초록 ▼

Wheel restraints for restraining vehicles at loading docks are described herein. An example wheel restraint includes a restraining arm to anchor a wheel chock to a fixed point at the dock. When in a blocking position, the chock rests directly upon the dock's driveway without the chock having to enga

Wheel restraints for restraining vehicles at loading docks are described herein. An example wheel restraint includes a restraining arm to anchor a wheel chock to a fixed point at the dock. When in a blocking position, the chock rests directly upon the dock's driveway without the chock having to engage additional hardware that could be an obstruction to snow removal. In some examples, the wheel chock automatically swings between its blocking and release positions in response to the arm simply lowering or raising the chock.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A wheel restraint to engage a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the wheel restraint system comprising: an anchor mountable to the loading dock;an arm defining a longitudinal axis and comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being pivotally coupled to the anchor to enable t

1. A wheel restraint to engage a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the wheel restraint system comprising: an anchor mountable to the loading dock;an arm defining a longitudinal axis and comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being pivotally coupled to the anchor to enable the distal end of the arm to move substantially vertically between a generally vertical storage position substantially parallel relative to the dock face and an extended position substantially perpendicular relative to the dock face;a wheel chock rotatably coupled to the arm such that the wheel chock rotates about the longitudinal axis of the arm to selectively move the chock between a blocking position and a release position such that:a) in the blocking position, the wheel chock obstructs the wheel,b) in the release position, the wheel chock is clear of the wheel, andc) in the release position, the wheel chock is translatable in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis; anda lift mechanism for offsetting a weight of the arm and the wheel chock to facilitate movement of the distal end of the arm. 2. The wheel restraint of claim 1, further comprising a roller coupled to the wheel chock, wherein the roller is rotatable about an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to facilitate longitudinal movement of the wheel chock. 3. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the arm comprises a hydraulic cylinder. 4. The wheel restraint of claim 3, wherein the wheel chock is coupled to a piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder, and wherein the piston rod rotates relative to the hydraulic cylinder to move the chock between the blocking position and the release position. 5. The wheel restraint of claim 1, further comprising a collet clamp disposed on the arm, the collet clamp being selectively configurable between a clamped state and an unclamped state such that: a) in the clamped state, the collet clamp helps hold the wheel chock at a fixed location relative to the arm, andb) in the unclamped state, the collet clamp allows wheel chock to move generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. 6. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the arm is axially extendable between an extended length and retracted length, and further comprising a length-fixing mechanism disposed on the arm to selectively fix the length of the arm, the length-fixing mechanism is selectively configurable between a locked state and an unlocked state such that: a) in the locked state, the length-fixing mechanism helps hold the arm selectively at one of plurality of discrete positions between the extended length and the retracted length, andb) in the unlocked state, the length-fixing mechanism allows the arm to move between the retracted length and the retracted length. 7. The wheel restraint of claim 6, wherein the length-fixing mechanism comprises a detent mechanism. 8. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism comprises a winch. 9. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism comprises a counterbalance spring. 10. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the wheel chock is lower in the blocking position than in the release position. 11. The wheel restraint of claim 1, wherein the loading dock includes a wheel-supporting driveway upon which the wheel chock rests when in the blocking position, and the wheel chock includes a friction-reducing structure which engages the driveway to facilitate rotation of the wheel chock about the longitudinal axis. 12. A wheel restraint to engage a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the wheel restraint system comprising: an anchor mountable to the loading dock;an arm defining a longitudinal axis and comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end is pivotally coupled to the anchor such that the arm pivots to selectively raise and lower the distal end of the arm; anda wheel chock rotatably coupled relative to the arm and being selectively rotatable about the longitudinal axis between a blocking position and a release position such that:a) in the blocking position, the wheel chock obstructs the wheel,b) in the release position, the wheel chock is clear of the wheel,c) in the release position, the wheel chock is translatable in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, andd) in the release position, the wheel chock is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm. 13. The wheel restraint of claim 12, further comprising a roller coupled to the wheel chock, wherein the roller is rotatable about an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to facilitate longitudinal movement of the wheel chock. 14. The wheel restraint of claim 12, wherein the arm comprises a hydraulic cylinder. 15. The wheel restraint of claim 12, further comprising a collet clamp disposed on the arm, the collet clamp is selectively configurable between a clamped state and an unclamped state such that: a) in the clamped state, the collet clamp helps hold the wheel chock at a fixed location relative to the arm, andb) in the unclamped state, the collet clamp allows wheel chock to move generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. 16. The wheel restraint of claim 12, wherein the arm is axially extendable between an extended length and retracted length, and further comprising a length-fixing mechanism disposed on the arm to selectively fix its length, the length-fixing mechanism is selectively configurable to a locked state and an unlocked state such that: c) in the locked state, the length-fixing mechanism helps hold the arm selectively at one of plurality of discrete positions between the extended length and the retracted length, andd) in the unlocked state, the length-fixing mechanism allows the arm to move between the retracted length and the retracted length. 17. The wheel restraint of claim 16, wherein the length-fixing mechanism is a detent mechanism. 18. The wheel restraint of claim 12, further comprising a winch coupled to the arm, wherein the winch helps support at least some weight of the arm. 19. The wheel restraint of claim 12, further comprising a counterbalance spring coupled to the arm, wherein the counterbalance spring helps support at least some weight of the arm. 20. The wheel restraint of claim 12, wherein the loading dock includes a wheel-supporting driveway upon which the wheel chock rests when in the blocking position, and the wheel chock includes a friction-reducing structure which engages the driveway to facilitate rotation of the wheel chock about the longitudinal axis. 21. The wheel restraint of claim 12, wherein the arm is to pivot relative to the anchor between a generally vertical stored position relative to a dock face or wall of the loading dock and an extended position to position the chock adjacent a wheel of a vehicle when the vehicle is at the loading dock. 22. A method of chocking a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the method comprising: supporting a wheel chock at a variable axial position relative to a pivotal arm having a longitudinal axis;axially adjusting the variable axial position of the wheel chock by adjusting an axial length of the pivotal arms;rotating the wheel chock relative to the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm to selectively install and remove the wheel chock relative to the wheel;locking the wheel chock against axial movement when the wheel chock is installed in a blocking position relative to the wheel. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein adjusting the variable axial position of the wheel chock is done manually. 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising manually pivoting the pivotal arm. 25. The method of claim 22, further comprising manually locking the wheel chock to the pivotal arm to help hold the wheel chock at a selected axial position. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein adjusting the axial length of the pivotal arm is done manually. 27. The method of claim 22, wherein adjusting the axial length of the pivotal arm is done hydraulically. 28. A method of chocking a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the method comprising: supporting a wheel chock at a variable axial position relative to a pivotal arm having a longitudinal axis;axially adjusting the variable axial position of the wheel chock;rotating the wheel chock relative to the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm to selectively install and remove the wheel chock relative to the wheel, wherein rotating the wheel chock about the longitudinal axis of the arm involves rolling a roller that is coupled to the wheel chock; andlocking the wheel chock against axial movement when the wheel chock is installed in a blocking position relative to the wheel. 29. A method of chocking a wheel of a vehicle at a loading dock, the method comprising: supporting a wheel chock at a variable axial position relative to a pivotal arm having a longitudinal axis;pivoting the arm between a generally vertical stored position relative to a wall of the loading dock and an extended position to position the chock adjacent the wheel;axially adjusting the variable axial position of the wheel chock;rotating the wheel chock relative to the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm to selectively install and remove the wheel chock relative to the wheel; andlocking the wheel chock against axial movement when the wheel chock is installed in a blocking position relative to the wheel.