GB2404413A - Gate assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A gate assembly comprises a pivot housing <B>120,</B> a longitudinal member <B>30</B> rotatably attached to the pivot housing and extending therefrom and a first locating member <B>50</B> projecting from the pivot housing and adapted for engagement with a corresponding gate hanger <B>60</B> projecting from a gate support <B>70</B>. The pivot housing <B>120</B> may be rotatably engaged with the gate hanger <B>60.</B> There may be two or more longitudinal members <B>30</B> projecting from the pivot housing <B>120.</B> The gate assembly may also comprise a restraining member <B>90</B> for receiving the or each longitudinal members at a distal end to the pivot housing <B>120</B>. Rotation of the or each longitudinal member <B>30</B> may be automated and powered. The rotation of the or each longitudinal member <B>30</B> may be actuated remotely.

Description

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BARRIER

The present invention relates to a barrier or gate system and in particular, an automated or manually powered barrier or gate system for controlling the passage of animals, people, vehicles and the like from one area to another.

It is well known to demarcate territory and control access to restricted areas using gates or barriers. For example, farmers use gates provided in boundary fences, hedgerows, walls and the like to control the passage of, for example, animals, humans and vehicles across the boundary. Gates and barriers are also typically employed to restrict human and/or vehicular access to car parks, garages, work places, and similarly restricted areas.

There are many designs of gates used in the prior art, but most comprise a metal or wooden structure mounted on a support post and pivotable about the longitudinal axis of the support post between an open and closed position.

Whilst this traditional style of gate is popular, particularly for use on farmland, such gates require a significant semi-circular area of clearance within which to open, due to the width of the gate pivoting about the support post. For example, such gates may prove impractical in heavily wooded areas or where building or landscaping restricts the clearance area available for such a gate to swing open. In addition, it can often be impractical or awkward to open such swing gates into areas in which cattle or sheep or the like are being held.

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A further disadvantage of such swing gates is the time and effort required to operate them, particularly where it is necessary to repeatedly open and close the gate. For example, when used in a farm-type setting, the farmer is typically using a vehicle such as a tractor. On encountering the gate, the farmer must stop and exit the vehicle, approach and open the gate, possibly after clearing farm animals away from the gate, re-enter the vehicle and drive through the gate entrance, stop and exit the vehicle again and return to the gate to close it. Clearly this operation carried out several times each journey or day wastes a lot of the farmer's time and effort.

A proposed prior art solution to this problem is a gate which opens in a vertical direction, thereby avoiding the need for a large clearance area around the support post.

One such prior art vertical lift gate system comprises a gate mounted on a support arrangement such that the gate may be opened by pivoting the gate in its entirety about 90 , either manually or by an automated winch mechanism. However, such a mechanism still requires a degree of clearance on the opposite side of the support post, into which one end of the gate is rotated in use. Furthermore, this pivotal movement not only puts significant stress on the pivotal mounting connection between the gate and the support post, but also, if actuated manually, requires a substantial degree of strength to lift the gate about the pivot point into the open position relative to the support post. It may be possible to use a lightweight gate, but this would not be practical where the gate must act as a barrier, for example, À..e cec.. .e where it is necessary to contain or restrain animals or humans, or even act as a barrier for vehicles along a roadway.

Furthermore, such a gate cannot simply replace an existing swing gate, as substantial modifications are required to the gate support in order to provide appropriate fittings to allow the gate to be mounted. This adds to both the time and costs of installing such a gate arrangement.

There is therefore a need for a gate or barrier system which addresses the problems

of the prior art.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a gate assembly for attachment to a gate hanger which projects from a gate support, the gate assembly comprising a pivot housing, a longitudinal member rotatably attached to the pivot housing and which extends therefrom, and a first locating member projecting from the pivot housing, the locating member being adapted for engagement with a corresponding gate hanger which projects from a gate support.

By means of the locating members, the gate assembly may be attached to any conventional gate hangers provided on any suitable gate-support, such as, for example, a gate-post, a wall, barrier, fence or the like. In this way, no custom- made or specifically dimensioned attachment fixtures need be applied to a gate support before the gate assembly may be attached in place, as the gate assembly can be simply attached to the gate support by means of the conventional hangers eeee' .:e c.e We... etc. À typically used to hang gates and barriers. Furthermore, to replace an existing gate, all that is required is for the existing gate to be removed and the gate assembly according to the present invention hung on the existing hangers and secured in place.

The pivotal attachment of the longitudinal member to the pivot housing allows the longitudinal member to be rotatably moved relative to the pivot housing thereby raising the longitudinal member into a position where it is no longer causing an obstruction.

Preferably, the first locating member is adapted for rotatable engagement with the corresponding gate hanger.

In this way, the entire gate assembly may be rotatably moved about a gate support, thereby allowing the gate assembly to also be operable in the manner of a conventional swing gate.

Preferably, the gate assembly comprises at least two longitudinal members rotatably attached to the pivot housing and extending therefrom, the longitudinal members being substantially parallel to one another. As the longitudinal members are rotatably attached to the pivot housing, the two longitudinal members may be pivoted about their attachment points to the pivot housing whilst remaining parallel, such that the longitudinal members may be moved relative to the pivot housing into a raised "open" configuration, in which the longitudinal members A. t.e.e become closer together and assume a collapsed configuration, thereby taking up less space and providing less obstruction to the open gateway. Furthermore, as the longitudinal members assume a collapsed configuration, less clearance space is required around the gate assembly for movement of the longitudinal members relative to the pivot housing than is required for the opening and closing of

conventional prior art gate arrangements.

The longitudinal members may be attached to the pivot housing at respective attachment points such that each attachment point is displaced relative to an adjacent longitudinal member in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal member as well as in the direction transverse to the longitudinal axis or the longitudinal member.

By stepping the location of the attachment points of the longitudinal members to the pivot housing, on rotational movement of the longitudinal members relative to the pivot housing, the longitudinal members will avoid obstruction of the rotational path of the remaining longitudinal members, thereby facilitating a more efficiently collapsed configuration of the raised longitudinal members, such that the longitudinal members occupy less space and therefore provide less of an obstruction to the gateway.

Preferably, the gate assembly further comprises a restraining member for receiving the or each longitudinal member at an end distail to the pivot housing. The restraining member serves to hold the gate assembly in a closed configuration, a. .' ..e.e À' eea.

thereby preventing the gate from swinging about the gate hanger when attached to a gate hanger of a gate support.

The restraining member may comprise any suitable means for holding the longitudinal member of the gate assembly in a closed configuration, such that the gate assembly provides an obstruction across a gateway. For example, the restraining member may comprise a socket within which a portion of one or more of the longitudinal members is received. Alternatively, the restraining member may comprise a channel within which a portion of one or more of the longitudinal members may be received. However, it will be appreciated that any suitable means for receiving a portion of one or more of the or each of the longitudinal members, available to the skilled person and commonly known in the art, may be used.

Preferably the restraining member further comprises a releasable locking means operable to prevent release of the or each longitudinal member held within the restraining members. In this way, unintended rotational movement of all or part of the gate assembly may be prevented. The releasable locking means may prevent release of the or each longitudinal member in either a upward direction relative to the pivot housing, or may prevent movement of the longitudinal member and pivot housing relative to a gate hanger projecting from a gate support. Alternatively, the releasable locking means may be operable to prevent release of the or each longitudinal member in either of the aforementioned directions.

d' a' e. :. : if: .# " r ', The restraining member may further comprise a stopping pin to support the or each longitudinal member when received within the restraining member. In this way, additional provision exists to help support the weight of the gate assembly when in the closed position. At least one of the longitudinal members of the gate assembly when in the closed position will rest on top of the stopping pin. The stopping pin further supports additional weight applied to the gate, for example, in the event that a person stands, sits or climbs over the gate assembly or applies any additional weight to the gate assembly in any way whatsoever.

The gate assembly may further comprise a second locating member rotatably attached to the pivot housing and extending therefrom, the or each longitudinal member being attached to the pivot housing at respective pivot points. For example, as an alternative to the gate assembly being attached to a gate hanger projecting from a gate support, and a second point of contact of the gate assembly and the gate support being, for example, a cuff or other appropriate supporting contact allowing rotational movement of the gate assembly around the gate support, the gate assembly may be provided with two locating members for attachment to two gate hangers projecting from a gate support. The gate assembly as a whole is then capable of rotational movement around the gate hangers of the gate support. It will be appreciated that the gate support may comprise any number of gate hangers and the gate assembly may be provided with a suitable corresponding number of locating members. The number of locating members selected to project from the pivot housing may be dependent on the weight of the gate to be supported, and/or any anticipated weight to be applied to the gate l l l - . , j;e,#.

assembly once in position, or may be determined by any anticipated impact to be absorbed by the gate assembly once in a closed position. A further factor which may influence the number of locating members provided on the pivot housing for attachment to gate hangers of a gate support may be the width of the gateway which influences the width of the longitudinal members of the gate assembly and therefore a wider gateway may require a gate assembly with a higher number of provided located members then a corresponding gate assembly for a narrower gateway.

The gate assembly may be automatically controlled, wherein the rotation of the or each longitudinal member is automated. Alternatively, it will be appreciated that the longitudinal members may be rotated relative to the pivot housing manually.

In the case where rotation of the or each longitudinal member is automated, the rotation may be powered by an electric power supply. Such a power supply may be an alternating current provided by power lines from a power source to the gate assembly itself. More preferably however, the automated rotation is powered by a direct current electric power supply. The direct current electric power supply may be provided by a battery. If so, the battery may be a single use battery, but is preferably a rechargeable battery which is either removed from the gate assembly and recharged at a remote location before being returned to the gate assembly again, or is charged in situ by means of, for example, a solar panel or similar device such as a wind powered generator and the like.

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Automated rotation of the or each of the longitudinal member of the gate assembly may be actuated remotely by means of a remote control unit operable by a subject approaching the gate assembly, the signal from the control unit to the gate assembly being provided by a radio frequency signal received by a receiver on the gate assembly which operates to initiate rotation of the or each longitudinal member on receipt of an appropriate signal from the transmitting control unit.

Such a remote control unit may comprise a fey fob or any other suitable portable device. It will be readily understood however, that the automated rotation of the or each longitudinal member may be actuated by means of a button or switch provided on the gate assembly itself, rather than by remote control.

In the event that automatic rotation of the longitudinal members relative to the pivot housing, either due to failure of the automatic rotation mechanism or alternatively because the gate assembly lacks an automatic rotation mechanism and is intended for manual operation only, the longitudinal members may be simply pushed manually into a raised position, in which they may be retained due to a provided biasing effect on the raised longitudinal members. Similarly, the longitudinal members may be manually lowered again by application of sufficient manual force to encourage the longitudinal members to begin lowering, the lowering process may then be facilitated by the effects of gravity unless a biasing mechanism has been provided to bias the longitudinal members into a raised position, in which case manually applied force will be necessary to completely lower the longitudinal members into a lowered closed position.

ceeeee. eee.e ee:e An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Figure I is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a gate assembly according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of figure 1, showing the gate assembly operating as a swing-gate; Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment of figures 1 and 2, showing the gate assembly operating as a lifting-gate; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of a gate assembly according to the present invention.

For ease of reference, the same reference numerals have been used throughout the figures to indicate like features.

Figure 1 shows a gate assembly 10 have a pivot housing 20, longitudinal beams 30 connected to the pivot housing 20 at respective pivot points 40 and extending therefrom, such that the beams 30 are capable of rotational movement about the respective pivot points 40 relative to the pivot housing 20.

The gate assembly 10 is also provided with a projecting hanger 50 extending from the opposing side of the pivot housing 20 from the beams 30 which, when the gate assembly 10 is in use, inter-engages with a complementary hanger 60 provided on a gate support, such as gate post 70, as shown in figure 2. In the example shown in Àe eee.e eeeee.e figure 1, the gate assembly 10 is provided with two projecting hangers 50, although it will be appreciated that more than two gate hangers may be provided if desired or if necessary to support the weight of the gate assembly. Alternatively, a single gate hanger may be provided, particularly where the gate assembly 10 is provided with only one beam extending from the pivot housing 20 (as shown in figure 4), rather than several beams 30 as shown in figure 1. The hanger arrangement allows the gate assembly 10 to be fitted to gate supports fitted with conventional gate hangers. For example, in the situation of an existing conventional gate support and gate, the gate can simply be removed from the gate support hangers and be replaced with a gate assembly 10 according to the present invention, without the need to provide additional specialised or modified fittings to the gate support.

Once mounted in this way, the gate assembly 10 is freely rotatably about the support on which it has been mounted and may be operable in a similar manner to a conventional swing gate (as shown in figure 3).

The number of beams provided in the gate assembly 10 may be selected to suit the purpose to which the gate assembly 10 is to be used. For example, if the gate assembly 10 is to be employed as a cattle-proof barrier, then sufficient beams 30 must be included to prevent livestock from being able to squeeze through gaps left between the beams. In order to minimise these gaps, upright members may be provided to extend between the beams, as illustrated by upright members 80 in figure 1. The upright members 80 are connected to the beams 30 of the gate l :: . he À A: :: À ee. Àe: À À À . À . . . he.

assembly 10 at connection points 85. A conventional cattle-proof gate typically used on farmland and the like has a five bar construction similar to the gate assembly 10 shown in figure 1. Alternatively, a single beam 30 may be provided as part of the gate assembly 10, for example, where the gate assembly 10 is to act as a vehicle barrier for a car park, rail-track or other similarly restricted area where it is vehicular access, rather than absolute security of the restricted area to humans or animals, which is the intention. If security is an issue, the gate assembly 10 may be provided with a single beam 30 equivalent to a multi-beam gate in height, but without the gaps between beams. Such a gate assembly may be employed where both physical and visual access to a restricted area is desired. Such an arrangement may be preferable in situations where additional security is required.

A locking channel 90 is provided on a support 95 (not shown in figure 1) opposing the gate support on which the gate assembly 10 is fitted so as to receive the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 therein and hold the beams 30 therein when the gate assembly 10 assumes a closed configuration, as is shown in figure 1. The locking channel 90 has recesses 100 to allow the gate assembly 10 to assume a closed configuration whilst avoiding the beams fouling on the locking channel 90 before entering their respective recesses with the locking channel 90. A stopping pin 110 is provided on the locking channel 90 for abutment with the lowest beam when the gate assembly 10 is in a closed configuration. The stopping pin 110 provides a rest for an end of the lowest beam, thereby helping to support the weight of the gate assembly 10 when in a closed configuration.

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A battery 120 is held within the pivot housing 20. The battery 120 may be any suitable battery for powering the gate assembly, such as a 12 V battery or the like.

Alternatively, a mains power supply may be provided to the gate assembly, however, this would add complexity to the installation of the gate assembly 10 and may not be a particularly practical option, especially in remote farmland areas and the like where mains power is not conveniently available. The battery 120 may be a single use battery, but it is preferred that the battery 120 is rechargeable, both for ecological reasons and for convenience of replacing the battery 120 once the battery power has been used up. However, figure 1 shows the most preferable option, namely that the batter is rechargeable in situ by means of a solar panel 125.

Of course, it will be appreciated that any suitable power source could be used to recharge the battery 120 in situ such as, for example, a windpowered device.

For ease of access, the pivot housing 20 may be provided with a cover 128 over the battery 120 (as shown in figure 1) or an access panel to the battery 120. As well as facilitating convenient access to the battery 120, the cover or access panel provide protection for the battery 120, and other components housed within the pivot housing 20, from the elements.

The pivot housing 20 also contains an electronic control unit 130 incorporating a receiver (not shown) operable to receive a signal provided remotely to actuate the mechanism to move the beams 30 about the pivot housing 20. The remote control unit for providing a signal to a receiver in the control unit 130 of the gate assembly may be conveniently provided in the form of a key fob or some other such e c.e 't:e conveniently portable device for ease of operation and transportation by an operator. A remote control device would typically be capable of transmitting a signal directing operation of the gate assembly lO from a distance of around 30 metres, thereby allowing the initiation of movement by the gate assembly 10 whilst the operator is still approaching the gateway, for example, in a vehicle, such that by the time the vehicle reaches the gateway, the gate assembly 10 has assumed an opened configuration allowing passage of the vehicle through the gateway. In this way, the operator does not need to stop and wait on the gate opening.

The control unit 130 may also operate several control features such as a detector, for example, an infra red sensor or any appropriate functionally equivalent device, to detect when the gateway is being obstructed and prevent the gate from automatically closing, thereby preventing potential injury to a human, animal or object located in the path of the gate assembly 10 as it is rotating into a lowered closed position.

The control unit 130 may also be provided with sensor means (not shown) to detect when additional weight has been place on the beams of the gate assembly 10, for example, by a person leaning on the beams 30 or by an object being place thereon, such that when a predetermined amount of additional weight has been placed on the beams 30 of the gate assembly lO, the sensor means provide a signal to the control unit 130 to act to prevent the automatic rotation of the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 into a raised open configuration.

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A further feature which may be incorporated into the control unit 130 is a delaying mechanism (not shown) which is operable to delay the rotation of the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 into an open configuration for a preset amount of time, such as a couple of seconds once the gate assembly 10 has received a signal to rotate into a raised open configuration, once the battery power level reaches a predetermined level, thereby alerting an operator that the battery should be recharged. Such a delaying mechanism provides warning to an operator that the battery 120 should be recharged before the battery power runs out and can no longer power the rotational movement of the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 relative to the pivot housing 20.

Turning now to the mechanism which activates the rotational movement of the beams 30 about the pivot housing 20: the pivot housing 20 is provided with a gas spring 140 mounted between a main attachment bracket 150 and one of the beams 30, which will be further referred to as main beam 35. The main attachment bracket 150 is, in turn, connected to an electromechanical actuator 160 which is also connected to the main beam 35. With this arrangement, the gas spring 140 absorbs most of the weight of the five beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 shown in figure 1. In this way, the load to lifted by the electromechanical actuator 160 is minimised, thereby saving power.

When the gas spring 140 is fully extended, it is still providing a significant proportion of its optimum power, for example, it may still be providing around 55% of its maximum power. Thus, to rotate the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 Àe.. À:e back into a lowered position from a raised position would take a significant amount of applied force to overcome the forces provided by the fully extended gas spring 140. Therefore, an additional spring (not shown) may be provided running parallel to the gas spring 140, such that at a predetermined point during the raising of the beams 30, for example, when the beams assume a particular angle such as around 45 , the additional spring begins extending. In this way, the additional spring counterbalances the gas spring 140 such that when the beams 30 are in a fully raised position, the force of the additional spring is greater than or equal to that of the gas spring 140, thereby allowing the beams 30 to be returned to a lowered position on application of minimal applied force by the actuator.

Furthermore, in the event that the beams are to be returned to a lowered position manually, the force which is needed to carry out this operation is significantly reduced due to the presence of the additional spring and the operation may be carried out simply and easily by an operator with minimum effort.

The main beam 35 may be identical to the other beams 30 provided on the gate assembly 10. However, where necessary, the main beam 35 may be provided with additional strengthening support by means of which to facilitate connection to the gas spring 140 and electromechanical actuator 160.

It will be readily appreciated by the skilled person that any other suitable devices functionally equivalent to the gas spring 140 and electromechanical actuator 160, respectively, may be used as alternatives in a gate assembly according to the present invention without moving away from the scope of the invention.

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On operation of the gate assembly 10 by an operator, the control unit 130 is operable to provide a signal to the battery 120, which in turn is operable to provide a power supply to the electromechanical actuator 160, whereupon the electromechanical actuator 160 can be either extended or retracted, depending on whether the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 are to be rotated into an open or closed configuration relative to the pivot housing 20. As the electromechanical actuator 160 extends, it pushes down on one end of the main beam 35. Since the main beam 35 is pivotally connected to the pivot housing 20, the opposing end of the main beam 35 is caused to rise. This in turn causes the other beams of the gate assembly 10 also to rise simultaneously with the main beam 35 by virtue of their interconnection by means of upright members 80. The upright members 80 are connected to the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 at connection points 85, each connection point 85 being provided with a bearing to allow swivelling between the upright members 80 and the beams 30 as the main beam is moved by the IS electromechanical actuator 160, thereby allowing the beams 30 to fold towards each other by means of a 'scissor action' as the beams 30 are raised relative to the pivot housing 20 (as shown in figure 2). The electromechanical actuator 160 may be provided with means (not shown), such as a microswitch, to stop the automatic extension or retraction of the electromechanical actuator 160 one the internal rod of the electromechanical actuator 160 reaches its maximum travel. In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the pivot housing 20 is further provided with a gate levelling adjuster 170 located between the main attachment bracket 150 and the electromechanical actuator 160. The gate levelling adjuster 170 permits finite horizontal adjustment of the position of the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 À À.e À:. ee. .:. Àe e-e when in the closed position in order to allow the beams 30 of the gate assembly 10 to close gently onto the stopping pin l l O. It is to be understood that, with the exception of the essential features of the present invention, as recited in the main statement of invention, a device according to the present invention may incorporate one or more of the above-mentioned additional features in any combination thereof.

Although aspects of the invention have been described with reference tothe embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be effected without further inventive skill and effort.

Claims (13)

À À e ' À À À À À . . À CLAIMS

1. A gate assembly for attachment to a gate hanger which projects from a gate support, the gate assembly comprising: a pivot housing; a longitudinal member rotatably attached to the pivot housing and which extends therefrom; a first locating member projecting from the pivot housing, the locating member being adapted for engagement with a corresponding gate hanger which projects from a gate support.

2. A gate assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the first locating member is adapted for rotatable engagement with the corresponding gate hanger.

3. A gate assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the gate assembly comprises at least two longitudinal members rotatably attached to the pivot housing and extending therefrom, the longitudinal members being substantially parallel to one another.

4. A gate assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the longitudinal members are attached to the pivot housing at respective attachment points such that each attachment point is displaced relative to an adjacent longitudinal member in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal member as well as the in the direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of e' ce a. ce. ce. .e.e the longitudinal member.

5. A gate assembly according to any preceding Claim further comprising a restraining member for receiving the or each longitudinal member at a distal end to the pivot housing.

6. A gate assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the restraining member further comprises a releasable locking means operable to prevent release of the or each longitudinal member held within the restraining member.

7. A gate assembly according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein the restraining member further comprises a stopping pin to support the or each longitudinal member when received within the restraining member.

8. A gate assembly according to any preceding Claim further comprising a second locating member rotatably attached to the pivot housing and extending therefrom, the or each longitudinal member being attached to the pivot housing at respective pivot points.

9. A gate assembly according to any preceding Claim wherein the rotation of the or each longitudinal member is automated.

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10. A gate assembly according to Claim 8 wherein the rotation is powered by direct current electric power supply.

11. A gate assembly according to Claim 8 wherein the rotation is powered by a 240 V mains supply.

12. A gate assembly according to any preceding Claim wherein initiation of rotation of the or each longitudinal member may be actuated remotely.

13. A gate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.