FR3090713A1 - Removable fall protection device vis-à-vis openings on the ground, serving as a passageway and adaptable to different dimensions of openings - Google Patents

Abstract

Universal telescopic hopper device characterized by two modules: a male (a) and another female (b), interconnected by one or more slide links (c) placed longitudinally in the telescoping direction, and a fixing system (k ) of the position of the two modules. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Description

Title of the invention: Removable fall protection device vis-à-vis openings on the ground, serving as a passageway and adaptable to different dimensions of openings

The invention relates to a removable fall protection device vis-à-vis openings formed on the ground, serving as a passageway and adaptable to different dimensions of openings characterized by a longitudinal adjustment device combined with a clamping and transverse modularity.

State of the techniques: The fall protection devices for people opposite the opening formed on the ground or on the slabs of structures under construction, listed in the public domain can be distinguished according to several technological families: - A first relative family of railings which protects the opening around its entire periphery,

- A second family relating to the traps and reservations on the ground (also called hoppers) for which several sub-families are to be considered:

= Use of wooden plates = Use of Sheets, = Use of Grids.

Relating to the bodyguards at the periphery of the openings: these are reserved for the passage of people from a level N to a level N + l. The devices still have railing technologies that are rigidly attached to the formed opening which then acts as a hopper. These bodyguards are combined either with a ladder which is surrounded by a circular protection or not, or with a staircase with a ramp. Patent EP0402214A1 “Device for protecting access to a ladder from an upper floor” proposes such a principle. The downside is that not all openings are accesses and do not have railings. Another drawback is that the bodyguards are obstacles to traffic on the N + 1 level.

Relating to the hatches and ground reservations:

- According to the principles cited, the principle of hoppers made of wooden plates is characterized in that the wooden plates are simply placed on the opening. The disadvantage is that these plates are not maintained sufficiently in the horizontal plane and that they can be moved inadvertently which is a source of danger for people circulating on the level N + l which by lack of vigilance or thinking that the protection is present can fall through these doors or reservations. It is also a source of danger for people traveling on level N-l as they can receive the plate or any other object through the opening. Trays can also be positioned at the locations of the openings. These have an additional disadvantage in that they have a thickness which prevents circulation in the event that they are placed on the ground.

- Sheet hoppers are also widely used. This type of device has the advantage of allowing better resistance to bending to allow circulation. Another advantage is that the weight of the sheets reduces the risk of the protection moving over the opening. The downside is that the risk of moving the sheet cannot be completely ruled out and the dangers associated with these risks are even greater than the use of a wooden plate.

- The principle of grid hopper is represented by patent W02003106780 "Device for mounting obstruction means on the edge of an opening" which has an advantage in that it stops the travel of a solid body. The drawback of this device is that it lets objects smaller than the grid mesh pass. Another drawback is linked to the fact that the mechanical strength is limited for uses on the horizontal plane, in particular in the case of passage with a loaded wheelbarrow. If a drawback presented by the said patent is that it must be fixed in the thickness of the opening so as not to impede circulation at the N + 1 level, other similar devices incorporate a support which is freed from this constraint . Finally, this type of device has a non-adjustable surface area which requires as many grids as there are types of opening.

Another variant of the hopper, as shown in patent EP1903164A1, is that the tray has a raised hatch which can be raised if necessary to let a person or objects pass, but this hatch itself becomes a risk if it is not closed after use.

The above devices are commonly placed so as to fill the void on the upper level, according to a principle that they are placed flush with the protected level and do not constitute a step which could be cause of destabilization of people that circulate on these sites. To do this, the periphery of the hopper has doughs or other systems that come to rest on the perimeter of the ground opening.

In the state of knowledge, there is no hopper device adjustable in its length, so that the known devices have the disadvantages of having to have many dimensions to satisfy the filling of the openings formed, the latter being of very different sizes and not standardized.

In conclusion, having regard to existing principles, the known technologies are constrained in that either:

- All the openings are not accesses and do not have railings;

- Bodyguards are obstacles to traffic on level N + l;

- The raised hatch itself becomes a risk if it is not closed;

- The plates are not held sufficiently in the horizontal plane;

- There is a thickness which prevents circulation in the event that they are placed on the ground.

- There is a risk of displacement of the sheet

- The grids allow objects of smaller size to pass through the grid mesh.

- The mechanical resistance of the grids is limited for horizontal use.

- The device must be fixed in the thickness of the opening so as not to impede circulation at level N + l.

- Devices have a non-adjustable surface area requirement. It is to remedy the many aforementioned drawbacks that the present invention is intended.

Presentation of the invention: The invention relates to a universal telescopic hopper device consisting of two modules: a male (a) and another female (b), interconnected by one or more slide connections (c ) placed longitudinally in the telescoping direction.

Each module receives longitudinal structural elements (d) which can also act as a slide link (c), these elements being placed symmetrically so as to be able to slide into each other and thus participate in the mechanical strength of the together, in that the overlap (e) produced by the sliding connection between the two modules makes a transverse force recovery perpendicular to the plane of the level of the structure slab under construction.

The transverse structural elements (f) of the two modules are intended to take up the cutting forces resulting from the distributed or point load placed on the device; they are preferably placed at the outer ends (g) of the modules to both ensure the position of the device in the opening (h) without risk of lifting or displacement, and so as not to infringe the telescoping stroke.

Other reinforcing elements (i) are arranged on either side of the structure, without handicapping the telescoping action of the longitudinal structural elements. They also have the function of maintaining the geometry of the longitudinal structural elements which fit into one another, thus serving as bracing. Among the reinforcing elements (i), the platforms (j) of the modules cover all or part of the surface of the device.

The device receives a fixing system (k) of the position of the two modules which constitute it, to secure them in their position once the device is placed in the opening of the structure slab, so as to avoid any position retraction and a fixing acting both in support and in clamping (the clamping causing an opposite force on both sides of the masonry reserve constituting the opening), which avoids the rise of the plate by friction on the thickness of the reservation made of the opening made.

The fastening systems can take several forms, while they can be placed in several places of the device, for example:

- Screw in the axis of deployment of the modules, with locking systems in position (nuts, additional locknuts to the nut, nut locking pins. ·. ·),

- Pawns, pins, racks placed on rails in the central position and / or on the periphery in the longitudinal directions,

- Knee pads making lateral clamping on the sides or between the modules ...

The method of implementing the device consists of placing them next to each other as long as the hole in the structure slab under construction is not filled.

As an accessory, and according to the principle of compensation of the part remaining to be filled once all of the added devices placed one next to the other or nested in any direction (for example perpendicularly) to fill the void , the device can receive one or two additional plates (1) fixed to the female module (b) by pivot connections.

In this case a first plate (Γ) is placed directly on the female module (b) and connected to the latter by pivot connections (m) in the lateral position of the device; so that when not unfolded, the plate rests on the upper surface of the female module (b).

Another plate (1 ”) is also positioned on this plate, which is also held by pivot connections (n) to the first plate (Γ), the position of the second pivot connections (n) being between the plates. -same and perpendicular to the first pivotal connections (m); so good :

- that in the folded position, the second plate (1 ”) is placed on the first plate (Γ), the latter being placed on the surface of the female module (b),

- in the unfolded position, the first plate (Γ) compensates for the vacuum of width remaining within the limit of the length of the first female module (b) and the second plate (l ”) is then deployed filling the rest of the part to protect;

These plates can come to bear either on the surrounding structural or structural elements, or even in support of devices placed on the opening.

The advantage of these additional plates is also to be able to act as an access hatch, in particular when a reservation is made between two devices placed in the opening, which should be filled by the deployment of the plates, while in case of need to access from one level to another, the second plate can be raised to act as a hatch. The use of the module does not impose any particular meaning, so that depending on how it is placed, the position of the hatch is changed in its location.

Figures:

[fig.l]: overview of the device and its two modules without platform

[fig.2]: device with platforms covering all the modules

[fig.3]: device with platforms partially covering the device

[fig.4]: device with additional platforms in closed position on the female module

[fig.5]: device with additional first platform in the unfolded position

[fig.6]: device with the two additional platforms in the unfolded position

[fig.7]: placing the devices next to each other until the hole in the structure slab under construction is not filled

[fig.8]: placing the devices next to each other as long as the hole in the structure slab under construction is not filled, with unfolding of the additional platforms between two modules

[fig.9]: placing the devices next to each other as long as the hole in the work slab under construction is not filled, with unfolding of additional platforms on the perimeter of the work slab under construction

[fig.10]: positioning of the devices in different positions

Glossary:

a) Male module

b) Female module

c) Slide connection

d) Longitudinal structural elements

e) Overlapping modules

f) Transversal structural elements

g) External ends of the modules

h) Opening

i) Reinforcement elements

j) Platforms

k) Fixing system

1) Two additional plates (1) attached to the female module: 1 ’first plate, 1’ second plate

m) First pivotal connections

n) Second pivotal connections

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Universal telescopic hopper device characterized by two modules: a male (a) and another female (b), interconnected by one or more slide links (c) placed longitudinally in the telescoping direction, and a fixing system (k ) of the position of the two modules. [Claim 2] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that each module receives longitudinal structural elements (d) which can also act as slide connection (c), these elements being placed symmetrically so as to be able to slide into one another and thus participate in the mechanical strength of the assembly, in that the overlap (e) produced by the slide connection between the two modules takes up a transverse force recovery and perpendicular to the level plane of the structure slab under construction . [Claim 3] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that the modules receive transverse structural elements (f) which are intended to take up the cutting forces resulting from the distributed or point load placed on the device; they are preferably placed at the outer ends (g) of the modules to both ensure the position of the device in the opening (h) without risk of lifting or displacement, and so as not to infringe the telescoping stroke. [Claim 4] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that the modules receive other reinforcing elements (i) are arranged on either side of the structure, without handicapping the telescoping action of the longitudinal structural elements. [Claim 5] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that the fixing system (k) of the position of the two modules which constitute it, secures them in their position once the device is placed in the opening of the structure slab , so as to avoid any retraction of position and a fixing acting both in support and in clamping, which avoids the rise of the plate by friction over the thickness of the reservation made of the opening formed. [Claim 6] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that the method of implementing the device consists in placing them next to each other as long as the hole in the work slab under construction is not filled. [Claim 7] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 1 characterized in that the latter can receive one or two additional plates (1) fixed to the female module (b) by pivot connections. [Claim 8] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 7 characterized in that a first plate (Γ) is placed directly on the female module (b) and connected to the latter by pivot connections (m) in the lateral position of the device; so that when not unfolded, the plate rests on the upper surface of the female module (b). [Claim 9] Universal telescopic hopper device according to claim 7 and 8 characterized in that on the first plate, is positioned another plate (1 ”) also held by pivot connections (n) to the first plate (Γ), the position second pivot connections (n) occurring between the plates themselves and perpendicular to the first pivot connections (m); so good : - that in the folded position, the second plate (1 ”) is placed on the first plate (Γ), the latter being placed on the surface of the female module (b), - in the unfolded position, the first plate (Γ) compensates for the vacuum of width remaining within the limit of the length of the first female module (b) and the second plate (l ”) is then deployed filling the rest of the part to protect. 1/5