GB2270885A

GB2270885A - A vehicle having a deployable access ramp

Info

Publication number: GB2270885A
Application number: GB9319514A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Grant Malcolm Lockhart
Original assignee: Omni Coach Ltd
Current assignee: Omni Coach Ltd
Priority date: 1992-09-23
Filing date: 1993-09-22
Publication date: 1994-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 2013-09-22
Also published as: GB2270885B; GB9319514D0

Abstract

A deployable access ramp (14) has at least one retractable guard rail (18) at the side of the ramp. In an illustrated embodiment, the ramp (14) is slidable out from under the floor (16) of the vehicle and two retractable guard rails (18), each in the form of a rod (24) freely slidable in a tube (26), are provided at the respective sides of the ramp. Alternatively the ramp may pivot about a horizontal hinge. A powered drive and manual back up is provided for moving the ramp. The ramp may be fitted to an ambulance, passenger vehicle, or minibus. <IMAGE>

Description

"A Vehicle having a Deployable Access Ramp".

This invention relates to a vehicle having a deployable access ramp, and particularly but not exclusively to a passenger coach or the like with easy access for persons in invalid chairs.

Passenger coaches and ambulances have been fitted with a lift to facilitate the loading of persons in invalid chairs, usually at their rear face. Passenger coaches have also been fitted with an access ramp for such chairs which is pivotable through approximately 180 degrees about a horizontal axis from a stowed position overlying the coach's floor into its deployed position. It has also been proposed to fit a passenger coach with an access ramp for persons in invalid chairs which is slideable out of and back into a side face of the coach, said coach having a pneumatic suspension system specially adapted to lower that side face of the coach from which the ramp is deployable.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for preventing a wheeled vehicle such as an invalid chair, or for reducing the risk of a person using a zimmer frame, crutches or a walking stick, from falling off the side of an access ramp.

According to the invention, a vehicle has a deployable access ramp with at least one retractable guard rail at the side of said ramp.

The movement of the ramp from its retracted to its deployed position may be linear or pivotal.

For example, the ramp may be pivotable outwardly and downwardly about a generally horizontal axis from a stowed position to its deployed position.

Thus the ramp may be stowed in a substantially vertical position closely parallel to an adjacent doorway and may pivot through approximately 90 degrees into its deployed position. However it is much preferred that the movement of the ramp be by sliding out from and back into the body of the vehicle.

When the ramp is deployable by sliding, it is preferably of a length approaching the full width of the vehicle. In this form, the ramp may then extend sufficiently far from the vehicle, preferably from the side of the vehicle, to allow passengers to mount the ramp from ground level, especially if there is a downward inclination to the ramp or if the side of the vehicle is able to be lowered as mentioned above. Such ground-level access is important in car parks and in areas where raised pavements are not provided or in situations where a close approach to the pavement is impeded, for example by a parked vehicle.

Movement of the ramp from its stowed position to its deployed position is preferably effected by means of a suitable powered drive. In particular, the ramp is preferably slidable by a rack and pinion means. As a less preferred alternative, the ramp may be slideable by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder means. Preferably the ramp drive is provided with a torque limiting device or other means to prevent the ramp from being extended further if it encounters an obstruction while it is being extended.

It is also possible, though less desirable, to provide only a manual means for deploying the ramp. However, when a powered drive is provided for moving the ramp from its stowed to its deployed position and back again, a standby manual means is preferably also provided, to retract and/or extend the ramp in the event of failure of the powered drive.

Preferably, the vehicle has a pneumatic suspension system adapted to lower that face of the vehicle, for example one side, especially the near side, of the vehicle, from which the ramp is deployable.

At least one retractable guard rail is provided at the side of the ramp. Very preferably, two retractable guard rails are provided at the respective sides of the ramp. In order to avoid undue repetition, the invention will be described hereinafter as having two said guard rails but it should be understood that, except where circumstances dictate otherwise, the description is equally applicable to a ramp having a single guard rail.

Preferably the guard rails are telescopic.

For example, each guard rail may comprise a rod freely slidable in a tube. Preferably each guard rail is pivotally connected at its one end to the outer end of the ramp and at its other end to a point on the body of the vehicle spaced above the ramp. Particularly when the ramp is relatively long, the guard rails may extend from points near to the top of the doorway.

To further assist access of the ramp users into and from the vehicle, a handle may be fixed to that side of one or both of the guide rails which is uppermost when the ramp is deployed.

When the guide rails are stowable in a generally vertical position at the sides of the vehicle doorway, that handle or handles may assist access to and from the vehicle when the ramp is retracted.

Alternatively, one or more additional handles may be provided for that purpose, on the vehicle and/or on the guide rails.

In one form of the invention, the exhaust pipe of the vehicle is directed to pass through the chamber or area of the vehicle wherein the ramp is stowed when not in use, for example under the floor of the vehicle. In this way, the ramp may be protected against the risk of ice forming on its surface.

The vehicle according to the present invention is preferably a passenger coach, the ramp then preferably being deployable from a doorway thereof, preferably in a side of the vehicle. However, it may alternatively be a minibus or an ambulance.

As a further alternative, the vehicle may be a van or truck with an access ramp for sack-carts fork-lift trucks, skid-steer loaders or other small wheeled vehicles.

The access ramp further is of particular value to allow persons with heavy luggage, for example at airports or railway stations, or with push-chairs, to gain easy access to a vehicle.

One preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view of part of a side face of a passenger coach with an access ramp deployed therefrom.

Referring now to the drawing, a passenger coach has a doorway 10 in its near-side face 12 for safe passenger access directly from the pavement.

A ramp 14, shown in deployed position, which provides easy access for disabled persons, is slideable out of and back into a space between the floor 16 and the underside of the coach's body by rack and pinion means (not shown) operated by an electric motor, the rack being disposed in the middle of the underside of the ramp 14 and shielded from contamination by dirt and water thrown up from the road and heated against the risk of icing up by the vehicle exhaust pipe being passed into the ramp stowage space. In order to prevent a person in an invalid chair, or to reduce the risk of a person using a zimmer frame, crutches or a walking stick, from falling off the side of the ramp 14, said ramp is provided at its respective sides with guard rails, indicated generally at 18, which are automatically extendible and retractable as the ramp is slid out of and back into the coach's body. Each of the guard rails 18 is telescopic and pivotally connected at one end to a point 20 at the outer end of the ramp 14 and at the other end to a point 22 on the coach's body spaced above said ramp. More specifically, each guard rail 18 consists of a rod 24 freely slideable in a tube 26. The dimensions are such that when the ramp 14 is slid back into the coach's body, the rods 24 slide into the tubes 26 whilst said tubes pivot into substantially vertical stowed positions adjacent the sides of the doorway 10.

Said doorway is fitted with a door (not shown) which can be closed without fouling the stowed tubes 26, such as a door of the known centre-pivoted jack-knife type. The coach has a pneumatic suspension system adapted by the provision of special control valve means to lower the near-side of the coach so that the ramp 14 can be deployed horizontally relative to the coach and then tilted together with the coach so that its outer end is disposed virtually at pavement or ground level. The door, the ramp 14 and the suspension system are all operated remotely from the coach driver's seat, from which said ramp is visible.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. A grab handle, for example of inverted U-shape, can be fixed to that side of each tube 26 which is uppermost when the ramp 14 is deployed. The ramp 14 can be deployed from the rear face of a vehicle instead of a side face thereof.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a deployable access ramp and having at least one retractable guard rail at the side of said ramp.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the movement of the access ramp to its deployed position is by pivotting about a generally horizontal pivot.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the access ramp is moved from a stowed position to its deployed position by sliding.

4. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the length of the access ramp approaches the full width of the vehicle.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the movement of the access ramp to its deployed position is by means of a powered drive.

6. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said powered drive comprises a rack and pinion means.

7. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said powered drive comprises pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder means.

8. A vehicle as claimed in any of Claims 5 to 7, wherein said powered drive is provided with a torque limiting device to prevent further extending of the ramp.

9. A vehicle as claimed in any of Claims 5 to 8, wherein a standby manual means to retract and/or extend the ramp is also provided.

10. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, having two said retractable guard rails at the respective sides of the ramp.

11. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each guard rail is telescopic.

12. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the or each guard rail comprises a rod freely slidable in a tube.

13. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each guard rail is pivotally connected at its one end to the outer end of the ramp and at its other end to a point on the body of the vehicle spaced above the ramp.

14. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the or each said guard rail extends from a point near to the top of the doorway.

15. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, having a handle fixed to that side of a guard rail which is upperm6st in the deployed position of the ramp.

16. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the exhaust pipe of the vehicle is directed to pass through a chamber or area of the vehicle wherein the ramp isstowed.

17. A vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which is a passenger coach, a minibus or an ambulance.

18. A vehicle having a deployable access ramp, said vehicle being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.