SYSTEM CONSISTING OF CATCH ELEMENTS AND FREIGHT CARRIERS
20220324574 · 2022-10-13
Inventors
- Ralf SCHLIWA (HAMBURG, DE)
- Dirk MEIRANKE (HAMBURG, DE)
- Thomas GRABOW (HAMBURG, DE)
- Fred Schettel (Hamburg, DE)
- Hermann BENTHIEN (HAMBURG, DE)
- Carsten Petzholtz (Hamburg, DE)
- Andreas POPPE (HAMBURG, DE)
Cpc classification
B64D9/003
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
A system includes a freight carrier, front catch element and rear catch element, the front edge of the base element of the freight carrier having front engagement elements, and the rear edge has rear engagement elements. The front catch element has front floor engagement devices to engage locking elements so movement of the front catch element in the floor surface plane and perpendicular thereto is prevented. The front catch element has front engagement devices to engage the front engagement elements. The rear catch element has rear floor engagement devices to engage locking elements in rails so movement of the rear catch element in the floor surface plane and perpendicularly thereto is prevented. The rear catch element has rear engagement devices to engage the rear engagement elements so movement of the rear catch element relative to the base element parallel to the plane of the supporting surface and perpendicular to the plane towards the supporting surface is prevented.
Claims
1. A system comprising: at least one freight carrier; at least one front catch element; and at least one rear catch element, wherein the freight carrier has a base element which has a supporting surface, which is configured to rest on a floor surface in an interior of an aircraft on a floor surface of a passenger cabin of the aircraft, and which has a front edge and a rear edge opposite the front edge, wherein the supporting surface is configured to move the freight carrier over the floor surface, wherein the base element has a main surface which is on the base element such that the main surface faces away from the supporting surface, and is configured such that freight elements can be accommodated thereon, wherein the front edge of the base element has front engagement elements, and wherein the rear edge has rear engagement elements, wherein the front catch element is configured to extend along the front edge of the base element and has front floor engagement devices which are configured to engage with locking elements in rails in the floor surface of the interior of the passenger cabin, such that a movement of the front catch element in a plane of the floor surface and perpendicular thereto is prevented, and wherein the front catch element has front engagement devices which are configured to engage with the front engagement elements such that a movement of the front catch element relative to the base element parallel to a plane of the supporting surface and perpendicular to the plane towards the supporting surface is prevented; wherein the rear catch element is configured to extend along the rear edge of the base element and has rear floor engagement devices which are configured to engage with locking elements in rails in the floor surface of the interior of the passenger cabin, such that a movement of the rear catch element in the plane of the floor surface and perpendicular thereto is prevented, and wherein the rear catch element has rear engagement devices which are configured to engage with the rear engagement elements such that a movement of the rear catch element relative to the base element parallel to the plane of the supporting surface and perpendicular to the plane towards the supporting surface is prevented.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the front engagement elements comprise bolts which are displaceable parallel to the plane of the supporting surface in relation to the base element and perpendicular to the front edge such that the bolts can take up a retracted and an extended position, wherein the bolts protrude further over the front edge in the extended position than in a retracted position, and wherein the front engagement devices comprise front openings which are configured to receive the bolts.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the bolts in the extended position protrude over the front edge to an extent such that they extend through the front catch element and through the front openings thereof such that they protrude over the front catch element when the front catch element extends along the front edge of the freight carrier.
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the rear catch element has rear openings which are configured to receive the bolts when the rear catch element extends along the front catch element on a side of the front catch element which faces away from the freight carrier.
5. The system according to claim 2, wherein a free end of the bolts is conical.
6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the bolts are coupled to an actuating device which is configured to displace the bolts between the retracted and the extended position, wherein the actuating device has an actuating element which is movable between a first and a second position, and wherein the actuating device is configured such that, whenever the actuating element is in the first position, the bolts are in the retracted position, and that, whenever the actuating element is in the second position, the bolts are in the extended position.
7. The system according to claim 1, wherein, to move the freight carrier over the floor surface, wheels are movable in a direction transversely, and or perpendicularly, with respect to the supporting surface between a first and a second wheel position, and wherein the wheels do not protrude over the supporting surface in the first wheel position and protrude over the supporting surface in the second wheel position.
8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the bolts are coupled to an actuating device which is configured to displace the bolts between the retracted and the extended position, wherein the actuating device has an actuating element which is movable between a first and a second position, wherein the actuating device is configured such that, whenever the actuating element is in the first position, the bolts are in the retracted position, and that, whenever the actuating element is in the second position, the bolts are in the extended position, wherein the actuating device is furthermore coupled to the wheels such that it moves the wheels between the first and the second wheel position, and wherein the actuating device is configured such that, whenever the actuating element is in the first position, the wheels are in the second wheel position, and that, whenever the actuating element is in the second position, the wheels are in the first wheel position.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rear engagement elements comprise two rear receiving openings extending perpendicular to the rear edge and parallel to the plane of the supporting surface, and wherein the rear engagement device has rear protrusions which are configured to be received in the receiving openings.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the rear receiving openings are dimensioned to receive forks of a forklift truck.
11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the front and rear floor engagement devices are configured to engage with locking elements which are arranged in at least two rails extending parallel to one another in the floor surface.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the locking elements have locking bolts which protrude over the floor surface, and wherein the front and the rear locking element have bores for receiving the locking bolts.
13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the front and the rear floor engagement device are configured such that the front and the rear catch element are fastenable to the rails in the floor surface of the interior of the passenger cabin, in different positions transversely with respect thereto.
14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the front catch element has a multiplicity of bores along a direction which runs parallel to the front edge of the base element when the front engagement elements are in engagement with the front engagement devices, and therefore locking bolts in the rails can engage with the bores in the front catch element, and wherein the rear catch element has a multiplicity of bores along a direction which runs parallel to the rear edge of the base element when the rear engagement elements in engagement with the rear engagement devices, and therefore locking bolts in the rails can engage with the bores in the rear catch element.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0041] The disclosure herein is explained below with reference to a drawing in which only preferred example embodiments are reproduced, wherein:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0054]
[0055] The example embodiments of the systems according to the disclosure herein comprise at least one freight carrier 7 and at least one front catch element and at least one rear catch element. Example embodiments of these elements are described below with reference to the figures.
[0056]
[0057] As can furthermore be gathered from
[0058] In addition, the base element 9 of the freight carrier 7 has a front edge 21 and a rear edge 23 opposite the latter, wherein, in the example embodiment described here, the base element 9 is rectangular, and therefore the front edge 21 and the rear edge 23 run parallel to each other.
[0059] In the region of the front edge 21 of the freight carrier 7, bolts 25 are provided which form front engagement elements and, in the example embodiment of a freight carrier 7 of a system according to the disclosure herein that is illustrated in
[0060] In addition, the actuating rods 27 are provided with first engagement surfaces 31 which run at an inclination to the supporting surface 11 and which engage with second engagement surfaces 35, which are provided on holders 33 for the wheels 19, and therefore, as is apparent from
[0061] The actuating device is therefore configured in such a manner that the front engagement elements in the form of the bolts 25 are moved parallel to the wheels 19, wherein, for this purpose, only one actuating element, or optionally a plurality of common actuating elements, here in the form of the actuating arm 29, have to be moved.
[0062]
[0063] As is shown in particular in
[0064] In order to fix the freight carriers 7 with their supporting surfaces 11 to the floor surface 13 of the interior, and in particular of the passenger cabin 1, of the aircraft, the example embodiments of systems according to the disclosure herein have a front catch element 37 (see
[0065] As is revealed in
[0066] These locking bolts 47 are received in bores 49, forming floor engagement devices, in the rear catch element 39 and secured in relation to the rear catch element 39 by a nut, not illustrated, and therefore the catch element cannot move away from the floor surface 13.
[0067] As can be gathered from
[0068] It can furthermore be seen from
[0069] Furthermore, it can be seen from
[0070] As can furthermore be seen from
[0071] If the front catch element 37 is fastened to the rails 45 by the locking bolts 47 and further nuts such that it can no longer be lifted off from the rails 45, and if furthermore the bolts 25 engage with the front openings 57, a movement of the front catch element 37 relative to the base element 9 parallel to the plane of the supporting surface 11 and perpendicular to the plane towards the supporting surface 11 is prevented. This is because, by the engagement of the bolts 25 with the front openings 57, it is specifically prevented that the front catch element 37 can be displaced along the front edge 21 both in the vertical and in the horizontal direction. This in turn leads to the fact that, when the bolts 25 engage with the front openings 57, forces which lift off the base element 9 and therefore the freight carrier 7 from the floor surface 13 are introduced via the rails 45 into the structure of the aircraft.
[0072]
[0073] Also in this example embodiment, the actuating rod 27 in the base element 9 of the freight carriers 7 is provided with a first engagement surface 31 which runs in an inclined manner and engages with a second engagement surface 35 on the holder 33, on which, in turn, the wheels 19 are held. The wheels 19 can also be moved here between a first wheel position and a second wheel position, wherein, in the first wheel position (see
[0074] As can furthermore be gathered from
[0075] The catch elements 37, 39 are also fixedly connected here to rails in the floor surface 13 of the interior with the aid of locking bolts 47, which extend through bores 49, forming floor engagement devices, in the catch elements 37, 39 and are secured by nuts, wherein these rails are also directly connected here to the structure of the aircraft. Also in this example embodiment, in the catch element 37, 39, a multiplicity of bores 49 are provided along the running direction and the catch elements 37, 39 and therefore along the rear edge 23 and the front edge 21, and therefore the catch elements 37, 39 can be attached in different positions relative to the rails.
[0076] Furthermore, it can be gathered from
[0077] As a result, the bolts 25 and therefore the front engagement elements provided on the base element 9 of the one freight carrier 7 pass into engagement both with the front catch element 37 and with the rear catch element 39 arranged adjacent thereto. As a result, the front edge 21 of the freight carrier 7, which is illustrated on the left in
[0078] With the previously described example embodiments of a system consisting of freight carriers 7 and front and rear catch elements 37, 39, it is possible to hold the freight carriers 7 in a simple manner on the floor surface 13 of the interior, and in particular of the passenger cabin 1 of an aircraft, in such a manner that, firstly, the forces acting on the freight carriers are introduced into the structure of the aircraft and, secondly, the outlay on the fastening is comparatively small. Furthermore, with just a small outlay, a passenger cabin 1, in which rows of seats are fastened to rails 45 in the floor surface, can be set up for use with the system according to the disclosure herein. All that is required for this purpose is to remove the rows of seats in the region in which the freight carriers 7 are intended to be accommodated.
[0079] While at least one example embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the example embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a”, “an” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0080] 1 Passenger cabin [0081] 3 Hold [0082] 5 Cabin door [0083] 7 Freight carrier [0084] 9 Base element [0085] 11 Supporting surface [0086] 13 Floor surface [0087] 15 Main surface [0088] 17 Frame [0089] 19 Wheels [0090] 21 Front edge [0091] 23 Rear edge [0092] 25 Bolt [0093] 27 Actuating rod [0094] 29, 29′ Actuating arm [0095] 29″ Vertical axis [0096] 31 First engagement surface [0097] 33 Holder [0098] 35 Second engagement surface [0099] 36 Pin [0100] 37 Front catch element [0101] 39 Rear catch element [0102] 41 Rear protrusions [0103] 43 Rear receiving openings [0104] 45 Rail [0105] 47 Locking bolts [0106] 49 Bore [0107] 5 [0108] 51 Front protrusion [0109] 53 Front receiving opening [0110] 55 Base [0111] 57 Front opening [0112] 59 Rear openings