SHACKLE LOCK AND SHACKLE COMPRISING SAID SHACKLE LOCK

Abstract

A shackle lock for positioning on a shackle body, the shackle lock has a housing, at least one locking body and a sleeve which is displaceable in an axial direction of the housing. The housing is adapted for connection to the shackle body and is arranged to house a first end of a shackle pin. The at least one locking body is arranged to engage with a locking groove at the first end of the shackle pin. The sleeve, in a locking position, is arranged to keep the at least one locking body in the groove, and, in a releasing position, is arranged to release the at least one locking body from the groove. A shackle in which a shackle lock is arranged on an outside of the first end of the shackle body is described as well.

Claims

1. A shackle lock for positioning on a shackle body wherein the shackle lock comprises a housing at least one locking body and a sleeve which is displaceable in an axial direction of the housing wherein: the housing is adapted for connection to the shackle body and is arranged to house a first end of a shackle pin the at least one locking body is arranged to engage with a locking groove at the first end of the shackle pin and the sleeve in a first locking position, is arranged to keep the at least one locking body in the groove and, in a releasing position, is arranged to release the at least one locking body from the groove.

2. The shackle lock in accordance with claim 1, the shackle lock being self-locking.

3. The shackle lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein the shackle lock comprises a spring arranged to keep the sleeve in the locking position.

4. The shackle lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sleeve is kept in the locking position by means of a push force provided by a pressurized fluid.

5. The shackle lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein the at least one locking body is a ball.

6. The shackle lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein the shackle lock comprises a threaded portion arranged to engage with a corresponding threaded portion in the shackle body.

7. A shackle comprising a shackle body with a first end and a second end with axially coinciding cut-outs adapted for the insertion of a shackle pin wherein a shackle lock in accordance with claim 1 is arranged on an outside of the first end of the shackle body the shackle lock being arranged axially coincidingly with the cut-outs of the shackle body, and the shackle lock (300) projecting from the first end of the shackle body in a direction away from the second end of the shackle body and the shackle pin is provided with a radial locking groove at the first end of the shackle pin the locking groove being arranged to engage with at least one locking body belonging to the shackle lock (300).

8. The shackle in accordance with claim 7, wherein the peripheral locking groove of the shackle pin has a width arranged to give the locking body moving space in the axial direction of the shackle pin.

9. The shackle in accordance with claim 7, wherein the shackle pin includes a plane recess with a first end arranged to engage with a corresponding stop at the second end of the shackle body .

10. The shackle in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the shackle pin at a second endincludes a radial recess arranged to engage with the stop by rotation of the shackle pin.

11. The locking device for a shackle wherein the locking device comprises a shackle lock and a shackle pin in accordance with claim 1.

12. The locking device in accordance with claim 11, the locking device comprising at least one of a first safety function and a second safety function for the shackle pin wherein: the first safety function comprises a stop positioned in the shackle body and against a recess of the shackle pin and a first end belonging to the recess is arranged to engage with the stop so that the shackle pin is prevented from being pulled out of the shackle body and the second safety function comprises the stop and the radial recess of the shackle pin the stop being arranged to prevent an axial movement of the shackle pin when the shackle pin is positioned in such a way that the recess does not correspond with the stop.

13. The shackle in accordance with claim 8, wherein the shackle pin includes a plane recess with a first end arranged to engage with a corresponding stop at the second end of the shackle body.

14. The shackle in accordance with claim 8, wherein the shackle pin, at a second end, includes a radial recess arranged to engage with the stop by rotation of the shackle pin.

15. The shackle in accordance with claim 9, wherein the shackle pin, at a second end, includes a radial recess arranged to engage with the stop by rotation of the shackle pin.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] In what follows, examples of preferred embodiments are described, which are visualized in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0059] FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, a shackle comprising a shackle lock arranged on a shackle body, and a shackle pin in a locking position;

[0060] FIG. 2 shows the shackle of FIG. 1 in a releasing position and from a different angle;

[0061] FIG. 3 shows the shackle on a larger scale, seen from the front;

[0062] FIG. 4 shows the shackle from the side;

[0063] FIG. 5 shows a vertical section A-A of the shackle in which the shackle lock is screwed to the shackle body;

[0064] FIG. 6 shows a horizontal section B-B of the shackle of FIG. 5, the shackle pin being in the releasing position;

[0065] FIG. 7 shows a vertical section A-A of the shackle in which the shackle lock has been press-fitted to the shackle body;

[0066] FIG. 8 shows a housing and a sleeve with a guiding groove;

[0067] FIG. 9 shows a vertical section A-A of the shackle in which a housing belonging to the shackle lock is part of the shackle body;

[0068] FIG. 10 shows a first embodiment of the shackle pin;

[0069] FIG. 11 shows a section C-C of the shackle pin of FIG. 10; and

[0070] FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the shackle pin according to FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] Reference is made first to FIGS. 1-6: A shackle lock 300 is positioned on the outside of a shackle body 100, the shackle lock 300 comprising a housing 305, at least one locking body 310 and a displaceable sleeve 320, the housing 305 being arranged to house a first end 210 of a shackle pin 200. The at least one locking body 310 is arranged to engage with a peripheral locking groove 230 at the first end 210 of the shackle pin 200. The sleeve 320, in a locking position (FIGS. 1, 3 and 5), is arranged to keep the at least one locking body 310 in the groove 230, and is arranged, in a releasing position (FIGS. 2 and 6), to release the at least one locking body 310 from the groove 230. The shackle body 100, shackle pin 200 and shackle lock 300 constitute a shackle 1.

[0072] The shackle body 100 comprises a first end 110 and a second end 120 with axially coinciding cut-outs 125 adapted for the insertion of the shackle pin 200. In a first embodiment, the shackle lock 300 is attached to the first end 110 via a threaded connection. The housing 305 comprises an outer threaded portion 330 arranged to engage with an internally threaded portion 130 at the first end 110 of the shackle body 100.

[0073] In this embodiment, the shackle lock 300 comprises a housing 305, an end cap 306, a sleeve 320, a first spring 325, a second spring 326 and a plurality of locking bodies 310, shown in the figures as balls.

[0074] The shackle pin 200 comprises a first end 210, a coupling portion 215 and a second end 220. The first end 210 and the coupling portion 215 are separated by a peripheral groove 230 arranged to receive at least one locking body 310.

[0075] In one embodiment, the second end 120 of the shackle body 100 includes a recess for a stop 150 arranged to prevent the shackle pin 200 from being pulled out of the shackle body 100 by accident. In FIG. 6, the stop 150 is shown as a tension pin. The stop 150 may be removed when the shackle pin 200 is being installed and removed.

[0076] The springs 325 and 326 push the sleeve 320 towards the shackle body 100, so that an abutment surface 321 keeps the balls 310 in a position of engagement with the groove 230 belonging to the shackle pin 200. When the shackle pin 200 is to be released, the sleeve 320 is pulled towards the end cap 306 so that the balls 310 can be disengaged and forced outwards by the shackle pin. The sleeve 320 is shown with a cone 322 arranged to push the balls 310 into the groove 230 when the shackle pin 200 is to be locked.

[0077] In FIGS. 5 and 6, a second threaded portion 332 between the housing 305 and the sleeve 320 is shown. The second threaded portion 332 is arranged to guide and keep the sleeve 320 in a retracted position as shown in FIG. 6. It is pointed out that the threaded portion 332 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is only illustrative and that real threads may be of a different design from the one shown in the figures.

[0078] FIGS. 7 and 8 show an alternative embodiment of the shackle lock 300, in which the housing 305′ is attached to the shackle body 100 by a press fit, the housing 305′ of the shackle lock 300 having been extended by an engagement portion 307 arranged to engage with a corresponding cut-out 112 in the shackle body 100. Further, the housing 305″ is shown with a guiding groove 330 shaped like an L or a J, arranged to engage with a corresponding guiding peg 322 arranged in a radially inward-projecting manner on the sleeve 320 (see FIG. 8).

[0079] FIG. 8 shows the housing 305′ with the guiding groove 330 and the sleeve 320 with the guiding peg 322. When the sleeve 320 is pulled backwards and towards the end cap 306, the guiding groove 330 and the guiding peg 322 will guide the sleeve first in an axial direction and then in a circumferential direction. When the guiding peg 322 has been moved to the end of the guiding groove 330, the sleeve 320 will be kept in a releasing position so that the shackle pin 200 can be moved freely in and out of the shackle lock 300′.

[0080] FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the shackle lock 300, in which the housing 305″ is part of the shackle body 100. Other components belonging to the shackle lock 300 are the same as those shown in the other figures.

[0081] FIGS. 10 and 11 show the shackle pin 200 with a plane recess 216 with a first end 217 arranged to engage with the stop 150 shown in FIG. 6. The shackle pin 200 is further shown with a radial recess 218 adapted for rotatable engagement with the stop 150. The radial recess 218 makes it possible for the shackle pin 200 to rotate around its own axis. The radial recess 218 also functions as an additional safety device as the stop 150 will prevent axial movement of the shackle pin 200, except when the shackle pin 200 is positioned in such a way that the plane recess 216 corresponds with the stop 150 as shown in FIG. 6. For the shackle pin 200 to be releasable from the shackle lock 300, the shackle pin 200 must have a radial position like the one shown in FIG. 6. A person skilled in the art will understand that the recess 216 and the corresponding stop 150 are an advantageous embodiment, and not obligatory for the invention.

[0082] FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the shackle pin 200′, in which the peripheral locking groove 230′ is elongated in the axial direction of the shackle pin 200, and the first end portion 210′ has a larger cone. The elongated locking groove 230′ and the coned end 210′ enable the shackle pin 200′ to engage self-lockingly with the shackle lock 300.

[0083] The invention described herein can provide a locking device comprising the shackle pin 200 and the shackle lock 300, and at least one safety function for the shackle pin 200. The at least one safety function may be a first safety function or a second safety function.

[0084] The first safety function may comprise the stop 150 positioned in the shackle body 100 and against the recess 216 of the shackle pin 200, the first end 217 belonging to the recess 216 being arranged to engage with the stop 150 so that the shackle pin 200 is prevented from being pulled out of the shackle body 100.

[0085] The second safety function may comprise the stop 150 and the radial recess 218 of the shackle pin 200, the stop 150 being arranged to prevent axial movement of the shackle pin 200 when the shackle pin 200 is positioned in such a way that the recess 216 does not correspond with the stop 150.

[0086] It should be noted that all the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate the invention, but do not limit it, and persons skilled in the art may construct many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the attached claims. In the claims, reference numbers in brackets are not to be regarded as restrictive. Embodiments and reference numbers marked with ’ and ” refers to elements with a similar function, but with different designs.

[0087] The use of the verb “to comprise” and its different forms does not exclude the presence of elements or steps that are not mentioned in the claims. The indefinite article “a” or “an” before an element does not exclude the presence of several such elements.

[0088] The fact that some features are indicated in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be used with advantage.