EP2778107A1

EP2778107A1 - Scaffold module as well as a lift suitable for such a scaffold module

Info

Publication number: EP2778107A1
Application number: EP14158647.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joseph Gerard Nico Verkoelen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-03-11
Filing date: 2014-03-10
Publication date: 2014-09-17
Also published as: NL2010422C2

Abstract

A scaffold module is provided with a scaffold element which comprises at least two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights and horizontal members extending in transverse direction between the uprights, at least substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction. The scaffold module is further provided with a lift which is movable in longitudinal direction over the uprights via at least one runner. The runner is rotatable about an axis of rotation that extends transversely to the longitudinal direction, parallel to the transverse direction. A running surface of the runner is movable in the longitudinal direction over a contact surface of the upright. The running surface of the runner and also the contact surface of the upright extend at least in part substantially parallel to and at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction.

Description

The invention relates to a scaffold module provided with a scaffold element comprising at least two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights as well as horizontal members extending in transverse direction between the uprights, at least substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction, which scaffold module is further provided with a lift which is movable in longitudinal direction over the uprights via at least one runner, which runner is rotatable about an axis of rotation that extends transversely to the longitudinal direction, parallel to the transverse direction, wherein a running surface of the runner is movable in the longitudinal direction over a contact surface of the upright, wherein the running surface of the runner and also the contact surface of the upright extend at least in part substantially parallel to the transverse direction, seen in a plane transversely to the longitudinal direction.
The invention further relates to a lift suitable for such a scaffold module.
Such a scaffold module is suitable for use in a scaffold by means of which a person can carry out work some distance above the ground. By means of the lift, goods and/or tools can be transported to the desired level.
In such a scaffold module, which is known from DE 2022057 A1 , the upright is cylindrical in shape, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction, and the running surface of the runner has a circular curved shape substantially corresponding thereto. The centre of the running surface of the runner extends parallel to the transverse direction. Parts of the running surface of the runner located on either side of the centre thereof extend in the direction of the horizontal members and in a direction away from the horizontal members, respectively.
Due to the presence of the parts extending in the direction of the horizontal members of the running surfaces of two runners present on either side of the upright, the dimension of the horizontal member, seen in a cross direction transversely to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, must be relatively small in order to prevent the runners from coming into contact with the horizontal members upon movement over the uprights.
The object of the invention is to provide a scaffold module in which the lift is supported in a relatively simple manner relative to the uprights and in which the horizontal member can have a relatively large width.
This object is achieved with the scaffold module according to the invention in that the running surface of the runner and also the contact surface of the upright extend at least in part substantially parallel to and at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction.
Such a runner whose running surface extends at least in part substantially parallel to and substantially transversely to the transverse direction may abut against the contact surface of the upright with a single part of the running surface, which extends in one of the at least two different directions, but also with two parts, which extend in two different directions. Movement of the lift toward the upright in a direction transversely to the parts of the running surface and the contact surface that extend substantially parallel to and substantially transversely to the transverse direction is prevented in a simple manner by said parts.
The part of the running surface that extends at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction is located on a side of the upright remote from the horizontal member. Since the running surface has no part or substantially no part that extends in the direction of the horizontal members, the horizontal member can have a relatively large width, so that a relatively strong scaffold element is obtained.
Due to the use of corresponding, curved shapes, in which the running surface extends over part of the circumference of the upright, it can be realised in a simple manner that the runner will abut against a contact surface of the upright that extends in a large number of different directions with a running surface that extends in a large number of different directions, so that an adequate transmission of forces over said part of the circumference of the upright will take place in the upright.
Because of the weight of the lift, which is moved in a main plane that extends parallel to the uprights and the horizontal members, the forces exerted on the uprights will extend substantially transversely to said main plane. In a position of the running surface and the contact surface as described above, part of the running surface and the contact surface will extend parallel to the main plane and to the axis of rotation. Upon rotation of the runner during movement of the lifts in the longitudinal direction along the uprights, this part of the running surface will run over the part of the contact surface that lies in the main plane, resulting in an adequate transmission of the forces exerted by the lift to the uprights.
It is noted that with a scaffold module that is known from US patent US 4,938,310 , the lift is provided with a relatively large number of runners, a number of which are rotatable about axes of rotation that extend parallel to the transverse direction and another number of which are rotatable about axes of rotation that extend transversely to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction. The runners run over the contact surfaces of the uprights with their running surfaces. The lift is further provided with a number of stop elements (stops), which engage around the uprights so as to prevent undesirable movement of the lift in a direction away from the uprights, transversely to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction.
Because of the provision of such runners and stop elements, the lift is relatively high-maintenance, in particular in an environment where dirt is omnipresent, as is the case in the construction industry.
Where a set of two runners is needed in the above-mentioned US patent, a single runner will suffice in the scaffold module according to the invention.
One embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that a first runner is located near a first upright and a second runner is located near a second upright of the at least two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights, wherein the running surfaces of the first and the second runner, which extend at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction, are located on sides of the first and second uprights that face away from each other.
As a result, movement of the lift in transverse direction with respect to the scaffold is prevented in a simple manner.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction, the upright is cylindrical in shape and the running surface of the runner has at least in part a quarter-circularly curved shape substantially corresponding thereto, wherein the running surface of the runner extends at least in part substantially parallel to and at least in part substantially transversely to the axis of rotation.
Such cylindrical uprights are relatively easy to produce, for example as cylindrical, tubular uprights, and are already generally used in scaffold construction. By giving the runner a circularly curved shape, seen in cross-sectional view, which corresponds to the shape of the cylindrical upright, an adequate transmission of forces over the circumference of the upright is obtained in the upright.
During rotation of the runner, the running surface of the substantially quarter-circular runner, seen in cross-sectional view, and the contact surface that mates therewith extend in various directions in every position of the runner, among which directions that extend substantially parallel to and transversely to the transverse direction. In this way, movement of the lift in directions substantially transversely to and toward the upright is prevented in a simple manner.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that the lift is provided with at least one pair of runners located near each other on either side of the upright, wherein the axes of rotation of the runners extend parallel to each other in the transverse direction, wherein the running surfaces of the pair of runners, which extend at least in part substantially parallel to the transverse direction, are located on sides of the upright that face away from each other.
The upright is in that case located between the axes of rotation, as it were, and the lift is locked against movement with respect to the upright by the runners in directions transversely to the longitudinal direction and transversely to the axes of rotation. Movement of the lift in the transverse direction parallel to the axes of rotation is prevented as well.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that the lift is at least provided with at least three pairs of runners, wherein at least one pair of runners is movable over each of the at least two uprights.
As a result of the provision of at least three pairs of runners, the movement of the lift with respect to the upright is limited in a simple manner to the desired permissible movement in the longitudinal direction of the uprights.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that the scaffold module is provided with a hoisting mechanism for moving the lift in the longitudinal direction of the uprights.
Using the hoisting mechanism, the lift can be easily moved in the longitudinal direction with respect to the uprights.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that the hoisting mechanism is provided with a pulley, a winch connected to the scaffold element and a cable that is passed over the pulley, a first end of which is connected to the lift and a second end of which is connected to the winch.
Because the winch is connected to the scaffold element, whilst the cable is connected to the fixedly disposed winch and to the lift, the hoisting mechanism only adds to the weight of the lift to a minimal extent. The winch can be driven manually and by means of a motor. The pulley may also be connected to the scaffold element or, for example, form part of another scaffold element which is coupled to the scaffold element according to the invention.
In the scaffold element that is known from the aforementioned US patent US 4,938,310 , the lift is provided with a motor and a chain box. This significantly adds to the weight of the lift to be moved, so that relatively much energy is needed for moving the lift in the longitudinal direction.
Another embodiment of the scaffold module according to the invention is characterised in that the scaffold module is movable.
In this way the scaffold module can be easily driven to the desired position, for example on a building site, for example together with the entire scaffold.
The invention also relates to a lift suitable for such a scaffold module.
The lift may be configured as a detachable unit to be coupled to a separate scaffold which is at least provided with two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights, over which the runners of the lift are movable.
The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mobile scaffold provided with a scaffold module according to the invention;
Figures 2A-2E are a perspective front view, a perspective rear view, a perspective detail rear view, a top plan view and a rear view, respectively, of the scaffold module according to the invention that is shown in figure 1;
Figures 3A-3C are perspective front views and a perspective rear view, respectively, of a part of the hoisting mechanism of the scaffold module according to the invention that is shown in figure 1.

Like parts are indicated by the same numerals in the figures.
Figure 1 shows a scaffold 1 which is provided with a mobile scaffold module 2 according to the invention, a mobile scaffold module 3 being spaced therefrom, scaffold modules 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 mounted on the scaffold modules 2, 3, carriers 10 extending between the scaffold modules 2, 4-6 on the one hand and the scaffold modules 3, 7-9 on the other hand, and panels 11 supported by the carriers 10. Each scaffold module 2-9 comprises two parallel uprights 11, 12, which are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction L, as well as horizontal members 13, which extend in transverse direction D between the uprights, substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction.
Near connections 14, ends of the uprights 11, 12 of the scaffold module 2-9 are coupled to the scaffold module 4-9 disposed thereabove.
The carriers 10 have hook-shaped ends 15, which engage around the horizontal members 13 between the uprights 11, 12.
The scaffold modules 2, 3 are provided with wheels 16, by means of which the scaffold 1 can be moved in the transverse direction D and the cross direction B over a ground surface.
The directions B, L, D extend transversely to each other.
The scaffold 1 is provided with a number of diagonally extending rods 17, which engage horizontal members 13, which are disposed at different heights, between the uprights 11, 12 with hook-shaped ends 15.
The scaffold 1 is further provided with a number of rods 18 extending at an angle with the horizontal, which rods engage around horizontal members 13 between the uprights 11, 12 with hook-shaped ends and which are supported on the ground surface (not shown) with ends remote from the hook-shaped ends.
Such scaffold modules 3-9, such connections 14 of scaffold modules 2-9, hook-shaped ends 15, diagonally extending rods 17 and rods 18 extending at an angle with the horizontal are known per se and will not be explained in detail herein, therefore.
The scaffold module 2 according to the invention is provided with a lift 19, which comprises a horizontally extending platform 20 and a vertically extending plate 21, which extends transversely thereto, parallel to the uprights 11, 12.
The lift 19 is located on a side of the scaffold module 2 remote from the scaffold module 3, on the short outer side of the scaffold 1.
As is clearly shown in figures 2A-2E, the lift 19 is provided on either side thereof with flanges 22 extending transversely to the plate 21, which flanges are located on sides of the uprights 11, 12 remote from the horizontal members 13. Each flange 22 is provided with a pair of lower runners 23 and a pair of upper runners 23. The runners 23 are rotatable about axes of rotation 24, which extend in the transverse direction D. The first runner 23 of each pair of runners 23 is located between the uprights 11, 12 and the plate 21, and the second runner 23 is located on a side of the uprights 11, 12 remote from the plate 21, so that the uprights 11 are located between the runners 23 of each pair of runners 23.
As is shown inter alia in figure 2D, the uprights 11, 12 have a cylindrical, tubular cross-section, seen in a plane extending transversely to the longitudinal direction L.
Each runner 23 has a running surface 25, which abuts against the upright 11, 12 during rotation of the runner 23 about the axis of rotation 24. The running surface 25 of the runner 23 has a substantially quarter-circular section on each side of the axis of rotation 24, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction, which section corresponds to the cylindrical cross-section of the uprights 11, 12 and which follows the contour thereof.
The substantially quarter-circular section of the running surface 25 of the runner 23 extends over the side of the uprights 11, 12 remote from the horizontal members 13, so that the runners 23 will not be impeded by the horizontal members 13 and, inter alia, the carriers 10 connected to the horizontal members, the diagonally extending rods 17 and the rods 18 extending at an angle with the horizontal, upon movement of the lift 19 in the longitudinal direction D.
The running surface 25 of the runner 23 is in contact with a contact surface 26 of the upright 11, 12 during movement of the lift 19 in the longitudinal direction L. Because of the substantially quarter-circular section and the position of the running surface 25 of the runner 23 as described, the running surface 25 and the mating contact surface 26 of the upright 11, 12 extend in part substantially in the transverse direction D and in part substantially in the cross direction B. The two runners 23 of a single pair 27 of runners 23 prevent movement of the lift 19 in the cross direction B and in the opposite direction. The runners 23 that mate with the upright 11 further prevent movement of the lift 19 in the transverse direction D, whilst the runners 23 that mate with the upright 12 prevent movement of the lift 19 in a direction opposite the transverse direction D.
The upper and lower pairs 27 of runners 23, which mate with an upright 11 and an upright 12, respectively, prevent the lift 19 from tilting in the direction of rotation R and the opposite direction about the transverse direction D.
If desired, the number of runners 23 can be limited to, for example, the two upper runners 23 located on the side of the uprights 11, 12 remote from the plate 21 and at least one lower runner 23 on the side of the uprights 11, 12 that faces the plate 21. The use of four pairs 27 of runners 23 provides a robust bearing of the lift 19, which is desirable in particular in the construction industry.
As is shown in figure 1, constructions 28 are provided on the left-hand side of the scaffold 1 for the provision of rods that extend at an angle with the horizontal beside the lift 19. The construction 28 comprises auxiliary rods 30 extending in horizontal direction toward the scaffold module 3, which rods are connected to the horizontal member 13 with one end and to an auxiliary rod 31, which extends parallel to the horizontal member 13 to beyond the uprights 11, 12, with another end. One end of the rod 29 is connected to the part of the auxiliary rod 31 that extends beyond the upright 11. The construction 28 makes it possible for the lift 19 to be moved without impediment over the entire height of the scaffold 1, whilst rods 29 extending at an angle with the horizontal may nevertheless be provided on the left-hand side.
The scaffold module 2 is provided with a hoisting mechanism 32 for moving the lift 19 in the longitudinal direction L of the uprights 11, 12. The hoisting mechanism 32 is provided with a winch 34 driven by a motor 33, which winch is connected to a lowermost horizontal member 13 of the scaffold module 2. The hoisting mechanism 32 further comprises a pulley unit 35, which is connected to a horizontal member 13 of the uppermost scaffold module 6 near the upper side of the scaffold 1.
As is clearly shown in figures 3A-3C, the pulley unit 35 comprises a support plate 36 that extends parallel to the uprights 11, 12 and the horizontal members 13, to which support plate 36 a rotatable pulley 37 is connected. The pulley 37 is rotatable in the direction of rotation S and in the opposite direction about an axis of rotation 38 that extends in the cross direction B. The support plate 36 is connected to the horizontal members 13 of the uppermost scaffold module 6 by means of brackets 39.
A cable 40 is wound on the winch 34, which cable is fixedly connected to the winch 34 with one end. From the winch 34, the cable 40 extends to the pulley 37 as a first cable portion 41 and from the pulley 37 to the lift 19 as a second cable portion 42. The cable 40 is connected to the lift 19 with an end 43 of the cable portion 42.
The pulley unit 35 may be detachably connected to the scaffold module 6, in which case the pulley unit 35 will be connected to the uppermost scaffold module 6 after erection of the scaffold 1. According to another possibility, the pulley unit 35 is fixedly connected to the scaffold module 6, in which case the cable 40 extending from the winch 34 is passed over the pulley 37 of the pulley unit 35 after erection of the scaffold 1 and subsequently connected to the lift 19 with an end 43.
For safety reasons, the pulley unit 35 is provided with a detachable cover 43, which is placed over the rotatable pulley 37.
The operation of the scaffold module 2 is as follows. When a user wishes to move goods from the ground surface to a higher level, or vice versa, the winch 34 is driven in the correct direction, by means of the (for example electric) motor 33, so that the cable 40 is wound on the winch 34 or unwound from the winch 34. As a result, the lift 19 is moved in the longitudinal direction L or in the opposite direction. During said movement, the runners 23 abut against the uprights 11, 12, causing them to rotate about the axes of rotation 24.
In the scaffold 1 shown in figure 1, the scaffold module 2 is the lowermost scaffold module, and the module provided with the pulley unit 35 is the uppermost scaffold module. It is also possible to fix the pulley unit 35 to the same scaffold module as the winch 34 and the motor 33. In such a case this entire scaffold module will be used as the uppermost scaffold module. The advantage of this is that not additional operations need to be carried out for connecting the pulley unit 35 and/or the cable 40. A drawback, however, is the fact that the relatively heavy motor 33 and winch 34 must be transported to the upper side of the scaffold 1.
When the scaffold 1 is dismantled, the lift 19 is moved to the scaffold module 2 and locked in position therewith. The cable 40 is removed from the pulley 37, for example, and wound on the winch 34 as much as possible. The scaffold module 2 can now be readily moved. It is also possible to disconnect the cable 40 from the lift 19 after the scaffold modules 2-9 have been disconnected and move the lift 19 off the uprights 11, 12 in the longitudinal direction L. The lift 19 can then be transported separately.
It is also possible that the runner instead of having a quarter-circular section comprises a cross-section with three adjoining surfaces that include an angle of 45 degrees with each other, with the outer surfaces extending parallel to and transversely to, respectively, the transverse direction.
If desired it is possible to provide the scaffold 1 with a counterweight near the scaffold module 3, which functions to counterbalance the weight to be moved along the scaffold 1 by means of the lift 19.
It is also possible to provide the hoisting mechanism 32 with a cable breakage protection device, which prevents undesirable downward movement of the lift 19 in the case of breakage of the cable 40.
It is also possible to provide the lift 19 with a spirit level 44 (see figure 2D), which makes it possible to ensure that the lift 19 will have a good horizontal position relative to the uprights 11, 12 and will consequently be moved in substantially vertical direction.
It is also possible for the width of the scaffold 1 to be twice that of the scaffold 1 shown in the figures.
It is also possible to provide stops near the upper side and the bottom side of the scaffold 1 to prevent the lift from moving beyond the stops.

List of numerals

1: scaffold
2: scaffold module
3: scaffold module
4: scaffold module
5: scaffold module
6: scaffold module
7: scaffold module
8: scaffold module
9: scaffold module
10: carrier
11: upright
12: upright
13: horizontal member
14: connection
15: hook-shaped end
16: wheel
17: diagonally extending rod
18: horizontally extending rod
19: lift
20: horizontally extending support platform
21: vertically extending plate
22: flange
23: runner
24: axes of rotation
25: running surface
26: contact surface
27: pair
28: construction
29: horizontally extending rod
30: auxiliary rod
31: auxiliary rod
32: hoisting mechanism
33: motor
34: winch
35: pulley unit
36: support plate
37: pulley
38: axis of rotation
39: bracket
40: cable
41: cable portion
42: cable portion
43: end
44: spirit level

Claims

A scaffold module (2) provided with a scaffold element comprising at least two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights (11, 12) as well as horizontal members (13) extending in transverse direction between the uprights (11, 12), at least substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction, which scaffold module (2) is further provided with a lift (19) which is movable in longitudinal direction over the uprights (11, 12) via at least one runner (23), which runner (23) is rotatable about an axis of rotation (24) that extends transversely to the longitudinal direction, parallel to the transverse direction, wherein a running surface (25) of the runner (23) is movable in the longitudinal direction over a contact surface (26) of the upright (11, 12), wherein the running surface (25) of the runner (23) and also the contact surface (26) of the upright (11, 12) extend at least in part substantially parallel to the transverse direction, seen in a plane transversely to the longitudinal direction, characterised in that the running surface (25) of the runner (23) and also the contact surface (26) of the upright (11, 12) extend at least in part substantially parallel to and at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction.
A scaffold module (2) according to claim 1, characterised in that a first runner is located near a first upright and a second runner is located near a second upright of the at least two parallel, longitudinally spaced uprights (11, 12), wherein the running surfaces (25) of the first and the second runner (23), which extend at least in part substantially transversely to the transverse direction, are located on sides of the first and second uprights (11, 12) that face away from each other.
A scaffold module (2) according to claim 1 of 2, characterised in that, seen in the plane transversely to the longitudinal direction, the upright (11, 12) is cylindrical in shape and the running surface of the runner (23) has at least in part a quarter-circularly curved shape substantially corresponding thereto, wherein the running surface (25) of the runner (23) extends at least in part substantially parallel to and at least in part substantially transversely to the axis of rotation (24).
A scaffold module (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lift (19) is provided with at least one pair of runners (23) located near each other on either side of the upright (11, 12), wherein the axes of rotation (38) of the runners (23) extend parallel to each other in the transverse direction, wherein the running surfaces (25) of the pair of runners (23), which extend at least in part substantially parallel to the transverse direction, are located on sides of the upright (11, 12) that face away from each other.
A scaffold module (2) according to claim 4, characterised in that the lift (19) is at least provided with at least three pairs of runners (23), wherein at least one pair of runners (23) is movable over each of the at least two uprights (11, 12).
A scaffold module (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the scaffold module (2) is provided with a hoisting mechanism (32) for moving the lift (19) in the longitudinal direction of the uprights (11, 12).
A scaffold module (2) according to claim 6, characterised in that the hoisting mechanism (32) is provided with a pulley (37), a winch (34) connected to the scaffold element and a cable (40) that is passed over the pulley (37), a first end of which is connected to the lift (19) and a second end of which is connected to the winch (34).
A scaffold module (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the scaffold module (2) is movable.
A lift (19) suitable for a scaffold module (2) according to any one of the preceding claims.