EP3548146B1

EP3548146B1 - Arrangement for bypassing safety track supports without life line disconnection

Info

Publication number: EP3548146B1
Application number: EP17809243.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rolf Hedlund
Original assignee: CWL Patent AB
Current assignee: CWL Patent AB
Priority date: 2016-12-05
Filing date: 2017-11-24
Publication date: 2021-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-24
Also published as: SE1651590A1; SE541149C2; WO2018104069A1; EP3548146A1; PL3548146T3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a support device for supporting a safety cable, typically a wired steel cable. Specifically, the invention relates to a cable support that is adapted to allow a person that is connected to the cable to move at will along a roof, without jeopardising the safety of the person connected to the safety cable.

BACKGROUND

Roof equipment in the form of cable arrangements which are arranged to function as safety cables for person operating on a roof are typically mounted as close to the base of the roof as possible.
A known bracket for such a roof equipment consists of a metal plate bent in L-shape, which is fastened to the roof in a way that depends on the type of roofing and which may be adapted in shape to either hold snow rails, a safety cable or the like. The invention relates to brackets arranged to carry a safety cable. In such systems, the safety cable is securely fastened at its ends. Also, the fastening device involves arrangements for lifting the cable to a certain distance above the roof, such that a snap hook arranged around said cable may be slid along it without getting stuck on details of the roof.
For a safety cable that extends over a longer distance, cable supports need to be arranged at even distances to keep the cable above the roof. Specifically, such brackets should be arranged to hold the position of the cable, while at the same time allowing a person that is connected to the cable to move at will along the roof. Hence, the bracket should not unduly restrict the passage of a snap hook arranged around said cable.
In US 2003/0183118 A1 intermediate support devices for supporting a life line are disclosed. Each intermediate support device includes a wheel with interspaced spokes that allow the passage of a snap hook or the like connected to a person moving on the roof. These support devices are well-functioning when provided at a certain height on a wall, but are not adapted to be arranged on a roof.
Hence, there is a need of an arrangement that is adapted to allow passage of a snap hook arranged to a cable that is arranged on a roof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a support device for supporting a safety cable, typically a wired steel cable, which device is to be attached on a roof and to allow a person that is snap hook connected to said cable to pass the support device at will. A further object is to provide such a support device of a simple construction, which is cost effective to produce. This is achieved by means of the invention according to claim 1.
According to a main aspect the invention relates to a support device for supporting a safety cable, typically a wired steel cable, the support device comprising a metal sheet having an upper end and an opposed lower end, wherein the metal sheet comprises: at its lower end, an attachment portion arranged to be attached to a structure; at its upper end, a cut out between a first upper end section and an opposed, second upper end section, the cut out defining an opening facing upwards with respect to the metal sheet, the opening being arranged to receive a tense cable; and at its upper end, a wheel comprising a plurality of spokes, the wheel being rotatably attached to the first upper end section, wherein the wheel is arranged to extend towards the second upper end section, thereby covering the opening of the metal sheet and in operation enclosing the tense cable. Further, the spokes of the wheel are arranged with spaces between them, which spaces are dimensioned such that a snap hook or the like arranged around the cable can be placed in one of said spaces in operation and moved along the cable from one end of the metal sheet to the other end of the metal sheet by rotating the wheel, wherein the second upper end section extends upwards towards the periphery of the wheel, thereby forming an outer border of the opening preventing the tense cable to exit from the opening.
The inventive construction including a wheel with interspaced spokes that allows a snap hook or the like to pass the support device at will and with a low risk of being obstructed by the support device. A person may hence pass the inventive support device without having to unlock the snap lock from the safety cable. Further this is achieved by means of a support device that is mechanically stable, but still cost effective to produce and easy to install.
Other embodiments and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description, the independent claims and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment related to the invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings, in which;

Fig. 1: is a side view of an embodiment of a support device in accordance with the invention,
Fig. 2: is a perspective view of the support device of fig. 1,
Fig. 3: is a front view of the support device of fig. 1,
Fig. 4: is a view from below of the support device of fig. 1,
Fig. 5: is a detailed view of a portion of fig. 1,
Fig. 6: is an exploded perspective view of the support device of fig. 1,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In figures 1-6 a specific embodiment of a support device 1 in accordance with the invention is shown.
With reference to fig. 1, the support device 1 comprises a metal sheet 2 having an upper end 2a and an opposed lower end 2b. The metal sheet 2, in turn, comprises an attachment portion 3 arranged to be attached to a structure, typically a roof. The attachment portion 3 is arranged at the lower end 2b of the metal sheet 2.
Throughout this description the metal sheet 2 of the support device 1 and is described in terms of an upper end 2a and an opposed lower end 2b. It is to be understood that these references refer to the orientation of the support device 1 in its intended use, in which it should be fastened in an upright position at its lowermost end, the opposite upper end 2b extending upwards. The references are however also intended to describe the mutual positions of the support device, regardless of how the support device is oriented. It is to be understood that the support device, in conformity with a mug or a tree, has an inherit upper end and lower end, which appears logic to a person skilled in the art of roof equipment. These references are however not intended to limit the use of the support device. In alternative uses it may be fastened both sideways or upside down.
At its upper end 2a, the metal sheet comprises a first upper end section 5 and an opposed, second upper end section 6. A cut out 4 is provided between the first upper end section 5 and the second upper end section 6. The cut out 4 defines an opening 7 facing upwards with respect to the metal sheet 2, which opening 7 is arranged to receive a safety cable, typically a wired steel cable that is arranged in a tense state. In operation, the cable 20 is arranged to run through said opening 7. As is visible in figure 1 and figure 5 the size of the opening 7 is well over-dimensioned with respect to the cable 20, such that the cable 20 is free to move both upwards and sideways inside the opening 7. A main object of the size of the opening 7 is however to allow a snap hook or the like arranged around the cable 20 to pass at will through the opening 7.
A wheel 8 is rotatably attached to the first upper end section 5. The wheel 8 comprises a plurality of spokes 9. In the shown embodiment, the wheel comprises four spokes with spaces 10 between them. The spaces 10 are dimensioned such that a snap hook or the like arranged around the cable 20 can be placed in one of said spaces 10 in operation and moved along the cable 20 from one end of the metal sheet 2 to the other end of the metal sheet 2 by rotating the wheel 8.
The wheel 8 is arranged to extend towards the second upper end section 6, thereby covering the opening 7 of the metal sheet 2 and in operation enclosing the tense cable 20. The second upper end section 6 extends upwards towards the periphery of the wheel 8, thereby forming an outer border of the opening 7 preventing the tense cable 20 to exit from the opening.
As is apparent from the detailed view of figure 5 the distance between the periphery of the wheel 8 and the portion of second upper end section 6 that is closest to the periphery of the wheel 8 is smaller than the diameter of the tense cable 20. Typically, a safety cable have a diameter corresponding to a fraction of an inch, e.g. 1/8 inch (3 mm). The distance between the periphery of the wheel 8 and the portion of second upper end section 6 should hence in accordance with one specific embodiment be less than 3 mm.
In the shown embodiment the second upper end section 6 of the support device 1 extends past, i.e. above, the periphery of the wheel 8 and comprises a recess 11 adapted to allow passage of the spokes 9 of the wheel 8 when rotating. Further, in the shown specific embodiment, the inner portion 12 of the second upper end section 6 immediately below the recess 11 extends inwards to overlap the radial extension of the outermost part of the wheel 8.
Also, the second upper end section 6 of the support device 1 may include a lip 13 that is provided immediately above the recess 11, which lip 13 extends inwards to overlap the radial extension of the outermost part of the wheel 8. The lip 13 is arranged to hold the position of the wheel 8, i.e. to prevent the spokes 9 of the wheel 8 from bending upwards. Further, the lip 13 may assist in preventing the cable from leaving the opening 7. If the cable were to be pulled upwards when the wheel is out of position, i.e. when a space 10 between the spokes 9 of the wheel 8 is arranged at the position of the second upper end section 6, wherein the lip 13 will prevent the cable from leaving the opening 7, in co-operation with the two closest spokes 9 surrounding the space 10 facing the second upper end section 6. For best performance the safety cable 20 needs to be relatively tense during operation. From this follows that the cable will have a rigidity that prevents it from being bent past the wheel 8.
From figures 2, 3 and 6 it is apparent that the support device 1 comprises an attachment portion 3 at the lower end 2b of the metal sheet 2. The attachment portion 3 comprises a first attachment device 22 arranged to fixedly attach the support device 1 to a structure, preferably a roof. In the shown embodiment the first attachment device 22 comprises at least one through hole arranged to receive a fastening means, such as a screw, bolt, nail, rivet or the like. The shown embodiment includes 5 through holes. The attachment portion 3 of the shown embodiment is integrated with the metal sheet 2, constituting a bent portion of the lower end 2b of the metal sheet 2. I may however also be a separate part that is attached to the lower end 2b of the metal sheet 2.
Further, instead of through holes the attachment portion 3 may also be adapted to be attached to a bracket or attachment piece, which in turn is fixedly attached to a roof. I such a case the attachment portion may include hooks or the like for attachment of the metal sheet 2.
From figure 6 it is apparent that the first upper end section 5 comprises a ledge 14 involving a second attachment device 15 for attachment of the wheel 8. In the shown embodiment the ledge 14 is preferably an integrated part of the metal sheet 2, constituting a bent part of the first upper end section 5 of said metal sheet 2.
The second attachment device 15 of the shown embodiment is constituted of a through hole arranged to receive a fastening means, such as a screw, bolt, nail, rivet or the like. In the shown embodiment, the ledge 14 is a bent part of the first upper end section 5 of said metal sheet 2 through which a through hole is provided to constitute the attachment means 15, such that the wheel 8 may be fastened by means of a screw 16 and nut 19, preferably with washers 17 and 18 located at both sides of the through hole of the ledge 14.
The second attachment device 15 may however be arranged in other ways. For instance, the first upper end section 5 of said metal sheet 2 may include one or more loops formed from a portion of the ledge 14 and providing a vertical through hole into which a rod, screw or the like may be arranged to fasten the wheel. To a skilled person, other ways of attaching a wheel to the first upper end section 5 are readily available.
As is apparent in figure 6, the wheel 8 may be disc-shaped and formed in one piece from a metal sheet. This will also contribute to the simplicity of the inventive construction.
Above, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. The invention is however not limited to these embodiments. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

A support device (1) for supporting a safety cable (20), the support device comprising:
a metal sheet (2) having an upper end (2a) and an opposed lower end (2b), characterised in that the metal sheet (2) comprises:
- at its lower end (2b), an attachment portion (3) arranged to be attached to a structure,

- at its upper end (2a), a cut out (4) between a first upper end section (5) and an opposed, second upper end section (6), the cut out (4) defining an opening (7) facing upwards with respect to the metal sheet (2), the opening (7) being arranged to receive a tense cable, and

- at its upper end (2a), a wheel (8) comprising a plurality of spokes (9), the wheel (8) being rotatably attached to the first upper end section (5),

wherein the wheel (8) is arranged to extend towards the second upper end section (6), thereby covering the opening (7) of the metal sheet (2) and in operation enclosing the tense cable,

wherein the spokes (9) of the wheel (8) are arranged with spaces (10) between them, which spaces (10) are dimensioned such that a snap hook or the like arranged around the cable can be placed in one of said spaces (10) in operation and moved along the cable from one end of the metal sheet (2) to the other end of the metal sheet (2) by rotating the wheel (8),

and wherein the second upper end section (6) extends upwards towards the periphery of the wheel (8), thereby forming an outer border of the opening (7) preventing the tense cable to exit from the opening.
The support device (1) of claim 1, wherein the distance between the periphery of the wheel (8) and the portion of second upper end section (6) that is closest to the periphery of the wheel (8) is smaller than the diameter of the tense cable.
The support device (1) of claims 1 or 2, wherein the second upper end section (6) extends past the periphery of the wheel (8) and comprises a recess (11) adapted to allow passage of the spokes (9) of the wheel (8) when rotating.
The support device (1) of claim 3, wherein an inner portion (12) of the second upper end section (6) immediately below said recess (11) extends inwards to overlap a radial extension of the outermost part of the wheel (8).
The support device (1) of claim 3 or 4, wherein a lip (13) is provided on the second upper end section (6) immediately above said recess (11), which lip (13) extends inwards to overlap a radial extension of the outermost part of the wheel (8).
The support device (1) of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the attachment portion (3) comprises a first attachment device (22) arranged to fixedly attach the support device (1) to a structure.
The support device (1) of claim 6, wherein the first attachment device (22) comprises at least one through hole arranged to receive a fastening means.
The support device (1) of anyone of claims 1 to 7, wherein the attachment portion (3) is integrated with the metal sheet (2), constituting a bent part of the lower end (2b) of the metal sheet (2).
The support device (1) of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first upper end section (5) comprises a ledge (14) comprising a second attachment device (15) for rotatable attachment of the wheel (8).
The support device (1) of claim 9, wherein the ledge (14) is integrated with the metal sheet (2), constituting a bent part of the first upper end section (5) of the metal sheet (2).
The support device (1) of claims 9 or 10, wherein the second attachment device (15) comprises a through hole arranged to receive a fastening means for holding the wheel.
The support device (1) of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the wheel (8) is disc-shaped and formed in one piece from a metal sheet.