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United States Patent Application	20060261204
Kind Code	A1
Ruan; Boqin	November 23, 2006

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Foreign Application Data

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Date	Code	Application Number
May 23, 2005	CN	200510026070.5

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Claims

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1. A ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus, comprising a wheel body (101), which has ratchet teeth (102) mounted on its outer edge, two shaft holes (103) for a reel (3) to pass through, and a supporting strip (104) between the shaft holes (103), characterized in that said supporting strip (104) is fixed to the wheel body (101) and protruded to one side of the wheel body (101).

2. The ratchet wheel for the lashing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supporting strip (104) and the wheel body (101) are integrated by stamping.

3. The ratchet wheel for the lashing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supporting strip (104) is fixed to the wheel body (101) through one or more rivets (105) or through one or more bolts (106).

4. The ratchet wheel for the lashing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supporting strip (104) is welded to the wheel body (101).

5. The ratchet wheel for the lashing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting strip (104) is wrapped around the wheel body (101) through a metal sheet (107).

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Description

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a lashing apparatus in the mechanical technical field, and more particularly to a tool for lashing goods on a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The goods usually need to be lashed during transporting with a vehicle. It is not only inefficient but also strenuous to use the conventional nylon rope or steel rope to lash goods, and it is also difficult to lash these goods tightly. The lashing apparatus has been widely used at present, since it can lash and hold goods rapidly and conveniently.

[0003] A great lashing force is required for heavy goods to be transported. This is a challenge to the mechanical strength of the lashing apparatus. In practice, the lashing apparatus may be damaged while an excess force is applied on the strap during lashing the goods, wherein the reel is always the first part to be damaged. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the lashing apparatus can be most effectively enhanced by increasing the deformation resistance at reel.

[0004] However, the commonly used methods have some disadvantages in this aspect. If the size of the reel is enlarged, though the mechanical strength is enhanced, the cost will be increased; furthermore, for the products with the same scale, if the size of the reel is enlarged, that of other parts attached therewith, such as the ratchet wheel, will be correspondingly reduced, which will in turn impact the mechanical strength of said other parts. Efforts also have been made in making reels with high strength materials, but the manufacturing cost is increased accordingly, as is unfavorable for mass production and wide application. Due to the structural designs, the structure of the lashing apparatus tends to be more complicated in pursuit of high mechanical strength, which results in adverse effect on processing and use. Therefore, there is a need for a novel ratchet wheel to overcome the problems mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0005] An object of the invention is to provide a novel ratchet wheel of a lashing apparatus, so as to overcome the disadvantages of the poor mechanical strength at the reel in the current lashing apparatus, which improves the resistance to deformation of the ratchet wheel, and thereby improving the mechanical strength of the entire lashing apparatus.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a ratchet wheel of a lashing apparatus to address to the above-mentioned problems, which is easily implemented with a low cost and has a wide range of application. It overcomes the existing technical problems of the prior art that the use of high strength materials and the addition of manufacturing materials to enhance the strength of the ratchet wheel and the like results in a relatively high cost and makes it difficult to implement so that it is not suitable for wide application.

[0007] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a ratchet wheel of a lashing apparatus to address the above-mentioned problems, which is suitable for the existing lashing apparatuses, easy to be reassembled and has a good compatibility. It solves the existing technical problems, such as poor economic efficiency and significant adjustment that has to be made to the lashing apparatus to improve the mechanical strength.

[0008] These objects of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical proposal. The ratchet wheel of the present invention comprises a wheel body which has ratchet teeth mounted on its outer edge. The wheel body has two shaft holes for the reel to pass through, and a supporting strip between the two shaft holes, wherein the supporting strip is fixed to the wheel body and protruded to one side of the wheel body. The reel is comprised of two semicircular winding shaft plates. After assembly, the supporting strip of the ratchet wheel is snapped between the two semicircular winding shaft plates, so as to function as a support. When a lashing apparatus is used to lash the goods, the tension of the strap will be applied on the semicircular winding shaft plates. As shown in FIG. 14, an over-tension will make the semicircular winding shaft plates deform. Obviously, the tension making the deformation of the semicircular winding shaft plates will increase once the length of the supporting strip between the two semicircular winding shaft plates is shortened. Therefore, based on this principle, the ratchet wheel of the present invention has a supporting strip protruded to one side of the wheel body. When assembling the ratchet wheel, the two supporting strips of the ratchet wheel are faced towards the inside, in order to provide a shortened space between the two supporting strips and improve the mechanical strength of the reel.

[0009] There may be various ways to connect the supporting strip to the wheel body. For example, said supporting strip and the wheel body is integrated through stamping. The stamped ratchet wheel is formed as an integral, which is easier to be assembled and processed. The material for making such a ratchet wheel is a metal material with good stretchability. Dies can be used in stamping, the structure of which generally comprises: an upper die and a lower die engaged with each other. A locking plate is arranged on the lower die for attaching the work pieces. At the head of the upper die there is a stamping concave head which has an arc shape. A stamping notch is provided on the lower die which matches with the stamping concave head of the upper die.

[0010] For another example, said supporting strip is fixed to the wheel body through one or more rivets or through one or more bolts. This can easily get much improvement relative to the conventional ratchet wheel, and the mechanical strength of the lashing apparatus will be obviously increased without replacing the parts.

[0011] For yet another example, said supporting strip is welded to the wheel body. By welding, the supporting strip will be kept away from loosening over long service time, while maintaining a fine compatibility with the existing device.

[0012] Still further, said supporting strip is wrapped around the wheel body through a metal sheet. More particularly, the metal sheet is wrapped around the supporting strip of the ratchet wheel.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the advantage of the present invention is to improve the deformation resistance of the reel by changing the shape of the ratchet wheel, and thereby to enhance the mechanical strength of the lashing apparatus. Also, the product of the present structure requires a relatively small increase in cost but presents a significantly improved mechanical performance, compared with the conventional products. It is also safe and reliable with high use values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively show the front view and sectional view of the ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0015] FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively show the front view and sectional view of the ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0016] FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively show the front view and sectional view of the ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0017] FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively show the front view and sectional view of the ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

[0018] FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 respectively show the front view, sectional view in a first direction and sectional view in a second direction of the ratchet wheel for a lashing apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 12 shows the structural schematic view of the lashing apparatus with the structure of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 13 shows the lateral structural schematic view of the lashing apparatus with the structure of the present invention; and

[0021] FIG. 14 shows structural schematic view of a common lashing apparatus wherein the reel is deformed.

[0022] FIG. 15 shows structural schematic view of a die for the ratchet wheel of the lashing apparatus for the present invention according to embodiment 1.

[0023] FIG. 16 shows the enlargement perspective view of the ratchet wheel of the lashing apparatus stamped through dies as showed in FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiment 1

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a lashing apparatus generally comprises a body 8, a ratchet wheel 10, a baffle 86, a spring 87, a handhold 76, a reel 3, a side piece 71, a mobile strap 74, a positioning strap 84, a positioning hook 85 and a mobile hook 75. The mobile strap 74 is wound around the reel 3, with the mobile hook 75 at the end. The positioning hook 85 and mobile hook 75 at the ends of the lashing apparatus are locked to the goods or the vehicle. The ratchet wheel 10 makes unidirectional rotation by repeatedly turning the side piece 71, so that the mobile strap 74 is wound around the reel 3 continuously to tighten the mobile strap 74. Thus the goods are finally lashed and secured.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the body 8 is comprised of a connector 81 and two side plates 82 symmetrically fixed to the sides of the connector 81. The connector 81 is perpendicular to the side plates 82 as an integral. A hinge hole 83 is correspondingly arranged at one end of said two side plates 82 of the body 8. The handle 7 is comprised of two symmetrical side pieces 71 with a hinge port 73 arranged at one end, and a handle grip 72 for connecting said two side pieces 71. The reel 3 hinges the body 8 and the handle 7 together through the hinge hole 83 and the hinge port 73. The two side plates 82 of the body 8 have a slot A provided thereon accordingly, with both sides of the baffle 86 accommodated in the slot A respectively. The slot A has a length larger than that of the portion connecting the baffle and the slot A, so that the baffle is moveable therein. One end of the baffle 86 is engaged with the ratchet teeth 102 of the ratchet wheel 10. A rod 861 is provided at the other end of the baffle 86, passing through the thru hole 811 within the connector 81 of the body 8. The thru hole 811 of the connector 81 is arranged in a protrusion 812. A spring 87 with a diameter larger than that of the thru hole 811 is disposed around the rod 861. Thus, when the baffle 86 moves, the rod 861 passes through the thru hole 811, while the spring 87 will be checked and compressed, due to its larger diameter. In this way, the spring 87 will apply a force on the baffle 86 and will be recovered when the baffle 86 is released.

[0026] One or more rods 861 can be provided herein. Accordingly, since the thru hole 811 and the spring 87 are used in match with the rod 861, the number of those should be equal.

[0027] The two side pieces 71 of the handle 7 have a slot B provided thereon accordingly, with both sides of the handhold 76 accommodated in the slot B respectively. The slot B has a length larger than that of the portion connecting the handhold and the slot B, so that the handhold 76 is moveable in the slot B. One end of the handhold 76 is engaged with the ratchet teeth 102 of the ratchet wheel 10. A draw ring 761 is provided at the other end of the handhold 76, and a return spring 77 is provided between the handhold 76 and the side piece 71.

[0028] The reel 3 is comprised of two semicircular winding shaft plates 31, with a ratchet wheel 10 arranged at each end. Said ratchet wheel 10 is arranged in the hinge area between the side plate 82 and the side piece 71. More particularly, two side plates 82 of the body 8 are muff-coupled to the reel 3, then the ratchet wheel 10 is muff-coupled to the outer sides of side plates 82, and then two side pieces 71 of the handle 7 are muff-coupled to the out sides of two ratchet wheels 10. The two ends of the two semicircular winding shaft plates 31 pass through the ratchet wheels 10 respectively, and are fixed together via pins 32, with the surfaces of said two semicircular winding shaft plates 31 facing each other. The pin 32 has an S-shape, and passes through the connection holes at the ends of the two semicircular winding shaft plates 31. The pin 32 functions to protect the parts muff-coupled to the semicircular winding shaft plates 31 from detaching therefrom.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ratchet wheel 10 comprises a wheel body 101. The wheel body 101 has ratchet teeth 102 mounted on its outer edge and two shaft holes 103 for the reel 3 to pass through. A supporting strip 104 is provided between said shaft holes 103. Said supporting strip 104 is fixed to the wheel body 101 and protruded to one side of the wheel body 101. The ratchet teeth 102 of the ratchet wheel 10 are inclined to one side, so as to ensure its unidirectional feature.

[0030] The ratchet wheel is formed by stamping, so the thickness of the ratchet wheel 101 is generally equal to that of the supporting strip 104. The space which the supporting strip 104 protrudes to the ratchet body 101 is between 1/2 and 4/5 in proportion to the thickness of the supporting strip 104 itself. The notch formed by stamping has a disc shape. The proportion of the diameter at the bottom of the notch is about 1/4 to to that of the opening. The diameter at opening of the notch is about half of the whole ratchet body 101 diameter. Two shaft holes 103 have symmetrically semicircular shape. The span of the semicircular hole accounts for about half of the whole ratchet body 101 diameter. Of course, not all the proportions of apparatus will be in said scope. Proportion deviation exists according to different materials and processes

[0031] In the present embodiment, the mechanical strength of the reel 3 is improved by shortening the space between the two supporting strips 104. The supporting strip 2 and the wheel body 10 are integrated directly by stamping according to the Embodiment 1. The structure and the process of this embodiment are simple, and thus high use value is achieved.

[0032] FIG. 15 shows a die for producing the ratchet wheel of said lashing apparatus, used for forming the supporting strip 104 which protruded to the ratchet body 101 by stamping. The die generally comprises an upper die 1 and a lower die 2 engaged with each other. The locking plate 4 is arranged on the lower die 2 for attaching the work pieces. At the head of the upper die 1, there is a stamping concave head 11 which has an arc shape. The stamping notch 21 is provided on the lower die 2 matching with the stamping concave head 11 of the upper die 1. The stamping concave head 11 is of high hard material, a smooth arc, and without any edge angle. It can prevent stress concentration of the portion where has an edge angle during the stamping process, so that avoiding the product to be broken or cracked. Thus, the production yield is improved and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

[0033] Firstly, the to-be-stamped work piece is put on the lower die 2 and is secured with the locking plate 3 in operating. Make sure the middle portion of the work piece is on the notch 21. Then, stamp the upper die 1 downwards into the shape for one time, control the stamping force and depth according to actual situation. The work piece will cracks if the force is exceed, while an under force can not press a enough protruded space on the supporting strip 104. FIG. 16 shows the structure of a pressed ratchet wheel. The supporting strip 104 of the ratchet wheel which has a arc is protruded to the ratchet wheel

[0034] In order to have a well processing and manufacturing procedure, the whole ratchet wheel processes according to the embodiments are as following: [0035] A. Plate cutting: noting the thickness and quality of the material in plate cutting. [0036] B. Blanking: Pressing the sheet materials after cutting. Press of 80-125 tonnes can be adopted here. The height of the blanking burr must be less than 0.1 mm. [0037] C. Forming: Using the said dies and 40-60 tonnes press here to stamp. The upper die must be pressed in position to make sure one time stamping. [0038] D. Heat treatment: Heat treating the ratchet wheel after forming. The hardness must be to HRC30-80 after heat treatment. [0039] E. Barrel burnishing: Remove the burr on the surface and the oxidation surface layer in this procedure. [0040] F. Electroplating: Galvanizing the surface and passive the colors. The thickness of the zinc layer is no less than 0.004 mm, so as to avoid corroding, thus the serve time is prolonged.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 13, a beam is provided at one side of the body 8, with a positioning strap 84 fixed thereon which has a positioning hook 85 provided at the distal. The mobile strap 74 is wound around the reel 3, which has a mobile hook 75 provided at the outer side. The positioning hook 85 and mobile hook 75 at the two ends of the lashing apparatus are locked to the goods or vehicle during usage. The ratchet wheel 10 makes unidirectional rotation by repeatedly turning the handle 7, so that the mobile strap 74 is wound around the reel 3 continuously to tighten the mobile strap 74. Thus, the goods is finally lashed and secured.

[0042] The ends of the two side pieces 71 of the handle 7 where the hinge port 73 is provided have an arc shape. Steps 821 are arranged at the end of the two side plates 82 in the body 8, which have an arced top abutting upon the bayonet 822 for positioning the handhold. When unstrapping, the handhold 76 is raised to the top of the steps 821. The handhold 76 will slide along the arced top of steps 821 and get snapped when it reaches the bayonet 822, so that the handhold 76 is detached from the ratchet wheel 10. When the handhold 76 slides along the arced top of steps 821, the baffle 86 moves along the arced end of the two side pieces 71 of the handle 7, so that the baffle 86 is jacked up and detached from the ratchet wheel 10. In this way, the ratchet wheel can rotate freely, and the unstrapping of the reel 3 is realized.

Embodiment 2

[0043] As shown in the FIGS. 3 and 4, the supporting strip 104 is fixed to the wheel body 101 through rivets 105 according to the Embodiment 2. In such a structure, the connection is secure and the supporting strip 104 has a relatively large protrusion distance from the wheel body 101.

Embodiment 3

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the supporting strip 104 is fixed to the wheel body 101 via a bolt 106 according to the Embodiment 3. Compared with the aforementioned embodiments, the least number of equipments are used for manufacturing the ratchet wheel 10 according to the present embodiment. Having been manufactured, the supporting strip 104 is connected to the wheel body 101 directly by a bolt 106.

Embodiment 4

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the supporting strip 104 is fixed to the wheel body 101 by welding according to the Embodiment 4. Such a structure is simple and has a secure connection, thus also has a high use value.

Embodiment 5

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the supporting strip 104 is wrapped around the wheel body 101 through a metal sheet 107 according to the Embodiment 5. It is also very easy to manufacture in this way, and the protrusion distance of the supporting strip from the wheel body 101 is larger.

[0047] To sum up, the space between the supporting strips 104 of the two ratchet wheels 10 is shortened according to the present invention, thus the deformation resistance of the reel 3 is improved as well as the mechanical strength of the lashing apparatus.

[0048] Parts of the process according to Embodiment 1 are applied for the rest of the embodiments, such as the plate cutting, blanking, forming, heat treatment, barrel burnishing, and electroplating.

Comparative Embodiment

[0049] As shown in the FIG. 14, this embodiment is related to a conventional lashing apparatus. A great lashing force is required for heavy goods to be transported by the vehicle. Here, since the space of the supporting strips between the ratchet wheels is relatively long, the reel is tend to be distorted, as shown by the semicircular winding shaft plates 31 in FIG. 14.

[0050] The embodiments described herein are only intended to exemplify the spirit of the present invention. Various modifications, supplementations and alterations to the embodiments disclosed will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0051] Although the terms such as body, ratchet wheel, handle, side piece and side plate are used herein, other terms may also be used. These terms are used only for clearly illustrating the nature of the present invention and shall not be understood as a limitation to the invention, which otherwise departs from the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0052] A slot [0053] B slot [0054] 1 upper die [0055] 2 lower die [0056] 3 reel [0057] 4 locking plate [0058] 7 handle [0059] 8 body [0060] 10 ratchet wheel [0061] 11 stamping concave head [0062] 21 notch [0063] 31 semicircular winding shaft plate [0064] 32 pin [0065] 71 side piece [0066] 72 handle grip [0067] 73 hinge port [0068] 74 mobile strap [0069] 75 mobile hook [0070] 76 handhold [0071] 77 return spring [0072] 81 connector [0073] 82 side plate [0074] 83 hinge hole [0075] 84 positioning strap [0076] 85 positioning hook [0077] 86 baffle [0078] 87 spring [0079] 101 wheel body [0080] 102 ratchet teeth [0081] 103 shaft hole [0082] 104 supporting strip [0083] 105 rivet [0084] 106 bolt [0085] 107 metal sheet [0086] 761 draw ring [0087] 811 thru hole [0088] 812 protrusion [0089] 821 step [0090] 822 bayonet [0091] 861 rod

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