Apparatus for loading ships or barges

Claim 1

An apparatus for unloading marine or fluvial transport cargo vessels, of the type constituted by endless pick-up means, such as bucket wheels, a gantry, a jib articulated on said gantry and supporting the pick-up means for outwardly evacuating the bulk material unloaded from the floating vessel by the pick-up means, wherein said apparatus comprises: driving means adapted to move the gantry along the vessel so as to unload successively the whole length of the vessel; a sensor member mounted on the gantry for determining the position in height of the vessel in the course of unloading with respect to the gantry; gantry control means permanently the information from said sensor member concerning the position in height of the vessel during unloading; manually operable means adapted to inform said gantry control means as to the characteristic data of the vessel such as the depth of hold thereof; said gantry control means being able to integrate these data, according to a determined program, in order to control the angular positioning of the jib which supports the endless pick-up means, thereby making it possible to cut into the surface of the material to be unloaded; said sensor member being constituted by a rod articulated at a first end thereof on the gantry as to be angularly movable with respect to the gantry, said rod being displaceable with the gantry with respect to the vessel, the second end of said rod resting freely by gravity on a ledge of the vessel, said rod following substantially the same direction with respect to the jib and being of such a length as to rest on said edge of the vessel substantially along the length of the vessel where said pick-up means are in operation.

Claim 2

An apparatus for unloading marine or fluvial transport cargo vessels, of the type constituted by endless pick-up means, such as bucket wheels, a gantry, a jib articulated on said gantry and supporting the pick-up means for outwardly evacuating the bulk material unloaded from the floating vessel by the pick-up means, wherein said apparatus comprises: driving means adapted to move the gantry along the vessel so as to unload successively the whole length of the vessel; a sensor member mounted on the gantry for determining the position in height of the vessel in the course of unloading with respect to the gantry; gantry control means permanently the information from said sensor member concerning the position in height of the vessel during unloading; manually operable means adapted to inform said gantry control means as to the characteristic data of the vessel such as the depth of hold thereof; said gantry control means being able to integrate these data, according to a determined program, in order to control the angular positioning of the jib which supports the endless pick-up means, thereby making it possible to cut into the surface of the material to be unloaded; said sensor member being constituted by a rod articulated at a first end thereof on the gantry as to be angularly movable with respect to the gantry, said rod being displaceable with the gantry with respect to the vessel, the second end of said rod resting freely by gravity on a ledge of the vessel, said rod following substantially the same direction with respect to the jib and being of such a length as to rest on said edge of the vessel substantially along the length of the vessel where said pick-up means are in operation.