AU5861000A

AU5861000A - Apparatus for operating gates and the like

Info

Publication number: AU5861000A
Application number: AU58610/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Klaus Potthoff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-06-14
Filing date: 2000-06-14
Publication date: 2001-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2020-06-14
Also published as: SE9902237D0; SE517686C2; AU769828B2; NZ516364A; WO2000077334A1; EP1203133A1

Description

WO 00/77334 PCT/SEOO/01249 APPARATUS FOR OPERATING GATES AND THE LIKE The present invention relates to an apparatus for operating gates defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1. Such operative apparatuses are primarily used in places without the use of electricity, e.g. used to open and close gates in fences, designed to protect wild animals and fences designed to mark off pasture land. These apparatuses are designed to, when a vehicle arrives to the immediate surroundings of a gate, on either side of the gate, automatically open the gate and after a certain time, when the vehicle has passed the gate opening, close the gate again. Examples of already made proposals for such operative apparatuses are mentioned in GB-A-2 322 669, US-A-4 115 954 and AU-Al-65 309/80. 5 These known solutions have various drawbacks and consequently they have never had any impact on the market. None of these publications meets a substantial number of various requirements in combination, which is a prerequisite for a general applicability, since it is hardly defensible, to a larger extent than what is very exceptional, to have to repair, serve and replace such devices, which thus in combination must meet the following requirements: Very far reaching but not completely maintenance-free; independent of the use of electricity, solar cells, engines, fuels, compressed air units etc; functioning in practically all climatic conditions, e.g. from -30"C to +60 0 C; absolutely reliable and having a very large life; an opening and a closing of the gate without requiring, that a person in the approaching and passing respectively vehicle must 5 leave it; selective actuatability solely by vehicles, particularly cars and not by e.g. human beings, wild animals or cattle; faultless functioning in the case of e.g. small private cars and heavy trucks; without complicated and expensive special means easily adjustable opening, opening keeping and closing times; smooth closing processes; noiselessness; possibility of module construction for a simple production and mounting; mounting possibility on existing constructions, e.g. stakes, and 0 using existing stakes. The object of the present invention, particularly in the above-mentioned respect, is to in combination improve and develop the state of the art in this technical field. 5 This object is attained according to the present invention by designing an apparatus for operating gates and the like. according to the introduction, mainly as set forth in the characterizing clause of

Claims

2. Manual Opening Valve 25 can be opened manually by means of a bar. Liquid flows, when the gate is opened, partly through check valve 21 a to the negative side of cylinder D and partly due to an equalization of the differential area of accumulator B. (The difference area is the difference of the area due to the fact, that the piston stem occupies an area of the negative side). Subsequent to a manual opening the gate is closed automatically, since there is the same pressure on both sides of the piston in cylinder D, but it is the force of spring V and the area difference in cylinder D, which causes the closing. By a manual opening the force is charged, which is needed for an automatic closing. Thus, the manual opening can be repeated an arbitrary number of times.
3. Automatic Opening When cylinder A is run over by a car, the pressure and the flow are forwarded through check valve 21a. The gate starts to open due to choking Ha. This effect is loaded into accumulator C. Simultaneously pressure and flow starts to decrease through choking Hb. It is to be noted, that Ha is much larger than Hb, why a complete opening of the gate has time to occur and will remain for a certain time, before the discharge will produce an effect. At the same time as the gate opens, cylinder D will have a negative position (the piston stem is withdrawn), the hydraulic medium on the positive side of the cylinder jointly with accumulator B filling cylinder A. pilot-valve 25 is then kept open by the pressure of the negative side.
4. Overload Protection Valve 23 opens at a pressure above 10 bars. Thus, a repeated load on cylinder A, before the operative cycle has been concluded, results in, that the excess pressure and liquid will be emptied through valve 23. Compared to the construction shown and described above an automatic hydraulic locking of the gate is now obtained. Instead of (or possibly in addition to) a spring the hydraulic pressure, which is generated in the ramp, is used. In addition to that, a single hydraulic duct bet ween the gate and the ramp is sufficient. WO 00/77334 7 PCT/SEOO/01249 The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the enclosed drawings, but it can be modified and supplemented in an arbitrary way within the scope of the inventive idea and the following claims. Thus, the apparatus can, as has already been mentioned, be used in connection with a pivotally suspended revolving gate, or a gate, which slides in rails in a straight or bent path. Instead of gates containers can also be contemplated, the contents of which will be emptied on e.g. a truck platform. By utilizing the driving and the weight of a car it is advantageous to use the described and shown apparatus in order to carry out an opening, closing, loading, discharging or the like movement, which otherwise only can be carried out in an engine driven or manual way. WO 00/77334 PCT/SEOO/01249 8 CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for operating one or several gates or the like (U), comprising a pressure generating unit, which can be mounted in or on the ground and is provided with restoring springs (0) and is designed, by a hydraulic circuit system, to actuate an opening and closing mechanism for a gate or the like, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t said cylinder (A) is designed as a primary compression cylinder, which is hydraulically connected to partly an accumulator tank (C), which is designed to accumulate a portion of the force as an overpressure, and partly a secondary opening cylinder (D), which is designed to open the gate (U) against the force of a closing spring (V), in that the overpressure in the liquid is to be released through a duct to an expansion tank (B) through a check valve (H), which is designed to delay the discharge process in such a way, that it will have an effect only subsequent to the passage of e.g. a car past the apparatus and the gate and to the start of the reduction of the overpressure in the expansion tank, and in that possible pressure peaks from very heavy cars and the second and the third axle respectively of a car are to be released directly through an overpressure valve (I) back to the expansion tank. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the apparatus comprises a lock mechanism, which is designed to lock the gate in a closing position and to be inactivated in an initial phase by the opening movement, particularly by including a lock plunger in said hydraulic circuit. 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a pressure generating unit normally is mounted on each side of a gate (U) on and/or in the ground, and/or in that it comprises a stationary exterior box (M) having spider legs (N) , which provide improved stability by a fastening 5 in the ground by means of fastening bolts or the like, in that inside the upwardly open exterior box an inverted vertically movable interior box (P) is telescopically mounted , compression springs (0) extending between the bottoms of the two boxes, and in that one or several hydraulic compression cylinders (A) extend between the bottoms of the boxes, which cylinders contain a frostless liquid, e.g. water and glycol, to make the unit operative between -30'C and +60'C. ) 4. A apparatus according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said hydraulic cylinders are fastened to the bottom of the stationary box, whereas their plunges are designed to be pressed against the inner side of the bottom of the movable box, thresholds (S) suitably being provided on the upper side of said bottom, said thresholds being designed to detect and establish a running over 5 position, and in that ramp plates (Q) are articulately fastened to e.g. the upper/interior box near its hottom which ramo Dlates are to lead a car wheel to said upper side. WO 00/77334 9 PCT/SEOO/01249
5. An apparatus according to any of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the secondary opening cylinder (D) is mounted on a holder (W), which is its turn is mounted on e.g. an existing fencing stake (X) in a pivotable way in order to, during the opening and closing process respectively, itself find the right angle in relation to a force arm (Y), in that the cylinder (D) lies in a plane above the holder (W) and the force arm (Y) in its turn lies in a plane above the cylinder (D), the opening cylinder being able to freely move in relation to the holder (W), while the force arm is able to freely move in relation to the opening cylinder (D), and in that the force arm (Y) suitably is shaped like a boomerang in order not to collide with the stake (X), it being designed to pass round the stake in order to also facilitate. the mounting.
6. An apparatus according to any of claims 3-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the gate (U) is designed to be closed against the second existing stake (Z) having a contact surface or stop (A), in such a way, that, when the gate has been opened and e.g. a car has left the pressure indicator unit, the springs (0) will press the interior box back to its upper starting position and create an underpressure in the primary compression cycle, which will draw back liquid from the expansion tank in such a way, that the primary cylinder will be ready to start the entire operative cycle again and in the secondary cylinder the pressure will be reduced , since liquid will return to the expansion tank through the check valve (G), the closing spring being able to function and close the gate slowly, since liquid will be pressed out of the secondary opening cylinder and through the check valve back to the accumulator tank .
7. An apparatus according to any of claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by an aerator (L) in the duct branch to the accumulator tank (C), an aerator (M) in the duct branch to the opening cylinder (D), check valves (E and F) in two duct branches from the pressure side of the compression cylinder (A), a manometer (J) connected after the check valve (F) in the branch, and an aerator (K) connected to the same branch.
8. An apparatus according to any of claims 3-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the entire pressure generating unit is enclosed, the enclosure downwards being made of a reinforced plastic fabric in order to be able to simply spread it out, and the pressure generating unit upwards being covered by a steel net-reinforced rubber mat in order to partly seal against moisture and dirt and to partly withstand tens of thousands of approaching and leaving runs of cars and/or in that the exterior rigid metal box in provided with four spider legs, which have holes in their outermost corners, through which holes long bolts will be inserted, which will be fastened in the ground, or long screws, which will be fastened in plugs or the like in looser ground. WO 00/77334 PCT/SEOO/01249 10
9. An apparatus according to any of claims 3-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the movable box is provided with a number of roller bearings, which solely allow vertical movements within the rigid box, or ball bearings or simply Teflon-coated surfaces, and/or in that the pressing downwards of the interior box will be facilitated by a run by a car on the ramp, one end of which is movably inserted into the box, which ramp is fastened in such a way, that its fastening to the loose box remains at the same point, seen in the direction of travel of the car, whereas the other end of the ramp moves a short distance backwards in relation to the direction of travel of the car, the loose box being pressed downwards and the ramp lying more parallel to the ground.
10. An apparatus according to any of claims 1-9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pressure generating unit is manufactured as a first module, which by means of two plastic hoses partly transfers the operative pressure to the secondary opening cylinder and partly returns hydraulic liquid from the expansion tank to the primary compression cylinder, when an underpressure occurs in it, when a car has left the pressure generating unit and the interior box is pressed upwards by the restoring springs, in that the accumulator tank, the pressure meters, the check valves, the overpressure valve and their connections and attachments are manufactured as a second module, which can be placed in a box, which can be fastened to a gate stake or the like, and in that the secondary opening cylinder with its holder, valve and power arm is manufactured as a third module, which preferably will be mounted on an existing stake in order to handle an existing gate.
11. An apparatus according to any of claims 1-10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the apparatus also comprises three measure/aeration points (2), a manometer (5), a check valve (21), a pressure limiting valve (23) and a manual opening valve (25), in that, when the gate is closed, the piston stem in the cylinder (D) will be actuated by the basic pressure in the accumulator (B), plus the force of spring (V), in that the piston stem (A) will be actuated by the basic pressure in the accumulator (B), and in that the gate will be hydraulically locked through a pilot-guided check valve (25).
12. An apparatus according to claim 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that in order to carry out a manual opening the valve (25) will be opened manually by means of a bar in such a way, that, when the gate is opened, liquid will flow partly through the check valve (21c) to the negative side of the cylinder (D) and partly because of an equalization of the differential area to the accumulator (B), in that after a manual opening of the gate the gate will be closed automatically , because the same pressure exists on both sides of the piston in the cylinder (D), in that the force of the spring (V) and the area difference in the cylinder (D) will result in the closing, and in that, when a manual opening is carried out, the force, required for an automatic closing, will be loaded. WO 00/77334 11 PCT/SEOO/01249
13. An apparatus according to claims II and 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that for an automatic opening, when the cylinder (A) is run over by a car, pressure and flow will pass through the check valve (21a), in that the gate will start its opening through the choking (Ha), in that the effect will be loaded into the accumulator (C), at the same time as pressure and flow start decreasing through the choking (Hb), the choking (Ha) having a dimension so much larger than (Hb), that a complete opening of the gate will have time to occur and will remain for a certain time, before the discharge will have an effect, and in that at the same time as the gate is opened, the cylinder (D) will enter into a negative position, the hydraulic medium on the positive side of the cylinder jointly with the accumulator (B) being designed to fill the cylinder (A), in that the pilot valve (25) then is kept open by the pressure from the negative side , in that the apparatus also comprises an overload protection, since the valve (23) will be opened at a pressure above 10 bars, and in that a repeated load on the cylinder (A), before the operative cycle has been concluded, will result in, that the overpressure and the excess liquid will be emptied through the valve (23). 5 0 5