GB2489928A

GB2489928A - Vehicle lift platform having a latch with a foot operated release

Info

Publication number: GB2489928A
Application number: GB1105963.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven John Fletcher; David Agg
Original assignee: Ratcliff Palfinger Ltd
Current assignee: Ratcliff Palfinger Ltd
Priority date: 2011-04-07
Filing date: 2011-04-07
Publication date: 2012-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-07
Also published as: GB201105963D0; EP2694329A1; WO2012137005A1; GB2489928B

Abstract

A vehicle lift 10 comprising a platform 12 attachable to a vehicle 14. Auxiliary equipment 16 which preferably a safety gate is mountable on the platform 12. A bracket 26 located on the platform 12 receives a lower end of the auxiliary equipment 16. A latch (38, Figure 2) is engageable between a lower end of auxiliary equipment 16 and the bracket 26 and can be moved between engaged and disengaged positions. A biasing device (48, Figure 3) biases the latch (38) into the engaged position. A foot operated release lever (40, Figure 3)is operable to overcome the biasing device (48) and move the latch (38) from the engaged position to the disengaged position. The latch (38) is preferably secured to the auxiliary equipment (16) and engageable with the mount. The biasing device (48) may be a spring.

Description

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VEHICLE TAIL LIFT WITH LATCH

The present invention relates to a vehicle tail lift with a latch for auxiliary equipment mounted on the lift platform.

Vehicle tail lifts are used for raising and lowering loads to provide level access into and out of a vehicle.

They are used for freight and also for people, especially for the disabled and those in wheelchairs, etc. They may be attached to the rear or to the side of a vehicle.

Auxiliary equipment is often mounted on the lift platform, especially safety equipment. For example, safety barriers or gates may be provided to stop people or goods on the platform from falling off as the lift is raised and lowered. Ramps may also be attached to the platform edges so that when lowered, the ramps provide step free access on and off the platform.

However, the platform is stowed away when not in use, typically by retracting or folding it beneath the floor of the vehicle or folding it up against the vehicle.

Therefore, such auxiliary equipment must either be removable from the lift platform, or pivotally attached to it, so that it can be folded flat against the platform. The equipment may be unwieldly or heavy and therefore moving it may in itself present a safety hazard. Furthermore, if the equipment is too awkward to handle some users may be tempted not to bother using it at all.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved means of fitting auxiliary equipment such as safety barriers to a tail lift.

The present invention provides a vehicle lift comprising a platform attachable to a vehicle, auxiliary equipment mountable on the platform and having upper and lower ends, a mount on the platform for receiving the lower end of the auxiliary equipment, a latch engageable between the lower end of the equipment and the mount and moveable between engaged and disengaged positions, a biasing device to bias the latch into the engaged position, and a foot-operated release lever operable to overcome the biasing device and move the latch from the engaged to the disengaged position.

Thus, the present invention provides a simple fitting and latching mechanism which holds the equipment securely and is foot operated, therefore leaving an operator's hands free to hold and control movement of the auxiliary equipment, increasing the ease and safety of operation.

Preferably, the latch comprises a pivotally mounted arm comprising an engagement member on one side of the pivot and the release member on the other side of the pivot, wherein the biasing means acts to pivot the engagement member in a ffrEt di±ëbt1dn ifito tht enaéd ï5ëitidn ahd préssü±e O1f the release member pivots the engagement member in a second direction into the disengaged position.

The latch may be pivotally secured to the auxiliary equipment and engageable with the mount.

Preferably, the biasing device comprises a spring acting between the latch and the auxiliary equipment.

Alternatively, the latch may be pivotally secured to the mount and engageable with the auxiliary equipment.

In this case, the biasing device may comprise a spring acting between the latch and the mount.

Preferably, the auxiliary equipment is pivotally secured to the mount and rotatable relative thereto when the latch is disengaged.

The auxiliary equipment may comprise a gate having at least one post and at least one safety bar projecting therefrom.

The post may comprise upper and lower portions which are rotatable relative to each other about their longitudinal axis, further comprising a pin on one portion which is slidably received in a slot on the other portion to limit the extent of the relative rotation.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of the rear of a vehicle with a tail lift and safety barrier; Figure 2 is a perspective exploded view of a safety barrier mountable on a tail lift, a mounting bracket and a latch mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a an enlarged exploded view of the bracket and latch mechanism shown within the circle marked A in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an enlarged assembled view of the bracket and latch mechanism.

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a tail lift 10 with a lift platform 12 secured to the rear of a vehicle 14. A lift mechanism secures the platform 12 to the vehicle 14 and allows it to be raised and lowered, and retracted when not in use. This retraction may be by withdrawing the platform 12 beneath the vehicle 14, or folding the platform 12 up against the back of the vehicle 14, or folding the platform 12 under the floor of the vehicle. Such lifting mechanisms are well-known in the art and will not be described in detail.

Auxiliary equipment, in this case a safety barrier in the form of a P gate 16 is attachable to the platform 12.

Only one gate 16 is illustrated but a gate may be provided at each side of the platform 12, or at the rear edge if loading/unloading is done over one side of the platform 12, or on all edges of the platform as necessary.

The gate 16 comprises a post 18 which is vertical in use, and a safety bar 20 extending from the post 18.

However, the present invention is also applicable to other types of safety barrier or other auxiliary equipment which may be required on a lift platform.

As shown in Figure 2, the post 18 is preferably in two parts, with an upper post 22 and a lower post 24. The lower post 24 is mountable on the platform 12 by a bracket 26. The bracket 26 includes a base 28 permanently secured to the platform 12, for example by bolts. Two uprights 30, joined by a cross bar 32, project from the base 28. In plan view, the uprights 30 and cross bar 32 form a U-shaped wall defining a socket for receiving the foot of the lower post 24.

The lower post 24 may be connected to the bracket 26 by a bolt 34, secured with a nut 36, so that the gate 16 is pivotable about the bolt 34. Thus, the gate 16 can be pivoted in the direction of arrow B from the in-use upright position illustrated through 90° so that it lies flat on the platform 12 in its stowed position.

A latch mechanism 38 is fitted to the foot of the lower post 24. The latch mechanism 38 releasably secures the post 24 to the bracket 26 to prevent pivoting and to retain the gate 16 in the upright position.

In plan view, the latch 38 comprises a generally U-shaped member extending around the post 24. The base of the U forms an actuation lever 40. Two side arms 42 extend from the actuation lever 40. In side view, each arm 42 is formed with an engagement member preferably in the form of a hook 44. The latch 38 is pivotably attached to the post 24 by a bolt 46, parallel to the bolt 34. Thus, the latch 38 is pivotable relative to the post 24 about the longitudinal axis of the bolt 46.

A spring 48 is fitted between the post 24 and the lower portion of the actuation lever 40, spaced from the pivot bolt 46. The spring 48 is in slight compression and thus biases the lower portion of the actuation lever 40 away from post 24.

In use, the U-shaped latch 38 is fitted opposed to and facing towards the U-shaped bracket 26, with the foot of the post 24 captured between them. The hooks 44 are engaged over the cross bar 32 to retain the post 24 upright. The hooks 44 are biased into this engaged position by the biasing action of the spring 48.

To release the latch 38 and permit the gate 16 to be pivoted into the stowed position, a user simply pushes against the actuation lever 40 with his foot, thereby compressing the spring 48 and allowing the latch 38 to pivot about the pin 46 in the direction of arrow C. This raises the hooks 44 above the cross bar 32, releasing the post 24 and allowing it to pivot about the bolt 34 into the horizontal stowed position.

To return the gate 16 to the upright position, the user simply pivots the gate 16 in the opposite direction. When the latch 38 contacts the crossbar 32, the curved front surfaces 50 of the hooks 44 act as cam surfaces causing the hooks 44 to ride up and over the cross bar 32 and clip into engagement with it.

As the latch 38 is operable by a user's foot, the user need not bend down to release and engage the latch mechanism, thus avoiding potential back injury.

Furthermore, the user's hands are free to hold the upper parts of the gate 16 to prevent it falling as the latch is released and to control its movement. Thus, safety of operation of the gate 16 is greatly improved. The S operation is also very simple, thereby encouraging proper use of the gate 16.

As an additional feature, the upper post 22 may be pivotable relative to the lower post 24 to alter the orientation of the safety bar 20. In this example, a bayonet type fitting is provided for this purpose. The upper end of the lower post 24 is formed as a cylindrical shaft 52 which fits into a cylindrical socket 54 at the bottom end of the upper post 22 so that the two posts are rotatable relative to each other about their common longitudinal axis.

A pin 56 projects from the cylindrical shaft 52 post and passes through a U-shaped slot 58 formed in the socket 54. In use, in one rest position, the pin 56 sits at the top of one arm of the U-shaped slot 58. To rotate the safety bar 20, the user raises the upper post 22 so that the pin 56 is able to travel around the U shaped slot 58 into the other arm of the U. The upper post 22 can then be lowered so that the pin 56 sits at the top of the slot 58 to retain the safety bar 20 in the second position.

Although the present invention is described with reference to a P gate, the gate may be in any other configuration, or another type of equipment may be mountable on the lift platform using the latch mechanism of the invention. For example, a safety barrier having two uprights joined by at least one cross bar may be used.

Each upright may be received in a bracket 26. In that case, preferably one upright will be as illustrated, including the latch 38, while the other upright has no latch S and simply pivots about a pin relative to the bracket.

If desired, the gate or other auxiliary equipment may be removable from the bracket 26 altogether rather than pivotably connected thereto. In that case, the bolt 34 may be omitted or may be releasable so that once the latch hooks 44 are disengaged from the cross bar 32, the equipment can be lifted out of the bracket 26 and removed to another location.

It will also be apparent to the skilled reader that the precise details of the latch mechanism may be altered. For example, the spring which biases the latch into the engaged position may be positioned so that it is in tension rather than in compression.

The latch may take a different form provided that it is operable by a user's foot to release the latch. For example, the latch may be pivotally attached to the bracket itself and comprise an engagement member, e.g. a hook, which engages with an aperture or projection on the post. The engagement member may be biased into the engaged position by a spring and a foot operated lever provided to allow the user to overcome the spring bias and disengage the engagement member out from the post.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A vehicle lift comprising a platform attachable to a vehicle, auxiliary equipment mountable on the platform and having upper and lower ends, a mount on the platform for receiving the lower end of the auxiliary equipment, a latch engageable between the lower end of the equipment and the mount and moveable between engaged and disengaged positions, a biasing device to bias the latch into the engaged position, and a foot-operated release lever operable to overcome the biasing device and move the latch from the engaged to the disengaged position.
2. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 1, wherein the latch comprises a pivotally mounted arm comprising an engagement member on one side of the pivot and the release member on the other side of the pivot, wherein the biasing means acts to pivot the engagement member in a first direction into the engaged position and pressure on the release member pivots the engagement member in a second direction into the disengaged position.
3. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 2, wherein the latch is pivotally secured to the auxiliary equipment and engageable with the mount.
4. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 3, wherein the biasing device comprises a spring acting between the latch and the auxiliary equipment.

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5. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 2, wherein the latch is pivotally secured to the mount and engageable with the auxiliary equipment.
6. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 5, wherein the biasing device comprises a spring acting between the latch and the mount.
7. A vehicle lift as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the auxiliary equipment is pivotally secured to the mount and rotatable relative thereto when the latch is disengaged.
8. A vehicle lift as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the auxiliary equipment comprises a gate having at least one post and at least one safety bar projecting therefrom.
9. A vehicle lift as claimed in claim 8, wherein the post comprises upper and lower portions which are rotatable relative to each other about their longitudinal axis, further comprising a pin on one portion which is slidably received in a slot on the other portion to limit the extent of the relative rotation.
10. A vehicle lift substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.