Cargo restraint system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMax U. Kismarton, Steven R. Kent
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus, a vehicle and a method for securing intermodal cargo containers is provided. Couplers include pins and bottom supports to engage apertures and bottom surfaces of corner fittings for intermodal cargo containers. The couplers may also include sidewall supports to engage forward facing side surfaces of the corner fittings. The pins, bottom supports, and sidewall supports hold an intermodal cargo container in place through a relatively large range of acceleration forces without damaging the corner fittings of the intermodal cargo containers. The couplers are selectively movable from a retracted position to an extended position to engage the corner fittings of the intermodal cargo containers.
Claims21
An apparatus, comprising:
- a housing configured for attachment to a frame of a vehicle;
- a coupler reciprocally actuatable between a retracted position and an extended position and comprising:
- a pin having a longitudinal axis, the pin being sized and oriented to enter an aperture in a sidewall of a corner fitting of an intermodal cargo container when the coupler is moved into the extended position;
- and
- a bottom support in a fixed, spaced apart relationship relative to the pin, thereby defining a vertical gap sized to receive a bottom surface of the corner fitting when the coupler is moved into the extended position;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the housing and operable to move the pin and the bottom support of the coupler from the retracted position to the extended position and from the extended position to the retracted position along the longitudinal axis.
A vehicle for transporting intermodal cargo containers with corner fittings, the vehicle comprising:
- a frame arranged in an interior volume of the vehicle, wherein the frame includes first and second rails that are spaced apart to fit an intermodal cargo container there-between;
- a first pin retention mechanism arranged on the first rail, the first pin retention mechanism comprising:
- a first housing attached to the first rail;
- a first coupler reciprocally actuatable between a retracted position and an extended position and comprising:
- a first pin having a first longitudinal axis, the first pin being sized and oriented to enter an aperture in a sidewall of a first corner fitting of the intermodal cargo container when the first coupler is moved into the extended position;
- and
- a first bottom support in a fixed, spaced apart relationship relative to the first pin, thereby defining a first vertical gap sized to receive a bottom surface of the first corner fitting when the first coupler is moved into the extended position;
- and
- a first actuator coupled to the first housing and operable to move the first coupler between the retracted position and the extended position along the first longitudinal axis;
- and
- a sensor operable to detect alignment of the first coupler with the first corner fitting of the intermodal cargo container;
- and
- a controller in communication with the sensor, wherein the controller is operable to command the first actuator to move from the retracted position to the extended position upon the sensor detecting alignment of the first coupler with the first corner fitting of the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.