Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
  • B64F1/30—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for embarking or disembarking passengers
  • B64F1/315—Mobile stairs

Definitions

• transport means or transport tracks which run at an inclination and which are adapted to keep a transport cage or car horizontally during elevation from a lower to an upper level.
• An example of such structure having a fixed angle of inclination or height difference may be found in published European Patent Appli cation 0012149.
• An example of such an inclined transport arrangement having two different angles of inclination is shown in US Patent 3,312,307. The latter patent specification relates to an embodiment having two fixed angles of inclination , and a specific cam-like guide rail provides for keeping the transport car horizontally at the transition from one inclination angle to the other on the transport track.
• US Patent 3,592,294 shows an inclined transport arrangement for variable angle adjustment in which a manually operable screw device may serve to adapt the orientation of a transport cage or box depending upon the angular position of the transport arrangement.
• This manual adjustment apparently requires som work effort and would for example, when applied to airplane stairways, not be able to satisfy the need for a quick and automatic adjustment in the different situations of use.
• this invention is directed to a height adjustable stairway comprising an upper landing and a number of treads being kept horizontal independently of changes in the angular position of the supporting beams or stringers of the stairway, when the height adjustment is varied, and elevating means for the height adjustment in order to change the angle of the supporting beams in relation to ahorizontal frame, as well as hand rails on both sides of the stairway.
• a rail element on each side of the stairway forms an upper supporting beam for tread elements and runs parallel to a lower supporting beam of equal length
• the upper and the lower supporting beams each at their lower portion has a pivot point which is fixed in relation to the horizontal frame and of which at least one pivot point is located on an upright support which is rigidly connected to the frame, and being at their upper portion pivoted to a support member incorporated in the upper landing
• the line connecting the lower pivot points of the supporting beams is parallel to the connecting line between their upper pivot points
• there are provided for each tread, carrying elements pivotably supported at points on the lower and the upper supporting beams respective lying on a straight line parallel to the above connecting line that the treads are arranged at the lower end of the carrying elements and beneath the lower supporting beam
• an elevator platform is adapted to be moved up and down along the stairway by the cooperation between engagement members in the form of rollers
• Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention where the height adjustable stairway is mounted on a movable undercarriage which may be towed by a tractor or the like in similarity with a trailer
• Fig. 2 shows in part and at a larger scale a vertical section through the hand rail structure with supporting beams for the stairway as shown in Figure 1, and a carrying member for the elevator platform
• Fig. 3 shows another embodiment in which the stairway is mounted on a movable, electrically driven undercarriage, and in which the stairway structure proper is somewhat modified in relation to the one in Figure 1, Fig.
• the undercarriage for the stairway in Figure 1 comprises a horizontal frame 1 provided with steerable front wheels la and rear wheels lb as well as a towing rod 2.
• elevating means having a driving aggregate 3 and a lifting cylinder 4 which may be hydraulically operated or may consist of mechanically or possibly electrically driven components.
• the elevating assembly 3, 4 supports the upper end of the actual stairway structure by means of a supporting point under the upper fixed landing 16 the level of which above the ground may be adjusted as desired up to a certain maximum height. During such height adjustment the angular position of the stairway will be changed in relation to the frame 1.
• the load-bearing structure of the stairway comprises a lower supporting beam 6 and an upper supporting beam 5, of which the latter beam is simultaneously a hand rail which is usually necessary in such stairways.
• the hand rail ele-ments are accordingly here utilized as a part of the loadbearing structure and, besides, have a specific function in connection with an elevator platform 15 to be discussed below.
• the lower end of supporting beam 6 is connected to the frame 1 at a point 9, whereas the upper end of lower supporting beam 6 is connected to the lower part of an upper supporting member 25 which forms a part of the upper landing 16.
• the upper supporting beam 5 is at its lower end connected at a point 8 on top of a support 24 which is rigidly joined to the rear end of frame 1.
• tread elements of the stairway are incorporated.
• these tread elements comprise supporting rods 7 being mounted vertically between pivot points 12 and 13 at the upper supporting beam 5 and the lower supporting beam 6, respectively, the actual tread 7a projecting at a right angle from rods 7 underneath the lower supporting beam 6 . It is an advantage to let the supporting rods 7 on either side of the stairway, run continuously underneath the stairway so that there is formed a U-shaped supporting structure for each tread 7a. This also contributes to an increased stability of the whole stairway structure.
• each carrying member 26 is provided with engagement members at the upper and lower parts, in the form of rollers 17 and 18, respectively, which are in engagement with guides 29 and 49, respectively, formed as open profiles of which the supporting beams 5 and 6 may consist.
• the elevator platform 15 may thereby be moved upwards by means of the supporting beams 5 and 6 on each side and above the stairway treads 7a by parallel displacement so that the platform 15 is all the time moved with a horizontal floor from the lower position shown to the upper position indicated at 23.
• a motor driven chain traction as indicated at 21 and 22 at the lower and upper ends, respectively, as shown in Figure 1.
• This chain traction may be located within the profile which constitutes the lower supporting beam 6.
• the chain itself is indicated at 27.
• a hand rail 28 On the upper side of the upper supporting beam 5 there is according to Figure 2, shown a hand rail 28 to be used by those who ascend or descend the stairway on their own feet.
• the elevator platform 15 is provided with a movable plate or ramp 19 which is moved on a guide member 20 and which in its rest position may be pushed underneath the floor of the platform 15 and which may also be raised into a vertical position as a rear wall of the platform.
• the elevator platform In its upper position 23 the elevator platform is adapted to be exactly aligned with the upper fixed landing 16 so that for example wheel chair patients may easily roll from the elevator platform to the fixed landing and into an airplane or the like to which the adjustable stairway here described, provides for admittance.
• the main components of the stairway structure here in similarity to the one in Figure 1, also comprise, an upper supporting beam 45 and a lower supporting beam 46 which are both at the upper end connected to a supporting member 55 which has pivot points 60 and 61 and which constitute a main part of the upper fixed landing 66.
• the rear wheels In the maximum level position as shown at 40, and with the relative dimensions as in Figure 3, the rear wheels actually will be lifted from the ground if they are not provided with springs, as the wheels 36 will support the rear part of the whole vehicle with a relative position of the ground or base as indicated with broken lines at 41.
• the corresponding dot-and-dash indication of the lower part of the stairway with the elevator platform shows that the entering level in such an embodiment may be very low.
• the elevator platform and the lowermost or rearmost portions of the stairway structure are sufficiently raised above the ground in order that driving may take place without obstruction.
• the tread elements 37 are here built- as a sheet metal structure
• the side members or carrying elements for these treads are formed as bent profiles- 32 consisting of plate parts 32a and 32b lying in somewhat different planes as shown more in detail in Figure 4. It is thereby possible for neighbour tread elements to overlap and be in engagement with each other with the possibility of mutual displacement during height adjustment of the stairway.
• the carrying elements 32 may together with the actual tread 33 have the form of an integrated plate structure having a U-shaped cross-section. Pivot points for such a tread element is shown at 32 and 63 on the upper supporting beam 45 and the lower supporting beam 46, respectively.
• the upper edge of the carrying elements 32 is shown with an inclination, which has been done for purely esthetic reasons.
• the tread element coinciding with support 54 may have pivot points coinciding with the connecting points 34 and 35 for the supporting beams on support 54. In Figure 3 this relates to tread element number 3 from below.
• the one in Figure 3 may also be provided with additional coverage of the tread structure, which is shown in the form of a cover plate 38 which here mainly serves to cover the underside of the tread.
• the plate structure 32, 32a, 22b of the tread elements proper makes it more or less superfluous here to have a complete side coverage by means of the cover plate 38.
• Cover plate 38 is connected to the treads as indicated at 38a and to the upper landing 66 at point 38b. In this way the cover plate 38 participates in the angular and parallel displacement when the whole stairway is adjusted as to level, and the cover plate 38 may also here have a strengthening or stiffening effect in the structure.
• the invention provides an advantageous combination in which the load-bearing rail structure outwardly serves the suspension of the tread elements and inwardly is adapted to guide the elevator platform so that the double function of the height adjustable stairway is made possible by simple means and maximum utilization of the structural elements from which the stairway is assembled.
• the drive means for the elevator platform may be based upon other principles than a chain drive.
• Possible conventional means may be screw arrangements, sprocket drive and others.
• a completely corresponding design of an adjustable stairway may also be thought of for uses in which the same cannot suitably be mounted on a horizontal frame or a movable undercarriage, for example as a gangway belonging to a ship, whereby the upper landing must be fixedly attached to the ship's hull as a foundation.
• Similar situations may also be found in connection with building structures or the like where there is a need for an adjustable stairway with an elevator platform as described above.
• the necessary elevating means may possibly consist of a winch with a steel wire which is attached to the lower and here movable end of the stairway.
• an upright support 124 is rigidly joined to the frame 101 and carries the upper end of the fixed stairway 100, which at the upper end is provided with a fixed landing
• the height adjustable stairway therefore here constitutes a direct continuation of the fixed stairway 100.
• Supporting beams 105 and 106 for the height adjustable part of the stairway have lower pivot points 108 and 109 on support 124 and upper pivot points 110 and 111 on a supporting member 125 which is incorporated in the upper height adjustable landing.
• the height adjustable stairway has tread elements 107 and otherwise is designed completely in accordance with the stairway of Figure 1.
• the stringers of the fixed stairway 100 are provided with guides as described in connection with the embodiments discussed above.
• For moving the elevator platform 115 without problems across the middle landing 102 these may be provided with respective cooperating auxiliary guide elements 177a and 177b, respectively, on either side.
• a middle landing 207a has been obtained here by designing one of the treads with a significantly enlarged depth, for example corresponding to two or three times the normal tread dimension or depth, the subsequent treads above, for example tread 207b, being correspondingly lowered by extension of the carrying elements 207' downwardly underneath thelower supporting beam 206.
• the elevator platform with associated guides and drive means can be manufactured more or less as an auxiliary equipment intended to mounted on a height adjustable stairway with tread and arrangements etc. based upon a parallelogram geometry as described.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Escalators And Moving Walkways (AREA)
• Steps, Ramps, And Handrails (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19885798

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (5)

• 1980
  • 1980-12-17 NO NO803830A patent/NO149099C/no unknown
• 1981
  • 1981-10-22 WO PCT/NO1981/000039 patent/WO1982002031A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1981-10-22 JP JP56503283A patent/JPS57501953A/ja active Pending
  • 1981-10-22 EP EP81902841A patent/EP0067161A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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