JP2012121622A - Connection container and method of transportation using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connection container that allows cargo to be easily carried in and out using a simple means.SOLUTION: The connection container 1 includes: two 20FT containers 10 each having an upper surface 10a and a lower surface 10b facing each other and each approximately in the form of a rectangle, first and second end faces 10c, 10d extending in the directions of the short sides of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b and facing each other, and first and second side surfaces 10e, 10f extending in the directions of the long sides of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b and facing each other; and four connectors 20 for connecting the two 20FT containers 10 to each other in the directions of the long sides of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b. The 20FT container 10 includes hinged doors 12, 13 on the first side surface 10e, the hinged doors being openable and closable substantially over the entire surface thereof.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connected container and a transportation method using the connected container.

  As a shipping container used for marine transportation by ships, etc., the length is 40 feet (about 12 m), the width is 8 feet (about 2.4 m), and the height is 9 feet 6 stipulated in ISO standard 668. Inch (about 2.9 m) rectangular parallelepiped containers (hereinafter also referred to as “40FT containers”) are widely used (see, for example, FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). The 40FT container generally has a door formed on one of the end faces of the rectangular parallelepiped (the surface defined by the width × height). By opening and closing the door, cargo can be carried into and out of the container. Can be done.

  When the 40FT container is transported on the sea by a ship and then unloaded from the ship on the bay, it is mounted on a container trailer and is used for land transport (see Patent Document 2). By the way, if the 40FT container is mounted on a trailer as it is due to the structure of the chassis and its dimensions for land transportation, there may be a problem in terms of vehicle height regulation. Therefore, for example, a gooseneck tunnel (reference numeral 27 in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 2) is provided on the lower surface of the 40FT container, and the 40FT container is mounted so that the gooseneck tunnel covers the connecting portion (protrusion) on the trailer side. It is configured to reduce the overall vehicle height of the installed trailer. The dimensions of the gooseneck tunnel and the like are defined by the ISO standard 1496-1.

JP 2010-217191 A JP 2009-090716 A

  When such a 40FT container is loaded / unloaded on the bay or transported by a trailer, it is desired that cargo in the 40FT container can be easily put in and out as needed. However, if the door provided on the end face of the 40FT container is opened and closed each time, for example, a forklift must enter the container in order to take out cargo placed in the back. In a container mounted on a trailer, secure a forklift access path by installing a platform or slope of the same height as this, or move it to the door opening provided on the end surface with a wheelbarrow or the like. There was a problem that it took a relatively long time to carry in and out, such as unavoidable.

  In order to improve the cargo carrying-in / out performance, it is possible to conceive, for example, to provide a double door with a substantially entire opening on the side surface of the 40FT container. However, when such doors are provided, the length of each door is about 6 m (half of 40 feet), and the door has an elongated shape with an aspect ratio of about 1: 2, Since the door becomes quite heavy, the weight of the door is concentrated at a specific location as it is, and there is a possibility that the opening / closing function of the door is impaired when the container is continuously used.

  On the other hand, if an attempt is made to provide a door that opens almost entirely on the side surface of the 40FT container without impairing the opening / closing function of the door, the height of the floor on the lower surface of the 40FT container and the beam in the longitudinal direction will be considerably thicker than before. There was also a problem that a special design had to be applied to the container. Thus, it has been desired to introduce a shipping container that can easily carry in and out cargo by simple means.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a connected container for transportation and a transportation method using the connected container, which can easily carry in and out cargo by simple means.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a connection container according to the present invention includes a substantially rectangular upper and lower surfaces facing each other, first and second end surfaces extending in the short side direction of the upper and lower surfaces and facing each other, and an upper surface. And at least two separation containers each having first and second side surfaces extending in the long side direction of the lower surface and facing each other, and a connector for connecting the separation containers in the long side direction of the upper surface and the lower surface, The separation container is characterized by having a door that can be opened and closed on substantially the entire surface on at least one of the first and second side surfaces.

  The connection container according to the present invention is configured such that at least two separation containers are connected to each other by a connection tool in the long side direction of the upper surface and the lower surface, and the connected separation container has a door that can be opened and closed on the entire surface thereof. Adopted. Thus, since the connected container is comprised from the connected separation container, the imbalance of the aspect ratio of the door of each separation container can be suppressed by simple means, such as connection. In addition, since a door that can be opened and closed almost entirely is provided on the side of the separation container in which such an aspect ratio imbalance is suppressed, for example, even a connected container loaded in a trailer can be grounded by a forklift or the like. The cargo can be easily carried in and out, such that the cargo can be directly carried in and out.

  In the connected container according to the present invention, the door is preferably a double door. In this case, the door of the connection container can be manufactured with a simple structure as compared with a curtain door or a door that opens and closes up and down.

  In the connected container according to the present invention, it is preferable that each of the separation containers has a gooseneck tunnel extending along the long side direction on the lower surface. In this case, regardless of which separation container is connected, the gooseneck tunnel can be easily installed on the front side in the traveling direction, so that it is possible to perform transportation using a trailer similar to the conventional one.

  In the connection container according to the present invention, each of the separation containers has a fork pocket extending in the opposing direction of the first and second side surfaces, and the fork pocket is arranged in the opposing direction of the upper surface and the lower surface. It is preferable that it is located above the location. In this case, since the separation containers have fork pockets, each separation container can be easily moved by a forklift when the separation containers are released from connection.

  Moreover, in the connection container according to the present invention, since the fork pocket is located above the place where the gooseneck tunnel is arranged, both the gooseneck tunnel and the fork pocket are used as the separation container without reducing the strength of the separation container. It becomes possible to form.

  In the connected container according to the present invention, each of the separation containers is preferably a 20-foot container (hereinafter also referred to as “20FT container”). In this case, the two separated containers connected can be handled as a conventional 40FT container, the facility for the previous 40FT container can be used as it is, and the connection of the connected container is released according to the quantity and type of cargo. However, it can also be used as a 20FT container. For this reason, flexible container operation according to the quantity and type of cargo can be performed. The “20FT container” here is 20 feet (about 6 m) in length, 8 feet (about 2.4 m) in width, and 9 feet 6 inches (about 2.9 m) in height or 8 feet 6 It is a rectangular parallelepiped container of inches (about 2.6 m).

  Moreover, in the transport method using the connected container according to the present invention, it is preferable to transport the cargo using any of the above-described connected containers as they are or using the separated containers. In this case, flexible container operation according to the quantity and type of cargo can be performed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the transportation method using the connection container which can carry in and out of a cargo easily by a simple means, and the said connection container can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the 20FT container which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the gooseneck tunnel of the 20FT container shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the connection container which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which the side door of a 20FT container is half open. It is a figure which shows the state which the side door of a 20FT container is fully opened. It is a schematic cross section which shows the connection by a connector. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case where the connected 20FT container is mounted in the trailer. It is a figure which shows the modification of the connection method of a 20FT container. It is a figure which shows another modification of the rolling method of a 20FT container.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and redundant description is omitted. For convenience of explanation, the shape of each part may be exaggerated in each drawing, and the dimensional ratio on the drawing may not always match between the drawings.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the 20FT container 10 (separation container) which comprises the connection container 1 (refer FIG. 3) which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the 20FT container 10 has a length L of 20 feet (about 6 m), a width W of 8 feet (about 2.4 m), and a height H of 9 feet 6 inches (about 2.10). 9m) is a container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an upper surface 10a, a lower surface 10b, end surfaces 10c and 10d, and side surfaces 10e and 10f.

  Each of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b of the 20FT container 10 has a substantially rectangular shape and faces each other. The end faces 10c and 10d extend in the short side direction of the substantially rectangular upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b and face each other. The side surfaces 10e and 10f extend in the long side direction of the substantially rectangular upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b and face each other.

  As described above, the 20FT container 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape includes a box-shaped container body 11 made of a material such as steel, doors 12 and 13 disposed on the side surface 10e, and a door 14 disposed on the end surface 10d. 15.

  The container body 11 has a top plate 11a on the upper surface 10a, a bottom plate 11b on the lower surface 10b, a wall portion 11c on the end surface 10c, and a wall portion 11f on the side surface 10f, and is formed in a box shape with the side surface 10e and the end surface 10d open. . The top plate 11a, the bottom plate 11b, and the walls 11c and 11f each have a predetermined thickness. As shown in FIG. 2, a gooseneck tunnel 16 made of a recess is provided below the bottom plate 11b. The gooseneck tunnel 16 is formed so as to extend from the side of the end face 10c of the 20FT container 10 to a position exceeding the substantially central portion of the container body 11 in accordance with the standard size of the 40FT container.

  The container main body 11 has two fork pockets 17 and 18 in the bottom plate 11b, which are through holes extending in the opposing direction of the side surfaces 10e and 10f. The fork pockets 17 and 18 are through holes for moving the 20FT container 10 by a forklift (not shown), and the distance between the two fork pockets 17 and 18 corresponds to the distance between the two forks of the forklift (fork). It is supposed to be. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the fork pockets 17 and 18 are formed so as to be located above the arrangement position of the gooseneck tunnel 16 in the facing direction of the upper surface 10 a and the lower surface 10 b.

  The container body 11 has connection openings 11g for enabling vertical connection or horizontal connection with other 20FT containers 10 at eight corners.

  The doors 12 and 13 are side doors that are installed side by side on the side surface 10e side of the container body 11, and are double doors that are formed so that substantially the entire side surface 10e can be opened and closed. The other end of the door 12 is pivotally supported by the container body 11 on the side of the end surface 10c so that one end of the door 12 can be turned to the front side in the figure, and the door 13 has the other end pivoted to the front side in the figure. One end is pivotally supported by the container body 11 on the end face 10d side.

  The door 12 includes a first door portion 12a and a second door portion 12b, and the first and second door portions 12a and 12b rotate with each other via a rotary connector 12c. It is linked in a movable state. Similarly, the door 13 includes a first door portion 13a and a second door portion 13b, and the first and second door portions 13a and 13b are rotated with respect to each other via the rotary coupler 13c. It is linked in a movable state.

  In order to open and close the doors 12 and 13 having such a configuration, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the first door portions 12a and 13a are used as the rotation shafts and the front doors 12a and 13a are moved to the front side in the figure. Pull the first door portions 12a, 13a. Thereby, the 20FT container 10 will be in a 1st open state (semi-open). Subsequently, when the first door portions 12a and 13a are further pulled to the near side of the drawing from the first open state, the doors 12 and 13 are centered on the end surface 10c or 10d side shaft that pivotally supports the container body 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the doors 12 and 13 are further opened (second open state, fully open). By such a two-step spread method, substantially the entire side surface 10e is opened.

  The doors 14 and 15 are double doors arranged on the side of the end surface 10d of the box-shaped container main body 11, and the other end of the door 14 faces the container main body 11 so that one end thereof can be rotated to the front side in the figure. The door 15 is pivotally supported on the side 10f, and one end of the door 15 is pivotally supported on the side 10f of the container body 11 so that the other end of the door 15 can be turned to the rear side in the figure. In addition, each door 12-15 is comprised from the material similar to the container main body 11. FIG.

  Then, the structure of the connection container 1 provided with two 20FT containers 10 mentioned above is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection container 1 includes two 20FT containers 10 and four connection tools 20 that connect the two 20FT containers 10.

  The connecting tool 20 is a member for connecting the 20FT container 10 in the long side direction of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b. For example, four connecting tools 20 are used to connect the two 20FT containers 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector 20 includes a bolt member 20c having screw portions 20a and 20b at both ends, and nuts 20d and 20e screwed to the screw portions 20a and 20b. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the connector 20 has one screw portion 20 a, 20 b inserted into each of the connection openings 11 g of the two 20FT containers 10, and the center portion of the bolt member 20 c as shown in FIG. 6. After being arranged between the end face 10d of the container 10 and the end face 10c of the other 20FT container 10, the two 20FT containers 10 are fastened by screwing the nuts 20d, 20e to the screw portions 20a, 20b. Are connected to form one connected container 1. Four connectors 20 are used to connect the 20FT containers 10 so as to correspond to the connecting openings 11g formed at the four corners of the end faces 10c and 10d. In addition, you may make it connect by the method using another connection tool.

  As described above, the connection container 1 according to this embodiment connects the two 20FT containers 10 in the long side direction of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b by the connection tool 20, and each of these connected 20FT containers 10 is connected to the side surface 10e. A configuration is adopted in which doors 12 and 13 that can be opened and closed over substantially the entire surface. In this configuration, the length L of each of the doors 12 and 13 provided on the side surface 10e side of the 20FT container 10 constituting the connected container 1 is about 3 m, and the aspect ratio is approximately 1: 1. Become.

  For this reason, compared with the case where it is going to provide a door as it is on the side of the 40FT container currently used conventionally, according to the connection container 1 of this embodiment, the load load concerning the axial support part etc. of the doors 12 and 13 is reduced. Can be reduced and dispersed. As a result, by connecting and using the two 20FT containers 10, while securing the same amount of loading as the 40FT container, the function of opening and closing the doors 12 and 13 is impaired when the connected container 1 is continuously used. Can be reduced. That is, according to the connected container 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to mount the same as the conventional 40FT container by a simple means of connecting the two 20FT containers 10, and the aspect ratio of the doors 12 and 13 is reduced. Carrying in and out of cargo can be performed easily while keeping the balance.

  Moreover, in the connection container 1 which concerns on this embodiment, the doors 12 and 13 are double doors. For this reason, the doors 12 and 13 of the connection container 1 can be produced with a simple structure.

  Moreover, in the connection container 1 which concerns on this embodiment, each 20FT container 10 has the gooseneck tunnel 16 extended along the long side direction in the lower surface 10b. For this reason, the gooseneck tunnel 16 can be installed on the front side in the traveling direction of the trailer regardless of which 20FT container is connected. As a result, if it is the connection container 1 which concerns on this embodiment, the transport by the trailer etc. similar to the past can be performed easily.

  Specifically, in the case of the connected container 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the gooseneck tunnel 16 of one (left side in the figure) 20FT container 10 is connected to the gooseneck of a conventional 40FT container. The connection container 1 can be mounted on the trailer 30 so that the gooseneck tunnel 16 covers the connection portion 32 of the trailer 30 as shown in FIG. 7B. is there.

  Moreover, in the connection container 1 which concerns on this embodiment, each of 20FT container 10 has the fork pockets 17 and 18 extended in the opposing direction of the 1st and 2nd side surfaces 10e and 10f, and these fork pockets 17, 18 is arranged so as to be located above the place where the gooseneck tunnel 16 is arranged in the opposing direction of the upper surface 10a and the lower surface 10b. Thus, since the 20FT container 10 has the fork pockets 17 and 18, when each 20FT container 10 is released from the connection, each 20FT container 10 can be easily moved by a forklift or the like. .

  Moreover, in the connection container 1 according to the present embodiment, the fork pockets 17 and 18 are located above the place where the gooseneck tunnel 16 is disposed, so that the strength of the 20FT container 10 is not reduced and the fork pocket 16 and the fork are reduced. Both the pockets 17 and 18 can be formed in the 20FT container 10.

  In the transportation method using the connected container 1 described above, cargo may be transported using the connected container 1 as it is, or the connection of the connected container 1 is released and the 20FT container 10 is divided. It may be used to transport cargo. For example, while many 40FT containers are required, depending on the type of cargo to be transported and the loading capacity, many 20FT containers may be required, but this is the case with the connected container 1 according to the present embodiment. It is possible to respond flexibly to various transportation situations. That is, according to the transportation method using the connected container 1 according to the present embodiment, a flexible container can be operated according to the quantity and type of cargo.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the 20FT containers 10 are connected so that the gooseneck tunnels 16 are located at the same position in the longitudinal direction. However, as shown in FIG. It may be arranged. In this case, when mounting on the trailer, either side may be the leading side, and mounting on the trailer becomes easy. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 9, the 20FT container 10 may be connected so that the gooseneck tunnel 16 is on the inside. In this case, since the doors 14 and 15 come to both ends of the connected container 1, by operating together with the doors 12 and 13, the cargo in and out of the container can be carried in and out more easily.

  In the above embodiment, the 20FT container has a length L of 20 feet (about 6 m), a width W of 8 feet (about 2.4 m), and a height H of 9 feet 6 inches (about 2.9 m). Although a rectangular parallelepiped container is used, a container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape (the length L and the width W are the same) having a height H of 8 feet 6 inches (about 2.6 m) may be used. In the above-described embodiment, the gooseneck tunnel 16 of the 20FT container 10 extends from the end surface 10c side to the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the container body 11, but further extends to the opposite end surface 10d side. That is, it may be configured to penetrate. In this case, when connecting the 20FT containers 10 to each other, the connecting operation can be performed without paying special attention to the arrangement direction of the gooseneck tunnel 16.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which two 20FT containers 10 are connected and operated as a 40FT container is shown. For example, a 10FT container (length L is 10 feet (about 3 m), width W and height H are the same as above). The present invention may be applied to a case where four) are connected and operated as a 40FT container. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a case where two or more separation containers having different lengths L are connected and operated as a 40FT container or a container having another length.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connection container, 10 ... 20FT container, 11 ... Container main body, 12-15 ... Door, 16 ... Gooseneck tunnel, 17, 18 ... Fork pocket, 20 ... Connection tool.

Claims (6)

A substantially rectangular upper and lower surfaces facing each other, first and second end surfaces extending in the short-side direction of the upper and lower surfaces and facing each other, and extending in the long-side direction of the upper and lower surfaces and facing each other. At least two separation containers each having a first and second side;
A connector for connecting the separation container in the long side direction of the upper surface and the lower surface,
The separation container has a door that can be opened and closed substantially on at least one of the first and second side surfaces.   The connected container according to claim 1, wherein the door is a double door.   Each of the said separation containers has the gooseneck tunnel extended along the long side direction in the said lower surface, The connection container of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Each of the separation containers further comprises a fork pocket extending in the opposing direction of the first and second side surfaces,
The connected container according to claim 3, wherein the fork pocket is positioned above a place where the gooseneck tunnel is disposed in the opposing direction of the upper surface and the lower surface.   Each of the said separation containers consists of a 20 foot container, The connection container as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A transportation method characterized by transporting cargo using the connected containers according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as they are or using the separated containers.

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