JP2003526750A - Work platform equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Description is given of an arrangement of a working platform (16) which is suspended in a superjacent support construction, such as a ceiling construction, tier of beams or the like, with the working platform (16) being connected to the support construction by being mounted to a yoke construction (26), and that the platform (16) is arranged so that it can be raised or lowered in relation to the yoke construction. The arrangement is characterized in that the yoke construction comprises one or more extendable rods (40, 42, 44, 46), and with a given force can be brought to abut a superjacent support construction (12, 14) to in this way stabilise the relative position of the yoke construction/platform.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention relates to a work platform that is suspended from an overhanging support structure such as a ceiling structure or a beam step, and is connected to the support structure via attachment in the yoke structure and can move up and down relative to the yoke structure. The present invention relates to a work platform device arranged so as to be capable of

The present invention is specifically for suspending and accessing inside for carrying out various tasks in large tanks on land and in ships and in cargo holds of ships, for example under deck of offshore installations. Platform systems. By this method, the device according to the invention replaces the scaffolding for such work.

[0003]

[Prior art]

For large tanks and the like, scaffolding still needs to be built today, even during the simplest safety checks and / or routine maintenance. This results in wasted manufacturing time and consequent loss of income in addition to the scaffolding and the work itself. Often the overall cost is not related to what you get from the work done.

Regarding prior art, US Pat. No. 3,602,335 and European Patent No.
No. 982.

US Pat. No. 3,602,335 describes a platform that can be operated on a structure, in this case an aircraft. The platform is suspended from the superstructure by a reinforced vertical center arm. The suspension of this structure itself is done by a pair of double rails and the platform is in the X and Y directions.
It can move horizontally in both directions. As illustrated in the U.S. patent, the platform can also be raised and lowered vertically so that the operator on the platform can reach all parts of the associated workplace, such as around an aircraft hanging on an axle. Will be delivered.

European Patent No. 3,982 shows a work platform 20 suspended by wires or ropes. The platform itself can be raised and lowered and can be rotated about its central axis.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, from the drawings there is nothing to prevent the working platform from tipping over on one side, for example when the loading weight becomes too great on the side on which the person is riding.

The present invention aims at providing an entirely new structure for suspending a work platform, by means of which the above mentioned drawbacks are eliminated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a structure that allows modification or extension of the anchoring device in a ceiling beam structure without the need for the operator to leave the platform or basket. .

[0010] Thus, an object of the invention is also to provide a suspension such that the operator can add (extend) the rails of the ceiling structure that support the entire structure without having to leave the work basket. It is to be.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In accordance with the present invention, a platform system has been developed which, as a result, has ample access to areas such as tanks and cargo holds, and is very effective for use under a drilling deck. The platform can rotate 360 °. It can be driven horizontally and raised and lowered. Contrary to conventional scaffolding, the present invention allows a platform system to be quickly assembled without compromising safety.

According to the invention, the platform system comprises, in its basic form, at least one suspension rail for fastening the yoke structure via the suspension device, around the suspension device. The structure is designed to rotate in a horizontal plane. Under this yoke structure, the platform itself is suspended, fixed to the yoke structure, so that the platform can also rotate 360 ° horizontally around the suspension device. The suspension device includes a runner for moving along the suspension rail.

Flexible access in the vertical direction is ensured and facilitated by providing the platform with lifting means for raising and lowering with respect to the suspension point on the suspension rail.
According to the invention, the yoke structure comprises a stabilizing device in the form of one or more extendable support devices, which can bear against the upper support structure with a given force. Therefore, the yoke structure is stable and prevents the yoke structure from tilting vertically when the operator moves to one of the ends of the suspended platform.

According to the present invention, the platform system is simple to assemble, easy to transport, and normally used for inspection, sandblasting, water jetting, painting and other work operations, repair work, and below cargo holds. Ideal for maintenance work in.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to some preferred embodiments. This description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is set forth only in the claims. Those skilled in the art can consider appropriate modifications to the present invention under various conditions in various workplaces, which modifications do not depart from the scope of the claims.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a platform system with suspension rails 10 secured to ceiling structures (such as beam steps) 12 and 14 above a worksite. Attached to the underside of this suspension rail 10, the platform 16 itself
It is suspended from the suspension point by a simple suspension device 18.

The suspension device 18 comprises a housing part 18, the upper part 21 of which has an upper ceiling /
Includes a set of wheels mounted on a beam-structured rail (or rail pair) 10,
On the other hand, the lower portion 23 is provided with a device for rotating the lower portion with respect to the upper portion, and further, a yoke structure is attached to the lower portion 23.

In the illustrated embodiment, the suspension device 18 can be rotated in a horizontal plane. Thus, the platform can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally about axis 20 about the suspension point of the rail. The suspension device 18 is equipped with an on-board motor drive (preferably operated by remote control by an operator on the work platform) to effect the rotation. The suspension rail 10 and the suspension device 18 can be tilted if necessary, but horizontal or almost horizontal mounting is generally and preferably preferable.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the suspension device 18 comprises a runner 22 for movement along the suspension rail 10.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ceiling structure comprises support beams 24,
A suspension device 18 is fixed to the beam.

The yoke structure 26 is mounted on or suspended from the suspension device 18. As seen in one embodiment of FIG. 3, the yoke structure 26 comprises a trusswork frame of essentially rectangular shape, consisting of longitudinal and transverse frames or beams 28 and 30, respectively, and a rail unit. The central seat 32, which secures the suspension device 18, which is the upper anchoring point for the vehicle 10. In addition, the yoke structure can be made in many shapes other than rectangular. Therefore,
It can also be an I or H beam or the like.

At each corner of the frame structure (ie in contact with each of the four corners), a suspension device 34 (wires, cables, etc.) for the work platform 16 is fastened. The suspension device 34 preferably comprises steel rope or wire, but can also include a sturdy rope, rod or similar tensioning device. The suspension device 34 serves to carry the floor 36 of the platform 16 itself, which is fixed via a suspension mechanism 38. As shown in FIG. 3, the yoke structure includes four cables 34, one in each corner, from which the platform is suspended.

In one alternative, the floor may be secured with a simple mechanism for permanent anchoring at a certain height. Further, the anchoring mechanism can be in the form of a pulley or simply a fixed knot or ear.

Thus, by providing the platform with the described lifting mechanism 11 arranged in a known manner (motor driven) for lifting and lowering, a flexible access is guaranteed in the vertical direction. In this way, a movement perpendicular to the suspension point on the suspension rail is obtained. The lifting device for raising and lowering the work platform can also be arranged in connection with the platform itself.

In the present invention, one or more upwardly extendable rods (such as a multi-stage telescope) rods 40, 42, 44, 46 are provided above the yoke structure 26, as shown in FIGS.
Attach a stabilizer in the form of. The rods are arranged at each end to push up the ceiling structure with a given force such that the yoke structure stabilizes in a substantially horizontal position, thus preventing vertical tilt.

[0026] Preferably, the push rod comprises a piston / cylinder unit. The hydraulic fluid is used to place the cylinder cavities in each unit under sufficient pressure to push them out of the piston of the unit to abut the upper ceiling structure. The pressure of the fluid is adjusted to a pressure that obtains a given pushing force and sufficiently stabilizes the yoke structure.

As an optional solution, as shown, push rods 40, 42, 44
, 46 can be changed between the basically horizontal, folded and immovable position of FIG. 5 and the vertically raised moving position of FIG. The illustration shows two push rods 40 and 44.
Shows only.

It is possible to change the positions of the convolution rod position and the rising rod position by adding two piston / cylinder units to the yoke frame itself, and in FIGS. 4 to 6, only two of them are shown. Numbered 52 and 54. Furthermore, the underside of each support rod can also be hinged and fully folded to avoid taking up too much space on the yoke itself.

The extendable push rod may be of any type that can be driven by a hydraulic, pneumatic or electrically powered power plant. Also, an inflatable support pad or the like can be used. In addition, the end of the rod can be provided with wheels 66 that can rotate along the upper surface, i.e. the flat ceiling surface. In this way, the rod can rotate along the ceiling surface and maintain the contact force with the ceiling,
If necessary, the structure can be moved without relieving the pushing force of the push rod.

In a variant, FIGS. 4 to 6 show how a device according to the invention may be used. In these drawings, a rail 10 fixed to an upper ceiling beam step (not shown), a yoke structure 26 suspended from the rail 10 via a suspension device 18, and a downward direction from the yoke structure 26. Suspended platform 16
And are shown. The person working from the work platform is not shown.

FIG. 4 shows a structure in which the yoke structure 26 and the platform 16 are laid parallel to the ceiling rail 10. The support rods 40-46 are the devices 52, 54.
, 56, 58 are folded into an immovable position.

When the drive unit of the suspension device 18 is activated, the entire structure is about 90 ° in the horizontal plane.
It rotates to take the position shown in FIG. 5, said position corresponding to the actual position of the work operation performed by the operator.

As shown in FIG. 6, the devices 52, 54, 56, 58 now include support rods 40.
It operates by pressing its cylinder cavity so that -46 rises to a substantially vertical position. The cylinder cavity of the rod is then placed under pressure such that the rod is pushed outwards upwards and abuts the ceiling above. Since the rods extend individually, they can be pushed to various heights toward the ceiling.

The pressure of the fluid in each individual unit 40-46 is adjusted so that a predetermined pushing force is obtained and the yoke structure is sufficiently stable. Therefore, the suspension device 18 (rail 1
A person will be able to stand on one side of the platform 16 without being subjected to a load that would damage only one (0) anchor point.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, there are four runners 4 used on the floor 36 of the platform for movement during transportation and for movement of the floor 36 during assembly or disassembly.
8 can also be provided. Further, a handrail 50 is provided on the floor.

The platform system is easy to assemble and can be assembled by two installers in about 4 hours. For onboard tanks, assembly begins at the bottom of the tank, with the platform section floor 36 and handrails 50, and the cable 34.
And the lifting mechanism 38 is installed together with the cross beam 30 including the yoke structure 26, and is brought together. The suspension rail 10 is hoisted under the deck of the ship and is fixed through a manhole 62 by means of a threaded rod 60 which is fixed by a wing nut 64. The threaded rod 60 is fixed to the lower end of the suspension rail 10 by a known method.

The support beam / yoke structure 26 has been previously fixed to the suspension device 18, which has at its upper end, passing through two spaced ears, at the upper end of the lower part of the suspension device. A cross bolt 19 that communicates is provided. From the outer end of the cross bolt 19,
Two carrier arms stand perpendicular to the cross bolt, each outer end supporting a runner 22. Beyond the embodiments shown here, the suspension device 18 can also be provided with a corresponding motor drive unit arranged for power movement along the suspension rail 10 in a known manner.

During assembly, the platform is hoisted to the suspension rail 10 and the runner 22 is inserted into the side member of the rail 10. To work more extensively along larger areas such as tank walls, it is possible to extend the length of the suspension rail 10 from the floor 36 of the platform 16 to an extension of the rail originally installed, It is possible to raise to below.

An alternative mooring device (not shown) for the suspension rail 4 may be in the form of a set of fastening brackets with through bolts, in which case the top bracket may be set aside in advance, Alternatively, weld or bolt below deck if necessary. Another alternative anchoring device for suspension rails (not shown) can be in the form of a hoop with a hole at one end, such as a hook in an existing ring, and a piercing pin or The suspension rails are anchored in place via the clamped bolts that are fastened. The yoke structure can be arranged to move up and down relative to the upper support structure.

According to an alternative solution, the yoke structure can be raised and lowered with respect to a given suspension point in the upper support structure. In this way, the stabilizing devices 40 and 46 (
7 and 8) can be lifted in their ascending position to their upper support structure with a given force by the controlled ascending behavior described above.

This solution allows the yoke structure to include its own drive unit / engine unit 70 and cable 72, as shown in FIGS.
This allows the yoke 26, which hangs from the cable 72, to be lifted to its working position in the direction of the ceiling structure 12 and 14, and the remote control allows the operator to drive the engine to lock or loosen the yoke 26. be able to.

The cable 72 is suspended from the ceiling structure via a rotating / swivel structure (not specifically shown) and its horizontal rotation itself can be done manually by the operator, which is also This is because the yoke structure, including the platform, is a lightweight structure with a total weight of 500 kg, for example.

The support devices 40, 44 and 46 include specific upward support feet that can be folded and lowered from a vertical position to a horizontal position relative to the yoke structure. Its support foot 4
Positioning the yoke structure at different heights with 0 and 46, which positions are shown in FIG. 7 as two different height levels A and B. By using this lifting mechanism to fasten the yoke 26 to the ceiling or the beam structure, the support foot portion does not need to have any of the above-described mechanism for fastening outwardly upward.

Instead, a lifting mechanism is used for the fastening. However, even if this suspension is used, as described at the beginning, it is possible to extend the fastening of the support foot itself. If the entire structure is to be moved, it can easily be done by lowering it to the floor and fixing a new cable to another anchoring point on the ceiling / beam step, which anchoring point will replace the previous one. This solution allows the structure to be operated without the use of rails on the ceiling, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, according to a preferred embodiment, the device comprises an extension of the floor of the platform that extends beyond the suspension or suspension device 34, at a distance from the point of suspension. Access to a plurality of tank surfaces (indicated as 4m-7m in the illustrated embodiment) at

This gives greater flexibility and the possibility of working along a plurality of surfaces at corresponding distances from the closest point of the suspension rail. Also, since the suspension rail 10 can extend somewhat beyond the anchorage point of the deck, it is difficult to use this platform system of the present invention to depict work situations where the work surface is inaccessible.

For safety reasons, the suspension rail should be equipped with stop mechanisms at both ends. In addition, the optional power plant should be capable of withstanding sparks, or otherwise capable of withstanding fires, for use in work involving fire hazards such as in oil tanks.

Even though the above description applies primarily to work in tanks of ships, those skilled in the art will appreciate that oil fields can be used in large tanks on land, under platform decks for offshore drilling (drilling and production rigs). It will be readily appreciated that the same system could be used in many other work situations, such as within the transport range of a drilling rig column or stanchion.

[0049]

【The invention's effect】

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a completely new structure for suspending the work platform, and the structure eliminates the problems of the conventional technology.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a structure capable of changing or extending the mooring device in the ceiling beam structure without requiring the operator to leave the platform or the basket at that time. .

Thus, according to the present invention, the suspension is such that the operator can add (extend) the rails of the ceiling structure that support the entire structure without having to leave the work basket. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1]   1 is a schematic longitudinal elevation view showing an embodiment according to the present invention.

[Fig. 2]   It is a schematic side elevational view showing one embodiment concerning the present invention.

[Figure 3]   It is a schematic perspective elevation view which shows a yoke structure.

[Figure 4]   It is a figure which shows the actual embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 5]   It is a figure which shows the actual embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 6]   It is a figure which shows the actual embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 7]   FIG. 7 is a side elevational view showing an alternative structure for suspending a yoke structure.

[Figure 8]   It is a longitudinal section showing an alternative structure for suspending a yoke structure.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ , CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, K E, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW ), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, C R, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, EE, ES, FI , GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, K Z, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA , MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, S K, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG , US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A work platform device for suspending from an upper support structure such as a ceiling structure or a beam step, wherein the work platform is connected to the support structure by being attached to the yoke structure, and the platform is attached to the yoke structure. A device which is arranged so that it can be raised and lowered by means of a stabilizing device which allows the yoke structure to abut against the upper support structure with a given force. 2. The stabilizing device comprises one or more extendable support devices, such as multi-stage telescopic extendable rods, said stabilizing device preferably providing a yoke structure / platform. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that is positioned substantially horizontally. 3. The tops of all support devices include support feet, or one or more wheels capable of rotating against a support structure, or the tops of the support devices along an upper support structure. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device can slide and slide. 4. The hydraulic, pneumatic or electric driving force unit is used to detachably fasten the supporting device (a plurality of supporting devices) by abutting against the upper supporting structure. Item 5. The device according to any one of items 1 to 3. 5. The suspension device comprises a housing part having an upper part and a lower part, the upper part and the lower part being individually rotatable about an essentially vertical axis, the housing part being provided on the upper part. Characterized in that the lower part is provided with means for rotating the lower part, the upper part is provided with a wheel pair for attaching to a rail (rail pair) of an upper ceiling / beam structure, and the yoke structure is anchored to the lower part. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the yoke structure is arranged to rotate in a horizontal plane with respect to the upper support structure. 7. A yoke structure is horizontally rotatably mounted on the anchoring device, the anchoring device being arranged for horizontal displacement along a rail mounted on the anchoring base. 7. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized. 8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the center of the yoke structure is fixed to the anchoring device. 9. The yoke structure comprises a longitudinal support rail or frame structure, each end of the rail / frame being provided with said number of support devices. Device. 10. The work platform is suspended from the yoke structure via some cables, wires, rods, or similar pulling devices, and the lifting means for the work platform is the yoke structure and / or the work structure. 10. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is connected and arranged in a vehicle platform. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the yoke structure is arranged to move up and down with respect to the upper support structure. 12. The stabilizing device capable of abutting an upper support structure with a given force comprises a number of upward support devices in the yoke structure, the support device controlling the raising of the yoke structure. The device according to claim 1 or 11, characterized in that it is abutted against the upper support structure by said force. 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the support device comprises support legs that can be folded and lowered from a vertical position to a horizontal position with respect to the yoke structure.