CA2913699C

CA2913699C - Method of mounting a traffic management equipment to an elevated structure and bracket therefore

Info

Publication number: CA2913699C
Application number: CA2913699A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Serge Fournier
Original assignee: Logisig Inc
Current assignee: Logisig Inc
Priority date: 2014-12-01
Filing date: 2015-11-30
Publication date: 2019-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-30
Also published as: CA2913699A1

Abstract

The method generally includes elevating a platform having an operator, a traffic management equipment, and an adapter thereof to the elevated position of the elevated structure; engaging the adapter, with the traffic management equipment secured thereon, with a base made integral to the elevated structure, via mating engagement members of the adapter and the base.

Description

METHOD OF MOUNTING A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT
TO AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE AND BRACKET THEREFORE
FIELD
[0001] The improvements generally relate to the field of traffic management equipment and more specifically to the operation of securing a piece of traffic management equipment to an elevated structure.
BACKGROUND

[0002] Various forms of traffic management equipment require to be mounted to elevated structures, such as a post. An example is variable-message signs (also referred to as changeable-message signs, electronic-message signs, dynamic-message sign, or with their abbreviations VMS, CMS, or DMS, for instance for instance), which can be relatively heavy as they typically include a plurality of LED displays with their powering electronics housed in a weather-resistant housing.

[0003] It was known to mount such equipment at relatively elevated positions on a traffic-side post. This operation was typically performed by an operator standing in a platform with the piece of equipment, and elevated to the height of the position along the post by a boom.
It was known to first assemble a bracket to the elevated position along the post, and to then position the equipment into place against the bracket and screw the equipment into the bracket.

[0004] While this scenario has been tolerated and considered satisfactory to a certain extent for years, it had several drawbacks and inconveniences. For instance, it was uncomfortable enough for the operator elevated by the platform to hold the equipment into place while screwing it into place against the bracket, when the equipment was not too heavy, and when reaching a given weight, this operation even required the presence of two operators on the platform. The same can be said from the inverse operation of unscrewing, which can be required to remove the equipment, either permanently or to perform periodic maintenance operations for instance. Accordingly, there remained room for improvement.

SUMMARY

[0005] There is provided a bracket having a base provided as part of or securable to the elevated structure and an adapter provided as part of or securable to the traffic management equipment. The traffic management equipment with the adapter thereon can be mounted to the base and the elevated structure by a more simple manipulation easier to perform when elevated on a platform when compared to the scenario described above.

[0006] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a method of mounting a traffic management equipment to an elevated structure, the method comprising :
elevating a platform having an operator, a traffic management equipment, and an adapter thereof to the elevated position of the elevated structure; engaging the adapter, with the traffic management equipment secured thereon, with a base made integral to the elevated structure, via mating engagement members of the adapter and the base.

[0007] In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a bracket assembly for mounting a traffic management equipment to an elevated structure, the bracket assembly comprising a base and an adapter, the base being securable to the elevated structure with a mating portion of the base being exposed, the mating portion of the base having base engagement members; the adapter being securable to the traffic management equipment with a mating portion of the adapter being exposed, the mating portion of the adapter having adapter engagement members mating with the base engagement members; wherein the adapter with the traffic management equipment secured thereto can be engaged with the base via the mating engagement members when the base is secured to the elevated structure.

[0008] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a bracket which includes a base securable to the post, and an adapter which is securable to the piece of traffic management equipment, wherein the adapter, with the piece of traffic management equipment mounted thereto, can be snappingly engaged with the secured base in a relatively simple operation. A mating tab-hook and slot arrangement can be used to engage the components to one another and snap mechanism components can be used to hold the engagement in the absence of a positive manipulation. The bracket can have a housing which prevents manual access to key components of the snap mechanism and means to lock the snap mechanism to prevent unauthorized access, accidental access or theft.

[0009] Many further features and combinations thereof concerning the present improvements will appear to those skilled in the art following a reading of the instant disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0010] In the figures,

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic view generally showing the operation of elevating an operator to secure a traffic management equipment to an elevated structure;

[0012] Fig. 2 is an oblique view of an example of a bracket assembly mounted to a post;

[0013] Fig. 3 is an exploded view of components of the bracket assembly of Fig. 2;

[0014] Fig. 4A and 4B are two cross-sectional views showing the action of engaging the hook tabs with the slots along the sliding engagement path; and

[0015] Fig. 5 is an oblique view of the bracket assembly of Fig. 2 taken from the opposite side.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Fig. 1 generally shows an operator 12 in a platform 14 elevated by boom 16. More specifically, the operator 12 is elevated to perform an operation on a traffic management equipment 18, such as mounting it to or dismounting it from an elevated structure 20, via a bracket assembly 10, for instance. In this specific example, the traffic management equipment 18 is a variable-message sign 18a and the elevated structure 20 is an elevated portion of a post 20a. In alternate embodiments, the bracket assembly 10 can be adapted for other forms of traffic management equipment 18 than a variable-message sign 18a and for other forms of elevated structures 20 than a post 20a. Nonetheless, the variable-message sign/post example is used hereinbelow for illustrative purposes and for the sake of simplicity.

[0017] Fig. 2 shows an example of a bracket assembly 10 for mounting the variable-message sign 18a to the post 20a (see Fig. 1). The bracket assembly 10 can generally be seen to have two main components : a base 22 which is configured for permanent or semi-permanent mounting to the post 20a and an adapter 24 for permanent or semi-permanent mounting to the variable-message sign 18a. More specifically, the base 22 has transversal apertures 26 through which post fasteners 28 in the form of metal bands can be inserted and wrapped firmly around the post 20a. A post-mating portion 30 of the base 22 has two laterally-opposite slanted flanges 32 forming an angle and snugly mating against corresponding sides of the post 20a when attached thereto. The adapter 24, on the other hand, has threaded apertures 34 which correspond with apertures provided in a back wall of the variable-message sign (not shown). Accordingly, mechanical screws 36 can be inserted across the apertures in the back wall of the variable-message sign and screwed into the threaded apertures 34 of the adapter 24 to firmly secure the adapter 24 to the variable-message sign. As seen in Fig. 2, the adapter 24 and the base 22 both have a corresponding mating portion 38, 40 which is securely engaged with the mating portion of the other one of the adapter 24 and the base 22.

[0018] Turning now to Fig. 3 where the adapter 24 and base 22 are shown exploded and from the opposite, "post", side, it can be seen that the mating portion 38 of the adapter and the mating portion 40 of the base each have a corresponding plurality of engagement members 42, 44 for said secure, mating engagement shown in Fig. 2. In this particular embodiment, the adapter engagement members 42 are male whereas the base engagement members 44 are female, though it will be understood that the adapter can have female engagement members and the base can have male engagement members in alternate embodiments. Moreover, in this specific embodiment, the engagement members 42, 44 are provided in a number of 6 on each one of the adapter 24 and the base 22, for an associated degree of engagement. The adapter engagement members 42 are provided in the form of slots 46 in a sheet metal member, and the base engagement members 44 are provided in the form of downwardly oriented hook tabs 48. Accordingly, and as best shown in Figs. 4A
and 4B, to engage the adapter 24 to the base 22, the hook tabs 46 are first engaged into the slots 48 by a horizontal movement 50 of the adapter 24 towards the base, normal to the post axis, and the adapter 24, with the traffic management equipment previously affixed to it, is then slid in a downward movement 52 to engage the edges 54 of the slots into the nooks 56 of the hook tabs 48 along what will be referred to herein as a sliding engagement path 58 of the hook tabs 48, after which the weight of the traffic management equipment acting on the adapter 24 will tend to maintain the hook tabs 48 satisfactorily engaged with the edges 54 of the slots 46. In an alternate embodiment where the male members are provided as part of the base instead of the adapter, the hook tabs can be turned upwardly instead of downwardly for a comparable effect. Mating hook shapes can also be used in alternate embodiments instead of a hook tab and slot arrangement, for instance.

[0019] Referring back to Fig. 3, for increased certainty, the bracket assembly 10 is further provided with a holding mechanism 60. In this specific embodiment, the holding mechanism 60 includes a pivot component 62 which is pivotally mounted to the base 22 around a pivot axis 64 which is horizontal during use in this embodiment. The pivot component 62 has a lever 66 which extends away from the pivot axis 64 to allow manual activation of the pivoting movement around the pivot axis 64, and a holding member 68 which can be pivoted into a holding position (shown in Fig. 4B and 5) above the engaged hook tabs 48 (or otherwise said, "behind" the engaged hook tabs 48 with reference to the downward sliding engagement path 58) to further prevent the adapter 24 from becoming disengaged from the base 22. In this embodiment, the lever 66 is provided with a slot 70 which engages an apertured tab made integral to the base 22 when the holding member 68 is in the holding position above the engaged hook tabs 48 (as shown in Fig.
5), in a manner that a padlock loop can be engaged with the apertured tab aperture 74 to lock the angular position of the pivot component 62 and prevent disengagement of the holding member 68 from the holding position unless the padlock is removed. The apertured tab 72 can be considered to form a base loop which engages the lever 66 and can be locked against it.

[0020] In this embodiment, the pivot component 62 is further housed within a chamber formed in a housing 80 of the base 22 to prevent unauthorized manual access to or tampering of the pivot component 62.

[0021] Moreover, in this embodiment, as seen in Fig. 5, the holding member 68 is provided in the form of a transversally-oriented flange and a leaf spring 76 secured to the housing of the base 22 extends over the transversally-oriented flange, biasing it into the holding position. As can be understood, the configuration of the holding member 68 relative to the pivot axis 64 and slots 46, and in a movement best shown in Figs. 4A
and 4B, allows for the hook tabs 48 to push the holding member 68 and pivot it against the bias of the leaf spring 76 simply during the normal horizontal movement of penetrating the hook tabs 48 into the slots 46. Once the hook tabs 48 have reached the full engagement with the edges 54 of the slots 46, the holding member 68 has become free from their pivoting force and is biased back into the holding position shown in Fig. 4B to hold the hook tabs 48 into their engaged position. Manual activation of the lever 66, against the biasing force, is then required to move the holding member 68 out of the holding position to free the hook tabs 48 and allow removal of the adapter 24 as a whole from the holding mechanism 60.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the selection of the adapter 24 for having the male members rather than the female members was found practical as it allowed incorporating the components of the holding mechanism 60 in the base 22. However, in alternate embodiments, it can be preferred to incorporate the components of the holding mechanism 60 in the adapter 24.

[0023] Fig. 5 shows the adapter 24 engaged with the base 22, with the holding member 68 in the holding position against the hook tabs 48, for clarity.

[0024] As can be understood, the examples described above and illustrated are intended to be exemplary only. In alternate embodiments, the bracket assembly can be adapted for other forms of traffic management equipment than a variable-message sign and for other forms of elevated structures than a post, even though the variable-message sign/post example is used hereinabove for illustrative purposes. The specific configuration of the engagement members can vary, the number of engagement members can be less or more than 6 in alternate embodiment and a single, wide, pair of mating engagement members can be considered satisfactory in alternate embodiments. Moreover, mating hooks can readily be used instead of mating hook tabs and slots in alternate embodiments, for instance.
Moreover, many of the illustrated features are entirely optional and can be omitted in alternate embodiments. The scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of mounting a traffic management equipment and an adapter secured thereto to an elevated structure having a base, the adapter and the base having mating engagement members including a hook projecting from one of the adapter and the base and a slot defined through a plate of the other one of the adapter and the base, the method comprising :
elevating an operator, the traffic management equipment, and the adapter to an elevated portion of the elevated structure;
engaging the adapter, with the traffic management equipment secured thereto, to the base made integral to the elevated structure, including engaging the hook across the slot along a first direction upon a horizontal movement of the adapter towards and against the base, and moving the hook engaged in the slot along a second direction defining a sliding path of the hook within the slot and transverse to the first direction upon a downward movement of the adapter relative to the base.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mating engagement members include a plurality of hooks and slots, wherein said step of engaging the adapter to the base includes engaging nooks of the hooks with edges of the slots by the downward movement of the adapter relative to the base.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising moving a holding member across the sliding path and engaging the holding member behind the hooks following said downward movement of the adapter relative to the base to block an opposite upward movement of the adapter relative to the base thereafter.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising locking the holding member into position behind the hooks.

5. A bracket assembly for mounting a traffic management equipment to an elevated structure, the bracket assembly comprising a base and an adapter, the base being securable to the elevated structure and the adapter being securable to the traffic management equipment, the adapter and the base having mating engagement members engageable to one another to secure the adapter to the base when the base is secured to the elevated structure and the adapter is secured to the traffic management assembly, wherein engagement of the engagement members is made along a first direction upon a horizontal movement of the adapter towards and against the base, and subsequently along a second direction transverse to the first direction upon a downward movement of the adapter relative to the base, the engagement members including a slot elongated in the second direction and a hook-shaped engagement member for entering into the slot along the first direction and then sliding within the slot along a sliding path in the second direction, the hook-shaped engagement member having a hook with a first portion projecting in the first direction and a second portion projecting from the first portion in the second direction.

6. The bracket assembly of claim 5 wherein one of the base and the adapter further comprises a holding mechanism being selectively engageable with and disengageable from the hook-shaped engagement member of the other one of the base and the adapter upon said engagement of the base and the adapter, to respectively prevent and allow disengagement of the adapter from the base.

7 The bracket assembly of claim 6 wherein the holding mechanism includes a pivot component pivotally mounted to said one of the base and the adapter and being pivotable about said pivot axis, and said other one of the base and the adapter has the hook-shaped engagement member slidingly engaged in the slot; wherein the pivot component further has a holding member selectively movable into and out from the sliding path of the hook-shaped engagement member by pivoting about said pivot axis to selectively allow or prevent the sliding disengagement of said hook-shaped engagement member.

8. The bracket assembly of claim 7 wherein the pivot axis is in the horizontal orientation.

9. The bracket assembly of claim 7 or 8 wherein the holding member is spring biased in a direction oriented toward the sliding path and is pushable out from the sliding path, by the hook-shaped engagement member upon said engagement of the hook-shaped engagement member in the slot in the first direction in a manner to snap back into the sliding path by default following said engagement of the hook-shaped engagement member in the slot in the second direction.

10. The bracket assembly of any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the holding mechanism includes a lever made integral to the holding member and being manually activatable to force the spring-biased holding member out of the sliding path.

11. The bracket assembly of claim 10 wherein the holding mechanism is made integral to the base, said holding member is housed inside a housing of the base, the housing having a base loop made integral thereto, and the lever has a slot engaged with the base loop when the holding member is in the sliding path, the base loop being adapted to receive a padlock loop to lock the holding member in the sliding path via the lever.

12. The bracket assembly of claim 5, wherein the slot are in the form of an aperture in a plate of one of the adapter and the base, the hook defining a nook engageable with an edge of the slot when the hook is slid within the slot along the sliding path upon the downward movement of the adapter relative to the base.

13. The bracket assembly of claim 5, wherein the mating engagement members includes a plurality of hook-shaped engagement members and a plurality of slots for mating with respective ones of the hook-shaped engagement members.