FR2721332A1 - Device for fixing supports for panels on wall - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (1) comprises a clamp (7) having a stationary jaw (8a) and a moving jaw (8b) that moves relative to the stationary jaw (8a), together with device for clamping the jaws (8a,8b) on the wall (4). The jaws have inside side faces designed to co-operate with the sloping side faces (6a,6b) of the wall (4) under the action of the clamping device in order to lock the device on the wall. The moving jaw (8b) is hinge-mounted on the stationary jaw (8a) in such a manner as to be able to pivot about a horizontal axis (9) situated in the top portion (10) of the clamp (7). The device includes locking/unlocking device (18) designed to lock the moving jaw (8b) relative to the stationary jaw (8a) in an installation position in which the jaws (8a,8b) are relatively closer together, their inside side surfaces making between them an angle that is equal to the angle (A) between the sloping slide faces (6a,6b) of the wall (4), and enabling the jaws (8a,8b) to be moved apart from each other towards a withdrawal position. There is an actuator device (20) for actuating the locking/unlocking device (19). The device for locking the jaws on the wall comprise a number of lugs (29) mounted on the jaws (8a,8b) in such a manner as to be capable of pivoting about corresponding axes (28) parallel to the pivot axis (9) of the jaws (8a,8b), the lugs (29) having end portions (30) suitable for projecting into the space (31) defined between the inside side surfaces of the jaws (8a,8b), the end portions (30) pointed into the space (31) and towards the top portion (10) of the clamp (7). There is a resilient device (33) exerting forces on the lugs (29) tending to cause them to tilt the end portions (30) downwards; and abutment device (32) for limiting the downward tilting of the end portions (30), whereby the end portions co-operate by friction with the sloping side faces (6a,6b) of the wall (4) when an upwardly-directed force is exerted on the device once mounted on the wall, while allowing the lugs free to slide over the lateral faces (6a,6b) while the clamp (7) in its installation position is being put into place on the wall.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a device for fixing supports

  signs, in particular road signs on concrete safety separating walls bordering the traffic lanes of roads or motorways. These separating walls are often called slides or rails. To date, various devices are known for attaching road signs to concrete slides. These devices are of two types, they are either fixing devices

  permanent, or devices with temporary fixation.

  The permanently attached device consists of a profile conforming to the shape of the slide. This profile is fixed in concrete by dowelling and bolting. This type of device has the disadvantage of not being quickly removable and of being usable only

  for so-called permanent or temporary long-term signaling.

  The temporary fixing device is used for the installation of short or medium duration signaling. The installation or dismantling of this type of device must be carried out in the shortest possible time, taking into account the working conditions.

  considered dangerous for personnel.

  Furthermore, the fixing of a temporary fixing device must not lead to a deterioration in the surface condition of the separating wall. Several panel support devices are known which are removable. These devices are stirrup-shaped and come

  hug the slide. One side of the bracket is fixed and the other side is mobile.

  The assembly is locked on the separating wall by tightening the two sides of the stirrup, or jaws, on the side walls of the wall to

  using a clamping system actuated by an operating lever.

  These removable devices have different levels of efficiency and have several drawbacks, in particular because of the dihedral shape cut from the separating wall and because of the smooth surface surface without reliefs of the oblique side walls of the wall. The possibilities of hooking the jaws are therefore limited. The clamping system is very stressed by the effects of the wind which exert forces on the panels mounted on these devices. These efforts can cause play and tilting of the assembly constituted by the panel and the device for fixing the panel support. At the slightest play in tightening the caliper jaws, the effectiveness of known devices

becomes doubtful.

  Furthermore, the installation of known devices calls for an action from an operator who must either push or pull a lever, or strike with a tool on a blocking piece, which is more or less well achieved depending on the force operator physics. On the other hand, these operations require certain attention from the operator and

  increase the duration of the intervention.

  The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fixing device which is easy to implement, both for installation and for removal, which does not require any special tool and which ensures better maintenance of the

  device on a separating wall by taking up play.

  The invention therefore relates to a device for fixing panel supports to a wall which has oblique side walls inclined outward and downward near its top, this device comprising a bracket which has a fixed jaw and a movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw as well as means for clamping said jaws on said wall, said jaws having internal lateral surfaces intended to cooperate with the oblique side walls of said wall under the action of said clamping means so

  to block said device on said wall.

  According to the invention, the device is characterized in that the movable jaw is mounted articulated on the fixed jaw so that it can pivot around a horizontal axis located in the upper part of said stirrup, by the fact that said device comprises: locking / unlocking means intended to immobilize the movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw in an installation position, position in which the jaws are brought closer to each other, their inner lateral surfaces forming between them an angle substantially equal to the angle of the oblique side walls of the wall, and to allow said jaws to be separated from one another towards a withdrawal position; and means for actuating the locking / unlocking means, and by the fact that the means for clamping the jaws on the wall comprise: a plurality of tabs mounted on said jaws so that they can pivot about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the jaws, said tabs having end portions capable of emerging in the space defined by the interior lateral surfaces of said jaws, said end portions being directed towards said space and towards the top stirrup; elastic means exerting on said cleats forces tending to tilt said end portions down; and abutment means for limiting the tilting of said end portions downwards, whereby said end portions cooperate by friction with the oblique side walls of the wall when a directed force is exerted on said device mounted on the wall upwards, and slide on said side walls during the

  placing the stirrup in the installation position.

  According to particular provisions of the invention, the locking / unlocking means comprise at least one articulated cam

on an axis of one of the jaws.

  The actuating means comprise a handle integral

of said cam.

  The handle / cam assembly tends to automatically put the jaws in the installation position under the action of its own weight when the space defined by the interior side walls of the jaws

  is free, the jaws pointing downwards.

  The cleats are distributed in several horizontal rows of cleats, the cleats of a row being rotatably mounted on a supported shaft

by the corresponding jaw.

  The abutment means comprise, for each row of cleats, a rod parallel to the shaft carrying the cleats of said row of cleats,

  and mounted on the corresponding jaw.

  The elastic means comprise compression springs interposed between said tabs and support plates which are provided

said jaws.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention

  will emerge on reading the following description given by way of example

  and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows a schematic section of a concrete slide on which is mounted the device according to the invention; - Figure 2 shows on a larger scale a front view of the device of the invention, part of the casing of the device being cut away for the sake of clarity; - Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device of the invention; and - Figure 4 shows in detail and in perspective the mounting of a

cleat on a jaw.

  In the drawings, the reference 1 shows a device for fixing a support 2 of panels 3a, 3b of road signs on a concrete wall 4 forming a safety barrier between two lanes or at the edge of a road or highway. This wall 4 has a top wall 5 on which are connected two oblique side walls 6a, 6b which form an angle between them A. The fixing device essentially comprises a stirrup whose vertical cross section has the shape of a U overturned. The lateral wings of the stirrup 7 are inclined parallel to the side walls 6a, 6b when the stirrup 7 is fixed to the top of the wall 4, and they have internal lateral surfaces which cooperate by friction or clamping with the oblique side walls 6a , 6b from wall 4 in the way

which will be described below.

  The stirrup 7 consists of two parts or jaws 8a, 8b articulated around a horizontal axis 9 located in the upper or upper part 10 of the stirrup 7. The jaw 8a is fixed and comprises two horizontal and parallel upper arms 11a , llb, intended to rest on the top 5 of the wall, each of these arms 11a, 11b has at one of its ends a tab inclined downwards, respectively 12a and 12b. The two legs 12a and 12b are connected by a plate 13. The axis 9 is located in the vicinity of the free end of the arms 1a and 1b.

  The jaw 8b is movable relative to the fixed jaw 8a.

  It also has two legs 14a and 14b inclined downwards and connected by a plate 15, and two horizontal arms 16a and 16b,

  internally adjacent to the legs 12a and 12b of the fixed jaw 8a.

  These two arms 16a and 16b are arranged above the underside of the arms 12a and 12b so as to allow the jaw to pivot.

  movable 8b relative to the fixed jaw 8a around the axis 9.

  As seen in Figures 2 and 3, a shaft 17 is pivotally mounted on the arms 12a and 12b of the fixed jaw 8a below the arms 16a, 16b of the movable jaw 8b. On this shaft 17 is mounted at least one cam 18 which cooperates with a plate 19 secured to an arm 16a or 16b of the movable jaw 8b. On the cam 18 is fixed a handle 20 which serves to actuate the cam 18 so that the jaws 8a and 8b can take two positions: an installation position of the stirrup 7, shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, in which the cross section of the stirrup is conformed to the section of the top of the wall 4, and a withdrawal position, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, in which the legs 16a, 16b of the movable jaw 8b are separated from the legs 14a , 14b of the fixed jaw 8a, the angle formed by the internal lateral surfaces of the jaws 8a and 8b then being greater than

  the angle A formed by the side walls 6a, 6b of the wall 4.

  Above the stirrup 7 is provided a fastening element 21 of the panel support 2. This fastening element 12 is fixed on the lugs 14a, 14b of the fixed jaw 8a. It comprises a horizontal lower plate 22 having a hole 23 and an upper portion 24 in the form of a handle having a second hole 25 disposed vertically from the hole 23. The panel support 2 is introduced through these holes 23, 25 and comes be housed in a cavity 26 provided in a plate 27 which connects the lower edges of the tabs 14a, 14b of the fixed jaw 8a. The shape of the imprint 26 allows the support of the panel support 2 to be in a desired orientation. A pin system, not shown in the drawings and integral with the fastening element 21 passes through the panel support 2, thus ensuring a security locking of the support 2 and

  its panel 3a, 3b on the device 1.

  According to an advantageous arrangement of the invention, the handle 20 is automatically moved by gravity into the low position. In this position of the handle 20, the tabs 16a, 16b of the movable jaw 8b are immobilized between the cam 18 and the lower plate 22 of the fastening element 21. In this configuration, the interior lateral surfaces of the jaws 8a and 8b , surfaces defined respectively by the internal edges of the tabs 14a and 14b, on the one hand, and by the internal edges of the tabs 16a and 16b, on the other hand, form between them an angle substantially equal to the angle A of the side walls obliques 6a, 6b of the wall 4. On the legs 14a, 14b of the fixed jaw 8a, as well as on the legs 16a, 16b of the movable jaw 8b, is fixed a plurality of shafts 28 parallel to the axis 9 ' articulation of the movable jaw 8b on the fixed jaw 8a. On each of the shafts 28 are mounted journalling a row of cleats 29 whose end portions 30 are directed upwards and towards the space 31 defined by the interior lateral surfaces of the jaws Sa and 8b, as well as rods 32 serving support lower than the cleats 29 and limiting the downward tilting of these cleats 29. Each cleat 29 is biased downwards by a compression spring 33 which is supported on a flat 36 connecting the two legs of the corresponding jaw. The spring 33 is guided by an axis 34 which is provided with the cleat or the corresponding flat. When the cleats 29 are supported on their rods 32, the end portions

  enter the space 31 defined above.

  As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 4, each cleat 29 has at one of its ends a bore for the passage of the shaft 28. The annular spacers 34a are provided between two tabs 29 in a row in order to maintain their spacing. The free end 35 of each cleat 29 has a semi-cylindrical shape and is

  parallel to the articulation axis 9 of the two jaws Sa and 8b.

  The inclined arrangement of the cleats 29 makes it possible to fit the device 1, in the installation position, on the top of the wall, the ends 35 of the cleats 29 then slide on the oblique and smooth walls 6a, 6b of the wall 4. If necessary , each cleat 29 pivots around its shaft 28 against its spring 33 and moves away from its support rod 32. When the device 1, in the installation position, is positioned on the top of the wall 4, the springs 33 exert on the tabs 29 sufficient compression forces to keep the ends 35 of the tabs 29 in abutment on the corresponding wall 6a, 6b of the wall 4. The

  device 1 is automatically blocked on the wall 4 by the cleats 29.

  The springs 33 are provided in such a way that the ends of the tabs 29 exert sufficient friction on the walls 6a, 6b of the wall 4 to allow the device to be held on the wall when a force urges the device 1 upwards, even in case of partial disengaging of the device 1. It should be noted that the rods 32 only serve to orient the tabs 29 properly when the device 1 is in the

  installation position and not fitted on the wall 4.

  It will be noted that the cleats 29 make it possible to automatically eliminate the play existing in the tightening of the fastening devices of the prior art and ensure permanent tightening of the device

1 on the wall 4.

  To remove the device 1, it suffices to reassemble the handle 20, which frees the movable jaw 8b, the legs 16a, 16b of which move outwards, the tabs 29 no longer cooperating with the walls 6a and 6b of the wall 4 , and to lift the device 1 using the handle 24 of the element

  fixing 21, holding the handle 20 in the high position.

  The handle 20 does not have a neutral position in the high position, which means that it falls by gravity as soon as it is released by the operator. This results in the automatic positioning of the stirrup 7 in the installation position when the handle 7 is released after removal of the device. The outer cheeks of the stirrup 7 are faired by the plates 13 and 15 which connect the legs 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b. Furthermore the handle

  20 is integrated into the template of the device.

Claims (9)

  1. Device for fixing supports (2) of panels (3a, 3b) on a wall (4) which has, near its top, oblique lateral walls (6a, 6b) inclined outwards and downwards, said device (1) comprising a bracket (7) which has a fixed jaw (8a) and a movable jaw (8b) relative to the fixed jaw (8a) as well as means for clamping said jaws (8a, 8b) on said wall ( 4), said jaws having inner side surfaces intended to cooperate with the oblique side walls (6a, 6b) of said wall (4) under the action of said clamping means in order to block said device on said wall, characterized in that the movable jaw (8b) is mounted articulated on the fixed jaw (8a) so that it can pivot around a horizontal axis (9) located in the upper part (10) of said stirrup (7), thereby that said device comprises: locking / unlocking means (18) intended to immobilizing the movable jaw (8b) relative to the fixed jaw (8a) in an installation position, position in which the jaws (8a, 8b) are brought together, their inner side surfaces forming between them an angle substantially equal to the angle (A) of the oblique side walls (6a, 6b) of the wall (4), and making it possible to separate said jaws (8a, 8b) from one another towards a position of withdrawal and actuation means (20) of the locking / unlocking means (19), and by the fact that the means for clamping the jaws on the wall comprise: a plurality of tabs (2-9) mounted on said jaws ( 8a, 8b) so that they can pivot about an axis (28) parallel to the pivot axis (9) of the jaws (8a, 8b), said tabs (29) having end portions ( 30) capable of emerging in the space (31) defined by the interior lateral surfaces of said jaws (8a, 8b), lesd ite end portions (30) being directed towards said space (31) and towards the upper part (10) of the stirrup (7); elastic means (33) exerting on said cleats (29) forces tending to tilt said end portions (30) downwards; and stop means (32) for limiting the tilting of said end portions (30) downwards, whereby said end portions cooperate by friction with the oblique side walls (6a, 6b) of the wall (4) when exerting on said device mounted on the wall an upwardly directed force, and slide on said side walls (6a, 6b)   when placing the bracket (7) in the installation position.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking / unlocking means comprise at least one   cam (18) articulated on an axis (17) of one of the jaws (8a, 8b).   3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the actuating means comprise a handle (20) integral with said cam (18).   4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the handle / cam assembly tends to automatically put the jaws (8a, 8b) in the installation position under the action of its own weight when the space (31 ) defined by the inner side walls of the jaws (8a, 8b) is free, said jaws being directed downwards.   5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the tabs (29) are distributed in several horizontal rows of tabs, the tabs of a row being mounted   rotating on a shaft (28) carried by the corresponding jaw (8a).   6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the stop means comprise for each row of lugs (29) a rod (32) parallel to the shaft (28) carrying the lugs (29) of said row   of cleats, and mounted on the corresponding jaw (8a).   7. Device according to any one of claims 5 or 6,   characterized by the fact that spacers (34a) are provided between the   cleats (29) of a row of cleats.   8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,   characterized by the fact that the elastic means comprise compression springs (33) interposed between said cleats (29) and plates   (36) support which are provided with said jaws (8a, 8b).   9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,   characterized in that the end portion (30) of the cleats (29) has an end (35) of semi-cylindrical shape parallel to the axis   (9) articulation of the jaws (8a, 8b).