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EP-4739542-A2 - TRANSFER VEHICLE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOADING A TRANSFERABLE OBJECT INTO A CARGO SPACE OF A TRANSFER VEHICLE

EP4739542A2EP 4739542 A2EP4739542 A2EP 4739542A2EP-4739542-A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a transfer vehicle (10) for transferring a transferable object weighing 2-50 t, preferably 3-30 t, wherein the transfer vehicle includes a frame a cargo space (40) attached to the frame for a transferable object (20) to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle (10), - wheels (32) suspended in the frame for supporting the frame on a substrate (100), lifting means (35) for lowering the cargo space (40) in order to transfer the transferable object (20) into the cargo space ( 40 ), wherein the suspension of a wheel (32) comprises a supporting arm (60), wherein the wheel (32) is attached in an articulated manner to a first end (61) of the supporting arm (60), and wherein a second end (62) of the supporting arm (60) is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, a height adjustment cylinder (70), wherein a first end (71) of the height adjustment cylinder (70) is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, a damping element (80), wherein a first end (81) of the damping element (80) is attached in an articulated manner to the first end (61) of the supporting arm (60), a linking element (90) with a first support point (91), a second support point (92) and a third support point (93), wherein the second end (72) is attached in an articulated manner to the first support point (91), the second end (82) is attached in an articulated manner to the second support point (92), and the linking element (90) is attached in an articulated manner by the third support point (93) to the supporting arm (60). The invention also relates to a system and to a method for loading a transferable object (20) into a cargo space (40) of a transfer vehicle (10).

Inventors

  • HÖYLÄ, Teijo
  • MIETTINEN, JOONA

Assignees

  • Sleipner Group Oy

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240520

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A transfer vehicle (10) for transferring a transferable object (20) weighing 2-50 t, preferably 3-30 t, wherein the transfer vehicle (10) includes - a frame - a cargo space (40) attached to the frame for a transferable object (20) to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle (10) , - wheels (32) suspended in the frame for supporting the frame on a substrate (100) , - lifting means (35) for lowering the cargo space (40) in order to transfer the transferable object (20) into the cargo space ( 40 ) , characterized in that the suspension of a wheel (32) comprises - a supporting arm (60) with a first end (61) and a second end (62) , wherein the wheel (32) is attached in an articulated manner to the first end (61) , and wherein the second end (62) is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, - a height adjustment cylinder (70) with a first end (71) and a second end (72) , wherein the first end (71) is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, - a damping element (80) with a first end (81) and a second end (82) , wherein the first end (81) is attached in an articulated manner to the first end (61) of the supporting arm (60) , - a linking element (90) with a first support point (91) , a second support point (92) and a third support point (93) , wherein the second end (72) of the height adjustment cylinder (70) is attached in an articulated manner to the first support point (91) of the linking element (91) , the second end (82) of the damping element (80) is attached in an articulated manner to the second support point (92) of the linking element (90) , and the linking element (90) is attached in an articulated manner by the third support point (93) to the supporting arm (60) .
  2. 2. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame comprises a first end (11) and a second end (12) , which are joined together by an articulated joint (13) , and the transfer vehicle (10) further comprises second wheels (31) arranged in the first end (11) of the frame, and the wheels (32) and the cargo space (40) are arranged in the second end (12) of the frame.
  3. 3. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the transfer vehicle (10) comprises a power unit, preferably arranged in the first end (11) of the frame, for transmitting power to the second wheels (31) in order to move the transfer vehicle (10) in a self-propelled manner .
  4. 4. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the linking element (90) is attached in an articulated manner by the third support point (93) between the first end (61) and the second end (62) of the supporting arm (60) , preferably to a central part of the supporting arm (60) .
  5. 5. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the linking element (90) is triangular and each support point (91, 92, 93) is located at each corner of the linking element (90) .
  6. 6. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the first support point (91) , the second support point (92) and the third support point (93) of the linking element (90) are at a fixed distance from one another.
  7. 7. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the frame comprises a first attachment point (96) and a second attachment point (97) , and the first end (71) of the height adjustment cylinder (70) is attached in an articulated manner to the first attachment point (96) , and the second end (62) of the supporting arm (60) is attached in an articulated manner to the second attachment point (97) , wherein a distance is provided between the first attachment point (96) and the second attachment point (97) .
  8. 8. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the frame comprises an attachment element (95) with a first attachment point (96) and a second attachment point (97) , and the first end (71) of the height decision cylinder (70) is attached in an articulated manner to the first attachment point (96) , and the second end (62) of the supporting arm (60) is attached in an articulated manner to the second attachment point (97) , wherein a distance is provided between the first attachment point (96) and the second attachment point (97) .
  9. 9. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that a distance between the first attachment point (96) and the second attachment point (97) is 20-80%, preferably 30-70%, of a distance between the first end (71) and the second end (72) of the height adjustment cylinder (70) .
  10. 10. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the supporting arm (60) is essentially horizontal in a designated position.
  11. 11. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the damping element (80) is a mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic element and the height adjustment cylinder (70) is a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder .
  12. 12. A system for loading a transferable object (20) into a cargo space (40) of a transfer vehicle (10) , wherein the system includes - a transferable object (20) , - a transfer vehicle (10) comprising - a frame - a cargo space (40) attached to the frame for a transferable object (20) to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle (10) , - wheels (32) suspended in the frame for supporting the frame on a substrate (100) , - lifting means (35) for lowering the cargo space (40) in order to transfer the transferable object (20) into the cargo space (40) , wherein in the system - the transferable object (20) comprises legs (21, 22) on which the transferable object (20) is configured to stand on the substrate (100) so that an empty space remains between the transferable object (20) and the substrate (100) in which a clearance (H2) between the transferable object (20) and the substrate (100) is provided, - the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) is configured to be lowered by the lifting means (35) to an intermediate position in which a height (Hl) of the cargo space (40) from the substrate (100) is less than a clearance (H2) between the transferable object (20) and the substrate (100) , so that the cargo space (40) can be placed between the transferable object (20) and the substrate (100) , and - the cargo space (40) is configured to be raised by the lifting means (35) to an upper position in which a height (Hl) of the cargo space (40) from the substrate (100) is greater than a clearance (H2) between the transferable object (20) and the substrate (100) , so that the cargo space (40) can raise the legs (21, 22) of the transferable object (20) off the substrate (100) , characterized in that the cargo space (40) is configured to receive the transferable object (20) in such a manner that the cargo space (40) comprises a slot (43) configured to receive at least one leg (21, 22) of the transferable object (20) and at least one leg (21, 22) of the transferable object (20) is configured to remain outside the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) when the transferable object (20) is loaded on board the transfer vehicle (10) .
  13. 13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that the transferable object (20) comprises three legs (21, 22) .
  14. 14. The system according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the slot (43) of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) is configured to receive one leg (21) of the transferable object (20) .
  15. 15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the other legs (22) of the transferable object (20) are configured to remain outside the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) .
  16. 16. The system according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that the slot (43) extends in a continuous manner a selected distance from the rear edge of the transfer vehicle (10) , which distance constitutes at most 50% of the length of the cargo space (40) .
  17. 17. The system according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that at least one leg (21) of the transferable object (20) to be arranged in the slot (43) is arranged underneath the transferable object (20) at a distance from the edge of the transferable object (20) .
  18. 18. The system according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized in that two legs (21, 22) of the transferable object (20) are configured to remain outside the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) when the transferable object (20) is loaded on board the transfer vehicle (10) .
  19. 19. The system according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that the at least one leg (22) to be arranged outside the cargo space (40) is arranged outside the transferable object (20) at a distance from the edge of the transferable object (20) .
  20. 20. The system according to any one of claims 12-19, characterized in that the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) comprises a retaining element (44) , which is configured to prevent the transferable object (20) from sliding in the cargo space (40) when the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) is in the upper position and the transferable object (20) is on board the transfer vehicle (10) .

Description

TRANSFER VEHICLE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOADING A TRANSFERABLE OBJECT INTO A CARGO SPACE OF A TRANSFER VEHICLE The invention relates to a transfer vehicle for transferring a transferable object weighing 2-50 t, preferably 3-30 t, wherein the transfer vehicle includes a frame, a cargo space attached to the frame for the transferable object to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle, wheels suspended in the frame for supporting the frame on a substrate, and lifting means for lowering the cargo space in order to transfer the transferable object into the cargo space. The invention also relates to a system and to a method for loading a transferable object into a cargo space of a transport vehicle. In other words, the invention preferably relates to a transfer vehicle used in the mining industry for moving heavy objects . The general drive to reduce industrial carbon emissions has led to a growing trend to electrify mining machinery. However, it is often not economically viable to build an electricity grid in mining areas, so that vehicles and other mobile equipment in mining areas are often battery-powered. For example, Epiroc manufactures electric drill rigs which use a lightweight driving battery pack for short transfers from one drillhole to another and a larger working battery pack connected by cable to the drill rig for longer drilling operations . When a battery pack runs out, the empty battery pack must be replaced with a charged battery pack so that work can continue essentially uninterrupted. The replacement of battery packs currently requires either the drill rig to be transferred to a battery-pack charging station, which can be located a significant distance away from the drill rig, there generally being a plurality of drill rigs at a mine or quarry, or a second charged battery pack to be transferred to the drill rig. A battery charging point can be located far away from a drilling area so that it can become necessary to transport a plurality of charged battery packs daily from the charging point to the drilling area to await use. It accordingly becomes necessary to transport empty batteries from the drilling area to the charging point. The capacity of, for example, a working battery pack can be dimensioned for the power needs of one workday, for example at 1600 kWh, so that in terms of its physical dimensions the battery pack can be the size of a 3-foot shipping container and can weigh several tonnes. A problem is thus the transportation of the battery packs between the charging point and the work area, as the heavy battery pack has to be lifted into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle, which currently requires the use of a heavy crane and is also a very slow operation . In addition to batteries, numerous other heavy and large transferable objects are used in the mining industry, which are hard and slow to move with current technology. Such transferable objects include, for example pumping stations, storage containers and light towers. In addition, autonomous vehicles are becoming more and more common in mining areas, so that it is necessary to load a battery pack, or any other transferable object in a mining area, into the cargo area of a transfer vehicle without the presence of a human being. In this case, cranes or other solutions according to the prior art for loading a heavy static object into the cargo space of a transfer vehicle require machine vision or other very complex solutions to work . Transfer vehicles suitable for moving heavy objects according to the prior art typically do not comprise any kind of damping element . The object of the invention is to provide a transfer vehicle, a system and a method by means of which a transferable object can be loaded into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle more easily. The characteristic features of a transfer vehicle according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 1, the characteristic features of a system according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 12, and the characteristic features of a method according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 22. The transfer vehicle according to the invention for transferring a transferable object weighing 2-50 t, preferably 3-30 t, includes a frame, a cargo space attached to the frame for the transferable object to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle, wheels suspended in the frame for supporting the frame on a substrate, and lifting means for lowering the cargo space in order to transfer the transferable object into the cargo space. The suspension of a wheel comprises a supporting arm with a first end and a second end, wherein the wheel is attached in an articulated manner to the first end, and wherein the second end is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, a height adjustment cylinder with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached in an articulated manner to the frame, a damping element with a first end and a sec