PANEL HANDLING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HANDLING PANELS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to panel handling apparatus. In one application, the panels to which the present invention is particularly suited are constructed from autoclaved aerated concrete.

Background to the Invention

Large panels for use in building construction are particularly heavy and cumbersome to handle. They are transported to worksites in a transport position, which is generally on one side edge. The panels are then generally required to be moved to an upright or deployed position to make building walls and partitions. This movement is a difficult job, and no satisfactory solution has been found to date which is not labour intensive and time consuming. Often times, panels bend and break during the movement to the deployed position.

The present invention seeks to ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a panel handling apparatus suitable for handling a panel constructed from autoclaved aerated concrete, the panel handling apparatus including: a panel mounting assembly for temporarily mounting the panel; and a base frame assembly to which the panel mounting assembly is operatively connected for movement relative thereto; the arrangement being such that the panel when

loaded in the panel mounting assembly can be moved from a stacked position to a standing or installed position.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a panel handling attachment suitable for handling a panel constructed from autoclaved aerated concrete, the panel handling attachment including: a panel mounting assembly for temporarily mounting the panel thereon; the panel mounting assembly adapted to attach to a lifting assembly for lifting movement of the panel; wherein in use the panel handling attachment is lifted on a lifting machine to lift the panel from a stacked position to a standing or installed position.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of handling a panel constructed from autoclaved aerated concrete and moving it from a stacked position to a standing position, the method including the steps of: forming an aperture in the panel; mounting the panel in a panel mounting assembly; elevating and rotating the panel from a stacked position to a standing or installed position.

Preferably the method includes the step of rotating the panel relative to or with the panel mounting assembly about a panel rotation axis.

Preferably the mounting step includes the step of inserting one or more locating posts of a selected size in respective apertures of similar size to the one or more locating posts.

Preferably the method includes the step of forming the respective aperture or apertures in one face of the panel. The or each aperture is preferably a blind hole.

Preferably the base frame assembly includes a superstructure mounted on a substructure, the superstructure comprising guides which facilitate movement of the panel from the stacked position to the standing or installed position. The guides may in one embodiment include a vertical guide pair and a horizontal guide pair, and may be disposed

at a front end of the substructure so that the panel can be easily loaded into the panel mounting means and ejected therefrom into the standing or installed position.

The base frame assembly may also include castors so as to facilitate the movement of the panels across a worksite from the stacked position on one side of the worksite to the installed position on another side. A control and drive system may be provided which may power the movement of the base frame assembly, and/or the castors. Alternatively, or in addition, the castors may include electric motors and steering controls.

The panel mounting assembly preferably includes a carriage so as to facilitate the relative movement between the panel mounting assembly and the base frame assembly. The carriage may be mounted for rolling movement along the guides, respective ones of which extend substantially vertically and horizontally. Preferably the carriage includes roller assemblies which include rollers mounted on opposed sides of the guides so as to facilitate a secure or captive movement along each respective guide, to maintain engagement of the carriage with the track. In one preferred embodiment the roller assemblies include guards in order to inhibit fouling of the rollers, reduce corrosion and maintenance requirements, as well as to inhibit contact with the rollers.

The panel mounting assembly may include a turntable apparatus so as to facilitate rotation of the panel about the rotation axis when mounted in the panel mounting assembly. The turntable apparatus may include a stop wall disposed at a back or inner region of the panel mounting assembly, and preferably, the or each locating post extends from the stop wall. Preferably the turntable is adapted to rotate in a substantially vertical plane. In one preferred form, a central axis of the post is coincident with the rotation axis. The turntable apparatus is preferably mounted on roller bearings to facilitate rotation about the rotation axis. One preferred embodiment of the panel mounting assembly includes a releasable lock which can be engaged to inhibit rotation of the turntable apparatus relative to the carriage. Preferably the turntable is mounted on the carriage for rolling motion relative to the superstructure.

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The panel mounting apparatus may include a clamp, which can grip the ends or the sides of the panel. However, in a preferred embodiment, the clamp is provided in order to keep the panel against the stop wall when loaded in the panel mounting assembly. The clamp is preferably in the form of a detachable channel which has an open side edge which in use slips over a side of the panel adjacent the stop wall so that the channel side walls abut outside faces of the panel and stop wall. The clamp includes a closure to close the open side edge. The closure includes a wing nut which when installed extends through a threaded aperture in a channel side wall and is adapted to advance into the open side edge of the channel to abut a panel face to secure the panel in the panel mounting assembly.

A lifting means may be operatively connected to the carriage, the lifting means in one preferred form including a winch assembly having an electric motor, cable, drum and power source. One cable end in use is attached to the carriage, while the winch is mounted on the base frame assembly. The power source may be in the form of a battery.

The superstructure may further include a crane with a jib, to facilitate lifting a hopper of cement or mortar so as in use to fill a joint between two adjacent panels when in the standing or installed position. A separate cable may be used for the jib crane, or the winch cable may extend from the winch drum, through a pulley on the jib and down to the carriage so that the same cable may be used for both the cable and hopper.

Furthermore, the base frame assembly may include balance mounting assemblies, which in use receive counterbalancing masses to counterbalance the mass of the panel when loaded in the panel mounting assembly. The balance mounting assemblies may include extensions, in one form being telescopic slides operatively connected to the substructure, the slides adapted to extend away from the guides so as to increase the potential balancing moment of the counterbalance masses.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order to enable a clearer understanding of the invention, preferred embodiments will hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings and in those drawings:

Fig. 1 is a typical side elevation view of a panel handling apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the panel handing apparatus shown in Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of the panel handling apparatus shown in Fig 1 ; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the panel handling apparatus shown in Fig 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to the Figures there is shown a panel handling apparatus generally indicated at 10 which includes a base frame assembly 12 comprising a substructure 14 and a superstructure 16, and a panel mounting assembly 20 operative Iy mounted on the superstructure 16. The panel handling apparatus 10 is adapted to pick up autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panels 30 of approximately 125mm x 1000mm x 6000mm (not shown) from a stacked position in which the panels 30 are disposed on one side, to a standing or deployed position in which the panels 30 are disposed on one end.

The superstructure 16 is mounted on a front end region 15 of the substructure 14 so that the panel mounting assembly 20 may easily access, load and eject a panel 30. It includes guides 22 which comprise vertical guide pairs 24, 25 and horizontal guide pairs 26, 27.

The panel mounting assembly 20 includes a carriage 40 which is operatively mounted to the guides 22 for rolling movement therealong. The carriage 40 is also

operatively connected to horizontal guides for rolling movement therealong by wheels 85. The carriage 40 includes roller assemblies 42 which include rollers 44 and 45 mounted on opposed sides of the guides 22 so as to secure the carriage 40 to the guides while facilitating rolling movement and inhibiting its detachment from the guides 22.

The panel mounting assembly 20 further includes a turntable 50 which facilitates rotation of the panel 30 from the stacked position to the standing or deployed position. The turntable 50 is operatively mounted on the carriage 40 and includes a stop wall 52 disposed at a back or inner region, and a locating post 54 extending from the stop wall 52 for insertion into an aperture in the panel 30 when loaded thereon. Rotation of the turntable 50 in use is about a rotation axis 53 coincident with the axis 55 of the locating post 54. The turntable 50 is mounted on roller bearings 56 to facilitate the rotation about the rotation axis 53, and the roller bearings 56, when assembled, receive a rearward portion of the locating post 54 which also extends rearwards through the stop wall 52.

The panel mounting assembly 20 also includes a locking means 58 to lock the turntable 50 in a locked position to inhibit its rotation about the rotation axis 53. The locking means 58 includes a pair of spaced-apart ramps 59 having a keyway 57 disposed therebetween, wherein in a locked position a spring-loaded key 60 extends into the keyway so as to lock the turntable 50. The key 60 can be retracted by pushing on an actuating lever to allow the turntable 50 to rotate.

A clamp 70 may be provided to keep the panel 30 mounted on the turntable 50. The clamp 70 is in the form of a detachable channel 72 which has an open side edge 74 so as to, in use, slip over the edge of the panel 30 and the stop wall 52. A closure 75, in the form of a threaded bar having a wing nut actuator, is mounted in one channel wall 73 and extends across towards an opposed channel wall. The bar is then advanced towards the opposed wall and tightened against the panel 30 or the stop wall 52 to clamp.

The superstructure 16 further includes a lifting means 80 so as in use to lift the panel mounting assembly 20. It includes a winch 81, cable 82, drum 83, drive 84 and hook 85. A jib 90 is also provided so as to provide a supplementary lifting means 91, which

may in use be attached to a hopper (not shown) for pouring grout or concrete into joints between adjacent panels 30 when in the standing or installed position. The winch 81 is powered by a battery and electric motor mounted on the substructure 14.

The substructure 14 includes castors 95 to facilitate movement of the base frame assembly 12 across a worksite. Drive, brake and control means may be provided to control the movement of the base frame assembly 12.

The substructure further includes a balance assembly 97, which in use receives one or more balance masses 98 to counterbalance the mass of a panel which may be on the front side 15 of the substructure 14. The balance assembly 97 includes telescopically extending slides 96 so as to adjust the counterbalance moment of the mass 98. The slides

96 includes posts 94 extending upwardly therefrom, so as to receive the masses 98.

Generally, the panels 30 are delivered to the worksite on a side edge, and they must be rotated in order to move them to the standing or deployed position. In operation, a blind hole approximately corresponding in diameter and depth to the locating post 54 is drilled or otherwise formed in a central portion of a rear face of the panel 30. The panel 30 is then loaded onto the panel mounting assembly 20 by placing the blind hole onto the locating post 30 until the rear face of the panel 30 abuts the stop wall 52. The clamp 70 is then attached over a side edge of the panel and turntable wall 52 and tightened.

The turntable is then raised by the winch 81 until the panel can stand on its end. The turntable 50 is rotated about the rotation axis and the panel adopts the deployed or standing position. The panel may be moved across the worksite and placed in a selected position, say, adjacent other panels 30. A hopper of concrete may be poured into a joint between two adjacent panels to secure the wall. Preferred embodiments of the present invention allow a panel to abut another panel when installed more easily than other known arrangements.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or

"comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Finally, it is to be understood that the inventive concept in any of its aspects can be incorporated in many different constructions so that the generality of the preceding description is not to be superseded by the particularity of the attached drawings. Various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be incorporated into the various constructions and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.