EP4190992A1 - Street furniture with simplified installation - Google Patents

Abstract

Urban furniture, for example a bus shelter, intended to be moved, comprising a metal structure, a roof (11), the said structure being sized to allow at least one person to take shelter, at least one box (14 ) located in a lower part of the structure and intended to rest on the ground, and one or more ballast elements (16), said box (14) being configured to removably receive the ballast element(s) (16) for building stability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to street furniture, for example a bus shelter, offering simplified installation.

The development of public transport, in particular bus lines, involves the installation of bus shelters to ensure the comfort of users while waiting. However, the legislation in some countries is relatively restrictive with regard to the installation of these. Indeed, the shelters must be sealed on the ground and require the realization of an earthwork which require authorizations. This often results in a simple signpost marking the bus stop offering no comfort to users.

The establishment of bus lines during one-off events is more and more frequent to limit traffic jams due to the influx of individual vehicles and the resulting pollution. These temporary bus lines involve the installation of temporary bus shelters. The temporary bus shelters are sealed to the ground by concrete bases to ensure their stability and wind resistance. However, concrete bases are bulky, expensive, unattractive and must be deconstructed after use. In addition, they are difficult to transport due to the mass of the concrete pads and their size. During road works requiring the relocation of a bus line, new temporary bus stops must also be set up. For the sake of simplicity, these stops are also only marked by simple signposts.

These disadvantages apply to other street furniture intended to provide a relatively sheltered place.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present application to provide street furniture equipment offering transport conditions and easy installation.

The object stated above is achieved by street furniture equipment comprising a structure provided with a roof, with at least one wall and with a compartment located in a lower part of the structure, said structure being configured to receive elements intended to ballast the equipment ensuring its stability; the ballast elements being removable.

Very advantageously, the compartment extends longitudinally over at least part of the equipment and serves as a seat for the users of the equipment.

Preferably, the compartment has an opening in one side end of the equipment and the ballasting elements are formed by metal bars slid into the compartment.

Thanks to the characteristics of the invention, the equipment can be transported without the ballasting elements, which facilitates its handling and its installation. The ballast mass is fixed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In addition, the integration of the ballast elements in a compartment forming a seat limits the footprint of the equipment and significantly improves its aesthetics and its practicality.

In a particularly advantageous example, the compartment extends over only part of the equipment, leaving a free space for people in wheelchairs.

In an exemplary embodiment, the equipment comprises photovoltaic panels and lighting means allowing electrical autonomy of the equipment and avoiding connection to the electrical network.

The equipment may also comprise a screen.

An object of the present application is street furniture, for example a bus shelter, intended to be moved, comprising a metal structure, a roof, said structure being dimensioned to allow at least one person to take shelter, at the at least one box located in a lower part of the structure and intended to rest on the ground, and one or more ballasting elements, said box being configured to removably receive the ballasting element(s) for the stability of the construction.

For example, the box has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and includes an opening in one of its longitudinal end faces for the insertion and removal of one or more ballasting elements.

Advantageously, the ballast element(s) has or have the shape of a bar having a length substantially equal to that of the box.

The street furniture may include a removable plate closing said opening of the box.

Preferably, the box has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped extending in a longitudinal direction and is configured to serve as a seat for at least one user.

In a particular example, the box has a length less than a length of the structure so as to provide a space for a person in a wheelchair. The street furniture can advantageously comprise at least one folding seat at the location for the wheelchair so as to be able to convert said location into a seat.

According to an additional characteristic, the street furniture comprises handling means, said handling means comprising for example rings and guides for the handling cable, advantageously removable, configured to cooperate with a lifting device provided with at least one cable Handling.

In a preferred example, the metal structure comprises several vertical modules assembled at least by beams and beams.

According to an additional characteristic, the street furniture comprises an electric battery housed in the casing, at least one photovoltaic panel on or in the roof, a lighting system and electrical connections between the electric battery, the photovoltaic panel(s) and the system lighting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

• la figure 1 est une vue de trois quarts avant d'un abri de bus selon un exemple de réalisation,
• la figure 2 est une vue de côté de l'abri de bus de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue arrière de trois quarts de l'abri de bus de la figure 1,
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective de face de l'abri de la figure 1 sans certains panneaux.

The following description will be better understood with the help of the attached drawings on which:

• there figure 1 is a three-quarter front view of a bus shelter according to an embodiment,
• there figure 2 is a side view of the bus shelter from the figure 1 ,
• there picture 3 is a rear three-quarter view of the bus shelter from the figure 1 ,
• there figure 4 is a front perspective view of the shelter of the figure 1 without some panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

On the figures 1 to 4 , you can see an example of a bus shelter from several points of view.

The bus shelter, hereinafter referred to as "shelter" for the sake of simplicity, comprises a lower part I forming the base of the shelter on the ground, a vertical or substantially vertical part II intended in particular to support one or more walls , and an upper part III intended to form a roof and to support one or more roof elements.

The shelter comprises a metal frame ensuring the rigidity of the shelter and of the panels forming the walls and the roof.

The length ℓ of the shelter is considered along an X direction, the width L of the shelter is considered in a Y direction and the height H of the shelter is considered in the Z direction.

The shelter comprises, in this example, an open front face 2 allowing access to the interior of the shelter, a rear face 4 closed by a wall 6 and side faces 8 also closed by walls 10. front and rear are to be considered in relation to the view of the figure 1 , the front face being in the foreground. The shelter also has a roof 11.

Some of the panels forming the walls, in particular the panels forming the side panels and the roof, are preferably made of transparent material and advantageously made of plastic material, for example polycarbonate. The use of plastic material makes it possible to offer a less fragile and more easily transportable shelter.

The wall 6 is preferably made of an opaque panel, for example a wooden board or chipboard.

The lower part II has leveling feet 12 intended to rest on the ground ( figure 4 ) and to ensure the horizontality of the shelter, a box 14 and advantageously a floor P intended to isolate the users from the ground.

In this example, box 14 extends along direction X over only part of the length of the shelter.

The box 14 also extends over only part of the width and is located in the rear part of the lower part I of the shelter relative to the face 2. The box 14 has a longitudinal end 14.1 located in one of the walls side 8 and a second longitudinal end 14.2 located inside the shelter.

The box 14 preferably comprises walls formed at least in part by metal plates, for example screwed together and/or welded.

Particularly advantageously, the upper face 14.3 of the box 14 serves as a seat for the users, the height and the depth thereof are therefore chosen according to the average height of the users. Preferably, the seat 17 is formed by one or more panels, at least part of which form the upper face 14.3 of the box. The seat can be wider than the box to improve user comfort. Preferably, the seat is formed by one or more wooden or chipboard panels improving the seating comfort of users.

As can be seen in the example of figure 1 And 4 , the seat 17 extends over the entire length and comprises a panel 17.1 suspended between the box and a console 19. The function of this panel will be described below.

The box 14 is configured to receive preferably steel ballasting elements 16. On the figure 1 , the ballast elements 16 are shown on the outside of the box before their insertion therein. The caisson 14 protrudes preferentially from the rear face of the shelter so as to improve the stability of the box, as is particularly visible on the figure 2 And 3 .

In this example, the box 14 has an opening 15 in its longitudinal end 14.1 for the positioning of the ballasting elements 16. This opening can be closed by a removable plate 18 and held in the closed position, for example by screws 21, the head of which is advantageously a wheel, allowing rapid assembly and disassembly of the plate. Alternatively, an anti-theft screw system can be installed.

In this example, the ballasting elements are preferably bars of rectangular section, for example made of steel. The length of the bars is adapted to the length of the box. In addition, the dimensions of the bars and their mass are adapted so that they can be handled by a single person, or even by two people.

For example, a 2.40 m bar weighs 19 kg and a 3.60 m bar weighs 29 kg.

The bars are easily inserted into the box through the opening 15, and removed through this opening 15. The bars are slid through the opening 15. The ballast mass, and therefore the number of bars, are fixed according to the instructions of the constructor.

As a variant, the casing has access via its rear face, for example a plate extending over the entire length and height of the casing is removable to allow the installation of the accumulators and electrical equipment.

The ballast elements are arranged in the box over its entire length to best distribute the mass of the ballast elements and improve the stability of the shelter.

On the figure 4 , one can see an advantageous embodiment of a metallic structure made of light metal.

In this example, the metal structure is advantageously produced by assembling identical basic vertical modules, facilitating manufacture and making it possible to produce shelters of different lengths in a simple manner. Thus the cost price can be reduced.

In this example, the structure comprises four identical vertical modules 20 connected by beams 22 intended to rest on the ground and by horizontal beams 24. The structure comprises two vertical end modules 20.1 and two interior vertical modules 20.2. In this example, two horizontal beams 24 extend between two modules. In the example shown, braces 32 connect two adjacent vertical elements increasing the rigidity of the structure. The braces are preferably bolted to the vertical modules.

Seen from the side, each vertical module 20 has substantially the shape of a C.

Each vertical module 20 comprises a horizontal crosspiece 26, a vertical post 28 fixed by its lower end to one end of the crosspiece and an inclined element 30 fixed by one end to the upper end of the vertical post 28, the inclined element 30 being intended to support the roof panels. In addition, each module comprises a rectangular frame 31 delimited by part of the horizontal crosspiece 26, part of the vertical post 28 and two bars 33.

The feet 12 are fixed to the horizontal crosspieces 26 of the vertical modules 20, for example two feet are provided per horizontal crosspiece. Preferably, the feet are of adjustable height allowing easy adaptation to variations in the ground.

The shelter also advantageously comprises handling means 34 allowing it to be lifted for its movement, for example for its loading onto a truck and its unloading from a truck.

In the example shown, the means 34 comprise two rings 36, one ring fixed to one 20.1 of the vertical end modules, in particular to the vertical post 28 and the other ring fixed to the other vertical end module 20.1, in particular to the vertical post 28. More particularly the rings 36 are fixed to the vertical beams. The rings are advantageously removable and can thus be removed after the installation of the shelter and then put back in place to manipulate the shelter again.

Thanks to this modular structure, the assembly of the shelter is relatively quick.

Between the vertical modules are set up panels 6 to close the bottom of the shelter. Preferably, two panels are placed between two modules, a panel 6.1 located inside the shelter and a panel 6.2 located outside the shelter. A free space is left between the panels 6.1, 6.2 which can be used for passages of electrical cables as will be explained below. Preferably, a free space is left between the roof and the upper edge of the panels 6.1, 6.2 to allow the passage of the wind.

The floor P preferably covers the horizontal crosspieces 26 of the vertical modules, providing a flat surface for the users and thus isolating the passengers from the ground. Water can flow between the floor and the ground due to the thickness of the crosspieces 26.

In this example, the floor P does not extend over the entire length of the shelter but over approximately 2/3 of it, providing access for a wheelchair or for one or more persons with reduced mobility.

A shelter in which the box and/or the floor extend(s) over the entire length of the shelter does not go beyond the scope of the present application.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, in this example the casing also covers only part of the shelter, also approximately 2/3 of it as the floor.

The panel 17.1 of the seat 17 can be lifted into a vertical position to facilitate housing a wheelchair. For example, the panel 17.1 is articulated by one or more hinges on the bottom of the shelter, more particularly on a connecting beam 24.

Very advantageously, the shelter can be provided with PV photovoltaic panels covering all or part of the roof, a battery B (shown in dotted lines) preferably housed in the box 14 and a lighting system E arranged on the top of the panels 6.1 to prevent damage, and electrical cables C (shown in dotted lines) housed between the panels 6.1, 6.2 connecting the battery B the PV panels and the lighting system E. Thus the shelter has its own source of electricity and does not need to be connected to a power supply circuit. the shelter can also be equipped with one or more display systems (not shown), such as a screen placed in or on the wall 6 of the bottom of the shelter, for example to display the timetables for public transport and /or advertising messages. Other equipment requiring an electrical power supply or not can equip the shelter.

The bus shelter according to the invention has very good wind resistance. Wind tunnel tests have shown that the shelter of the figure 1 with a ballast of 1000 kg could withstand a wind speed of 160 km/h without tipping over.

An example of the shelter manufacturing process figure 1 will now be described.

Each vertical module is constructed by assembling a horizontal crosspiece, a vertical post, an inclined beam, and bars 33. The assembly can be carried out by welding and/or bolting or partly by welding and partly by bolting.

The vertical modules are secured to each other by means of horizontal beams, connecting beams 24 and braces which are fixed by bolting and/or by welding.

One or more sheets forming the walls of the box are fixed to the front face of the box. The upper face is closed by the panels forming the seat 17. The rear face of the box is closed by a sheet 42 shaped so as to have a face parallel to the bottom panels 6 but in a remote plane as can be seen on the figure 2 And 3 . The box may or may not have a closed lower bottom. The longitudinal end of the box opening into the shelter is also closed by a sheet. The plate 18 is mounted on the other longitudinal end of the casing in a removable manner.

Then the bottom panels 6, the side panels and the panels forming the roof are fixed to the structure.

The shelter is ready to be set up.

The installation of the shelter will now be described.

The shelter is first loaded onto a truck for transport to its installation area. For this, slings are attached to the rings allowing the shelter to be moved by a crane or other suitable machine. Preferably, the shelter is equipped with means (not shown) guiding the cables so that they do not damage the shelter. These means are advantageously removable.

The shelter is placed on a platform of a truck.

The shelter is brought to its installation area and unloaded using the cables and is set up in the desired location.

The handling cables are removed, as well as the rings 36 and the guide means. The height of the feet is adjusted to compensate for the unevenness of the floor.

The plate 18 is removed and the ballast bars are introduced into the box by sliding them, the number of bars is chosen according to the need for ballast.

The shelter can be removed from its installation area by removing the ballasting elements, replacing the rings and possibly the guides, fixing the handling cables to the rings. The shelter can then be lifted and moved.

Thanks to the invention, the shelter to be moved has a reduced mass and can therefore be moved easily. In addition, the possibility of not moving the shelter with the ballast reduces the risk of damage to the structure.

It will be understood that it may be possible to move the already ballasted shelter if the truck supports such a load. In fact, the shape of the ballasting elements and their distribution mean that they limit the risk of damage to the shelter during its movement.

The displacement of the shelter can also be carried out by means of a lifting device equipped with a fork inserted, from the front or rear face, between the beams 26 ( figure 4 ); the point of balance is checked before any movement.

As explained above, it is easy to make shelters of different lengths by adding modules. Conversely the length of the module can be reduced. The distances between the vertical modules are not necessarily all equal. For example, a greater distance can be provided between the two interior vertical modules, for example to accommodate a screen therein, and smaller distances between an interior vertical module and an end module.

The metal reinforcement represented on the figure 4 is in no way limiting and other embodiments are possible. For example, a frame provided with four vertical posts connected, at their lower end, by stringers and crosspieces and, at their upper end, by beams so as to form a rectangular parallelepiped, does not come out of the frame. of the present invention.

Furthermore, the street furniture can have any shape, for example and without limitation a hexagonal, round, ovoid shape.

The invention has been described more particularly in the context of a bus shelter, but it will be understood that the invention applies to any other street furniture forming at least partial shelter for users, such as shelters for smokers in airports or shelters at the entrance to a beach, etc.

Furthermore, furniture that will be completely closed and equipped with an access door or a shelter comprising only a roof does not go beyond the scope of this application.

Claims (10)

Urban furniture, for example a bus shelter, intended to be moved, comprising a metal structure extending in a longitudinal direction, a roof (11), the said structure being sized to allow at least one person to take shelter , at least one box (14) located in a lower part of the structure and intended to rest on the ground, and one or more ballasting elements (16), said box (14) being configured to removably receive the weighting elements (16) for the stability of the construction, in which the box (14) extends longitudinally and has an opening (15) in one of its longitudinal end faces for the insertion and removal of a or more ballast elements (16). Street furniture according to claim 1, in which the opening of the box opens into a lateral end of the street furniture. Urban furniture according to claim 2, in which the ballasting element or elements (16) has or have the shape of a bar having a length substantially equal to that of the box. Urban furniture according to Claim 2 or 3, comprising a removable plate (18) closing off the said opening (15) of the box. Urban furniture according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the box (14) has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped extending in a longitudinal direction and is configured to serve as a seat for at least one user. Urban furniture according to Claim 5, in which the box (14) has a length less than a length of the structure so as to provide a space for a person in a wheelchair. Urban furniture according to claim 6, comprising at least one folding seat at the location for the wheelchair so as to be able to convert said location into a seat. Urban furniture according to one of Claims 1 to 7, comprising handling means, the said handling means comprising, for example, rings and guides for the handling cable, advantageously removable, configured to cooperate with a lifting device fitted with at least one handling cable. Street furniture according to one of Claims 1 to 8, in which the metal structure comprises several vertical modules assembled at least by side members and beams. Urban furniture according to one of claims 1 to 9, comprising an electric battery housed in the casing, at least one photovoltaic panel on or in the roof, a lighting system and electrical connections between the electric battery, the panel(s) photovoltaic and lighting system.

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