Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C5/00—Equipment usable both on slipways and in dry docks
  • B63C5/02—Stagings; Scaffolding; Shores or struts
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
  • E04G1/00—Scaffolds primarily resting on the ground
  • E04G1/18—Scaffolds primarily resting on the ground adjustable in height
  • E04G1/22—Scaffolds having a platform on an extensible substructure, e.g. of telescopic type or with lazy-tongs mechanism
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
  • E04G1/00—Scaffolds primarily resting on the ground
  • E04G1/36—Scaffolds for particular parts of buildings or buildings of particular shape, e.g. for stairs, cupolas, domes
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
  • E04G1/00—Scaffolds primarily resting on the ground
  • E04G1/15—Scaffolds primarily resting on the ground essentially comprising special means for supporting or forming platforms; Platforms
  • E04G2001/157—Extensible platforms, e.g. telescopic platforms

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a support platform for workers dealing with maintenance and construction of a means of transport, like a craft, a railway car, a locomotive, an aeroplane, a lorry or the like.
• the main purpose of the present invention is to fully satisfy the aforementioned requirement, in particular providing a platform that, through an original combination of its components, is capable of substantially improving the quality of the maintenance work on the outside of the craft, increasing the productivity of the repair work and at the same time increasing safety.
• a support platform is thus made for workers dealing with maintenance of a means of transport, in accordance with the attached claims.
• FIG. 1 is a plan view of a platform subject of the present invention brought up alongside a bow of a water craft;
• figure 2 is a plan view of the platform of figure 1 , this time brought up alongside a stern of a water craft;
• FIG. 3A, 3B, 3C are side views, in different configurations, of at least one pair of platforms subject of the invention brought up alongside the two sides of a water craft;
• FIG. 4A, 4B, 4C are views (front, plan and side, respectively) of a first embodiment of a platform according to the invention with a walkway in completely lowered position;
• FIG. 5A, 5B, 5C are views (front, plan and side, respectively) of the first embodiment of figures 4A, 4B, 4C with the walkway in completely raised position;
• FIG. 6A, 6B, 6C are views (front, plan and side, respectively) of the first embodiment of figures 4A, 4B, 4C and figures 5A, 5B, 5C with the walkway in completely raised position and with short planes, which constitute such a walkway, in completely extended position;
• FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C are views (front, plan and side, respectively) of a second embodiment of a platform according to the invention with a walkway in completely raised position and with short planes, which constitute such a walkway, in completely extended position;
• figure 8A illustrates a side view of a pack of short planes, which form a walkway, piled on top of one another;
• figure 8B shows a front view of the pack of short planes of figure 8A
• figures 9A, 9B show views (side and front, respectively) of a pack of short planes in a completely extended configuration
• figure 10 illustrates an exploded view of a pair of short planes
• figure 11 shows the situation in which the top short plane stays still, whereas the other short planes are located in extended position piled one on top of the other;
• figure 12 illustrates the condition in which the top short plane stays still, whereas two short planes are located in extended position; moreover, it should be noted that the pack of the remaining piled up short planes stays below the second short plane in extended position;
• FIG. 13 shows the situation in which the top short plane stays still, whereas two short planes are located in extended position; moreover, it should be noted that the pack of the remaining piled up short planes is below the third short plane in extended position.
• reference numeral 100 wholly indicates a support platform for workers dealing with maintenance of a means of transport, in particular of a water craft (NT).
• FIG 1 the platform 100 is shown brought up to the side of the bow (PR) of the craft (NT), whereas in figure 2 the same platform 100 has been illustrated brought up to the side of the stern (PP) of the same water craft (NT).
• PR bow
• PP stern
• a walkway (PDN) in the two conditions takes up different configurations to "copy”, so to say, the profile of the side up to which it has been brought.
• the platform 100 comprises a base carriage 1 , mobile on wheels (not shown) distributed on a pair of axles (not illustrated), one of which is motorised.
• the wheels move on rails (not shown) formed adjacent, and parallel, to the position occupied by the water craft under repair, for example a shipyard basin.
• the carriage 1 can be supported by tyres (not illustrated).
• the two front sides of the carriage 1 i.e. those corresponding to the fronts in the direction of travel, are provided with end stop devices (not illustrated), with anti-collision safety function.
• At least one pair of feet (PD) is provided that are extended when needed.
• Bracket structure 3 extends horizontally, above the carriage 1.
• the bracket structure 3 is slidably supported by the uprights 2, so as to be able to be raised and lowered as desired under the action of a system fed by an oil-hydraulic, pneumatic, electric or mechanical circuit by rack and pinion, worm screws, chains and cables, not represented in detail but in any case with obvious configuration for a man skilled in the art.
• the bracket structure 3 in turn supports the said walkway (PDN), intended to support the workers dealing with maintenance and for this purpose it is equipped with perimeter railings 4 (figure 4A) to prevent them from accidentally falling.
• PDN said walkway
• perimeter railings 4 (figure 4A)
• the walkway (PDN), in accordance with the bracket structure 3, can have a greater or lesser width than the carriage 1.
• the walkway comprises a plurality of short planes (from 9A to 9G) stacked on top of one another that can translate horizontally, separately from one another, and in a direction normal to a direction of advance movement (according to a double-pointed arrow (F)) of the carriage 1.
• the short planes 9A-9G are provided with a pneumatic sensitive edge (made on the outside from rubber or another material) that prevents violent collision against the surface of the water craft, the aeroplane, the rail vehicle or other, and that can be connected to the control system in order to shut down the system.
• a pneumatic sensitive edge made on the outside from rubber or another material
• the workers working on the walkway need means for supplying the tools/instruments commonly used for repair/maintenance.
• the platform 100 according to the invention is connected to circuits for supplying resources like, typically, oxygen, combustible gas, oil, compressed air, water and electricity, and the latter can also be intended to feed the propulsion of the platform 100 and its parts.
• connection is made, in a known way, through catenaries 5 for containing the cables/pipes.
• the platform 100 also comprises at least one retractable stair (SC) and at least one control station (CC) for controlling the raising/lowering of the bracket structure 3, and therefore of the walkway (PDN).
• SC retractable stair
• CC control station
• control station provided with a suitable network of sensors that, according to what is per se obvious to the man skilled in the art, manages the programmed logic of the movements of the platform 100.
• the management system of the control station prevents the actuation of the bracket structure 3 when the walkway (PDN) is in the extended position.
• One or more operating points (OP) are provided on the bracket structure 3, which are fed through electrical mains and/or hydraulic circuits, etc.
• PDN point of the walkway
• NT water craft
• bracket structure 3 at the desired height necessarily takes place with the short planes 9A-9G of the walkway (PDN) in withdrawn position (figures 4B, 5B), to avoid any risk of collision with the side of the water craft (NT).
• bracket structure When the bracket structure has reached the desired height it is possible to extend one or more short planes 9A-9G towards the side of the water craft (NT) (figure 6B) to configure its outer edge (BE) to the profile of the hull that, as stated previously, in general changes according to the height and according to the specific location on the side.
• NT water craft
• BE outer edge
• substantially triangular or trapezoidal appendices AP1, (AP2) (figure 6B), each of which is pivoted in a respective hinge (CR1), (CR2) fixedly connected to the last short plane (for example 9C in the embodiment shown in figure 6A).
• the appendices (AP1), (AP2) are also provided with a pneumatic sensitive edge that prevents violent collision against the surface of the means of transport (NT) and that is electrically connected to the command station (CC) in order to shut down the system.
• the worker after having extended all of the short planes 9A-9G that follow the profile of the hull of the water craft (NT) (with the system that shall be described in greater detail hereafter), in order to fill possible empty spaces remaining between the last extended short plane 9A-9G and the profile of the hull itself, mechanically or manually rotates at least one appendix (AP1), (AP2) around its hinge (CRN1), (CRN2) by an angle such as to follow the curved profile of the hull as closely as possible. After this operation the worker fixes (with known means that are not shown) the position of the appendices (AP1), (AP2) involved.
• both the outer edges of the short planes 9A- 9G, and those of the appendices (AP 1), (AP2) are rectilinear, whereas the profiles of the hulls generally have a curvilinear extension. Therefore, there cannot be perfect "copying" of the outer edge (BE) on the actual profile of the side of the hull, but the approximation is still acceptable and safe for the users of the platform 100.
• a second embodiment of the walkway (PDN)* has been shown.
• Such a walkway (PDN)* comprises a short plane 9A* that extends practically for the entire length of the bracket structure 3, and a series of short planes 9B * , 9B * *, 9C* that have an extension in length of about half (as illustrated in figure 7B), or in any reduction ratio with respect to the short plane 9A*.
• a short plane 9C* is provided with an appendix (AP1)* pivoted to a hinge (CRN1)*
• a short plane 9B** is provided with an appendix (AP2)* pivoted to a hinge (CRN2)*.
• the walkway comprises a plurality of short planes 9A-9G stacked on top of one another.
• each walkable short plane 9B-9G comprises a relative bearing structure (SP) on which a respective walkable surface 1OB, 1OB, 10C, etc. is fixed.
• each bearing structure comprises a beam 11 of the HE type (UNI_5397-64), commonly known as "double T beam” where the two horizontal flanges 11A and 11b respectively have a height practically equal to that of the vertical central web 11C (figure 8B).
• double T beam Such a bearing structure can be made, as an alternative to the double T beam, also with profiles of another type and shape suitable for the intended purpose.
• a vertical plate 12 that is the ideal downward continuation of the vertical central web 11C of the beam 11 (figure 10) is fixed onto the lower horizontal flange 11 B of the beam 11 (for example by welding).
• the vertical plate 12 has a shorter length than that of the beam 11.
• an edge 12* of the plate 12 is flush with an edge 11* of the beam 11. Both of the edges 12* and 11* face towards the means of transport under repair.
• the bearing structures (SP1), (SP2) of the two short planes 9C, 9D are vertically staggered so that the beam 11 of the bearing structure (SP2) of the short plane 9D faces the plate 12 relative to the bearing structure (SP1) of the short plane 9C.
• the intermediate beam 13 in turn, comprises two horizontal flanges 13A, 13B separated by a vertical web 13C.
• the intermediate beam 13 can also be formed from a commercial preformed profile or welded and worked.
• the wheels (WL1)-(WL4), in the described system, have the function of shouldering and resisting the lateral thrusts.
• the horizontal pulling of the intermediate beam 13* translates into a horizontal pulling of the short plane 9E and also of all of the other short planes 9F, 9G due to the concatenation that exists with the other bearing structures (for example SP4), which, however, are located below the surface 1OD and therefore cannot be walked upon; in any case, as shown in figure 13, the total walkable surface of the walkway (PDN) is given by the sum of the usable portions of the walkable surfaces 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D;
• the platform according to the invention fully achieves the predetermined purpose, in practice by providing a mobile production area, easy to configure to satisfy any specific positioning requirement of the workers with respect to the means of transport to be repaired or constructed. Moreover, it is able to provide the workers themselves with the resources needed for the most widely varying types of intervention, even the most qualified ones. All of this with the maximum safety. The quality and productivity of the maintenance or construction work are in this way substantially increased.

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• 2008
  • 2008-06-05 IT IT000352A patent/ITBO20080352A1/it unknown
• 2009
  • 2009-05-29 CN CN2009801209613A patent/CN102056792A/zh active Pending
  • 2009-05-29 CA CA2727012A patent/CA2727012A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-05-29 AU AU2009254899A patent/AU2009254899A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-05-29 JP JP2011512233A patent/JP2011524317A/ja active Pending
  • 2009-05-29 RU RU2010153361/11A patent/RU2010153361A/ru unknown
  • 2009-05-29 US US12/995,708 patent/US20110073409A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-05-29 EP EP09757848A patent/EP2300311A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-05-29 KR KR1020107029304A patent/KR20110028302A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2009-05-29 BR BRPI0913449A patent/BRPI0913449A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2009-05-29 WO PCT/IB2009/005779 patent/WO2009147494A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2009-05-29 MX MX2010013243A patent/MX2010013243A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2010
  • 2010-11-29 IL IL209630A patent/IL209630A0/en unknown

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