AU2021107679B4 - Guardrail system for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

GUARDRAIL SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES ABSTRACT A retractable guardrail system 1 for a vehicle including an elongate planar base 5 securable to a surface 6 of the vehicle 2 located above a ground level 7 in use. A plurality of arms 9 are spaced apart along the base 5. The arms 9 at a first end 11 are pivotably connected to the base 5 such that in use the arms 9 are movable from a retracted position where the arms 9 are substantially parallel to the base 5 and an expanded position where the arms 9 are substantially perpendicular to the base 5. An elongate guardrail 20 substantially complimentary in shape to the base 5 is included. The arms 9 at a second end 21 are pivotally connected to the guardrail 20 such that in a retracted position the guardrail 20 is in substantially the same plane as the base 5 and in the expanded position the guardrail 20 is in a substantially parallel plane spaced away from the base 5. The distanced spaced away will be the length of the arms 9. The system 1 could further include one or more pneumatic rams 30 to move the guardrail 20 between the retracted to expanded positions. Figure 1

Description

GUARDRAIL SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a guardrail system and in particular to an automated retractable expandable guardrail system for vehicles, livestock trailers and the like.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The use of guardrails and in particular handrails on structures above a ground surface is well known. Guardrails provide safety to workers when working at a height and inhibit a worker from slipping and/or falling. Most guardrails are secured in place on a fixed structure and not adjustable, expandable and/or retractable.

[0003] When working with guardrails on a moving structure such as vehicles, for example, and in particular heavy vehicles such as trucks and trains, guardrails are less common. In these types of applications, typically if guardrails are installed, they tend to be fixed structures and sporadically located to reduce manufacturing costs, weight and also height of the truck and/or train. Having a guardrail extending above the top surface of a vehicle is a significant problem due to bridges, overpasses, hoppers and other low hanging formations that the truck and/or train may need to pass under.

[0004] Also, existing systems are separately operated where the left guard rail is individual to the right guard rail. This is significant as if there is a cylinder failure on the right side, only the left guard rail will lift up defeating the purpose of having a guardrail system. There is a need for a monoframe guard rail, connected with cylinders which have parallel ports, so that if there is a leak on one side the whole guardrail system will lift up with the help of the remaining cylinders.

[0005] In an attempt to overcome the height issue, a foldable guardrail was created for oil and waste trucks. These guardrail systems however have the disadvantage that they are flimsy, not stable, some use hydraulic oil to operate, create additional expense and weight to the manufacturing process and increase the complexity of hydraulic lines on the vehicle. They also utilise the top surface of the truck and/or train as a walkway potentially causing structural issues to the truck and/or train

[0006] Still further, in most cases they are specifically designed for oil tankers and don't include an entire loop/guard perimeter hence defeats the purpose of using this system on livestock trailers, for example. These systems have a steep pneumatic ram angle to the pivot plate requiring more space to mount. There is a need for minimal protrusion and maximum deck space when fitting this to livestock trailers, for example.

[0007] Further, when using guardrails on trailers having open spaces, such as on livestock transport trailers, a walkway is needed to provide safe footings for the workers. The guardrail system must be able to fit together with such walkways.

[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a retractable automated guardrail system that can go some way to addressing the challenges mentioned above.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the above disadvantages, or at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

[0010] A retractable guardrail system for a vehicle, the system including: an elongate planar base securable to a surface of said vehicle located above a ground level in use, a plurality of arms spaced apart along said base, said arms at a first end pivotably connected to said base such that in use said arms are movable from a retracted position where said arms are substantially parallel to said base and an expanded position where said arms are substantially perpendicular to said base, an elongate guardrail, said guardrail substantially complimentary in shape to said base, said arms at a second end pivotally connected to said guardrail such that in a retracted position said guardrail is in substantially the same plane as the base and in the expanded position the guardrail is in a substantially parallel plane spaced away from said base; and wherein the system further includes one or more pneumatic rams to move the guardrail between the retracted and expanded positions.

[0011] Preferably, the pneumatic ram(s) include air cylinders.

[0012] Preferably, the arms adjacent said first end include a bended portion to assist with said base and guardrail reaching the same plane in the retracted position.

[0013] Preferably, the system includes a switch operated by a user at ground level to move the guardrail between the retracted and expanded positions.

[0014] Preferably, the system includes a switch activated by a user from ground level and a failsafe system to ensure the vehicle is not moved when the system is in the expanded position.

[0015] Preferably, the system is an enclosed loop defining a closed perimeter to guard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 shows a livestock trailer having part of the guardrail system of an embodiment of the present invention in an expanded position;

[0018] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of part of Figure 1;

[0019] Figure 3 shows a side view of Figure 1;

[0020] Figure 4 shows a detailed view of an arm of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5a, b, c show side and an isometric views of the pivot joints of the arm of Figure 4;

[0022] Figures 6 shows a top view of Figure 1;

[0023] Figure 7a, b shows top views of the pivotjoints at each end of the arm of Figure 4;

[0024] Figure 8a, b show the shock pads for use with a trailer of Figure 1;

[0025] Figure 9 shows a trailer having a system of the present invention shown in a retracted position; and

[0026] Figure 10 shows a pneumatic circuit diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Referring to the drawings, there is disclosed a guardrail system 1 for a vehicle 2. The system 1 includes an elongate planar base 5 securable to a surface 6 of the vehicle 2 located above a ground level 7 in use. A plurality of arms 9 are spaced apart along the base 5. The arms 9 at a first end 11 are pivotably connected to the base 5 such that in use the arms 9 are movable from a retracted position (see Figure 9) where the arms 9 are substantially parallel to the base 5 and an expanded position (see Figure 1) where the arms 9 are substantially perpendicular to the base 5. An elongate guardrail 20 substantially complimentary in shape to the base 5 is included. The arms 9 at a second end 21 are pivotally connected to the guardrail 20 such that in a retracted position (see Figure 9) the guardrail 20 is in substantially the same plane as the base 5 and in the expanded position (see Figure 1) the guardrail 20 is in a substantially parallel plane spaced away from the base 5. The distanced spaced away will be the length of the arms 9. The system 1 could further include one or more pneumatic rams 30 to move the guardrail 20 between the retracted to expanded positions.

[0028] It should be appreciated that though the figures show the guardrail system 1 located on a livestock transport trailer (see Figure 9) the use of the term vehicle herein applies to the guardrail system 1 being attachable to any type of vehicle such as a car, truck, train, trailer, carriage, ship, plane and/or any other mode of transporting goods and/or people.

[0029] As best seen in Figures 4, 5a, b, c and 7a, b, the arms 9 can be of any length and include a first end 11 adjacent the base 5 (see Figure 5b) and a second end 21 adjacent the guardrail 20 (see Figure 5a). The arm 9 is connected at each end 11,21 by pivots 31 sitting and rotating within brackets 32. The arms 9 could be telescopic or the like to allow the height of the guardrail 20 adjustable away from the base 5. Adjacent the first end 11 of the arm 9 is a bent portion 45 (see Figure 5b) to ensure the guardrail 20 and base 5 in the retracted position form the same plane (see Figure 10).

[0030] The base 20 can include a frame 40 and a walkway 41. The shape of the system 1 can be of any shape to fit the vehicle. The frame 40 is attached to the surface 6 of the vehicle 2 by folded brackets 32 which are welded to the top surface 6 and frame 40. These brackets 32 are then fastened by bolts 44 which hold the system in place (see Figure 5c).

[0031] In a preferred form, the system 1 is used for livestock trailers 2 providing a safety guardrail system 1 which is retractable using pneumatic power from air cylinder rams 30, pivots 31 and specific service free design elements to provide a safe working/inspecting walkway 41 or area for trailer operators. In the system shown, the guardrail 20 is a mono-frame top rail RHS and can include a mid-rail which consists of a 6mm plastic coated stainless steel wire rope 70 passing through eyelets 71 or the like to act as a fall proof, and a bottom rail 75 manufactured of a 40 x 40 x 5 equal angle iron (see Figure 8b) holding in the walkway 41. The guardrail 20 can include a gate and/or movable portion (not shown) to allow access into and out of the system 1. The gate would only open on a pivot upwardly (away from the walkway) to ensure the user remains in a safe position. The gate could include a lock or the like. The gate and/or lock would not affect the structural integrity of the system.

[0032] By having the two pivot points 31 on each end of the arms 9 a parallelogram four bar linkage mechanism is created as the orientation of the top 20 and bottom rail 75 are fixed and are always parallel to one plane (ground plane or vehicle base plane). The bent portion 45 is offset to compromise the height / level of the system 1 so that all surfaces are coincidental on the top surface 6 of the trailer 2. The arm 9 (pivot rail) is secured with a lock pin 55 both ends and has oil impregnated nylon bush 56. The bush 56 acts as a bearing minimising all friction contact surfaces between moving contacts.

[0033] The system 1 is expanded and retractable automatically by use of at least 4 Pneumatic rams 30 (2 way acting) connecting the guardrail 20 (top rail) at certain pivot locations 31 and operating them upwards and downwards through actuating valve switches located securely in the trailer control board driver side. This system consists of 4 Pneumatic rams (4 for Tag trailer, 2 for Lead trailer) which lift the system 1. The lead trailer is half the length of the tag trailer, hence using half the amount of power. Each Pneumatic ram is preferably a 63 Bore 600mm stroke length tec data ram, however, other suitable rams might be used.

[0034] Pneumatic cylinder rams 30 power the guard rail system 1 to lift up and down using optimum air supply from the reservoir tank. The air tank reservoir is located in a trailer brake system powered by the truck, for example. Firstly, an operator has to turn on an activation switch and then press a green button to activate the guardrails 20 to lift up. After the operator is back on the ground again, a red button is pressed for the guardrail 20 to retract down. The final step is deactivating the system 1 which non-powers the guardrail system 1. Failing to do the last step, the guardrail system 1 is retracted forcefully by an emergency line from the truck. That is, air supply is charged through the truck into the emergency line which overrides the guardrail system, retracting it. Also to make this system efficient, sustainable and usable through airbag supply in the suspension when there is no auxiliary power.

[0035] In use, the system 1 operates in an upward movement (towards the expanded position) when a switch is pressed (up switch) by the user, this is when an operator is ready to use the catwalk 41 or wants to access for monitoring, inspections and visual checks. The downward movement (towards the retracted position) operates only when the operator has exited the safety space (41) and is standing on the ground 7 ready to press the downward switch. The guardrails come down. The contact surface is fitted with 20mm Teflon pads 80 (See Figures 8a, b) to avoid shock and wear to the rails 20. Emergency downward movement is available when an operator has come down from the safety space, forgets to put the guardrails 20 down, starts to drive off in the truck to which the trailers are attached, the rails automatically come down. This is because there is installed a fool proof pneumatic circuit design (See Figure 10) with a pneumatic auto release in the main valve when trailer brakes are disengaged.

[0036] Referring specifically to Figure 10, when the guardrails 20 are up, valve V4 is charged through the main air pressure supply in port A which pushes the cylinder rods outside, therefore forcing the guardrails 20 to the up position. Whilst port A is charged with air, pressing the red button charges air through port B which forces the guardrails 20 to the down position. Whilst the guardrails 20 are up, if at all an operator forgets to deactivate the black safety switch, the emergency brake line C is charge through valve V3 and it overrides valve V4's position from B to A which forces the guardrails 20 to go to the down position. Air supply is inserted from D.

[0037] In a preferred form, the walkway 41 is FRP mesh which is fitted braced and the guardrail are directly attached to trailer supports which also provide support to the top hand rail 20 directly. This design saves space, weight and is less complex to manufacture. Rigid pivots 31 made out of high tensile stainless steel are used in the system 1 to make the whole system 1 more rigid than mild steel. The system 1 offers a rust proof, service free and safe system to operators transporting livestock in a double deck and single deck trailers for example.

[0038] Advantageously, the present invention, at least in a preferred embodiment, provides a service free design using oil impregnated nylon bushes with metal pivots instead of conventional lubricated bearings which would have required timely maintenance. The rust proof design, all moving brackets & pivots are made of stainless steel

[0039] There is also provided, on a Livestock trailer for example, immediate & direct access from the side load ladder to guardrail system so that operators are protected from the very edge of the trailer. This means that operators can stand on the very edge of the trailer at unloading/ loading point and can monitor Livestock

[0040] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (5)

1. A retractable guardrail system for a vehicle, the system including: an elongate planar base securable to a surface of said vehicle located above a ground level in use, a plurality of arms spaced apart along said base, said arms at a first end pivotably connected to said base such that in use said arms are movable from a retracted position where said arms are substantially parallel to said base and an expanded position where said arms are substantially perpendicular to said base, and an elongate guardrail, said guardrail substantially complimentary in shape to said base, said arms at a second end pivotally connected to said guardrail such that in a retracted position said guardrail is in substantially the same plane as the base and in the expanded position the guardrail is in a substantially parallel plane spaced away from said base; wherein the system further includes two or more pneumatic rams to move the guardrail between the retracted to expanded positions, and wherein the system automatically moves to the retracted position when brakes of the vehicle are disengaged.

2. The guardrail system of claim 1, wherein the arms adjacent said first end include a bended portion to assist with said base and guardrail reaching the same plane in the retracted position.

3. The guard rail system of claim 1 or 2, including a switch operated by a user at ground level to move the guardrail between the retracted and expanded positions.

4. The guardrail system of claim 1 or 2, including a switch activated by a user from ground level and a failsafe system to ensure the vehicle is not moved when the system is in the expanded position.

5. The guardrail system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is an enclosed loop defining a closed perimeter to guard.