the precise features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

[0057] It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or to multiple embodiments. Embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages. It will be further understood that reference to "an" or "an" item may mean one or more of those items.

[0058] The steps or actions of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from any of the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the above-described embodiments may be combined with aspects of any of the other described embodiments to form further embodiments without losing the desired effect.

[0059] The term "comprising" is used herein to mean that the specified methods, blocks, or elements are included, but that such blocks or elements do not constitute an exclusive list and that the method or apparatus may include additional blocks or elements.

[0060] Although a subject may be referred to as a "primary" subject, a "secondary" subject, or a "tertiary" subject, this does not necessarily indicate any order or importance of the subjects. Rather, such attributes may be used only to distinguish between the subjects.

[0061] It will be understood that the above description is provided by way of example only, and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. While various embodiments have been described above in some detail, or with reference to one or more specific embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous modifications to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present specification.

Claims

1. 1. A locking device for joining together an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other, said locking device comprising: a lower corner piece of the upper container having a bottom flange; an upper corner piece of the lower container having a top flange; a container lock for locking the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece together; Equipped with In the tensioned position, the locking device is configured to satisfy the tension clearance equation TC=E-B=F+D3; E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the top flange; B is the thickness of the central flange of said container lock; D3 is a third vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock; F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the middle flange of the container lock; A locking device, wherein the tension clearance is 0 to 12 mm.

2. 2. The locking device of claim 1, wherein the tension clearance is the total vertical clearance caused by an upward tensile stress from the upper container.

3. 3. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the tension clearance is 0 to 8 mm.

4. The locking device of claim 1 , wherein the tension clearance is between 0 and 4 mm.

5. The locking device of claim 1 , wherein the tension clearance is 0 mm.

6. In a rest position, the upper container is configured to rest on the bottom container, and there is a rest clearance between the upper cone bottom surface and the lower cone contact point, the rest clearance being the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2; D1 is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point; D2 is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface; 3. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the static clearance is 0 to 4 mm.

7. The locking device of claim 6, wherein the static clearance is between 0 and 2 mm.

8. 7. The locking device of claim 6, wherein the static clearance is 0 mm.

9. In the rest position, the rest clearance is RC=D1+D2=X-ABC; X is the vertical distance between the upper cone base and the lower cone contact point; A is the thickness of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece; B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock; C is the thickness of the top flange of the upper corner piece; D1 is the first vertical distance, which is the vertical distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point; 8. The locking device according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein D2 is the second vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface.

10. 3. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the container lock is a fully automatic lock.

11. A container lock for locking an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other, wherein the upper container has lower corner pieces and the lower container has upper corner pieces; the container lock is configured to lock the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece together; wherein in a tensioned position the container lock is configured to satisfy the tension clearance equation TC=E-B=F+D3; E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the top flange; B is the thickness of the central flange of said container lock; D3 is a third vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock; F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the middle flange of the container lock; A container lock, wherein the tension clearance is 0 to 12 mm.

12. In a rest position, the upper container rests on the bottom container, and there is a static clearance between the bottom surface of the upper cone and the contact point of the lower cone, the static clearance being the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2; D1 is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point; D2 is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface; 12. A container lock according to claim 11, wherein the static clearance is between 0 and 4 mm.

13. 1. A method for joining an upper container and a lower container stacked on top of each other with a locking device, the locking device comprising: a lower corner piece of the upper container having a bottom flange; an upper corner piece of the lower container having a top flange; Container lock and The method comprises: locking the lower corner piece and the upper corner piece together with the container lock; Including, In the tensioned position, the locking device satisfies the tension clearance equation TC=EB=F+D3, E is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the top flange; B is the thickness of the central flange of said container lock; D3 is a third vertical distance which is the vertical distance between the bottom surface of the bottom flange and the top surface of the central flange of the container lock; F is the vertical distance between the top surface of the top flange and the bottom surface of the middle flange of the container lock; The method, wherein the tension clearance is 0 to 12 mm.

14. In a rest position, the upper container rests on the bottom container, and there is a static clearance between the bottom surface of the upper cone and the contact point of the lower cone, the static clearance being the sum of a first vertical distance D1 and a second vertical distance D2; D1 is the distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point; D2 is the distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface. The method of claim 13, wherein the static clearance is between 0 and 4 mm.

15. In the rest position, the rest clearance is RC=D1+D2=X-ABC; X is the vertical distance between the upper cone base and the lower cone contact point; A is the thickness of the bottom flange of the lower corner piece; B is the thickness of the central flange of the container lock; C is the thickness of the top flange of the upper corner piece; D1 is the first vertical distance, which is the vertical distance between the lower container corner piece contact point and the lower cone contact point; 15. The method of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein D2 is the second vertical distance, which is the vertical distance between the upper container corner piece contact surface and the upper cone bottom surface.

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