WO2009003218A1

WO2009003218A1 - Curtain-sided trailer and roller assembly for side curtain assemblies

Info

Publication number: WO2009003218A1
Application number: PCT/AU2008/000940
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Bulluss; Stuart George Donaldson
Original assignee: Barker Trailers Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-06-29
Filing date: 2008-06-27
Publication date: 2009-01-08
Also published as: AU2008271903A1; AU2009100950A4; AU2008200587A1

Abstract

A curtain-sided trailer is disclosed. The trailer comprises a side curtain assembly for closing an opening in a side of the trailer. The side curtain assembly comprises a curtain made from a flexible material and a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain. The side curtain assembly also comprises a plurality of roller assemblies that are mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and are located for sliding movement in a guide track of the trailer. The side curtain assembly also comprises a plurality of buckles or other suitable members connected to the curtain to couple the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer.

Description

CURTAIN-SIDED TRAILER AND ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR SIDE CURTAIN

ASSEMBLIES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to curtain-sided trailers .

The present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively to curtain-sided trailers that have side openings and side curtains that are supported for sliding movement to close the openings and to provide access to the interior of the trailers via the openings .

The present invention also relates to roller assemblies and, in particular, to roller assemblies used in conjunction with an elevated track system for the suspension of a load.

The roller assemblies are especially, but not only, useful as part of a side curtain assembly of a curtain- sided trailer. In this application, the roller assemblies support a side curtain, preferably a side curtain formed from a flexible material and having vertically aligned steel straps that reinforce the curtain and provide load restraint.

It should be understood however that the invention is intended for broader application and use .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Load Restraint Guide ("the Guide") prepared by the National Transport Commission and the Road and Transport Authority of NSW provides that it is not permissible for a load carried by a curtain-sided trailer to protrude beyond the width of the trailer by more than 100 mm when a lateral force of 50% of the weight of the load is applied to a side curtain of the trailer. Traditionally, seatbelt-type straps in a webbing arrangement have been used to reinforce side curtains . However, these straps do not provide sufficient restraint to comply with the Guide. Hence, there is a need for a side curtain that can restrain loads to the extent required by the Guide .

The comments in the preceding paragraph are not to be taken as an admission of the common general knowledge in Australia and elsewhere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a curtain-sided trailer. The trailer comprises a side curtain assembly for closing an opening on one side of the trailer . The side curtain assembly comprises a curtain made from a flexible material and a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain that extend between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain. The side curtain assembly also comprises a plurality of roller assemblies that are mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and are located for sliding movement in a guide track of the trailer . The side curtain assembly also comprises a plurality of buckles or other suitable members connected to the curtain to couple the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer.

In more specific terms , according to the present invention there is provided a curtain-sided trailer that comprises at least one opening in a side of the trailer to allow access to the interior of the trailer and a side curtain assembly that can close the opening and is movable by sliding movement between an open position and a closed position, the side curtain assembly comprising a side curtain made from a flexible material such as a polymeric material , a guide track mounted to an upper section of the trailer that supports the curtain for sliding movement, a plurality of roller assemblies mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and located for sliding movement in the guide track, a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain, an upper end of each strap being mounted to one of the roller assemblies, and a buckle or other suitable coupling member being connected to a lower end of each strap for securing the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer .

Preferably the strap is shaped and/or is formed from any material that separately or in combination provide the curtain with sufficient rigidity under side loading as specified in the Guide .

Basically, it is preferred that the strap be made form a rigid or a semi-rigid material .

Typically, the strap is formed from a metal.

Preferably the strap is formed from stainless steel .

The roller assemblies may be any suitable roller assemblies .

According to the present invention there is also provided a side curtain assembly that can close an opening in a curtain-side trailer and is movable by sliding movement between an open position and a closed position, the side curtain assembly comprising a side curtain made from a flexible material such as a polymeric material , a plurality of roller assemblies mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and adapted to be located for sliding movement in a guide track of the trailer, a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain, an upper end of each strap being mounted to one of the roller assemblies, and a buckle or other suitable coupling member connected to a lower end of each strap for securing the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer.

The applicant has found in test work on the above- described side curtain assemblies having stainless steel straps that the straps provide sufficient reinforcement to side curtains so that the curtains can comply with the load restraint requirements of the Guide.

However, the inherent rigidity of metal straps, such as stainless steel straps, means that the straps do not flex to the same extent as the seatbelt-type straps that had previously been used in side curtain assemblies . The applicant recognised that this is an issue when known roller assemblies, designed to support seatbelt-type- webbed curtains , were used with the above-described metal strap side curtain. Testing with the new curtain design described above revealed that the standard roller assemblies used in the industry would regularly lock or bind in the track as the curtain was moved between open and closed positions .

In a first attempt to alleviate the problem of locking or binding in the track, a new flexible connection was developed for the standard roller assemblies for use with the roller assemblies which incorporated an attachment plate for connection to a metal strap. The new attachment plate contained a hole which allowed it to swing freely on the rotatable hook of the roller assembly. However, in use, this new design also proved problematic since the shank of the hook was contacting heavily with the inner edge of track during sliding movement of the curtain. The roller assembly of the present invention described below is the result of subsequent research work.

According to the present invention there is also provided a roller assembly for use with an elongate guide track, the roller assembly comprising at least one pair of rollers arranged to engage an inner lower surface of the track, a carrier supported by the rollers for suspending a load relative to the track, and at least one transverse wheel rotatably connected to a lower portion of the carrier and arranged to engage a surface of the track so as to limit lateral movement of the roller assembly within the track.

The transverse wheel may be attached to the carrier such that it engages an inner side surface of the track. The diameter of the transverse wheel preferably extends beyond the outer surfaces of the rollers . An axle may pass through the centre of the transverse wheel and be rotatably attached to the carrier whereby the axle is rotatable independently of the rotation of the wheel .

The carrier may include a cylindrical aperture into which a shank of a member is inserted and rotatably attached to a load to suspend the load from the carrier such that the member protrudes through an elongate channel in a lower surface of the track . The member may be a hook-shaped member. The load is typically a truck side curtain (for example as described above) , and more typically a metal strap reinforced truck side curtain.

The shank of the member and the axle which passes through the transverse wheel may be one and the same . The carrier may be supported by at least one pair of parallel rollers which are arranged such that a roller is positioned on each side of the channel. Furthermore, a second pair of rollers may be rotatably attached to the carrier and arranged to engage the inner lower surface of the track with a roller being positioned on each side of the channel .

The transverse wheel may engage an inner side surface of the track such as to limit lateral movement of the shank within the channel, and thereby limit contact of the shank with edge surfaces in the track formed by the elongate channel, during sliding movement of the roller assembly within the track. This transverse wheel may be positioned on the lower portion of the carrier below the central axle of the parallel rollers . The advantage of this transverse wheel is to centre the position of the roller assembly within the track and to avoid locking or binding by limiting contact between the shank and the edge surfaces .

The roller assembly may also include a second transverse wheel that is rotatably attached to the carrier at a position above the first transverse wheel such that it can engage an inner side surface of the track to thereby limit contact of the rollers with the inner side surface of the track during sliding movement of the roller assembly within the track.

The use of a second transverse wheel, positioned on the carrier above the central access of the parallel rollers, is particularly advantageous in a situation where the direction of the load is altered such as to cause the roller assembly to tilt within the track. In this instance, the second transverse wheel will rotatably engage an inner side surface of the track and effectively limit contact of the upper portions of the parallel rollers with the inner side surfaces, thus limiting the chances of the roller assembly binding within the track.

The axle may pass through the centre of the second transverse wheel such that the axle is rotatable independently of the rotation of the roller assembly within the track. In this embodiment the axle will pass through the centre of both the first and second transverse wheels. However, their freedom of rotation will be both independent of each other and of the carrier.

The load referred to may be that of a truck side curtain as affixed to the attachment plate. Whilst the roller assembly will support the load of a metal reinforced truck side curtain it may also be used to support loads of other variant truck side curtains such as those that use seatbelt strap webbing.

IN THE DRAWINGS:

The present invention is now described further with reference to the accompanying drawings , of which :

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a roller assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention ;

Figure 2 is a front view line drawing of the roller assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view line drawing of the roller assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is an end view line drawing of the roller assembly of Figure 1 ; Figure 5 is an end view line drawing of the roller assembly of Figure 1 as positioned in the track;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a curtain-sided trailer in accordance with the present invention which includes one embodiment of a side curtain assembly in accordance with the present invention, with one side curtain in an open position and the other side curtain in a closed position;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the curtain-sided trailer of Figure 6 from the other side of the trailer;

Figures 8 and 11 are front views of a part of the side curtain assemblies of the curtain-sided trailer of

Figures 6 and 7 , with the curtain removed from Figure 8 to show other components of the assembly more clearly;

Figures 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of the Figure 11 illustrating the side curtain assembly with the buckle of the assembly in a closed position and in an open position, respectively,

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the side curtain assembly of Figures 6 and 7, and

Figures 13 to 16 are top, side and perspective views that illustrate in detail the roller assembly of the side curtain assembly of Figures 8 to 12. .

The following description of embodiments of the present invention is given by way of illustration only and other embodiments of the invention are possible. Consequently, the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description . DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The drawings show a roller assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The roller assembly 100 includes a carrier 102 to which are attached two pairs of parallel rollers 104. Within each pair of rollers 104, a roller is located on each side of the carrier 102 and rotatably attached by means of a central axle 106 which passes through the carrier 102. The rollers support the carrier for the purpose of suspending a load which for this preferred embodiment is considered to be a metal reinforced truck side curtain. There are also attached to the carrier 102, a lower transverse wheel 110 positioned below the central axle 106 of the rollers, and an upper transverse wheel 112 positioned above the central axle 106 of the rollers. The diameter of the lower transverse wheel 110 extends beyond the outer surfaces of the parallel rollers 104. The diameter of the upper transverse wheel 112 is less than that of the upper transverse wheel; however it also extends beyond the outer surfaces of the parallel rollers 104.

A hook-shaped member 120 is rotatably attached to the carrier 102; the shank 122 of said hook-shaped member 120 forming the axle about which the lower transverse wheel 110 and the upper transverse wheel 112 being positioned and rotatably attached to the carrier 102. A load is attached to the hook-shaped member 120 by means of an attachment plate 124 which swings freely from the hook- shaped member 120. As is described below in relation to Figures 6 to 12 , in one embodiment of the present invention the load is a side curtain of a curtain sided trailer.

Figure 5 shows an end view line drawing of the roller assembly 100 of Figure 1 as positioned in the elongate track 130. The track 130 consists of an inner upper surface 132, two opposing inner side surfaces 134 and 136, and an inner lower surface 138. The inner lower surface 138 of the track incorporates an elongate channel 140 which forms two inner edges 142.

During sliding movement of the roller assembly 100, the two pairs of parallel rollers 104 engage the inner lower surface 138 of the track 130 on both sides of the channel 140. The lower transverse wheel 110 may engage the inner side surfaces 134 or 136 of the track 130, such as to limit movement of the roller assembly 100 within the track 130 and thereby limit contact of the shank 122 with the inner edges 142 of the track 130. Specifically, the upper and lower transverse wheels 110, 112 are sized relative to the width of the channel opening so that the wheels come into contact with the side walls of the guide track and can not tilt further before the shank of the roller assembly comes into contact with the side edges of the guide track that define the channel opening into the track .

Variations in the direction of the load applied to the hook-shaped member 120 may cause the roller assembly 100 to tilt within the track 130. In this instance the upper transverse wheel 112 may engage the inner side surfaces 134 or 136 of the track 130 such as to limit contact of the upper portions of the parallel rollers 104 with the inner side surfaces 134 or 136 of the track 130. The purpose of the lower transverse wheel 110 and upper transverse wheel 112 engaging the inner side surfaces 134 or 136 of the track 130 is to prevent the roller assembly 100 from binding with the track 130 and becoming stuck therein .

The roller assembly shown in Figures 1 to 5 is a part of the embodiment of the side curtain assemblies of the curtain-sided trailer shown in Figures 6 to 12.

With reference to these Figures, the curtain-sided trailer 3 comprises at least one opening 5 in a side of the trailer and a side curtain assembly, generally identified by the numeral 7 that can close the opening and is movable by sliding movement between an open position and a closed position .

The side curtain assembly 7 comprises a side curtain 9 made from a flexible material such as a polymeric material .

The side curtain assembly 7 also comprises a guide track 130, of the same general construction as the track shown in Figure 5 , mounted to an upper section of the trailer. The track 130 supports the curtain 9 for sliding movement .

The side curtain assembly 7 also comprises a plurality of the above-described (or other suitable) roller assemblies 100 mounted to upper sections of the curtain 9 at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and located for sliding movement in the track 130 to facilitate sliding movement of the curtain 9. The roller assemblies 100 are of the same basic construction as the roller assembly 100 shown in Figures 1 to 5.

With particular reference to Figures 13 to 16, the main difference between the roller assemblies 100 is that the roller assembly shown in Figures 13 to 16 includes a different form of connection between the curtain 9 and the roller assembly 100. Specifically, the roller assembly shown in Figures 13 to 16 includes a transverse opening in the shank 122 and a swivel pin 62 that extends through the opening and an aligned opening in the attachment plate 124 and a retaining ring 64 that locks the assembly together. The arrangement is such that the attachment plate 62 and the strip 11 mounted to that plate can swivel as required. This arrangement is an alternative, although not the only possible alternative, to the hook-shaped member 120 shown in Figures 1 to 5.

The side curtain assembly 7 also comprises a series of stainless steel straps 11 that provide rigidity to the curtain 9. The straps 11 extend between upper and lower sections of the curtain 9 at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain. The straps 11 are located in a series of pockets (not shown) in the curtain 9. An upper end of each strap 11 is mounted to one of the roller assemblies 100 and a buckle 13 or other suitable member is connected to a lower end of each strap for securing the curtain 9 to a mounting rail 15 or other suitable part of the trailer .

The stainless steel straps provide load restraint - the seat belt webbing used on conventional curtain-sided trailers stretches and does not have sufficient rigidity to restrain load no more than 100 mm under a load in the

Guide .

The problem addressed by the roller assembly of the present invention in the context of the side curtain assembly 7 shown in Figures 6 to 12 is a problem of the roller assemblies of known side curtain assemblies binding or locking against the side edges of the guide track that define the channel opening into the track as the curtain is being opened and closed and providing resistance to sliding movement of the curtain.

The foregoing describes only one form of the present invention and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is also contemplated that various embodiments of roller assemblies may be employed in combination even though they may not have been specifically described or shown in such a combination .

Whilst the roller assembly described above is suitable for use with a metal reinforced truck side curtain, the roller assembly may also be used in any number of elevated tracked systems which require the suspension of a heavy load. In particular, the roller assembly is intended to provide an efficient solution to the existing problems experienced with the use of metal reinforced truck side curtains .

In addition, whilst the embodiment of the side curtain assembly includes straps 11 made from stainless steel, the present invention is not so limited and extends to the use of any suitable material and construction of the straps that provide the curtain with sufficient rigidity.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A curtain-sided trailer that comprises at least one opening in a side of the trailer and a side curtain assembly that can close the opening and is movable by sliding movement between an open position and a closed position, the side curtain assembly comprising a side curtain made from a flexible material such as a polymeric material, a guide track mounted to an upper section of the trailer that supports the curtain for sliding movement, a plurality of roller assemblies mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and located for sliding movement in the guide track, a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain, an upper end of each strap being mounted to one of the roller assemblies, and a buckle or other suitable member being connected to a lower end of each strap for securing the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer .

2. The trailer defined in claim 1 wherein the strap is shaped and/or is formed form any material that separately or in combination provide the curtain with sufficient rigidity under side loading as specified in the Load Restraint Guide prepared by the National Transport Commission and the Road and Transport Authority of NSW.

3. The trailer defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the strap is formed from a metal .

4. The trailer defined in claim 3 wherein the strap is formed from stainless steel.

5. A roller assembly for use with an elongate track, the roller assembly comprising:

(a) at least one pair of rollers arranged to engage an inner lower surface of the track;

(b) a carrier supported by the rollers for suspending a load relative to the track ;

(c) at least one transverse wheel rotatably connected to a lower portion of the carrier and arranged to engage a surface of the track so as to limit lateral movement of the roller assembly within the track.

6. The roller assembly according to claim 5 wherein the transverse wheel is attached to the carrier such that:

(a) the diameter of the wheel extends beyond outer surfaces of the rollers ; and

(b) the wheel engages an inner side surface of the track .

7. The roller assembly defined in claim 6 wherein an axle passes through the centre of the transverse wheel and is rotatably attached to the carrier such that the axle is rotatable independently of the rotation of the wheel .

8. The roller assembly defined in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the carrier includes a cylindrical aperture into which a shank of a member, such as a hook-shaped member, is inserted and rotatably attached to suspend the load from the carrier such that the hook-shaped member protrudes through an elongate channel in a lower surface of the track.

9. The roller assembly defined in claim 8 as appended to claim 7 wherein the axle and the shank are integrally f ormed .

10. The roller assembly defined in claim 8 wherein the carrier is supported by at least one pair of parallel rollers which are arranged such that a said roller is positioned on either side of the channel .

11. The roller assembly defined in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the transverse wheel engages an inner side surface of the track such as to limit lateral movement of the shank within the channel , and thereby limit contact of the shank with edge surfaces in the track formed by the elongate channel, during traversal of the roller assembly within the track.

12. The roller assembly defined in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a second transverse wheel rotatably attached to the carrier at a position above the first transverse wheel such that it can engage an inner side surface of the track to thereby limit contact of the rollers with the inner side surface of the track during traversal of the roller assembly within the track .

13. The roller assembly defined in claim 12 when appended to claim 7 wherein the axle passes through the centre of the second transverse wheel such that the axle is rotatable independently of the rotation of the second transverse wheel .

14. The roller assembly defined in claim 8 , or any one of claims 9 to 13 when appended to claim 8 , further including a second pair of rollers rotatably attached to the carrier and arranged to engage the inner lower surface of the track with a said roller positioned on either side of the channel .

15. The roller assembly defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the load is a truck side curtain .

16. A side curtain assembly that can close an opening in a curtain-side trailer and is movable by sliding movement between an open position and a closed position, the side curtain assembly comprising a side curtain made from a flexible material such as a polymeric material , a plurality of roller assemblies mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and adapted to be located for sliding movement in a guide track of the trailer, a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain, an upper end of each strap being mounted to one of the roller assemblies, and a buckle or other suitable coupling member connected to a lower end of each strap for securing the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer .

17. A curtain-sided trailer comprises a side curtain assembly for closing an opening in a side of the trailer, the side curtain assembly comprising a curtain made from a flexible material, a series of straps that provide rigidity to the curtain extending between upper and lower sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain, a plurality of roller assemblies that are mounted to upper sections of the curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtain and are located for sliding movement in a guide track of the trailer, and a plurality of buckles or other suitable members connected to the curtain to couple the curtain to a mounting rail or other suitable part of the trailer.