FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART The present invention relates to a support device for supporting a container during and after delivery from a vehicle unit. The invention also relates to a station for supporting a container and a method of delivering a container at such a station. In this application, a vehicle unit refers to a vehicle unit adapted to carry a container, for example a vehicle in the form of a lorry or an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), or a trailer in the form of a semi-trailer, a dolly, a utility trailer or a goods wagon. Containers intended for transport of goods are to a high degree internationally as well as nationally standardized in order to avoid problems with discrepancies in connection with for example intermodal transport and handling. Attachment means which are used to secure containers to a support device or to a foun- dation are designed as corner fittings, or corner boxes, which are standardized by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) according to ISO 1 161 . The corner fittings according to the standard are designed to enable supporting of the container solely using these and are designed as hollow cu- boids, where one side has a larger elongated opening and two sides each has a smaller and likewise elongated opening. The corner fittings are mounted at the corners of the container, in such a way that the four lower corner fittings have a larger opening downwards, a smaller opening directed outwards from the long side of the container and a smaller opening directed outwards from the short side of the container. The larger opening is used to attach the container to a vehicle unit. Vehicle units which are adapted to carry containers usually have attachment members in the form of twist locks in order to lock the container in a secure position. The dominating container type for road and ship transports is the standardized so-called ISO container.

Delivery and collection of goods transported by road, for exam- pie by different kinds of lorries and semi-trailers, may easily become a bottleneck in the transport chain when the vehicle unit carrying the goods remains standing still for a longer time than necessary during loading and unloading of goods. To deliver a container which is carried by a lorry, a lift truck or similar which lifts the container off the lorry is often used. Such a method is associated with high operational costs in the form of staff as well as equipment costs. To instead use a station where the container simply and without using a lift truck or the similar can be delivered and supported for unloading of goods or awaiting further transportation, makes it possible for the driver of the lorry to handle the delivery himself. In this way, operation costs can be saved at the same time as the transporting lorry is freed and can be utilized for other transports when the container has been delivered.

US 2008/0298939 A1 discloses a station for supporting a container during and after delivery from a vehicle unit, for example a lorry. The station comprises four support devices in the form of posts with supports for the container to rest on. The supports can be rotated in under the container when the container has been placed on the station, whereupon the lorry lowers the container so that it comes to rest on the supports. The lorry may thereafter drive off and leave the container at the station. However, the support devices do not comprise any device to secure the container when resting on the supports, which may lead to safety problems at the station.

There are also support devices in the form of support posts with pins intended to engage with attachment means of a container. The support devices are not fixed and are put into place when the container is secured on for example a lorry. The lorry is thereafter lowered so that the container will come to rest on the pins, whereafter the lorry can be driven away. This system however has the drawback of being very unstable. If the lorry touches a support device during delivery or collection of the container, the support device may overturn, causing the container and the other support devices to fall. The system is therefore not suitable for rational handling of goods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a support device and a station for supporting a container which in at least some aspect simplifies the handling of containers during delivery from and collection onto a vehicle unit and which is suitable for rational handling of goods. Another object is to provide a method for delivery of a container which simplifies the collection of the container. The first object is achieved by a support device according to claim 1 and a station for supporting a container according to claim 9. The second object is achieved by a method according to claim 10. The support device according to the invention comprises a support element anchored to a foundation, a pin holder supported by the support element and a lock pin intended to engage with an attachment means of the container and carry at least some of the weight of the container, which lock pin is supported by the pin holder and displaceable in relation to the pin holder from a retracted position to an advanced position. The support device is characterized in that the pin holder is rotatably mounted to the support element and rotatable in relation to the support element around a vertical axis of rotation, the lock pin being ar- ranged to accompany the pin holder during the rotation of the pin holder around said vertical axis of rotation, and that the support device further comprises an adjustment mechanism, which adjustment mechanism is arranged, under the effect of the weight from a container resting on the lock pin, to automatically move the pin holder to a predetermined locked position of rotation around said vertical axis of rotation, when the pin holder is in a position of rotation within a given angular range around the predetermined locked position of rotation.

Owing to the fact the support devices are fixed to a foundation, the support devices can be made stable enough to withstand for example being hit by a vehicle unit or other accidents. The locking of the container to the support devices by means of the lock pins provides a safe system. Furthermore, the pivotability of the lock pins and the automatic adjustment mechanism allows a certain flexibility in the positioning of the vehicle, since a lock pin can be engaged with an attachment means of the container even if the attachment means is not in an exact position right in front of the lock pin by manually pivoting the lock pin. When the weight of the container is transferred to the lock pins, these are automatically moved to a predetermined position of rotation. In connection with collection, the driver of the vehicle unit can, thanks to this construction, be positive of the exact position of the container in relation to the support devices. This facilitates the collection, when the container is to be attached to the attachment members of the vehicle unit. If the attachment members of the vehicle unit are not positioned in an exact position right below the downwardly directed openings of the attachment means of the container in connection with the collection, the pivotability of the lock pins will, in connection with the transfer of the weight of the container to the vehicle unit, allow the container to be somewhat displaced in a horizontal direction when the attachment means of the container are engaged with the attachment members of the vehicle unit intended for the container. According to one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism comprises pairs of mutually interacting guiding surfaces on the pin holder and on a seat part fixed to the support element, the guiding surfaces being arranged to guide the pin holder to said predetermined locked position of rotation when the pin holder is in a position of rotation within a given angular range around the predetermined locked position of rotation. In this embodiment, the adjustment mechanism is achieved in a simple way.

According to one embodiment, each pair of mutually interacting guiding surfaces comprises at least one guiding surface which is angled in relation to the vertical axis of rotation, the guiding surface of the pin holder being arranged, under the effect of the weight from a container resting on the lock pin, to slide along the guiding surface of the seat part, whereby the pin holder carries out a simultaneous vertical and rotating movement down- wards towards the seat part, until the predetermined locked position of rotation is reached. The simultaneous rotating and vertical movement makes the adjustment mechanism as well as the locked position of rotation extra stable and allows a certain flexibility for the positioning in a horizontal as well as in a verti- cal direction.

According to a further embodiment, a safety support designed to be able to carry the weight of the container is arranged on the support element below the lock pin. This will increase the safety, since the safety support is able to support the container in the event of a fracture on the lock pin of the support device.

According to another embodiment, the pin holder is displaceable vertically downwards against the action of a spring when the pin holder is in a position other than the predetermined locked position of rotation. In this embodiment, the rotation of the lock pin and the pin holder is facilitated, since the spring force assists in lifting the pin holder out of the locked position of rotation in the absence of the load from a container. According to a further embodiment, a locking member is arranged at the front part of the lock pin and a handle firmly connected to the locking member is arranged at the rear part of the lock pin, the locking member being rotatable by means of the handle in relation to the lock pin around an axis in the longitudinal direction of the lock pin to a locked position in the attachment means of the container and to an open position, respectively, and the locking member being lockable in said positions by means of the handle. This embodiment gives a simple and secure locking of the container to the support device.

According to one embodiment, the support device comprises a light reflecting positioning surface for positioning the container in interaction with a light source arranged on the vehicle unit and a light sensor arranged on the vehicle unit. This facilitates for the driver of the vehicle unit to position the vehicle unit in a correct position in relation to the support device during delivery and collection of the container. According to another embodiment, the support element comprises a lifting device and a moveable part, which is moveable in a vertical direction by means of the lifting device and which carries the pin holder. In this embodiment, it is possible to move the container down to the ground level by means of the support device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the appended drawings, a specific description of embodiments of the invention follows below.

Figure 1 shows an overview of a station for supporting a container during and after delivery; Figure 2a shows a first embodiment of a support device according to the invention;

Figure 2b shows a cross-section along a vertical axis right through the upper part of the same support device;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a pin holder at an angle from below; Figures 4a-d show a pin holder and a seat part in different positions of rotation in perspective view and in cross- section along a vertical axis;

Figures 5a-b show a lock pin with a locking member illustrated in two different positions;

Figures 6a-b show a second embodiment of a support device according to the invention in two different positions; Figure 7a shows a pin holder and a seat part in the second embodiment;

Figure 7b shows a detail from figure 7a; and Figure 8 shows a guiding ring and a seat part in the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVEN- TION

A station 1 for supporting a container 2 during and after delivery from a vehicle unit 3 is shown in figure 1 . Four support devices 10 according to the invention are placed so as to be able to support a container 2 by attachment to the container's attachment means 4 in the form of corner fittings of the container. An embodiment of the support device 10 for supporting a container 2 is shown in figures 2-4. This embodiment of the support device 10 is shown in perspective in figure 2a and a cross-section through the upper part thereof is shown in figure 2b. The sup- port device 10 comprises a support element 1 1 in the form of a hollow post, which is anchored to a foundation. The support device 10 further comprises a lock pin 12 , which is intended to be engaged with an attachment means 4 of the container 2. The lock pin 12 is supported by a pin holder 13, which in its turn is rotatably mounted to an upper part 1 1 a of the support element 1 1 . The pin holder 13 is rotatable in relation to the support element 1 1 around a vertical axis of rotation A. The lock pin 12 is rotatable together with the pin holder 13 around the vertical axis of rotation A, the pin holder and the lock pin being able to as- sume different positions of rotation around the vertical axis of rotation. The support device 10 further comprises an adjustment mechanism for automatically moving the pin holder 13 to a predetermined position of rotation when the lock pin 12 is loaded with the weight from a container 2.

The pin holder 13 comprises, as shown in figures 3-4, a lower guiding part 14 designed as a hollow circular cylinder. The guiding part 14 of the pin holder extends in a vertical direction inside the support element 1 1 . The pin holder 13 also comprises an upper holder part 1 5 designed as a hollow circular cylinder which extends in a horizontal direction . The lock pin 12 is dis- placeably mounted to the holder part 15 of the pin holder. A seat part 16 fixed to the support element 1 1 is arranged below the guiding part 14 of the pin holder. The seat part 16 and the guid- ing part 14 of the pin holder are provided with guiding surfaces 18, 1 9, which together constitute an adjustment mechanism. In this embodiment, the seat part 16 consists of a circular plate, in which a groove 17 is arranged. The edges of the groove here constitute the guiding surfaces 18 of the seat part. The guiding surfaces 18 extend in parallel to each other and are angled in relation to the vertical axis of rotation A so that the groove wid- ens in the direction upwards. The guiding part 14 of the pin holder is designed with two guiding surfaces 19 on diametrically opposite sides of the vertical axis of rotation A. The guiding surfaces 19 are designed to be delimited by parallel extending lines on each side of the axis of rotation A and are angled in relation to the axis of rotation in such a way that they converge in a the direction downwards. The distance between the guiding surfaces 1 9 of the pin holder 13 is so adapted that the pin holder in a locked position of rotation, which is shown in figure 4c, can rest in the seat part 16. The two guiding surfaces 18 of the seat part 16 will in that position bear on the respective guiding surface 19 of the pin holder 13.

The guiding part 14 of the pin holder 13 is rotatably and axially displaceably mounted to the upper part 1 1 a of the support element 1 1 by two rings 33 encircling the guiding part of the pin holder. Inside the guiding part 14 of the pin holder and in connection with the seat part 16 there is a loosely mounted spring support 20 and above this a helical spring 21 , which with its lower end bears on the spring support and with its upper end bears on a step 22 at the inside of the guiding part 14 of the pin holder.

The lock pin 12 is shown in detail in figures 5a and 5b and here consists of a circular cylindrical tube, with a horizontal longitudinal direction. The lock pin 12 is displaceable in relation to the pin holder 1 3 in the longitudinal direction of the lock pin from a retracted position to an advanced position. A locking member 23 is arranged at the front end of the lock pin, which locking mem- ber has a length and a width orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lock pin. By a rod, which extends through the lock pin 12, the locking member 23 is firmly connected to a handle 24 mounted on the rod at the rear end of the lock pin. The locking member 23 is designed with the width smaller than the length, and the locking member 23 is by means of the handle 24 ro- tatable in relation to the lock pin 12 around a horizontal longitu- dinal axis B. By means of the handle 24, the locking member 23 can also be fixed in a locked position and an open position, respectively, by securing the handle to an end plate 25 firmly connected to the lock pin. The open position, in which the lock- ing member 23 can be moved into and out of the attachment means 4 of the container 2, is shown in figure 5a and the locked position, in which the locking member is locked in the attachment means of the container, is shown in figure 5b. The support device 10 according to this embodiment is also provided with a safety support 30, which is located under the lock pin 12. The safety support 30 is pivotaily mounted to the support element 1 1 and has four positions of rotation around a vertical axis, in which positions of rotation the safety support can be locked by means of a plug 32. A light reflecting positioning surface 31 is arranged at the side of the safety support. In this embodiment, the positioning surface 31 is designed as an inverted U with two parallel legs and a roof. A station 1 for supporting a container 2 during and after delivery from a vehicle unit 3 consists of at least four support devices 10 according to the invention, as shown in figure 1. The support devices 10 are so located that the lock pins 12 of the support devices are possible to engage with attachment means 4 of the container 2 when the vehicle unit 3 including the container is positioned at the station 1 . The station 1 can also have edges 5 in the driveway in order to facilitate the positioning of the vehicle unit 3. A loading platform 6 can be arranged at the rear end of the loading place.

When a container 2 is to be delivered, a vehicle unit 3 drives into the station 1. The container 2 rests on a load area of the vehicle unit and is attached thereto by means of attachment members. According to the ISO standard, the attachment mem- bers consist of twist locks on the vehicle unit 3 which are engaged with downwardly directed openings in corner fittings on the container 2. The driver of the vehicle unit positions the vehicle unit 3 in the horizontal and vertical directions in order for the container to end up in the delivery position, that is, with the attachment means 4 of the container right in front of the lock pins 12 of the support devices 10. The attachment means 4 of the container here consist of side opening in the corner fitting of the container. Horizontal positioning can take place by reversing or advancing the vehicle unit 3 while emitting a light signal from a light source located on the vehicle unit. The light signal is re- fleeted on the light reflecting positioning surface 31 of each support device 10 and is detected by a light sensor on the vehicle unit 3. When the light signal hits a spot between the two parallel legs of the positioning surface 31 , the container 2 is in the correct horizontal position. The container 2 can then be raised or lowered, for example by means of the spring suspension of the vehicle unit, in order to end up in the correct position in the vertical direction. The container 2 is in the right position when the light signal hits the roof of the positioning surface 31 . When the container 2 has been positioned in a delivery position, the front part of the lock pins 12 is moved into the attachment means 4 of the container. This is done partly by displacing the lock pins 12 horizontally in their longitudinal direction, partly by rotating the pin holder 13 and thereby the lock pin 12 around the vertical axis of rotation A if so required. Figure 4a shows a pin holder 13 which is rotated in relation to the predetermined locked position of rotation. Figure 4b shows a cross-section through the pin holder 12 and the seat part 16 of figure 4a in parallel to the axis of rotation A and orthogonal to the groove 17 of the seat part. The spring 21 , which in this embodiment is located inside the rotation part 14 of the pin holder, acts by its spring force to lift the pin holder 13 and prevent this from sliding down into the locked position of rotation in the absence of the effect of the weight from a container 2. The spring 21 thereby facilitates a manual rotation of the lock pin 12 and the pin holder 13 around the vertical axis of rotation A since the pin holder does not have to be manually lifted out of the locked position of rotation. The spring 21 can be so chosen that its spring force is sufficient to lift the pin holder 13 enough to locate its guiding surfaces 1 9 completely above the guiding surfaces 18 of the seat part, in which case the support device 10 is provided with a stopping member to prevent the pin holder from being freely ro- tatable around the axis of rotation A. The spring 21 can also be so chosen that the spring force lifts the guiding surfaces 19 of the pin holder 13 to a position where the free rotation of the pin holder around the axis of rotation A is hindered by the guiding surfaces 1 8 of the seat part 16. In both cases, the pin holder 13 is rotatable within a certain angular range, which implies that the attachment means 4 of the container 2 does not have to be right in front of the locking member 23, but can be somewhat ahead of or behind the locking member. The distance between the two legs of the positioning surface 31 is adapted to correspond to said angular range.

When the lock pins 12 have been moved into the attachment means 4 of the container, they are locked in each attachment means by rotating the locking member 23 by means of the handle 24 around the horizontal longitudinal axis B. The handle 24 is fixed to the end plate 25 in the locked position and the container 2 is thereby secured to the support devices 10. When the container 2 is secured to the four support devices 10 of the station 1 , its weight can be transferred thereto. In the embodiment according to figures 1 -4, this is accomplished by lowering the load area of the vehicle unit 3 in relation to the container 2, either by means of the suspension of the vehicle unit or by means of a separate device for raising and lowering the load area. When the weight of the container is transferred to rest on the lock pins 12 of the support devices, the lock pins are automatically adjusted to the predetermined locked position of rotation. This adjustment is accomplished by the guiding surfaces 19 of the pin holder 13 coming into contact with the guiding surfaces 18 of the seat part 16 when the weight of the container 2 presses the pin holder downwards against the action of the spring 21 . When the pin holder 13 is rotated in relation to the predetermined locked position of rotation as shown in figures 4a and 4b, the guiding surfaces 19 of the pin holder slide along the guiding surfaces 18 of the seat part 16 in a rotating motion down towards the seat part until the predetermined locked position of rotation is reached. Figures 4c and 4d show a perspective view and a cross-section, respectively, of the pin holder 13 and the seat part 16 in the predetermined locked position of rotation, wherein the cross-section is taken along the vertical axis of rotation A and orthogonally to the groove 17. In this position, the pin holder 13 can not slide any further downwards and thereby neither be further rotated under the load from the container 2. When the container 2 rests on the lock pins 12, the vehicle unit 3 can leave the station 1 without container. The safety supports 30 are now rotated in under the container 2 and are locked in that position by means of the plug 32, so that the container in case of a possible fracture on any of the lock pins 12 will be supported by the safety support of the support device 10 in question. The safety support 30 may also be differently designed, for example be foldable or advanceable into a position under the container 2. In connection with a collection of the container 2 from the station 1 , the vehicle unit 3 is positioned at the station in the same way as during the delivery of the container. Owing to the fact that the position of the container in relation to the support devices 10 has been adjusted by means of the adjustment mecha- nism in connection with delivery, the driver of the vehicle unit now knows the exact position of the container 2. The attachment members of the vehicle unit 3 are moved towards the downwardly directed openings of the corner fittings of the container 2 by raising the load area of the vehicle unit. If the vehicle unit 3 does not end up with the attachment members right under the downwardly directed openings of the corner fittings of the con- tainer 2, the lock pins 12 and the pin holders 13 will rotate somewhat around the vertical axis of rotation A when the weight of the container is transferred to the vehicle unit 3 and the pin holder is lifted from its predetermined locked position of rota- tion. The lock pins 12 can then be released from the attachment means 4 of the container and the vehicle unit 3 can leave the station 1 with the container 2.

The positioning of the vehicle unit 3 at the station 1 can also be accomplished in other ways than as described above. For example, a geographic positioning system (GPS) may be used. A transponder is mounted to the vehicle unit 3 and by means thereof the vehicle unit may be guided into the station 1 with very high precision. In this case, no edge 5 is needed as posi- tioning aid, and no positioning surface 31 on the support devices 10 is needed.

In figures 6-8, a second embodiment of the invention is shown, where the support element 1 1 of the support device 10 also comprises a lifting device and a moveable part 1 1 b, to which the pin holder 13 and the lock pin 12 are mounted. The lifting device is here mounted inside a stationary part 1 1 c of the support element 1 1 and is connected to the moveable part 1 1 b. The moveable part 1 1 b is moveable in the vertical direction by means of the lifting device. The pin holder 13 is in this embodiment mounted on the outside of the support element 1 1 and its guiding part 14 extends in a vertical direction therealong. The pin holder 13 is rotatable in relation to the support element 1 1 around a vertical axis of rotation A. The holder part 15 of the pin holder is mounted below the guiding part 14 and the lock pin 12 is received therein in the same way as described above. In this embodiment, the pin holder 13 also comprises an outer guiding ring 25, on which guiding ring four guiding surface 26 are arranged. The guiding surfaces 26 of the guiding ring 25 are ar- ranged to bear on four guiding surfaces 27 arranged on a seat part 28 on the moveable part 1 1 b of the support element 1 1 . The in all eight guiding surfaces are designed to co-operate with each other in pairs, each pair comprising one guiding surface 26 of the pin holder 13 and one guiding surface 27 of the seat part 28. The four guiding surfaces 26 of the guiding ring 25 and the four guiding surfaces 27 of the seat part 28, respectively, are arranged two by two on opposite sides of the vertical axis of rotation A and are angled in relation thereto. When the lock pin 12 is loaded with the weight of a container 2, the pin holder 13 is pressed downwards and two of the guiding surfaces 26 of the guiding ring 25 will then slide along two of the guiding surfaces 27 of the seat part 28 until a locked position of rotation is reached and all four guiding surfaces 26 of the guiding ring bear on the guiding surfaces 27 of the seat part. Also in this embodiment, the support device 10 is provided with a helical spring 21 to facilitate the lifting of the lock pin 12 and the pin holder 13 in relation to the seat part 28.

In the latter described embodiment illustrated in figures 6-8, the container 2 may, when attached to the lock pins 12 of the sup- port devices 10, be raised and lowered by means of the lifting device, as shown in figures 6a and 6b. The container 2 can thus be moved down to the ground. Furthermore, the lifting device of the support device 10 can be used to raise and lower the moveable part 1 1 b of the support element 1 1 in connection with the redistribution of the weight of the container 2 from and to the vehicle unit 3 and the support device 10, respectively, so that the vehicle unit does not need to raise or lower its load area. The lifting device can for example be hydraulically driven and consist of a hydraulic cylinder.

The design of the guiding surfaces may be varied in the above described embodiments of the support device. For example, it is not necessary that all guiding surfaces are angled in relation to a vertical axis of rotation, and a guiding can instead be achieved by angled guiding surfaces on only one of the seat part and the pin holder. The essential is that a guiding towards a predetermined locked position of rotation is achieved.

The above described embodiments of the invention are of course only to be regarded as examples. It is obvious that these can be modified within the scope of the invention and that the invention is therefore not limited to said embodiments.