EP4074895A1 - Device and method for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle retention device - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for attaching longitudinal elements (2) of a vehicle restraint device comprises a loading vehicle (4) with a loading area (8) and a pivotable lifting device (10) attached thereto in order to position longitudinal elements located on the loading area individually on a longitudinal side of the loading vehicle. The lifting device comprises a mast (12) perpendicular to the loading area and a boom arm (14) attached thereto at a fixed height and pivotable about a main axis (M) of the mast, with a hook element (16) for hanging on a longitudinal element. A cable pull device (18), which can be moved longitudinally between a first position (P1) close to the mast and a second position (P2) remote from the mast, is attached to the extension arm and to which the hook element (16) is connected via a suspension link (20), the hook element being about a suspension axis ( V) of the hanging member is rotatable, and wherein the cable pulling device comprises a weight compensation device (22) by means of which a longitudinal element suspended from the hook element can be continuously held at a desired height.

Description

technical field

The invention relates to a device for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device to a lane equipped with edge posts using the inventive device.

State of the art

In road construction, structural measures outside the roadway, which are intended to stop and redirect vehicles that have left the roadway, are generally referred to as vehicle restraint systems. The relevant guidelines for such systems in Switzerland are listed in the document "Vehicle restraint systems" ASTRA 11005 published by the Federal Roads Office ASTRA (can be downloaded from www.astra.ch). Similar regulations exist in other states.

In the concrete implementation, a vehicle restraint system includes a passive device in the form of control barriers, crash barriers or crash cushions. A widely used type of vehicle restraint device, which is referred to as a control barrier, is formed by an arrangement of edge posts and longitudinal elements attached to them. Various shapes are customary for the longitudinal elements, in particular box-shaped longitudinal elements, but also double-beaded longitudinal elements are used. Said longitudinal elements are generally made of steel and in any case have a considerable weight. In particular, a system used in national road construction uses box-shaped longitudinal elements with a length of approximately 400 cm and a weight of approximately 66 kg. In some sections of the route For example, one stringer is attached to each pair of adjacent posts, but in certain sections of the route there are two or even three stringers at different heights.

To attach such longitudinal elements, they are currently brought to a lane equipped with posts on the edge, unloaded and attached by hand using an appropriate vehicle. At least two people must be employed simply because of the weight of the individual longitudinal elements, but also because of the fine adjustment required for attachment to the respective post.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is to improve the current procedure and in particular to provide an improved device for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device. A further object of the invention lies in specifying a method for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device using the device according to the invention.

These tasks are solved by the device defined in claim 1 and by the method defined in claim 9.

The device according to the invention for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device comprises a loading vehicle with a loading area and a pivotable lifting device attached thereto in order to position longitudinal elements located on the loading area individually on a longitudinal side of the loading vehicle, the lifting device having a mast which is essentially perpendicular to the loading area and an extension arm attached thereto at a fixed height and pivotable about a main axis M of the mast, with a hook element for attaching a longitudinal element. The fact that the cantilever arm between a first position close to the mast and a second position remote from the mast longitudinally displaceable cable pull device is attached, to which the hook element is connected via a hanging member, the hook element being rotatable about a hanging axis V of the hanging member, and wherein the cable pull device comprises a weight compensation device, by means of which a longitudinal element suspended from the hook element can be continuously held at a desired height, there are various advantages over the prior art. In particular, the heavy longitudinal elements can be attached with significantly less physical effort, but also faster and more securely. At the same time, the loading of a given route section can be completed much more quickly.

The term "attached at a fixed height" in connection with the pivotable extension arm is to be understood in the sense that the extension arm remains held at a certain height on the mast during a pivoting movement. However, an optional height adjustability is not ruled out.

In addition, it goes without saying that for safety reasons alone it is necessary to lock the pivoting of the extension arm in a transport position in certain situations, in particular during longer travel movements.

Advantageous refinements and embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

In principle, the position of the mast on the loading vehicle can be selected within a wide range. In the following, only examples are explained in each case with a terminal position of the mast in the longitudinal direction and a central position in the lateral direction. However, it goes without saying that the following definitions and explanations can also be used analogously for other mast positions.

In addition, it is understood that the specific configuration of the hook element must correspond to the dimensions of the longitudinal elements to be handled choose is. Accordingly, the hook element provided is not strictly limited to hooks in the narrower sense, but it can in particular also include other coupling elements such as pins, tongues, brackets or magnets.

In principle, the device can be designed in such a way that the cantilever arm can be pivoted practically freely and without restriction, i.e. mechanically unhindered. However, it is advantageous to limit the pivot angle range of the cantilever arm. In an advantageous embodiment (claim 2), the pivoting angle is limited to a range of approximately -5° to approximately 110°, in relation to a longitudinal direction of the loading vehicle. According to this definition, a swivel angle of 0° corresponds to a cantilever arm pointing in the longitudinal direction, while a swivel angle of 90° corresponds to a cantilever arm deflected to a maximum on a first vehicle side. Accordingly, negative swivel angles relate to deflections on the second side of the vehicle. As a rule, the longitudinal elements located on the loading area are only unloaded on one side of the vehicle, also referred to below as the unloading side. Without restricting the generality, namely by choosing the direction of rotation, positive values of the swivel angle are assigned to the unloading side. The limitation of the swiveling angle to a minimum of -5° corresponds to a safety measure to prevent the extension arm from swiveling out undesirably onto an adjacent lane that is usually not blocked off on the side of the vehicle facing away from the unloading side. It goes without saying that, for a given loading vehicle, a selection of the unloading side can certainly be desirable. Accordingly, the limitation of the minimum pivoting angle is preferably implemented with a locking element that can be optionally positioned on both sides of the vehicle. The upper limit of the pivot angle range, on the other hand, results more from structural reasons, in particular if support or frame elements prevent further pivoting.

According to a further embodiment (claim 3), the hook element is at a desired height of about - 30 to + 220 cm, based on a Basic height H0 of the loading area durable. The adjustable height range is usually specified by the lift device used. It is fundamentally desirable that each attached longitudinal element can be lifted over any other longitudinal elements stacked on the loading area and then brought to the required installation height and held at this height.

In principle, various types of expedient weight compensation devices are known. According to a preferred embodiment (claim 4), the weight compensation device comprises pneumatic compensation means. It is particularly advantageous (claim 5) if the weight compensation device comprises an operating unit integrated in the hanging member, with the operating unit being arranged such that it can rotate about the hanging axis. In particular (Claim 6), the operating unit can be equipped with side handles, which means that a single operator can bring about all of the necessary pivoting and longitudinal displacement movements.

It goes without saying that the loading vehicle must always be selected and equipped according to the intended use. In principle, a self-propelled vehicle could be used. Advantageously (Claim 7), the loading vehicle is designed as a trailer, preferably with synchronous steering of front and rear wheels.

According to a preferred embodiment (claim 8), the loading area has a length of 440 to 460 cm and a width of 190 to 210 cm, and between the first position near the mast and the second position of the cable pull device remote from the mast there is a distance of 160 to 340 cm. measured from the main axis M to the hanging axis V, traversable.

1. a) ein mit mindestens zwei zugehörigen Längselementen beladenes Ladefahrzeug wird entlang des Fahrstreifens positioniert;
2. b) das Hakenelement wird zu einem ersten Längselement geführt und letzteres wird daran angehängt;
3. c) das angehängte Längselement wird angehoben, durch Schwenken des Auslegerarms und Längsverschiebung der am Auslegerarm angebrachten Halterung in eine Position zwischen zwei benachbarten Pfosten gebracht und auf eine vorgegebene Einbauhöhe gebracht;
4. d) das Längselement wird an zugehörigen Befestigungsstellen des besagten Pfostenpaars angebracht und das Hakenelement vom Längselement gelöst;
5. e) die Schritte b) bis d) werden mit einem zweiten Längselement durchgeführt, um dieses an weiteren Befestigungsstellen des besagten Pfostenpaars oder an einem anschliessenden Pfostenpaar anzubringen;
6. f) die Schritte a) bis e) werden mit den auf dem Ladefahrzeug befindlichen Längselementen wiederholt, nachdem das Ladefahrzeug erforderlichenfalls in eine nächste Position entlang des Fahrstreifens positioniert wurde.

The method according to the invention for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device to a lane equipped with edge posts by means of a device according to the invention comprises the following Steps:

1. a) a loading vehicle loaded with at least two associated longitudinal elements is positioned along the lane;
2. b) the hook element is guided to a first longitudinal element and the latter is hooked to it;
3. c) the suspended longitudinal member is lifted, brought into a position between two adjacent posts by pivoting the cantilever arm and longitudinal displacement of the bracket attached to the cantilever arm and brought to a predetermined installation height;
4. d) attaching the longitudinal member to associated attachment locations of said pair of posts and releasing the hook member from the longitudinal member;
5. e) performing steps b) through d) with a second longitudinal member for attachment to further attachment locations of said pair of posts or to a subsequent pair of posts;
6. f) steps a) to e) are repeated with the longitudinal elements on the loading vehicle, after the loading vehicle has been positioned, if necessary, to a next position along the lane.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method (claim 10), the longitudinal elements have a length of approximately 400 cm. This corresponds to a common guideline for vehicle restraint systems.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

eine Vorrichtung zum Anbringen von Längselementen einer Fahrzeugrückhalteeinrichtung, in perspektivischer Ansicht; und

Fig. 2

einzelne Schritte a) bis c) eines Verfahrens zum Anbringen von Längselementen einer Fahrzeugrückhalteeinrichtung an einem mit randständigen Pfosten ausgerüsteten Fahrstreifen, in schematischer Draufsicht.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, which show:

1

a device for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device, in perspective view; and

2

individual steps a) to c) of a method for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device to a with lanes equipped with edge posts, in a schematic top view.

Ways to carry out the invention

In order to better illustrate the individual elements, the illustrations sometimes deviate significantly from a true-to-scale representation. Furthermore, some of the fundamentally known components are shown in greatly simplified form or even omitted entirely.

The one in the 1 The device shown for attaching a longitudinal element 2 of a vehicle restraint device, not shown here, includes a loading vehicle 4. The example shown is a trailer 6 with a loading area 8 and a pivotable lifting device 10 attached thereto. The lifting device 10 includes a substantially perpendicular to the loading area Mast 12 and a boom arm 14 attached to it at a fixed height and pivotable about a main axis H of the mast, with a hook element 16 for hanging on the longitudinal element 2.

A cable pull device 18 that is longitudinally displaceable between a first position P1 close to the mast (indicated by dashed lines in the figure) and a second position P2 that is distant from the mast by a maximum distance ΔP is attached to the extension arm 14, to which the hook element 16 is connected via a hanging member 20. The hook element 16 and accordingly also the longitudinal element 2 suspended from it can be rotated about a suspension axis V of the suspension member 20 . The cable pull device 18 also includes a weight compensation device 22, by means of which the longitudinal element 2 attached to the hook element 16 can be continuously held at a desired height.

In the example shown, the cantilever arm 14 is also equipped with a mechanical lifting rod 23 (shown only schematically), by means of which the cantilever arm 14 can be adjusted in a horizontal orientation.

In the example shown, the weight compensation device 22 includes an operating unit 24 integrated in the hanging member 20 , the operating unit being arranged such that it can rotate about the hanging axis V and is equipped with an operating panel 25 and with lateral handles 26 . The operating unit 24 is integrated in the suspension element 20 in that it is arranged in a load-bearing manner between the hook element 16 and a support carriage 28 which is mounted on the cantilever arm 14 in a longitudinally displaceable manner. In the example shown, an actuator unit 30 is located on the support carriage 28, in which, among other things, pneumatic components of the weight compensation device 22 are accommodated. A suspended connection between the support carriage 28 and the operating unit 24 is formed by a cable pair 32 . Electrical and pneumatic connecting lines are routed spirally along the cable pull pair.

the 2 illustrates the use of the device described above on a lane 36 equipped with edge posts 34, the situation with four longitudinal elements 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d being shown. For the sake of simplicity, certain components such as the operating unit 24 and the actuator unit 30 are not shown.

According to the situation Figure 2a the loading vehicle 4 is positioned at a first job. The first longitudinal member 2a is already attached to associated posts 34a and 34b. The second longitudinal element 2b is attached to the hook element 16 . The cable assembly 18 is in the off-mast position P2 with the boom arm 14 deflected through a pivot angle of approximately +10°.

According to the situation Figure 2b the loading vehicle 4 is still positioned at the first job. Meanwhile, the second longitudinal member 2b has been attached to associated posts 34c and 34d. The cable device 18 is still in the position P2 away from the mast, and the extension arm 14 is again deflected through a pivoting angle of approximately +10° after a temporary major deflection.

According to the situation Figure 2c the loading vehicle 4 was advanced to a second job, which is downstream in the processing direction by four times the distance between the posts. The third longitudinal member 2c has been hooked to the hook member 16 for attachment to associated posts 34e and 34f. The cable assembly 18 is still in the intermediate position closer to the mast and the boom arm 14 is deflected approximately +85°.

In a next work step, not shown, the fourth longitudinal element 2d still remaining on the loading area is attached to the posts 34g and 34h. The loading vehicle 4 would then have to be reloaded.

In the vehicle restraint device explained above, the distance between two adjacent posts is half the length of the individual longitudinal elements. In another embodiment, the distance between two adjacent posts is one third of the length of the individual longitudinal elements. However, this is not a mandatory prerequisite for the application of the invention.

example

A trailer designed as a low-loader with a free loading area of 450×200 cm was equipped with a mast as described above in a longitudinally end position and in a central position in the lateral direction. The trailer is equipped with a terminal pair of castors with solid rubber tires, which is advantageously configured as synchronous steering. An electro-pneumatically operated cable lift S120 from Lissmac Maschinenbau GmbH, Bad Wurzach (DE), which is specified for a maximum load of 120 kg, was installed as a weight balancing device. This allows, for example, longitudinal elements in the form of box sections 150'180 with a length of 399.6 cm and a weight of 66 kg to be handled easily. A number of 80 such longitudinal elements can be loaded on the trailer mentioned above. This allows a lane of 320 m to be equipped with a single row of longitudinal elements in a single operation.

Reference List

2, 2a, 2b etc.

longitudinal element

4

loading vehicle

6

follower

8th

truck bed

10

lift facility

12

mast

14

boom arm

16

hook element

18

cable pull device

20

hanging link

22

weight balancing device

23

top link

24

operating unit

25

control panel

26

grab handles

28

support carriage

30

actuator unit

32

cable pair

34a,

post

36

lane

M

main axis of 12

V

Hanging axis from 20

L

Longitudinal of 4

H0

base height of 8

P1

position close to the mast of 18

p2

distant position from 18

ΔP

Difference P2 - P1

Claims (10)

Device for attaching longitudinal elements (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) of a vehicle restraint device, comprising a loading vehicle (4) with a loading area (8) and a pivotable lifting device (10) attached thereto in order to individually attach longitudinal elements located on the loading area to a positioned on the longitudinal side of the loading vehicle, the lifting device comprising a mast (12) which is essentially perpendicular to the loading area and a boom arm (14) attached thereto at a fixed height and pivotable about a main axis (M) of the mast, with a hook element (16) for hanging on a longitudinal element ,
characterized in that
a cable pull device (18) that can be moved longitudinally between a first position (P1) close to the mast and a second position (P2) remote from the mast is attached to the boom arm, to which the hook element (16) is connected via a hanging member (20),
the hook element being rotatable about a hanging axis (V) of the hanging member, and
wherein the cable pull device comprises a weight compensation device (22) by means of which a longitudinal element attached to the hook element can be continuously held at a desired height. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extension arm is pivotable in a pivot angle range of about -5º to about 110º with respect to a longitudinal direction (L) of the loading vehicle. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the hook element can be held at a desired height of approximately - 30 to + 220 cm, based on a basic height H0 of the loading area. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the counterbalancing device comprises pneumatic counterbalancing means. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the weight-balancing device comprises an operating unit (24) integrated in the hanging member, the operating unit being arranged so as to be rotatable about the hanging axis (V). Device according to Claim 5, in which the operating unit comprises an operating panel (25) and side handles (26). Device according to one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the loading vehicle is designed as a trailer (6), preferably with synchronous steering of front and rear wheels. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the loading surface (8) has a length of 440 to 460 cm and a width of 190 to 210 cm, and wherein there is a distance of 160 up to 340 cm, measured from the main axis (M) to the hanging axis (V), can be walked through. Method for attaching longitudinal elements of a vehicle restraint device to a lane equipped with edge posts by means of a device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: a) a loading vehicle loaded with at least two associated longitudinal elements is positioned along the lane; b) the hook element is guided to a first longitudinal element and the latter is hooked to it; c) the attached longitudinal member is raised by pivoting the boom and longitudinal displacement of the attached to the boom bracket positioned between two adjacent posts and set at a predetermined installation height; d) attaching the longitudinal member to associated attachment locations of said pair of posts and releasing the hook member from the longitudinal member; e) performing steps b) through d) with a second longitudinal member for attachment to further attachment locations of said pair of posts or to a subsequent pair of posts; f) steps a) to e) are repeated with the longitudinal elements on the loading vehicle, after the loading vehicle has been positioned, if necessary, to a next position along the lane. A method according to claim 9, wherein the longitudinal elements have a length of about 400 cm.

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