Strapping for the stabilisation of pillars of truck cargo boxes

Abstract

The invention relates to strapping (1) for the stabilisation of pillars (4) of tarpaulin cargo boxes (2) of trucks, wherein the bottom of the pillar (4) is attached to the frame of the cargo box (2) and the top of the pillar is attached to a triple rail (3) of a cargo box (2) with a runner (31) into which a T-shaped carriage (44) slidingly fits, the carriage (44) being joined to the upper part of the pillar (4) by being inserted into a slot (451) in a plate (45) attached to the upper part of the pillar (4), wherein the strapping (1) is disposed between the triple rail (3) and the pillar (4), being supported on the plate (45) of the pillar (4), and comprises lateral damping means (13) on both sides of the pillar (4) that make contact with the bottom surface of the triple rail (3) to dampen any possible rocking of the pillar (4).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] STABILIZATION STRAP FOR PILLARS OF TRUCK LOAD BOXES

[0003] Technical sector

[0004] The present invention relates to the branch of cargo transportation, specifically to the parts that make up the cargo box of a truck in which the material to be transported is transported and secured.

[0005] State of the art

[0006] To transport loads, a truck attaches different types of trailers to transport the material. Curtainsider trailers are the most widely used for transporting general merchandise. These trailers have a rectangular, box-like, skeletal structure that allows loading through the rear door, from above, and from the side. The latter is much more convenient as it has a larger operating area and allows for faster loading and unloading.

[0007] This cargo box consists of a floor, a front fascia, a rear door, and upper profiles called tri-rails that connect the front and rear sections at the top. These profiles have three rails, hence their name, which allow the roof to be moved and folded down along the top rail; the side canvas to be moved along the outer rail, which covers the entire trailer; and the pillars to be moved along the middle rail.

[0008] The side pillars of a trailer's cargo box serve the purpose of ensuring the rigidity of the entire box, ensuring its stability. They also support the longitudinal profiles or boards that secure the load and keep the upper three-rail supporting the roof and canvas taut. These pillars are well known in the state of the art, and while there are different types depending on whether the trailer's roof is liftable or not, they all have a similar structure.

[0009] The pillar consists of a clamp, an extension, or a slide that slides along the inside of the clamp, allowing for variable height adjustment. A plate is attached to the top of the pillar's slide, holding a carriage with four bearings that allow it to slide along the three-rail system. This allows it to be moved along the entire length of the cargo box and secured in the desired position. This attachment is made to the chassis by means of a lever-like lock on the bottom of the pillar. There are also lateral hooks along the clamp to attach boards or profiles that are placed transversely and held at their ends between one pillar and the other, ensuring proper load securing.

[0010] For a better understanding of the structure and operation of these pillars, we cite document ES1014848_U, which discloses a sliding pillar for a truck bed with a removable roof designed to be able to move to the right and left when required, and to be returned to its original position once the truck has been loaded.

[0011] Due to the carriage bearings on the top of the pillars, they move laterally along the rail, causing some destabilization. This slight swaying is caused by any movement, both while the vehicle is moving and when at rest on uneven or inclined terrain. This "rocking" tends to affect the driver's ability to control the truck to some extent, and with each braking or acceleration, it generates a kind of annoying knocking that can cause fatigue during the transport journey.

[0012] Furthermore, when the trailer is at rest, this movement of the carriage causes the pillar to be slightly tilted, as it is attached to the lower part. This tilt causes the distance between one pillar and another to be uneven at all points of the pillar. This means that at some points, this distance will be greater, causing the profiles to lose their support. When the tarpaulin is removed for unloading, one may fall, causing an accident with significant physical injury to the operator.

[0013] To solve this problem and achieve stabilization of the pillars, the object of the present invention is proposed, which consists of the incorporation of a strap that is placed at the junction of the carriage with the pillar, in turn making contact with the rail, eliminating this rocking movement of the pillar. Object of the invention

[0014] In order to meet this objective and solve the technical problems discussed so far, in addition to providing additional advantages that may be derived later, the present invention relates to a stabilization strap for pillars of truck canvas cargo boxes, where the pillar is fixed at its lower part to the chassis of the cargo box and at its upper part fixed to a three-rail of the cargo box with a rail where a "T" shaped carriage fits in a sliding manner, said carriage being attached to the upper part of the pillar by inserting the lower part of the "T" into a slot of a plate fixed to the upper part of the pillar, where the strap is arranged between the three-rail and pillar being supported on the plate of the pillar and said strap with lateral damping means on both sides of the pillar that contact the lower surface of the three-rail to dampen a possible rocking of the pillar.

[0015] This strapping must be strong and flexible enough to stabilize the pillar and eliminate rocking movements at its top. It's important to note that eliminating these movements is necessary when the trailer is closed, that is, when the pillars have been hooked up, the profiles and loads are in place, and the tarpaulin is properly secured.

[0016] To load and unload cargo from the side, the pillar must be unhooked and rolled to facilitate the loading and unloading of the load. When unhooked from the bottom, the pillar is suspended from the three-rail system, causing it to flex slightly due to the release of tension between the three-rail system and the pillar carriage. This release creates a slack that allows the pillar to roll even with the strap attached.

[0017] When the pillar is placed in the desired position using the bearing, it must be raised to secure the locking lever. Once engaged, the upper three-rail is tightened, and in this position, the slack between the three-rail and the pillar decreases. However, the present invention proposes eliminating this slack, eliminating the movements of the carriage along the three-rail, which result in the pillar swaying, creating destabilization in the cargo bed and discomfort for the truck driver. The strapping object of the present invention is mounted between the three-rail and the pillar, eliminating this slack and exerting a clamping force like a shock absorber that eliminates lateral swaying. Preferably, the strapping comprises a central support body on the pillar plate, in the form of a flat plate with a slot corresponding to the slot in the plate, for inserting the carriage for subsequent fastening.

[0018] This configuration provides an element that is easy to manufacture from folded sheet metal. The slot configuration locks the strap, preventing it from shifting laterally and transversely. The lateral direction is understood as the longitudinal direction of the strap, and the transverse direction is understood as the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strap.

[0019] According to a characteristic of the invention, the lateral damping means are in the form of a plate spring, that is, a flexed sheet spring, with a first bend descending from the central body of the strip, and with a second bend ascending below that together establish the spring function, with one end protruding from the median plane of the central body for contact with the three-rail.

[0020] This configuration allows a strip to be manufactured from sheet metal with spring-like qualities at its ends that cushion any possible rocking of the upper part of the pillar.

[0021] According to another characteristic of the invention, the end of the strap that protrudes on each side thereof has a curved shape.

[0022] Thanks to this configuration, the free end of the strap on both sides has a downward curvature, again allowing for better support of the lower surface of the three-rail and therefore better cushioning.

[0023] Description of the figures

[0024] To complement the description being made and in order to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0025] Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the truck's cargo box.

[0026] Figure 2.- Shows an exploded view of the pillar-strap-three-rail assembly.

[0027] Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the pillar-strap-three-rail assembly in the assembly position, seen from the outside of the truck.

[0028] Figure 4.- Shows a perspective view like that of figure 3 but from the inside of the truck.

[0029] Figure 5.- Shows a front view of the pillar-strap-three-rail assembly from the inside.

[0030] Figure 6.- Shows a perspective view of the strap object of the invention.

[0031] Figure 7.- Shows a front view of the strap.

[0032] Figure 8.- Shows a top view of the strap

[0033] Detailed description of the invention

[0034] In view of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the numbering adopted, one can observe in them an example of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which comprises the parts and elements indicated and described in detail below.

[0035] As can be seen in figure 1, the cargo box (2) of the trailer or semi-trailer trucks with a canvas enclosure, comprise a plurality of pillars (4) that are fixed in their lower part to the chassis, and in their upper part are joined to a three-rail (3) along which the canvas that acts as an enclosure moves.

[0036] This pillar (4) preferably comprises a slide (42) for extending the pillar (4) when it is necessary to raise the roof of the cargo box (2). As can be seen in Figure 2, at the end of said slide (42) the pillar (4) comprises a sheet (45) with a slot (451). Thus, for the connection between the three-rail (3) and the pillar (4), there is a “T” shaped carriage (44) that fits in a sliding manner inside a rail (31) of the three-rail (3), sliding on it thanks to bearings (441) arranged on the wings of the “T” of the carriage (44). The lower extension of the “T” of said carriage (44) is in the form of a plate and during assembly it is inserted into the slot (451) of the plate (45) of the pillar (4), such that with a locking pin (443) it is fixed in a hole (444) of the carriage (44) to prevent it from coming out of said slot (451) of the plate (45). In this arrangement the pillar (4) is secured by keeping the three-rail (3) in place.

[0037] However, with this configuration due to the vertical movement clearance of the carriage (44) on the slot (451) of the sheet (45), said vertical movement between the three-rail (3) and the pillar (4) added to the lateral movement of the carriage (44) on the rail (31), sometimes results in a rocking of the pillar (4). To avoid said rocking, as can be seen in Figures 2 to 5 of the preferred embodiment of the invention, a damping strip (1) is arranged between the three-rail (3) and the pillar (4) to eliminate the aforementioned vertical movement clearance, but damping any possible vertical movements, such that the unwanted rocking of the upper part of the pillar (4) is minimized or completely eliminated.

[0038] This strap (1) consists of an elongated, leaf-spring-shaped laminar piece with a central body (11) with a flat surface and lateral damping means (13) at each end of the strap. In the central part of the central body (11) the strap preferably comprises a slot (12) of the same shape and dimensions as the slot (451) of the pillar plate (4), such that the strap (4) rests with its central body (11) on the plate (45) making its slot (12) coincide with the slot (451) of the plate (45), and at that moment the lower part (442) of the carriage (44) fits into both slots (12, 451), blocking the exit of the carriage (44) by means of fixing the locking bolt (443) as is done in the usual way.In this way the strap (1) is fitted between the pillar (4) and the three-rail (3) maintaining contact with both elements, so that the damping means (13) are arranged outside the pillar (4) and contacting the lower surface of the three-rail (3) to dampen the vertical movements and restrict the lateral movements of the upper part of the pillar (4).

[0039] For this purpose, as can be seen in figures 6 to 8, the damping means (13) of the ends of the strap (1) are preferably in the form of a first descending elbow (1a), a second ascending elbow (1b) that ends in an end that projects upwards from the middle plane of the central body (11), said end being the one that makes contact with the lower surface of the three-rail (3) in the operative assembly position.

[0040] Thus, preferably the end of the strip (1) ends in a curve (1c) or support bend to prevent a profiled edge from causing friction or jamming of the carriage (44). In this way, the sum of the three bends (1a, 1b, 1c) form damping means (13) in the form of a plate spring, which as can be seen in Figure 5, provide contact support with the lower surface of the three-rail (3) acting as a damping stop to prevent the pillar from rocking.

[0041] This strap (1) will preferably be made of folded sheet metal, of a material that provides sufficient resistance to withstand bending, such as steel. The degree of damping will be calculated during the sizing of the strap (1) so that it adapts to the dimensions of the pillar (4) to be damped, taking into account the thickness and angle and / or number of spring bends (1a, 1b, 1c).

Claims

CLAIMS 1.- Stabilizing strap (1) for pillars (4) of truck tarpaulin cargo boxes (2), where the pillar (4) is fixed at its lower part to the chassis of the cargo box (2) and at its upper part fixed to a three-rail (3) of the cargo box (2) with a rail (31) into which a T-shaped carriage (44) slides, said carriage (44) being attached to the upper part of the pillar (4) by being inserted into a groove (451) of a plate (45) fixed to the upper part of the pillar (4), where the strap (1) is disposed between the three-rail (3) and pillar (4) being supported on the plate (45) of the pillar (4) and with lateral damping means (13) on both sides of the pillar (4) that contact the lower surface of the three-rail (3) to dampen a possible rocking of the pillar (4). 2.- The strap (1) according to claim 1, comprises a central part (11) for support on the plate (45) of the pillar (4), in the form of a flat plate with a groove (12) corresponding to the groove (451) of the plate (45), for insertion of the carriage (44). 3.- Strip (1) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the lateral damping means (13) are in the form of a plate spring with a first descending elbow (1a) from the central part (11) and a second ascending elbow (1b) which establish the spring function, and leaving an end (1c) that protrudes for contact with the tri-rail (3). 4.- Strap (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the end (1c) has a curved shape.

Images