Slidable Mobile Bridge

Abstract

A shiftable mobile bridge for use between a quay and a ship in which a rotatable roller is attached to an end of the main bridge gangway adjacent the quay. The roller can be moved horizontally or vertically by appropriate hydraulic or gravity devices, along an inclined quay face as the main bridge gangway is moved inwardly and outwardly from the quay in a generally horizontal direction. The outboard end of the gangway can also be moved vertically to accommodate differences in level between ship and shore.

Description

This invention relates to mobile bridges for loading an unloading automobiles and passengers and connecting ferry boats and a quay.

In the conventional mobile bridges of this kind, one end of the bridge is rotatably mounted on a shaft to turn about an axis at the quay and when the boat comes alongside the quay, the bridge is raised up or down and supported by the boat. In such a conventional bridge, shocks such as when the boat comes alongside are not absorbed and thus may cause trouble. In addition, in the type of ferry boat wherein a part of the bow opens up to load the vehicles, opening of the doors is hindered by the girders of bridge.

The present invention aims to obviate these defects of the prior art and will now be described more in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention showing the bridge retracted;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan and cross-section views respectively of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the bridge in extended position;

FIG. 5 is a schematic transverse sectional elevation of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for a position correction means;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are the explanatory sketches for the retraction device of the mobile bridge;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross section of the embodiment of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are plan and cross-section views of the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, shown in extended position;

FIG. 14 is a cross section showing another embodiment of the elevating apparatus of the mobile bridge; and

FIGS. 15, 16, and 17 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the invention as the ferry comes alongside the quay.

Rotating roller 2 attached to the inner end of gangway a 1 of the mobile bridge is guided for rolling movement on the inclined guide face a formed by the quay and is moved vertically by the elevating means 3 situated at the front or outer part of the bridge. The inclined guide face of the quay has an outer end which is situated at a lower elevation than its opposed inner end. This inclined guide face a has a pair of opposed side edges, and the quay has a pair of opposed side surfaces b extending vertically upwardly from these opposed side edges of the inclined guide face a. At the main bridge gangway 1 can be the same time the main bridge girder 1 can be moved longitudinally between extended (FIGS. 3 and 4) and retracted (FIGS. 1 and 2) positions by the operation of a horizontal moving means 5 attached to said girder 1 and a fixed plate 4 on the dock. Preferably, the horizontal moving means 5 is a double acting hydraulic cylinder. A position correcting means 6 engages the vertical surfaces b which extend upwardly from the opposed side edges of inclined guide face a and the girder 1 in such a way as to adjustably move the girder 1 laterally in a horizontal direction. Further in detail, said elevating means 3 vertically moves the support girder 7 which extends transversely beneath and supports the outer end of the gangway 1. The hydraulic pressure elevator means 8 forms the means 3 as is shown in FIG. 5, or a winch elevator means 9 of FIG. 14 may form the means 3. Rotatable support rollers 10 are carried by (shafts on the part of the said supporting girder 7 which extends beneath and supports main bridge gangway 1, and guide rollers 11 are provided on both sides, at the center, front and rear of girder 7. A shackle 12 is provided between the elevating means 8 or 9 and the support girder 7 to give flexibility thereto and to avoid maladjustment by lateral load.

The horizontal moving means 5, for shifting the said gangway to and fro, is equipped with two hydraulic oil cylinders 13, 14 at each side of the base of the gangway 1, cylinders 13 being fixed to the gangway 1 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7 and having a telescopic rod 13a in the direction of the receiving plate 4 and another telescopic rod 13b in the direction of shiftable receiving means 15. Another cylinder 14 is screwed at one end thereof to said shiftable receiving means 15, and to a step or shoulder 16 formed on both side walls b of inclined guide face a, at the other end thereof. The shiftable receiving means 15 is guided by rollers 18 along 9 guide means 17 formed on the wall b in such a way as to shift means 15 with respect to said shoulder 16. The guide means 17 takes the form of a pair of upwardly directed horizontal shoulders formed in the surfaces b and extending rearwardly from the vertical shoulders 16 which are formed in the surfaces b, respectively. The rollers 18 roll along the horizontal shoulders 17 which form a guide means for the receiving means 15. Thus, the receiving means 15 is moved to and fro by the actuating cylinders 13 and 14. Four position correction means 6 are attached to the gangway 1 on both sides thereof in the front and the rear as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detailed construction of which are as indicated in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, mobile body 19 having a rotatable ball roller 20 is supported by the lower side of the gangway 1 and constructed in such a way as to move toward and away from the surface b by the action of hydraulic cylinder 21. Accordingly, when the ferry boat comes alongside the quay with its center offset from the gangway 1, or when the gangway 1 supported by the ferry boat deviates from the normal position as the gangway moves with the boat, then guide roller 20 is placed to the surface b of the quay by actuating said cylinder 21 to correct the position of the girder in the lateral direction.

When the ferry boat comes alongside the quay and opens its door to be connected to the mobile bridge, the hydraulic pressure moving device 5 slides the gangway 1 toward the direction of the ferry. The moving device 5 is actuated by bringing the end of the rod 13a of one of the cylinders 13 to contact the receiving plate 4 and brings the apparatus into the position shown in FIG. 7 and the girder 1 slides toward the ferry.

When the girder 1 reaches a predetermined position, the foot board 24 is placed at the rear of the gangway 1 as in FIG. 16 and the support girder 7 is lowered by the elevating means 3 to support and fix the outboard end of the gangway 1 on the ferry boat as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 17, and the elevating means 3 is further lowered to completely disconnect the support gangway 7 from the gangway 1. The cylinder 13 is operated to disengage the drawing device 5 from the receiving plate 4, and slide the shiftable receiving means 15 toward the end of the cylinder 14 to disconnect the gangway from the quay. Thus, the gangway 1 will be supported by the inclined guide face a only by the rotatable roller 2 and follows the movement of the ferry boat horizontally or vertically smoothly. The four position correcting means 6 will act as guide rollers by contacting the rotatable ball roller 20 at the tip of the mobil body 19 with surface b when the gangway 1 slides so that when the gangway 1 reaches a predetermined position, the cylinder 21 is actuated to disengage the roller 20 from the quay.

The above operation is conducted when the gangway 1 moves toward the ferry and is supported. When the ferry leaves the quay, the gangway 1 is raised as shown in FIG. 16, and the horizontal moving means 5 is used to create a situation as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 15. The operation to return the gangway 1 is actuated by the hydraulic cylinder 14 as is clear from FIG. 9. The cylinder 14 is brought forward to bring the shiftable receiving body 15 backward and to bring the gangway backward via another cylinder 13.

Another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, comprises the guide face a at a different level and an elevating means 3a at the inboard of the girder similar to the elevating device 8 at the outboard end, the rest being identical to the first embodiment of the invention described herein. The same numbers in the figures indicate the same parts therein.

The mobile bridge of the present invention may be used for conventional type ferry boats as well as ferry boats of which part of the bow opens upward. Moreover, because there is no fixed connection between the gangway and the quay, as in the conventional type mobile bridges, it is possible to move the gangway forward to be supported by the ferry boat and to allow the gangway to move smoothly with the horizontal and vertical movement of the boats thereby preventing accidental damage to the driving means and the like. The gangway is so constructed that it is movable in a lateral direction by actuating the position correction apparatus so that close alignment of the ferry boat to the quay is not as important as in the conventional art.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. For use between ship and shore, a quay having an inclined surface provided with an outer end situated at a lower elevation than an opposed inner end thereof, said inclined surface having a pair of opposed side edges and side quay having a pair of vertical surfaces respectively extending upwardly from said opposed side edges, a main bridge gangway adapted to extend between said quay and a ship, said main bridge gangway having an inner quay end carrying a rotatable roller means for moving along said inclined surface of said quay between said vertical surfaces thereof, moving means operatively connected with said quay end of said gangway for moving the latter between a retracted position and an extended position where the outer end of the gangway is adapted to connect with a ship, and elevating means adjacent the outer ship end of said gangway for raising and lowering the latter end of said gangway, for placing said ship end of said gangway in engagement with a ship when said moving means moves said gangway to said extended position thereof and for disengaging said ship end of said gangway from a ship when said moving means moves said gangway to said retracted position thereof, said moving means being operatively connected with said gangway for releasing the latter for free rolling movement at said rotatable roller means along said inclined surface of said quay after said ship end of said gangway has been engaged with a ship so that said gangway is free to follow vertical movement of a ship with respect to said quay while remaining in engagement with a ship.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said elevating means includes rotatable support rollers on which said gangway is supported by said elevating means.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a pair of guide means are respectively formed in said vertical surfaces of said quay and coact with said moving mean and inclined surface of said quay for guiding said gangway during movement of the latter between said retracted and extended positions.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said moving means includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders.

5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said elevating means includes hydraulic pressure devices.

6. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said elevating means includes winches.

7. For use between ship and shore, a quay having an inclined surface provided with an outer end situated at a lower elevation than an opposed inner end thereof, said inclined surface having a pair of opposed side edges and said quay having a pair of vertical surfaces respectively extending upwardly from said opposed side edges, a main bridge gangway adapted to extend between said quay and a ship, said main bridge gangway having an inner quay end carrying a rotatable roller means for moving along said inclined surface of said quay between said vertical surfaces thereof, moving means operatively connected with said quay end of said gangway for moving the latter between a retracted position and an extended position where the outer end of the gangway is adapted to connect with a ship, and elevating means adjacent the outer ship end of said gangway for raising and lowering the latter end of said gangway, a position correcting means being carried by said gangway and coacting with said vertical surfaces of said quay for laterally adjusting said gangway between said vertical surfaces.

8. For use between ship and shore, a quay having an inclined surface provided with an outer end situated at a lower elevation than an opposed inner end thereof, said inclined surface having a pair of opposed side edges and said quay having a pair of vertical surfaces respectively extending upwardly from said opposed side edges, a main bridge gangway adapted to extend between said quay and a ship, said main bridge gangway having an inner quay end carrying a rotatable roller means for moving along said inclined surface of said quay between said vertical surfaces thereof, moving means operatively connected with said quay end of said gangway for moving the latter between a retracted position and an extended position where the outer end of the gangway is adapted to connect with a ship, and elevating means adjacent the outer ship end of said gangway for raising and lowering the latter end of said gangway, a pair of guide means being respectively formed in said vertical surfaces of said quay and coacting with said moving means and inclined surface of said quay for guiding said gangway during movement of the latter between said retracted and extended positions, said moving means including a pair of shiftable receiving means movable along said guide means, a pair of hydraulic cylinders connected to said pair of receiving means and to said vertical surfaces of said quay forwardly of said receiving means for moving said pair of receiving means longitudinally of said gangway, and an additional pair of hydraulic cylinders fixedly carried by an additional pair of hydraulic cylinders fixedly carried by said gangway at the region of said inner quay end thereof for coacting with said pair of shiftable receiving means and with parts of said quay at the region of the inner, higher end of said inclined surface thereof for moving said gangway longitudinally along said inclined surface of said quay and also for moving said shiftable receiving means along said guide means longitudinally of said gangway, so that through said hydraulic cylinders and the pair of shiftable receiving means said main bridge gangway can be displaced between said retracted and extended positions thereof.