CN108178078A - A kind of lifting mechanism and lifting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hoisting mechanism and hoisting equipment, wherein, the hoisting mechanism includes: a double output shaft motor with a first output shaft and a second output shaft; a first brake, one end of which is connected to the The first output shaft is connected, and the other end is connected with the first planetary gearbox; the second brake, one end is connected with the second output shaft through the second coupling, and the other end is connected with the second planetary gearbox; the first reel , the first planetary gearbox is set in the first reel, and the first planetary gearbox can drive the first reel to rotate; the second reel, the second planetary gearbox is arranged in The second reel is inside, and the second planetary gearbox can drive the second reel to rotate. The arrangement form of the lifting mechanism of the present invention is simple and compact, light in weight, and saves arrangement space.

Description

Lifting mechanism and lifting equipment

technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of lifting, in particular to a lifting mechanism and lifting equipment.

Background technique

Straddle carriers play a very important role in the horizontal transportation of containers in ports. It needs to control the rise and fall of the spreader through the lifting mechanism to realize the handling and stacking of containers. Since the lifting mechanism is arranged on the upper platform, its weight has a great influence on the whole machine, and due to the clear width of the straddle carrier and the upper structural space, there are strict restrictions on the arrangement and weight of the lifting drive mechanism. The layout of the traditional lifting mechanism is complicated, takes up a lot of space and is heavy.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a lifting mechanism, including: a double output shaft motor with a first output shaft and a second output shaft; One output shaft is connected, and the other end is connected with the first planetary gearbox; one end of the second brake is connected with the second output shaft through the second coupling, and the other end is connected with the second planetary gearbox; the first reel, The first planetary reduction box is set in the first reel, and the first planetary reduction box can drive the first reel to rotate; the second reel, the second planetary reduction box is set in the first reel the second reel, and the second planetary gearbox can drive the second reel to rotate.

Optionally, the first brake and the second brake have the same structure, and both are wet multi-disc brakes.

Optionally, the wet multi-disc brake includes: a disc body with an inner cavity;

The brake shaft is arranged in the inner cavity, and the two ends of the axial direction protrude from the disc body. In the axial direction, one end of the brake shaft is connected to the coupling, and the other end is connected to the planetary reduction box;

a piston located in the inner chamber;

The friction pair is arranged in the inner cavity, and the piston can move along a first direction to engage the friction pair to brake the brake shaft, and move along a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the The friction pair is separated to release the brake of the brake shaft, and the first direction is parallel to the axial direction.

Optionally, the friction pair includes: a first friction plate and a second friction plate, the first friction plate is connected to the brake shaft, and the second friction plate is arranged facing the piston; the piston can It moves in the first direction under hydraulic pressure and moves in the second direction after depressurization.

Optionally, along the axial direction, the first friction plates correspond to the second friction plates one by one, and there are a plurality of them arranged at intervals in sequence.

Optionally, the second friction plate is connected to the cavity wall of the inner cavity.

Optionally, it also includes: a support shaft, arranged on the disc body, extending along the axial direction, the piston is arranged around the support shaft, and can move in the first direction or the second direction relative to the support shaft. direction movement, the return spring is connected with the piston, and is used to drive the piston to move in the second direction after the pressure is released.

Optionally, the piston has a cavity, and the return spring is sleeved on the support shaft and located in the cavity of the piston.

Optionally, one end of the return spring is connected to the piston, and the other end is connected to the disc body.

Optionally, one end of the brake shaft is keyed to the coupling, and the other end is keyed to the planetary gearbox.

Optionally, the disc body is also provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, the liquid inlet is used to fill the inner cavity with hydraulic oil, and the liquid outlet is used to drain the inner cavity of hydraulic oil.

Optionally, the structure of the first planetary gear box is the same as that of the second planetary gear box. The planetary gear box includes: a shell, the inner wall of the shell has an internal ring gear, and the shell and the reel connected, the reel can rotate synchronously with the shell;

The planetary gear is connected to the other end of the brake shaft and meshes with the ring gear, and the planetary gear can drive the housing to rotate under the drive of the brake shaft.

Optionally, a steel wire rope pressure plate is also included, located at both ends of the outer surface of the drum in the axial direction, and used for compressing the wire rope wound on the drum in the radial direction.

The present invention also provides a lifting device, comprising: the lifting mechanism described in any one of the above; a hanger upper frame, the first reel and the second reel are respectively connected to the hanger upper frame by wire ropes , used to drive the lifting or lowering of the upper frame of the spreader.

Optionally, the lifting device is a straddle carrier.

As mentioned above, the lifting mechanism provided by the present invention includes: a double output shaft motor having a first output shaft and a second output shaft; and a first brake and a second brake. Among them, one end of the first brake is connected to the first output shaft through the first coupling, and the other end is connected to the first planetary gearbox; one end of the second brake is connected to the second output shaft through the second coupling, and the other end is connected to the first The two planetary gearboxes are connected. Also included: first reel and second reel. The first planetary gearbox is set in the first reel, and the first planetary gearbox can drive the first reel to rotate; the second planetary gearbox is arranged in the second reel, and the second planetary gearbox can drive the second The reel turns. It is equivalent to that the planetary gearbox of the hoisting mechanism is "built-in" in the corresponding reel, which saves the layout space of the hoisting structure; in addition, the reel, gearbox, coupling, brake and motor are arranged in the same direction , in a "cucurbit string" design, the lifting mechanism is simple and compact in layout and light in weight.

In order to make the above content of the present invention more comprehensible, preferred embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the structural representation of the hoisting mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a double output shaft motor in a lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the structure in which the double output shaft motors are respectively connected to the first coupling joint and the second coupling joint in the lifting mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention

Structural diagram;

Fig. 4 is a structural illustration of the connection between the first coupling, the double output shaft motor and the first brake in the lifting mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention

intention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of the first brake in the hoisting mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the friction pair and the piston of the first brake in the lifting mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the first reel and the first planetary reduction box in the lifting mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a structural block diagram of the first planetary reduction gearbox in the hoisting mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The implementation of the present invention will be illustrated by specific specific examples below, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be presented in conjunction with a preferred embodiment, it does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. The following description contains numerous specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The invention may also be practiced without these details. Also, some specific details will be omitted from the description in order to avoid obscuring or obscuring the gist of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4, the present invention provides a hoisting mechanism, including: a double output shaft motor 10, the dual output shaft motor 10 is a servo motor, which provides instantaneous overload and positive and negative rotation power for the hoisting mechanism to work, The double output shaft motor 10 has a first output shaft 11 and a second output shaft 12 respectively located at the two axial ends of the double output shaft motor 10 ; and a first brake 30 and a second brake 31 . Among them, one end of the first brake 30 is connected to the first output shaft 11 through the first coupling 20, and the other end is connected to the first planetary reduction box 50; one end of the second brake 31 is connected to the second output shaft through the second coupling 21 12, and the other end is connected with the second planetary gearbox 51.

It also includes: a first roll 40 and a second roll 41 . The first planetary reduction box 50 is arranged in the first reel 40, and the first planetary reduction box 50 can drive the first reel 40 to rotate; the second planetary reduction box 51 is arranged in the second reel 41, and the second planetary The reduction box 51 can drive the second drum 41 to rotate. Under the action of the first planetary reduction box 50 and the second planetary reduction box 51, the high speed of the double output shaft motor 10 is transformed into the low speed of the first reel 40 and the second reel 41, and at the same time, the rotation speed of the first reel 40 can be and the second drum 41 to transmit torque.

Equivalently, the planetary gearbox of the hoisting mechanism is "built-in" in the corresponding reel, that is, the first planetary gearbox 50 is "built-in" in the first reel 40, and the second planetary gearbox 51 is "built-in" In the second reel 41, the arrangement space of the lifting structure is saved. In addition, the reel, reduction box, coupling, brake and motor are arranged in the same direction (shown in the X direction in Figure 1), and the lifting mechanism is designed as a "hoist string" as a whole, and the layout of the lifting mechanism is simple and compact; the brake It is installed between the planetary reducer and the coupling, without a special installation base, which makes the overall weight of the lifting mechanism light.

Continue to refer to Fig. 1, wherein, the first planetary gear box 50 is supported by the first gear box bracket 32, and the first reel 40 is connected with the first reel bracket 44 through the first shaft 42, so that the first gear box bracket 32 and the first gear box bracket 32 A reel support 44 supports the first planetary reduction box 50 and the first reel 40 , and driven by the first planetary reduction case 50 , the first reel 40 rotates smoothly. Similarly, the second planetary reduction box 51 is supported by the second reduction box bracket 33, and the second reel 41 is connected with the second reel support 45 through the second shaft 43, so that the second reduction box support 33 and the second reel support 45 The second planetary reduction box 51 and the second reel 41 are supported, and driven by the second planetary reduction case 51 , the second reel 41 rotates smoothly.

In this embodiment, the first brake 30 and the second brake 31 have the same structure, and both are wet multi-disc brakes. 5 and 6, taking the structure of the first brake 30 as an example, the first brake 30 includes: a disc body 301, a brake shaft 303 is arranged in the inner cavity 302 of the disc body 301, and the axial direction of the brake shaft 303 Both ends protrude from the disk body 301, along the axial direction (shown in the Y direction in Figure 5), as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 1, one end of the brake shaft 303 is connected to the first coupling 20, and the other end is connected to the first planetary Gearbox 50 is connected.

A piston 305 and a friction pair 304 are also provided in the inner cavity 302 of the disc body 301 of the first brake 30, and the piston 305 can move along a first direction (shown in the direction A in FIG. 5 ) to engage the friction pair 304 to achieve braking. For the braking of the shaft 303, the braking shaft 303 will not rotate under the drive of the double output shaft motor 10. Piston 305 can move along the second direction opposite to the first direction (shown in the B direction in FIG. 5 ) to separate the friction pair 304 and release the brake of the brake shaft 303. As shown in the direction), the brake shaft 303 can rotate under the drive of the double output shaft motor 10, and then provide power to the first planetary reduction box 50.

That is, when the double output shaft motor 10 works, the first output shaft 11 and the second output shaft 12 rotate in the same direction. Wherein, the first output shaft 11 drives the first coupling 20 to rotate, and when the first brake 30 is not braked, the first coupling 20 can drive the braking shaft 303 in the first brake 30 to rotate, and then the braking shaft 303 provides power to the first planetary gearbox 50 , and the first reel 40 rotates driven by the first planetary gearbox 50 . Similarly, the second output shaft 12 drives the second coupling 21 to rotate. When the second brake 31 is not braked, the second coupling 21 can drive the brake shaft in the second brake 31 to rotate, and then the second brake The brake shaft in 31 provides power to the second planetary gearbox 51, and the second reel 41 rotates under the drive of the second planetary gearbox 51.

When the first brake 30 and the second brake 31 rotate, the brake shaft 303 in the first brake 30 and the brake shaft in the second brake 31 stop rotating, so that the first reel 40 and the second reel 41 will stop turn.

5 and 6, the friction pair 304 in the first brake 30 includes: a first friction plate 37 and a second friction plate 36, the first friction plate 37 is connected with the brake shaft 303, the second friction plate 36 is set facing the piston 305; the way the piston 305 moves is not limited. In this embodiment, the disc body 301 is also provided with a liquid inlet 30a and a liquid outlet 30b. The cavity 302 is filled with hydraulic oil, and the piston 305 can move in the first direction under the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil to drive the first friction plate 37 and the second friction plate 36 to engage and realize the braking of the brake shaft 303; the liquid outlet 30b Used to drain the hydraulic oil in the inner cavity 302, after the inner cavity 302 of the disc body 301 is depressurized, the piston 305 can move in the second direction, so that the engaged first friction plate 37 and the second friction plate 36 are separated, releasing Braking of the brake shaft 303 . In other embodiments, the piston may be driven to move in the first direction or the second direction in other ways.

Wherein, the friction plate is soaked in the hydraulic oil, which reduces the wear of the friction plate. When the friction pair 304 brakes, the hydraulic oil fluid takes away the heat generated by the brake to dissipate heat, prolonging the service life of the friction plate.

In this embodiment, along the axial direction, the first friction plates 37 and the second friction plates 36 correspond one-to-one, and there are a plurality of them arranged at intervals in sequence. Figure 6 shows six first friction plates 37 and six second friction plates 36, the first friction plates 37 and the second friction plates 36 are arranged at intervals in sequence, which can be understood as: the first friction plates 37 and the second friction plates 36 are alternately arranged. Wherein, the second friction plate 36 is connected to the cavity wall of the inner cavity 302 . The second friction plate 36 may be keyed to the cavity wall of the inner cavity 302. When the piston 305 moves along the first direction, the second friction plate 36 can move axially relative to the cavity wall of the inner cavity 302 along the first direction, so that the first The second friction plate 36 will engage with the first friction plate 37 to realize braking of the brake shaft 303 . When the piston 305 moves in the second direction, the brake shaft 303 continues to rotate, and the second friction plate 36 will be “swung away” at the moment the brake shaft 303 rotates, and the second friction plate 36 will move back to its position along the second direction. The friction pair 304 is convenient to use.

The first brake 30 further includes: a supporting shaft 34 and a return spring 35 arranged on the disc body 301 . Wherein, the support shaft 34 extends in the axial direction, and the piston 305 is disposed around the support shaft 34 and can move relative to the support shaft 34 along the first direction or the second direction. The return spring 35 is connected with the piston 305 for driving the piston 305 to move in the second direction after the pressure is released. After filling the inner cavity 302 of the disc body 301 with hydraulic oil through the liquid inlet 30a, under the hydraulic action of the hydraulic oil, the piston 305 can move relative to the support shaft 34 in the first direction, and the return spring 35 elastically deforms to generate elastic force; The liquid port 30 b drains the hydraulic oil in the inner chamber 302 , and after the inner chamber 302 of the disc body 301 is depressurized, the piston 305 can move relative to the support shaft 34 along the second direction under the elastic force of the return spring 35 .

It should be noted that the specific position of the piston 305 is not limited, as long as the piston 305 can be driven to move in the second direction after the inner cavity 302 of the disc body 301 is depressurized after being connected with the piston 305 . Referring to FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, the piston 305 has a cavity, and the return spring 35 is sleeved on the support shaft 34 and located in the cavity of the piston 305 . One end of the return spring 35 is connected to the piston 305 , and the other end is connected to the disc body 301 . In other embodiments, the other end of the return spring 35 can be connected to the support shaft 34 .

Under the action of hydraulic pressure, the piston 305 can move relative to the support shaft 34 along the first direction, and the return spring 35 is stretched to elastically deform and generate an elastic force. Under the action, the piston 305 returns to its position, and the piston 305 can move relative to the support shaft 34 along the second direction. The support shaft 34 supports the piston 305 on the one hand, and the return spring 35 provided in the cavity of the piston 305 can guide the axial direction so that the piston 305 can move smoothly along the first direction or the second direction.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, one end of the brake shaft 303 is keyed to the first coupling 20 , and the other end is keyed to the first planetary reduction box 50 . Wherein, one end of the braking shaft 303 is provided with a spline 30c, and the other end is provided with a spline 30d. One end of the braking shaft 303 is keyed to the first shaft coupling 20 through the spline 30c, and the other end is connected to the first joint 20 through the spline 30d. Planetary gearbox with 50-key connection. One end of the first coupling 20 is connected to the double-outlet shaft motor 10 through a flat key, and the other end is connected to the first brake 30 by a spline, which shortens the shaft length and facilitates sliding and dismounting of the first brake 30 for maintenance. That is, the connection in the form of a key is used to facilitate the disassembly of the first brake 30 from the first planetary reduction box 50 and the first coupling 20 , which is convenient for maintenance and greatly facilitates the disassembly and maintenance of each component.

It should be noted that the structure of the first planetary reduction box 50 of the present invention is the same as that of the second planetary reduction box 51. With reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, taking the structure of the first planetary reduction box 50 as an example, the first planetary reduction Box 50 comprises: shell 50a, the inner shell wall of shell 50a has ring gear 52, and shell 50a is connected with first reel 40, and first reel 40 can rotate synchronously with shell 50a; The other end of the braking shaft 303 is connected and meshed with the ring gear 52 , the planetary gear can drive the housing 50 a to rotate under the driving of the braking shaft 303 , and then drive the first reel 40 to rotate.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 8 , the planetary gear of the present invention includes: a sun gear 53 , a first planetary gear 54 , a second planetary gear 56 , and a third planetary gear 59 arranged at intervals along the same axial direction. Wherein, the sun gear 53 is connected with the other end of the brake shaft 303 of the first brake 30, and the sun gear 53 is meshed with the first planetary gear 54, and the first planetary gear 54 is arranged on the first planet carrier 55, and is connected with the housing 50a. The ring gear 52 of the inner shell wall meshes; the other end of the first planet carrier 55 is connected with the fourth planetary gear 57, and the second planetary gear 56 is respectively connected with the fourth planetary gear 57 and the ring gear 52 of the inner shell wall of the housing 50a. meshing, the second planetary gear 56 is located on the second planetary carrier 58; the other end of the second planetary carrier 58 is connected with the fifth planetary gear 60, and the third planetary gear 59 is connected with the fifth planetary gear 60 and the inner shell of the outer shell 50a respectively. The ring gear 52 of the wall meshes. Under the above-mentioned structural design, after the brake shaft 303 of the first brake 30 drives the sun gear 53 to rotate, under the drive of each planetary gear, the shell 50a of the first planetary reduction box 50 will rotate, and the first reel 40 will follow the rotation of the first planetary gear. A casing 50a of a planetary reduction gearbox 50 rotates.

In other embodiments, other forms of planetary gear structures can be used, as long as the planetary gears can drive the housing 50a to rotate.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 7 , the first reel 40 of the present invention also includes a wire rope pressure plate 40b, which is located at both ends of the outer surface of the first reel 40 in the axial direction, and is used for radially compressing and winding the first reel. Steel wire rope 40a on 40. The specific shape of the wire rope pressing plate 40b is not limited, as long as it can radially compress the wire rope 40a wound on the first reel 40 . Referring to FIG. 7 , the portion of each wire rope clamping plate 40 b facing the wire rope 40 a at both axial ends of the outer surface of the first reel 40 has a concave portion matched with the wire rope 40 a for accommodating the wire rope 40 a. After the wire rope pressing plate 40b is connected to the first reel 40 in the radial direction, it compresses the wire rope 40a in the radial direction to prevent the wire rope 40a from getting loose from the first reel 40 .

It should be noted that the structure of the first reel 40 is the same as that of the second reel 41, the structure of the first brake 30 is the same as that of the second brake 31, and the structure of the first coupling 20 is the same as that of the second coupling. The structure of the joint 21 is the same, and the structure of the first planetary reduction box 50 and the structure of the second planetary reduction box 51 are the same. This embodiment is described by taking the structure of the first reel 40, the first brake 30, the first coupling 20, and the first planetary reduction box 50 as an example. Regarding the second reel 41, the second brake 31, the second coupling The specific structure of the shaft joint 21 and the second planetary reduction box 51 can refer to the above description, and will not be repeated here.

The present invention also provides a hoisting device, comprising: the hoisting mechanism described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments; The upper frame connection of the spreader is used to drive the lifting or lowering of the upper frame of the spreader. In this embodiment, the lifting device is a straddle carrier. In other embodiments, other types of devices are possible.

To sum up, the above-mentioned embodiments provided by the present invention are only illustrative to illustrate the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can modify or change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims (15)

1. A lifting mechanism, characterized in that, comprising: A dual output shaft motor having a first output shaft and a second output shaft; a first brake, one end is connected to the first output shaft through a first coupling, and the other end is connected to the first planetary gearbox; a second brake, one end is connected to the second output shaft through a second coupling, and the other end is connected to the second planetary gearbox; The first reel, the first planetary gearbox is arranged in the first reel, and the first planetary gearbox can drive the first reel to rotate; The second reel, the second planetary gearbox is arranged in the second reel, and the second planetary gearbox can drive the second reel to rotate. 2. The hoisting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first brake and the second brake have the same structure and are wet multi-disc brakes. 3. The lifting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the wet multi-disc brake comprises: The disc body has an inner cavity; The brake shaft is arranged in the inner cavity, and the two ends of the axial direction protrude from the disc body. In the axial direction, one end of the brake shaft is connected to the coupling, and the other end is connected to the planetary reduction box; a piston located in the inner chamber; The friction pair is arranged in the inner cavity, and the piston can move along a first direction to engage the friction pair to brake the brake shaft, and move along a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the The friction pair is separated to release the brake of the brake shaft, and the first direction is parallel to the axial direction. 4. The hoisting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein: The friction pair includes: a first friction plate and a second friction plate, the first friction plate is connected to the brake shaft, and the second friction plate is arranged facing the piston; The piston is capable of moving in the first direction under hydraulic pressure and in the second direction after depressurization. 5 . The lifting mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein, along the axial direction, the first friction plates and the second friction plates correspond one to one, and there are a plurality of them arranged at intervals in sequence. 6. The lifting mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the second friction plate is connected to the cavity wall of the inner cavity. 7. The lifting mechanism according to claim 4, further comprising: the support shaft is arranged on the disc body and extends along the axial direction, the piston is arranged around the support shaft and can move relative to the support shaft along the first direction or the second direction, A return spring, connected with the piston, is used to drive the piston to move along the second direction after the pressure is released. 8. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the piston has a cavity, and the return spring is sheathed on the support shaft and located in the cavity of the piston. 9. The lifting mechanism according to claim 8, wherein one end of the return spring is connected to the piston, and the other end is connected to the disc body. 10. The lifting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein one end of the braking shaft is keyed to the coupling, and the other end is keyed to the planetary reduction box. 11. The lifting mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are also provided on the disc body, and the liquid inlet is used to fill the inner cavity with hydraulic oil, so The liquid outlet is used to drain the hydraulic oil in the inner cavity. 12. The lifting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the structure of the first planetary reduction box is the same as that of the second planetary reduction box, and the planetary reduction box comprises: an outer shell, the inner shell wall of the outer shell has an internal ring gear, the outer shell is connected to the reel, and the reel can rotate synchronously with the outer shell; The planetary gear is connected to the other end of the brake shaft and meshes with the ring gear, and the planetary gear can drive the housing to rotate under the drive of the brake shaft. 13. The hoisting mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a steel wire rope pressure plate, located at both ends of the outer surface of the drum in the axial direction, for radially compressing the wire rope wound on the drum . 14. A lifting device, characterized in that it comprises: The lifting mechanism described in any one of claims 1-13; The upper frame of the spreader, the first reel and the second reel are respectively connected with the upper frame of the spreader through steel wire ropes, and are used to drive the upper frame of the spreader to rise or fall. 15. Lifting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the lifting apparatus is a straddle carrier.