Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cargo container handling apparatus and method of transferring bulk material. The invention finds a particular application in unloading bulk materials from ships, but is not limited to that application.

Background to the Invention

Various types of bulk materials such as ores, coal, cereals, wood chips, sand, gravel etc are transported from place to place by sea using ships known as bulk carriers or freighters. The bulk material is loaded into one or more cargo holds on the ship through one or more hatchways which are typically covered by a removable hatch cover during transit. To unload a ship, a dockside crane may be used to lower a bucket or the like through the hatchway into the hold to scoop up the bulk material. The bucket is then raised out of the hold and suspended above a location where the bulk material is dumped from the bucket. These types of operations have been found to result in loss of bulk material which escapes from the bucket during unloading. This effect is pronounced when unloading operations are carried out in windy conditions and can lead to significant amounts of airborne particles or dust, which is undesirable.

There remains a need for improved measures for unloading bulk materials.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect the present invention provides a cargo container handling apparatus for handling cargo containers with lids including: a main body; a container engagement arrangement for engaging with a cargo container, the container engagement arrangement being pivotally attached to the body; the body is attachable to a lifting device so that the combination of the handling apparatus and the container may be lifted off the ground and moved to different locations in an area; the body of the apparatus is adapted to rotate with respect to the container when the container is resting on a surface to thereby afford access to load material into the container.

The apparatus may further include a container lid lifting mechanism which is associated with the body for engaging with a lid of the container and is arranged to move the lid of the container between a closed condition and an open condition.

The apparatus may further including an engine to provide power to operations of the apparatus, and wherein the engine is pivotally mounted with respect to the main body and is arranged to rotate in the opposite direction to the body of the apparatus when the body rotates with respect to the container.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a method of transferring bulk material from one location to another, the method including the steps of: providing a cargo container handling apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention;

engaging the container handling apparatus with a cargo container; moving the combination of the container handling apparatus and cargo container to a location proximate to the bulk material and lowering the container to rest on a surface; rotating the body with respect to the container to thereby afford access to load material into the container; loading some of the bulk material into the container; rotating the body back to its original orientation; and lifting the combination of the container handling apparatus and cargo container and moving it to another location.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cargo handling apparatus shown in conjunction with a cargo container;

Figure 2 shows the cargo handling apparatus of figure 1 engaged with the container;

Figure 3 shows the cargo handling apparatus of figure 1 having lifted the lid of the container 100;

Figure 4 shows the cargo handling apparatus performing a tilting manoeuvre to afford access to load material into the container;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus in the position shown in figure 4;

Figures 7 and 8 show similar views to figures 5 and 6 of an alternative embodiment of a cargo handling device; and

Figure 9 shows the apparatus and container of figure 4 in association with an excavator which loads material into the container.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to figure 1, a cargo container handling apparatus 10 for handling cargo containers 100 with lids 102 is shown. The apparatus 10 is a modified form of a containerised bulk handling apparatus sold under the trade mark ROTAINER ^® by Container Rotation Solutions Pty Ltd (www.containerrotationsystems.com). Apparatus 10 includes a main body 20 and a container engagement arrangement for engaging with a cargo container in the form of two arms 22, each of which are pivotally mounted to body 20 and are each fitted with a pair of twist locks for engaging with twist lock pockets provided at the top comers of the container 100 in a known fashion. The arms 22 are associated with hydraulic actuators (not visible) which can be operated to rotate the arms with respect to the body 20.

Apparatus 10 further includes a container lid lifting mechanism in the form of lid lifting assemblies 24 which are associated with the body for engaging with a lid 102 of the container 100 and are also associated with hydraulic actuators which are arranged to move the lid lifting assemblies 24 between a raised position and a lowered position to thereby move the lid of the container between a closed condition and an open condition as will be later described.

Body 10 is attachable to a lifting device in the form of a dockside crane by way of attaching chains to eyelets 30 so that the combination of the handling apparatus 10 container 100 and lid 102 may be lifted off the ground and moved to different locations in an area.

To date, the cargo handling apparatus known as ROTAINER ^® has been used for loading operations. In these operations the cargo handling apparatus is suspended from a dockside crane and is controlled by a control system that is operated by the dockside crane operator. The apparatus is brought into proximity with a loaded container and attached to the container by way of operating the twist locks provided on arms 22. The combination of the apparatus and container is then lifted by the crane and moved to a position where the container is suspended above the loading hatch of a ship’s hold. The crane operator then initiates a sequence of operations to 1) lift the lid of the container; and 2) rotate the container by way of the rotating arms 22 to invert the container so that the material in the container drops from the open container into the hold. The container is then returned to its upright position, the lid replaced, and the empty container is set down on the dockside for subsequent re-use.

Apparatus 10 differs to existing cargo handling apparatus in that it has been modified for use in unloading operations as well as loading operations. In particular, the hydraulic actuators which control the rotation of the arms 22 are configured in a closed hydraulic circuit which operates the actuators in both directions. This allows for the rotational position of the arms to be hydraulically locked in any desired angular orientation. By this means, the main body of the apparatus is able to be controlled to rotate with respect to the container when the container is on the ground (see Fig 4) to thereby afford access to load material into the container as will now be described.

Example of Operation

Referring to figures 1 to 4, a sequence of operations utilising apparatus 10 will be described to unload bulk granular material such as wheat grains from the hold of a ship. The ship arrives at a destination port with a cargo of wheat grain. The port is equipped with a cargo handling apparatus according to figure 1, and a number of containers 100 each of which are fitted with a lid 102. The port is also equipped with an excavator which is fitted with wide, low impact tracks.

1) A hatchway of the ship covering the hold containing the grain is opened and the excavator is lowered into the hold by the dockside crane, to sit on top of the grain in the hold.

2) The cargo handling device 10 is then engaged with the dockside crane by way of eyelets 30. It is then brought into proximity of the container 100 as shown in figure 1.

3) Referring to figure 2, the dockside crane lowers the apparatus 10 to bring the twistlocks provided on arms 22 in to engagement with the twist lock pockets found at the upper comers of the container 100. The container 100 with lid is now engaged to the apparatus 10.

4) The combination of apparatus 10 and container 100 is then lifted by the dockside crane and lowered into the hold of the ship to rest on top of the grain in the hold. The crane operator continues to lower the crane hook to allows some slack to develop in the chains attached to eyelets 30.

5) The crane operator then initiates a procedure to open the container for loading. Firstly, the lid lifting assemblies 24 are moved to their lowered position and engage with lid 102. The lift lifting assemblies 24 then return to their raised position to thereby lift the lid 102 from the container 100 as shown in figure 3.

6) The apparatus 10 then performs a movement whereby the hydraulic actuators associated with arms 22 of the apparatus are actuated with the result that the body 20 rotates with respect to the container 100 (see Fig 4). The body rotates by approximately 60 degrees away from vertical. The interior of the container 100 is now accessible for loading with grain by the excavator (as illustrated in Fig 9).

7) The excavator continues to fill the container until it has reached capacity. Then, the reverse sequence of operations is carried out. The apparatus 210 rotates back to the upright position shown in figure 3 and then the lid is replaced as shown in figure 2. The combination of the apparatus and the filled container is then lifted out of the hold of the ship by the dockside crane and is set down in a location on the dock for subsequent transportation.

8) The dockside crane operator then picks up another empty container and the above process is repeated until the hold is empty of grain.

Referring to figure 5, the hydraulic systems in the cargo handling device 10 are powered by a diesel internal combustion engine 50. Engine 50 is mounted inside body 20 on a pivotal mounting 62. Exhaust gases emanating from the engine are directed to the atmosphere by a flexible pipe 52. The orientation of the engine 50 during rotation of the main body 20 of the cargo handling device 10 is controlled by operation of hydraulic ram 60.

In figure 5 the main body is in the normal upright orientation. Now referring to figure 6, the main body 20 has rotated to the orientation seen in figure 4. Hydraulic ram 60 has extended during the tipping operation to maintain the engine 50 in an upright, or near upright, orientation to maintain the engine within its specified operating parameters.

Referring to figures 7 and 8, an alternative embodiment of engine mounting is shown. In this version the engine 50 is mounted to a cradle 64 at a pivot point 66. Now referring to figure 8, as the main body 20 of the cargo handling device rotates, the engine 50 is free to rotate under the influence of gravity to maintain the engine 50 in an upright orientation. In the embodiment described above the grain was unloaded from the hold using an excavator fitted with a bucket. In other embodiments other machinery may be used in the hold to load the container such as a front end loader. Loading machinery may be fitted with buckets or grapples. Augurs and conveyor belts may also be utilised in the hold of the ship to load the containers.

The container handling apparatus was described above in relation to unloading bulk material from the hold of a ship. Embodiments of the invention also have applications in tunnelling, mining and construction operations. Containers can be loaded underground and then raised to the surface for discharge.

The embodiments described above utilised a diesel generator as a power source. Other embodiments may use other power sources, such as an electric motor.

Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated.

Finally, it is to be appreciated that various alterations or additions may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the present invention.