Industrial loading platform, which consists of a sealing structure carrying at least one folding ramp designed to connect the room with the car body, and a shelter to enclose the space between the room and the car body from the sides and from above during loading and unloading. A folding ramp encloses the structure from below.
Why do I need a loading dock?
Nowadays it is common practice in industrial plants to have one or more platforms for loading and unloading materials.
These container loading / unloading platform are arranged according to specified openings in the wall of a room or warehouse, and consist of a gangway that provides space for carts or other loading aids that move between the room and the body of a car or truck trailer.
The gangway is usually arranged inside a pit in which the gangway drive devices, usually hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic pressure equipment and controls, are located.
Such loading platforms also contain, on the outside of the opening, shelters which adapt to the shape of the body of a truck, such as a truck or truck, and which cover the space existing between the platform door and the truck on the sides and above. Such shelters are permanently undercut by components that contribute to their rapid wear and tear.
The use of the above-mentioned pit is associated with certain problems, among which are the need for special work, the accumulation of dirt and debris inside the pit, and the fact that dust, insects and even rodents penetrate the room.
Among the previous solutions available, it is necessary to emphasize the loading platform described in the patent application PCT /ES 2008/000770 by the holder of the present invention, whose features offer a number of advantages, such as ease of installation, minimum space required, no construction work needed to construct the pit, a smooth, continuous floor inside the room, easy cleaning and adequate sanitary conditions, which provide the best protection for the shelter when the loading platform is not used for the purpose of the shelter.
The loading platform of the above-mentioned invention consists essentially of a sealing structure which is attached to the area around the opening in the wall of the room and which confines an intermediate space between the inner and outer sides of the wall to accommodate a shelter and a folding ramp with the possibility of moving from a working position in which they project from the above-mentioned intermediate space forward outside the room to interact with the body of the truck or trailer to carry out loading or unloading This sealing structure in contact with the exterior and interior sides of the wall consists of frames to accommodate an exterior door that closes at the exterior level of the room, and an interior door, preferably with the ability to open quickly, that closes to the floor or to a lower level of the room. Other important features of the aforementioned invention include the presence of built-in signaling means controlled by sensors which operate to detect the position of the rear of the truck in relation to the loading dock.
Such signaling means provide visual information about the correct or incorrect position of the truck when approaching the loading dock.
The loading dock described in the aforementioned PCT patent application /ES 2008/000770 is particularly suitable for installation in new plants. However, there are many industrial premises or warehouses where there are only openings with a single closing door for loading and unloading goods and where a ramp or similar structure between the opening and the body of the truck is resorted to to provide space for the passage of carts normally used for loading and unloading.