Vehicle tie-down method and apparatus
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMaurice Stephen Chatwin, George Zell Porter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tie-down method and apparatus are disclosed which facilitate automated, resilient securing of wheeled vehicles to shipping pallets or the floors of containers. Four links are detachably pivoted to the vehicle frame. Rollers at the lower ends of the links engage rails on the pallet or floor as the vehicle is moved into place by cooperating support equipment. The forward rollers engage spring loaded stops carried by the rails. The aft rollers are forced along the rails toward the forward rollers and the angling of the links compresses the vehicle springs and tires and the spring loaded stops. Lock-stops are set in place behind the rear rollers to secure the vertically and longitudinally resilient tie-down.
Claims7
Apparatus for tying-down a wheeled vehicle to a platform having edges, said vehicle having tires and resilient suspension members, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one rail attached to said platform between said vehicle and said platform and adapted for attachment of a first stop means and installation of a second stop means;
- first and second link assemblies for attaching said vehicle to said rail;
- each of said link assemblies comprising:
- vehicle attachment means for pivotally removably connecting said link assembly to said vehicle at spaced apart points aligned with said rail;
- platform attachment means for removably engaging said rail and being free to move along said rail while engaging it;
- tension means connecting said vehicle attachment means to said platform attachment means, having a length such that said first and second link assemblies are in essentially vertical positions when pivotally connected to said vehicle and movably engaged with said rail;
- placement means for moving said rail engaging platform attachment means of said second link assembly to a position closer to said rail engaging platform attachment means of said first link assembly while both are engaged with said rail, so that said first and second link assemblies are pivoted out of said essentially vertical positions into angled positions so that the vertical distance between said pivotally connecting vehicle attachment means and said movable, rail engaging platform attachment means is decreased, causing said tires and suspension members to be effectively compressed;
- locking means for removably securing said rail engaging platform attachment means of said second link assembly to said rail in a predetermined longitudinal disposition with respect to said first link assembly along said rail.
Apparatus for tying-down a wheeled vehicle, having a longitudinal axis, to a platform, said vehicle having tires and suspension springs and a frame with at least two longitudinally spaced apart pivot holes each having an axis, said said pivot hole axes being horizontal and transverse to said longitudinal axis, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one rail having a first end, a second end, a flange and being attached to and positioned longitudinally of said platform;
- at least two link assemblies each comprising an arm having a first end, a second end and a longitudinal axis, a pivot pin having an axis and attached to said first end and a roller assembly having an axis and attached to said second end, said pivot pin axis and said roller assembly axis being transverse to said arm longitudinal axis;
- said pivot pins engaging said pivot holes in said frame;
- said roller assemblies engaging said flange of said rail with freedom to move longitudinally of said flange, said link assemblies being positioned essentially vertically and tying said vehicle to said platform;
- means for forcing said free-to-move-longitudinally roller assemblies toward each other so that said link assemblies are displaced angularly toward each other out of said essentially vertical positions with the vertical distance between said axes of said pivot pins and said axes of said roller assemblies being decreased, forcing said tires and said suspension springs to be compressed;
- and
- means for locking said link assemblies in said angularly-displaced-toward-each-other positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.