EP1253280A2 - Device for a safety anchor - Google Patents

Abstract

The trolley (1) which can be displaced along a rail (10) has a braking cam (9) mounted on a spindle (5) with a spring (6) with an anchoring point (4) at the end of the cam. At the opposite end of the cam is a claw (7) able to pivot and rub against a rail flat (14) and thus lock the trolley.

Description

The present invention relates to a fixing carriage with install on a profiled element acting as a rail, more particularly a vertical rail for example secured to a ladder.

It is essential to ensure total security for people climbing high ladders while allowing the use of a reliable anchor point and mobile, for a fixing element for example a carabiner.

Ideally the device should be able to be installed on existing scales and allow per person who use it to go up and down in all security. This equipment should also be able to be intended for use by more than one person simultaneously on the same installation.

According to the invention, an anchoring carriage is thus proposed. fall arrester, sliding along a rigid vertical rail of so that you can track the location of a user moving vertically, for example along a ladder, which would be attached to it for example using a carabiner.

More specifically, the invention relates to a trolley hard metal casters able to move along a rail in softer metal placed on a vertical support, and fitted with a brake cam mounted on an axis with a spring, and comprising at the outer end of said cam an anchor point and at the opposite end a claw able to pivot and rub against a flat of said rail and to thus blocking the carriage, said claw being able to substantially penetrate the softer metal by leverage and thus block with braking the carriage when a downward force is suddenly applied to the anchor point.

According to a first aspect of the invention, therefore, a roller trolley sliding vertically on a rail and fitted with a brake cam with an axle and a spring. The trolley is made of steel, for example stainless steel and is preferably cut in the mass. The pieces are from preferably chemically treated to ensure good slip between moving parts and avoid any corrosion. The brake cam is provided with a notch at one end to introduce a means of attachment or anchoring like a carabiner that links it directly or indirectly to the user, and from one brake shoe to another end.

The rigid belay support is a safety rail extruded aluminum which is placed on a vertical support. the carriage is placed on the aluminum safety rail in flat side T shape so that it cannot detach only by one end. The user equipped with a harness connects for example with an attached carabiner to its harness (with anti-sternal fall attachment loop) at the end of the carriage brake cam provided with said anchor.

When the carriage is placed on the flat side of the rail and that there is no manipulation, it remains blocked. The brake cam is not under tension, it is blocked by leverage on the rail thanks to a spring located inside the cam. When climbing or user descends along the rail, the carriage moves automatically. Indeed, the positioning of the no one during the ascent and descent generates a tension on the brake cam. The cart can move smoothly when moving along the rail. then the rise the user drives the carriage. When lowering the carriage slides freely under the effect of a slight horizontal traction obtained by natural position of the user's body.

According to a feature of the invention, in the event of a fall, the steel brake cam locks on the aluminum rail by leverage. Like the forces generated by a fall are very high, the claw of the steel brake cam crushes and penetrates softer aluminum (for example from quality F22). A stop is provided to prevent the cam to topple over the penetration thickness of the cam in the aluminum.

This principle of crushing aluminum allows braking smooth and significant absorption of falling forces and thus limits the bodily injury of a user.

The results of the measured braking force measurements when dropping a mass of 100 kg are less than 6 kN as required by the standard regulating this type equipment. The use of a steel rail does not not allow this braking characteristic and would require the use of an energy absorption system complementary (spring etc.).

It will be understood that the start and end ends rail installation and all interruptions must be secured to avoid release untimely carriage.

We can provide for this purpose progression stops at swivel valve. These stops are made of aluminum anodized, with a self-closing flap preventing any untimely exit from the carriage (one maneuver volunteer is required) and two polarized asymmetrically to avoid placing the cart at backwards.

The rail used with the trolley of the invention is of preferably a profile fitted with a plate on which the carriage. For example, it will be made of aluminum AlMgSi0.5 extruded. On the opposite side a slide is integrated into the rail to accommodate the bolt heads making up the fixing which supports the rail. The fasteners are 1 to 2 meters maximum.

In known manner, each end of the joined rail is with 2 joint plates (fishplates) with 4 holes each and 4 bolts. A dish is placed in the slide (tapped hole) and another outside (holes not tapped). These bolts are housed in the holes allow a connection of the rails to each other, ensuring a correct alignment, and withstanding traction spacing up to 1,500 kg as required by standards regulating this kind of equipment.

Ladders can also be of angle type, such than those used to access the top of the pylons of transmission of trellis-type electricity. It is then an angle iron with bolts of +/- 15 cm in length which are fixed on the wings of this angle and serve so steps. During the ascent or descent, the people can be safe from falling also by a device according to the invention. It's about as above of an aluminum T-rail and a carriage Fall arrester that slides on this aluminum T-rail.

According to another aspect of the invention, which can be dependent or independent of the aforementioned carriage, we therefore offers a Y fixing device in order to fix said rail on an angle. If this fixation were to be made of steel, it should be 4 welded places and online, which leads to a time of significant manufacturing and lower reliability due to welds.

The invention therefore provides a Y-shaped element, Y whose vertical branch has a horizontal leg. The element is made of aluminum and can be extruded, cut and drilled, the opening of the arms of the Y adapting to the angle forming ladder, and the flat foot extending a certain distance from one side beyond Y, distance or section where a perforation is provided for the passage of a screw or a nut to be fixed to the aforementioned safety rail. The dish of the vertical branch of the Y also has a hole for welcome a stud. When tightening the nuts of the straps, the flange completely blocks 1 fixing in aluminum on the angle.

Advantageously, provision may be made for a recessed rounding. located inside the angle of the arms which facilitates the placement and blocking of the part, especially in the case where the edge of the angle is damaged or covered by an excess of galvanization which causes balls.

The offset of the plate where the bolt supporting the T-rail is fixed is calculated so that the displacement of the operators on these scales is the best and also so that there have enough space for the lock nuts and installers' fingers.

The invention will be better understood on examining the drawings attached, provided only as an example not limiting.

• les figs. 1a et 1b sont des représentations du chariot et du rail selon l'invention vu respectivement de côté (A) et en section transversale (B),
• la fig. 2 est une vue d'un rail pour le chariot, fixé au montant d'une échelle de deux manières
• les fig. 3a à 3c représentent un rail fixé au milieu des échelons d'une échelle, et illustre une jonction de deux rails,
• les figs. 4a et 4b représentent plus en détail une jonction de deux rails,
• la fig. 5 illustre en perspective un rail de sécurité pour un chariot selon l'invention
• la fig. 6a à 6c illustrent le fonctionnement des butée en aluminium, aux extrémités inférieures et supérieures des rails,
• la fig. 7 représente un profilé de fixation du rail sur une échelle en cornière,
• les fig. 8a et 8b représentent schématiquement en section transversale et en élévation la fixation d'un rail au profilé de la fig. 7 ,
• la fig. 9 représente une vue en élévation de la cornière avec échelons et le dispositif de fixation du rail à cette dernière.

In these drawings;

• figs. 1a and 1b are representations of the carriage and of the rail according to the invention seen respectively from the side (A) and in cross section (B),
• fig. 2 is a view of a rail for the carriage, fixed to the upright of a ladder in two ways
• fig. 3a to 3c represent a rail fixed in the middle of the rungs of a ladder, and illustrates a junction of two rails,
• figs. 4a and 4b show in more detail a junction of two rails,
• fig. 5 illustrates in perspective a safety rail for a trolley according to the invention
• fig. 6a to 6c illustrate the operation of the aluminum stops, at the lower and upper ends of the rails,
• fig. 7 represents a rail fixing profile on an angle ladder,
• fig. 8a and 8b schematically show in cross section and in elevation the fixing of a rail to the profile of FIG. 7,
• fig. 9 shows an elevational view of the angle iron with steps and the device for fixing the rail to the latter.

Fig. 1 is a representation of the carriage 1 according to the invention seen from the side (A) and seen in section from above (B). There is a carriage body 2 comprising rollers hollow 3 moving on a plate 14 of a vertical rail 10. A cam 9 can tilt around an axis 5 of the body 2 and includes at one end an attachment point 4 and at the other end a claw 7 in contact, by the action of a spring 6, with the material of the plate 14 of the rail. We will understand that a sudden downward force (arrow) of the attachment point 4 causes the claw to tilt which penetrates into the material of the dish causing the braking and the desired anti-fall effect. A stop 8 prevents the tilting of the claw of the cam 9 beyond material thickness.

Fig. 2 is a view of a rail for the carriage 1, fixed to the climbing a ladder 22 in two ways. We are either planning a fastener 20 enclosing the upright 22, i.e. fastener 21 attached with the end of a rung 23. The rail is held in place by bolts inserted in a slide 11 provided in the rail, opposite the flat of slide 14 of carriage 10.

Fig. 3 represents a rail 10 fixed in the middle of the rungs 23 of a ladder by fastening elements 29, and illustrates a junction of two rails (10a and 10b). The detail C shows the two sides 12 and 12 'on either side of the slide 11 tightened by bolts 13.

Fig. 4 shows in more detail, in elevation and in plan, a particular mode of joining two rails 10a 10b in which bolts 30 are inserted into the holes 16 in the inner wall of the slide 17, also enclosing fishplates 12 and 12 '.

Fig. 5 illustrates in perspective a safety rail 10 for a carriage 1 according to the invention. We distinguish the holes 16 in the inner wall 17 of the slide 11.

Fig. 6 illustrates the operation of the stops (40 'and 40) aluminum, respectively at the lower ends (B) and upper (A) rails allowing the passage of carriage 1 in one direction only, without manipulation express of the user. Detail C illustrates a section of upper rail with a stop 40 and polarizers 19 not allowing to slide the carriage in the correct orientation, a complementary groove being provided in carriage.

Fig. 7 shows a Y-shaped fixing profile 50 of the rail on an angle ladder. The foot of the Y presents a dish which extends in 51 beyond the vertical branch and includes in this part a hole 52, The intersection of arm or wings (54, 55) of the Y intended to enclose an angle has a roundness forming a channel for receiving the edge of the angle.

Fig. 8a shows a cross section and FIG. 8b partially in elevation fixing a rail 10 to the profile 50 of fig. 7 and angle 60. There are the bolts 66 and the studs 65 which tighten the tops 68 on the wings 54 and 55 of the angle 60. The attachment of the part 50 to the rail 10 is illustrated in elevation. Hole 52 of section 51 of the receiving part a bolt 58 whose head is located in the slide 11 of rail 10.

Fig 9 schematically shows in perspective a angle section of angle iron 60 comprising two steps 61 perpendiculars and 50 attachment system to a rail (not shown). We recognize the fixing profile 50 of the rail covering the edge of the angle iron with the elements equivalent to those described in figs. 8a and 8b, in especially the flange 65 and the hole 52 for fixing to the safety rail.

Claims (13)

Cart (1) on castors made of hard metal suitable for movement along a softer metal rail (10) placed on a vertical support, and provided with a brake cam (9) mounted on an axis (5) with a spring (6), and comprising the outer end of said cam an anchor point (4) and at the opposite end a claw (7) able to pivot and rubbing against a dish (14) of said rail (10) and thus blocking the carriage (1), said claw (7) being suitable to penetrate substantially into the softer metal by leverage and thus block with braking the carriage (1) when a downward force is suddenly applied on the anchor point (4). Trolley according to claim 1 wherein at least the cam (9) is made of stainless steel. Trolley according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail (10) is made of aluminum, preferably of anodized aluminum. Trolley according to any one of the claims, characterized in that it comprises a body (2), a brake cam (9) with an axis (5) and a spring (6), and 4 guide rollers (3) with 4 pins fixed to the body (2) by crimping, and cannot be opened. Equipment according to any of the claims previous associated with a vertical rail (10). Equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail is placed on a ladder. Equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail is fixed to one of the uprights (22) of a ladder by means of fixing elements (20, 21). Equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail is fixed to steps (23) of a scale by means of fixing elements (29). Equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carriage has a groove for the passage of a polarizing device (19) provided in abutment at least at one end of the rail (10). Equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail (10) is in the form of sections connected to each other by bolts (30, 13) and two fishplates (12, 12 '). Intermediate fastening element (50) for rail (10) of an anti-fall trolley according to any one of the preceding claims, suitable for fixing to an angle ladder (60), characterized in that it is a Y-shaped element, the vertical branch of which comprises at its base a horizontal foot forming a flat, the opening of the arms (55, 54) of the Y adapting to the angle 60) forming a ladder, and the foot forming a flat extending from 'a certain distance on one side beyond the Y, section (51) where a perforation (52) is provided for the passage of a screw or nut to be fixed to the above-mentioned safety rail (10), the flat of the vertical branch of the Y also comprising a hole (53) to accommodate an element of a flange (65) fixed to the angle iron (60). Fastening element according to the preceding claim made of extruded aluminum which has been cut, cut and drilled. Equipment according to any of the claims in which there are several trolleys (1) for a single rail (10).

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