Barrier free structure for wall opening unit in automobile carrier

Abstract

To provide a barrier free structure carrying out, with less labor, resolution for steps in a partition opening unit in an automobile carrier.SOLUTION: Stepped space sr for having a bottom end unit of a water tight door 50 slide is formed on floor surface of a hold storing automobiles and a step resolution cover 10 is installed in vicinity of the stepped space sr in an automobile carrier partitioning the hold by a plurality of partition walls and opening and closing opening units of each partition wall by sliding the water tight door 50. The step resolution cover 10 is capable of selectively taking a use position filling the stepped space sr and a stored position being taken out from the stepped space sr by a support device 11 including an installation base 12 fixed to floor surface, a supporting pin 13 provided on it, and a coupling plate 14 for coupling the supporting pin 13 and the step resolution cover 10. Due to this, manual labor is greatly reduced with no necessity to fetch and return the step resolution cover 10 to / from a separated position at every use and storage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a step-eliminating structure for a bulkhead opening in a car carrier. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to deal with fires and flooding during voyage on car carriers, the cargo holds are divided into several bulkheads, and the openings in each bulkhead are closed with watertight doors to limit damage. In the prior art of Patent Document 1, the following known basic structure is used for opening and closing the watertight door: The watertight door itself is slidable by an air cylinder or the like, and is guided by an upper rail attached to the top of the bulkhead opening and a lower rail attached to the bottom, opening and closing the opening.

[0003] However, as cars enter and leave the holds of car carriers by driving themselves, they pass through openings in the bulkheads. As the car's tires climb over the lower rails, they impact the lower rails each time they pass, generating a loud crashing noise and shocking the cars themselves. To avoid this, cars could be driven at slower speeds, but this would increase the time it takes for cars to be loaded and unloaded. Since car carriers carry hundreds of cars, this would have a significant impact and could even cause delays to the ship's departure schedule.

[0004] Therefore, to eliminate the unevenness around the lower rail, a portable step-eliminating cover was installed on-site each time. This step-eliminating cover was made of steel plate with a U-shaped cross section, and was installed adjacent to the lower rail when the watertight door was open, and stored in a storage location nearby inside the ship when the watertight door was closed. This installation and storage work was done manually every time the numerous bulkheads were opened or closed, which was extremely cumbersome and labor-intensive. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-108986 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a step-eliminating structure that can eliminate the step at the bulkhead opening of a car carrier with little effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The step-eliminating structure for bulkhead openings in a car carrier of the first invention is a car carrier in which a hold for storing cars is divided by multiple bulkheads and the openings of each bulkhead are opened and closed by sliding a watertight door, wherein a step space for sliding the lower end of the watertight door is formed on the floor of the hold, and a step-eliminating cover that fills the step space is installed near the step space, and the step-eliminating cover can selectively be placed in a use position where it fills the step space and in a storage position where it is removed from the step space. The step-eliminating structure for a bulkhead opening in a car carrier of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the step-eliminating cover is rotatably attached in a vertical plane by a support device consisting of an installation base fixed to the floor surface, a support pin provided on the installation base, and a connecting plate connecting the support pin and the step-eliminating cover. The step-eliminating structure for a bulkhead opening in a car carrier of the third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, guide plates made up of inclined plates extending from the floor inside the cargo hold to the top surface of the step-eliminating cover in the installed state are installed on both sides of the bulkhead opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the step-eliminating cover can be selectively placed in either the use position or the storage position at the installation location, eliminating the need to go to a distant location to retrieve and return the step-eliminating cover each time it is used or stored, thereby significantly reducing the amount of manual labor required. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the step-eliminating cover can be raised and lowered by the support device, so that it can be easily brought manually to the use position and the storage position, making it extremely easy to handle. According to the third aspect of the present invention, inclined guide plates are placed in front of and behind the step-eliminating cover when it is in the use position, so the tires of the car do not receive any impact when going over the step-eliminating cover, which reduces the time it takes for the car to drive in and out. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing a step-eliminating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the step-eliminating cover 10. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the step-eliminating cover 10. [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram of the step-eliminating cover 10 in use. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The car carrier according to this embodiment has several holds for storing a large number of cars, and each hold is separated by multiple bulkheads. Each bulkhead has an opening that allows cars to enter and exit under their own power. Furthermore, this opening can be opened and closed with a watertight door 50 shown in Figure 1, so that damage in the event of a fire or flooding can be limited.

[0011] In FIG. 1, a watertight door 50 for opening and closing the opening in the bulkhead as described above is shown by a two-dot chain line. The watertight door 50 itself is known, and is configured to slide using a drive mechanism that uses an air cylinder, etc. The watertight door 50 is suspended from an upper rail (not shown) and travels on a lower rail 1 installed on the floor 3 of the hold. Wheels 51 for running on the lower rail 1 are attached to the main body of the watertight door 50 via support arms 52 .

[0012] On the floor 3 of the hold, a fastening member 2 is placed on the opposite side of the lower rail 1 (on the right side in Figure 1), across the watertight door 50. This fastening member 2 is used to compress an elastic material such as rubber attached around the watertight door 50 to seal it tightly. After sliding the watertight door 50 to close the opening in the bulkhead, the watertight door 50 can be closed by pressing it against the fastening member 2 to prevent water from entering through the opening.

[0013] The lower rail 1 and the fastening member 2 are spaced apart horizontally (left and right in FIG. 1) on the floor 3 of the hold so that the watertight door 50 can travel, and so there is a space created by the step between the lower rail 1 and the fastening member 2. In this specification, this space is called the step space sr.

[0014] The present invention is characterized in that a member is provided to fill the step space sr, and this member is the step-eliminating cover 10. The step-eliminating cover 10 shown in Figure 2 is a steel plate with a U-shaped cross section, and has a length L that allows one tire of an automobile to pass through with ease. The width W is slightly narrower than the width of the step space sr, and the height H should be approximately the same as the lower rail 1 and the fastening material 2.

[0015] The step-eliminating cover 10 is attached to a support device 11 that rotatably supports it. This support device 11 consists of an installation base 12, a support pin 13 attached to the top surface of the installation base 12, and a connecting plate 14 connected to the support pin 13 and the top surface of the step-eliminating cover 10. The illustrated installation stand 12 has a thick top plate on which the support pins 13 are attached, with feet attached to both ends, but this is not limited to this and any structure can be adopted as long as the support pins 13 can be attached in a rotatable manner.

[0016] Both ends of the support pin 13 are fixed by appropriate pin receiving members to the top plate of the installation table 12. The pin receiving members rotatably support the support pin 13, so that the support pin 13 is rotatable around a horizontal axis. The base end of the connecting plate 14 is fixed to the support pin 13 by welding or the like, and the tip end is fixed to the top plate of the step-eliminating cover 10 by welding or the like.

[0017] A pair of two support devices 11 are provided for one step-eliminating cover 10. As shown in Figure 2, the connecting plate 14 of one support device 11 is fixed to one end of the top plate of the step-eliminating cover 10, and the connecting plate 14 of the other support device 11 is fixed to the other end of the same top plate. When a worker lifts the step-eliminating cover 10 by hand, the support pins 13 rotate to make it stand upright in a vertical plane, and when the worker lowers it by hand, it falls down.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows the planar arrangement of a pair of left and right step-eliminating covers 10 installed in the step space sr. The distance between both ends of the pair of left and right step-eliminating covers 10, 10 is set to a distance that allows both left and right tires of all types of automobiles stored in the hold to fit inside.

[0019] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a first wheel guide plate 20 is installed adjacent to the lower rail 1 (left side in the figure), and a second wheel guide plate 30 is installed adjacent to the fastening material 2 (right side in the figure). The first and second wheel guide plates 20, 30 each include an inclined plate portion 21, 31 that forms an inclined surface when installed, and feet 22, 32 that support the inclined plate portion 21, 31 in an inclined state. The inclined plate portions 21, 31 and the foot portions 22, 32 may be formed by bending the same steel plate as shown in the figure, or may be separate members fixed by welding or the like.

[0020] The dimension between the outer ends of the first and second wheel guide plates 20, 30 may be any dimension that matches the dimension between the outer ends of the pair of step-eliminating covers 10, 10 described above. In other words, the length must be such that both the left and right tires of all types of automobiles stored in the cargo hold can fit inside.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the installation base 12 of the support device 11 is inserted between the mounting member of the fastening material 2 and the foot 32 of the second wheel guide plate 30. Although it is possible to fix the support device 11 by just inserting it in this way, the installation base 12 may also be fixed to the floor surface 3 of the cargo hold by welding.

[0022] 4 shows the installed state of the step-eliminating cover 10. The height of the step-eliminating cover 10 is approximately the same as the height of the lower rail 1 and the fastening member 2. Furthermore, the width (spacing) of the step space sr between the lower rail 1 and the fastening member 2 is almost entirely filled with the step-eliminating cover 10.

[0023] Therefore, when a car is driving through the opening in the partition, it can climb up the first wheel guide plate 20, pass over the top surface of the step-eliminating cover 10, and then pass through the second wheel guide plate 30. When passing in the opposite direction, the car will climb up from the second wheel guide plate 30, pass over the top surface of the step-eliminating cover 10, and pass through the first wheel guide plate 20. As described above, when passing through the opening, the tire T may come into contact with the lower rail 1 or the fastening material 2, but no large impact is caused. Therefore, the time required for the vehicle to be driven in and out can be shortened.

[0024] In this embodiment, it is preferable to place a shock-absorbing mat on the upper surface of the floor surface 3 on which the step-eliminating cover 10 is to be installed. This prevents the shock noise that occurs when the step-eliminating cover 10 is laid down to be installed, and also prevents the rattling noise that occurs when the automobile tires T go over it. Examples of materials for the shock-absorbing mat include rubber, but are not limited to this.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, when opening or closing the watertight door 50, the step-eliminating cover 10 is raised and then tilted down until it abuts against the inclined plate portion 31 of the second wheel guide plate 30. In this way, the step space sr is opened, and the sliding movement of the watertight door 50 is not hindered.

[0026] According to the partition opening step-eliminating structure of this embodiment, the step-eliminating cover 10 can be brought into the use position or the storage position simply by standing up or laying it down, making it extremely easy to handle. Therefore, there is no need to go to a distant location to retrieve and return the step-eliminating cover 10 each time it is used or stored, which significantly reduces the amount of manual labor required. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 bottom rail 2 Fastening material 10 Step-eliminating cover 11 Support device 12 Installation stand 13 Support pin 14 Connecting plate 20 First Wheel Guide Plate 30 Second Wheel Guide Plate 50 Watertight Door

Claims

1. In a car carrier, the cargo hold for storing cars is divided by multiple bulkheads, and the opening of each bulkhead is opened and closed by sliding a watertight door. A stepped space for sliding the lower end of the watertight door is formed on the floor of the hold, a step elimination cover that fills the step space is installed near the step space, The step-eliminating cover can selectively take a use position where it fills the step space and a storage position where it is removed from the step space. A structure for eliminating a step at a bulkhead opening in a car carrier.

2. The step-eliminating cover is attached rotatably in a vertical plane by a support device consisting of an installation base fixed to the floor surface, a support pin provided on the installation base, and a connecting plate connecting the support pin and the step-eliminating cover.

2. The step-eliminating structure for a bulkhead opening in a car carrier according to claim 1.

3. On both sides of the opening in the bulkhead, guide plates are installed that are made up of inclined plates that extend from the floor of the hold to the top surface of the step-eliminating cover that is in the installed state.

2. The step-eliminating structure for a bulkhead opening in a car carrier according to claim 1.

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