ES2376810A1 - Stairs adaptable for use by disabled persons - Google Patents

Abstract

Especially designed to allow the wheelchairs in which disabled persons move to pass from a lower level to a higher level and vice-versa, although it is also valid for mothers, with trolleys whether of babies, shopping, etc. or for any other similar application the stairs have steps which can move upward and/or downward to be positioned coplanarly and establish a platform, whereto the disabled person's wheelchair can directly access, allowing this by horizontal raising and/or lowering of this platform to pass from one floor level to another. For this purpose, it is provided that each step is supported by a scissor structure, associated to a mechanism, preferably formed by a motor and a spindle, making it possible to simultaneously raise and/or lower, and in controlled fashion, all the steps to form the platform of direct access of the disabled person's chair.

Description

Adaptable ladder for passing disabled.

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a ladder adaptable for disabled people, intended to allow disabled people who move in a wheelchair can pass from a level to another autonomously, without the help of third parties and without any type of difficulty The device is equally valid for mothers with carts, whether for babies, shopping, etc, or for any Another similar application.

The object of the invention is to transform a ladder on a lifting platform so that the wheelchair of disabled people can overcome the insurmountable obstacle that the ladder in normal use position. The platform on which it is transformable the ladder can also descend and allow with this means that the disabled person in his wheelchair can access both the upper level or plane as at the lower level or floor plan.

Background of the invention

The architectural barrier that the disabled stairs that move in a wheelchair, greatly limit their mobility, since when in their path meet a ladder, it is impossible to save This barrier.

Faced with this problem, such measures are taken as ramps, specific elevators designed for this purpose, etc., as alternative means to the stairs to enable the transit of the disabled in a wheelchair, between different levels, although these solutions only partially solve the problematic

However, systems based on the construction of transformable stairs, in which its steps they can adopt a coplanar position, thus allowing the access to a platform that can be raised and / or lowered to be able to be in correspondence with the level of an upper floor or with the level of a lower floor, and thereby allow the chair to Disabled wheels can travel smoothly.

Specifically, in European Patent 2147559 it is describes a set of stairs / lifting apparatus for people with the stated purpose, where the stair steps are related to articulated elements forming a mechanism which makes it possible to arrange all the steps in the same plane, to that in combination with a platform associated with the whole of the mechanism, allow the passage of the wheelchair from one level to another, after positioning the chair on the initial platform to through the platform formed by the steps in position coplanar

This European Patent describes several alternatives in regards to the materialization of the ladder and to the elements to position the steps in one way or another, although always with the common denominator of enormous complexity of the set of elements involved, linking and form of carry out the positioning of the steps, which together with the initial platform supposes a high volumetric occupation and therefore much more space for the implementation of the staircase, which It is unfeasible in certain places.

Description of the invention

The ladder that has been recommended has been conceived to solve the problem described above, being also made in a simple, simple way and with a structure that occupies a reduced space, which allows its implementation in any part in which its use is necessary.

The adaptable ladder of the invention is constitutes by a plurality of steps, as it is conventional, but empowered in this case with the ability to move vertically upward and / or downward, from independently, and synchronized, to establish a platform which can be accessed by the wheelchair of a disabled person, for that it can be placed at a higher level or at a lower level with respect to the ground, after ascending and / or descending displacement of the commented platform formed by said mobile steps.

From these characteristics, the ladder of the invention presents a series of particularities from which the advantages referred to above are derived.
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One of the characteristics of the staircase of the invention is that the lifting / lowering structure of each step is physically independent from the rest, although they will be synchronized, and it is materialized, in each case, with a kind of scissor mechanism whose arms are actuated to raise and / or descend the respective step, by a mechanism consisting of an electric motor with a spindle that extend or retract the step support scissors, raising or descending this one.

Obviously that drive mechanism it can be replaced by hydraulic and / or pneumatic means that Perform the same function. Similarly, it is possible to arrange a alternative mechanism with the location of machinery housed in the lateral boxes, so that the occupation of the fund is avoided down the stairs.

Through proper movement control of the different drive motors of the different steps are get each of these down to the lower extreme level, that is to say until coplanaries remain with the plane of the lower step and embedded in the ground, leaving all the steps coplanarly to establish a ground level platform, to which you can seamlessly access a disabled wheelchair or a handicapped person, so that maintaining the horizontality of such platform, it can occupy, by promotion, the upper level by simultaneous operation of all scissors and with the same intensity, thus allowing the disabled to access That higher level.

Obviously, transit from a level higher than another lower one will be done in reverse.

Finally say that the ladder can be complement with an articulated, protective railing or safety, for cases where there is a risk of frontal fall during platform lifting and / or lowering operations formed by the set of steps of the ladder itself.

Description of the drawings

To complement the description that then it will be done and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical realization thereof, is accompanied as an integral part of that description, a set of drawings in where illustrative and not limiting, it has been represented the next:

Figure 1.- Shows a representation corresponding to a schematic front perspective of a form of realization of the stairs, seeing the first step flush with the ground plane represented in dashed line.

Figure 2.- Shows a representation corresponding to a later perspective of the same ladder of the previous figure, seeing part of the scissor structures step support.

Figure 3.- Shows a representation corresponding to a perspective like the one in figure 1, with the steps in the down position, forming the coplanar platform with the ground

Figure 4.- Shows a representation corresponding to a side elevation of a step with the structure Extended scissor and drive mechanism.

Figure 5.- Corresponds to a detail in perspective of part of the scissor drive mechanism of each step, consisting essentially of an engine and a spindle

Figure 6.- Shows a representation corresponding to a side view of the scissors of a step in folded position.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

In the referred figures you can see a ladder (1) with a plurality of steps (2) capable of move independently vertically. Each step (2) is supported by a scissor structure (3) that is removable and extensible to descend and / or ascend, respectively.

Said scissor structures (3) are driven by a mechanism preferably formed by a motor (4) and a spindle (5), so that it runs through a nut located and fixed in a carriage formed by a block central (6) that will incorporate the corresponding nut spindle (5), with a transverse arm (7) at whose ends are established joints (9) of the scissors (3), so that depending on the direction of rotation of the spindle (5) and therefore the direction of travel of said carriage (6), the corresponding scissors (3) will extend or retract to produce, in action of extensibility, the elevation of the respective step (2), while that in the retraction action the descent of the step (2). As is evident and can be seen in Figure 5, the Joints (9) incorporate extreme wheels for sliding by corresponding guides (11) established in the side profiles corresponding support.

According to the characteristics mentioned, when the ladder (1) is in the position of use as seen in Figures 1 and 2, and where it can also be seen that the step (2) is flush with the ground (8), as depicted in the Figures 1 and 3, in the case of wanting to pass to a higher level on the part of a disabled person in a wheelchair, it will be necessary to operate the drive motors (4) of the different structures of scissors (3) support of the steps (2), logically making a motion control of the engines to get all rungs (2) are coplanarly positioned at the same level, forming a bottom platform (10) flush with the bottom step (2), as it is seen in figure 3, on whose platform a chair can be located of handicapped wheels to later raise the platform referred (10), that is simultaneously all the steps (2) with the aforementioned engine control, which can be achieved through timely synchronization, reaching said platform (10) the level above which you can directly access and transit in it the wheelchair.

Claims (3)

1. Adaptable ladder for disabled people, which is intended to allow wheelchairs in which the disabled people can move from a lower level to a higher level and vice versa, levels related to each other by the ladder itself, which It has steps that allow to move up and / or down to be coplanarly located and establish a platform that can be accessed directly by the handicapped chair, allowing it by elevation and / or horizontal descent of this platform the passage of a level to another of floors, it is characterized in that each step is supported by an actionable scissor structure, in each case, associated with a mechanism consisting preferably of a motor and a spindle, allowing to raise and / or descend simultaneously and in a controlled manner all steps to form the direct access platform of the disabled chair. 2. Adaptable ladder for disabled people, according to previous claims, characterized in that the drive mechanism of each step is capable of being constituted by pneumatic and / or hydraulic elements. 3. Adaptable ladder for disabled people, according to previous claims, characterized in that it incorporates an articulated safety railing.