WO2003048500A1

WO2003048500A1 - Emergency stepladder

Info

Publication number: WO2003048500A1
Application number: PCT/NL2002/000770
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marius Hulsman; Diederik Geert Koster; John Richard Van Der Velde
Original assignee: Hulsman Brandtrappen V.O.F.
Priority date: 2001-12-03
Filing date: 2002-11-27
Publication date: 2003-06-12
Also published as: AU2002347658A1; NL1019479C2; EP1451435A1

Abstract

An emergency stepladder for offering an escape route alongside an outer wall of a building comprises a number of successive ladder parts (11, 12) that can move between a first position and a second position. Said ladder parts are provided with latching means (14) for latching the ladder parts in the first position. The latching means comprise control means (15) which set free the ladder part latched by the latching means so that it may assume the second position when touched. Each time, the control means of successive ladder parts are positioned in a trajectory that is passed through by the previous ladder part when moving from the first to the second position. In this way, a cascade of swinging ladder parts will occur, once an arbitrary ladder part is set free, resulting in a continuous escape route.

Description

Emergency stepladde

The present invention relates to an emergency stepladder for providing an escape route alongside an outer wall of a building.

An emergency stepladder of this kind will normally be used for providing a way out in case of emergencies and more in particular in case of a fire, via which occupants or guests may safely descent down the building and escape. More in particular the invention is meant for high-rise apartments and other high-rise buildings of which the higher situated floors are at such a height that a safe evacuation is impossible without descending means provided for that purpose, Often, the emergency stepladder consists of an irremovable staircase made of steel, positioned against the outer wall, of which possibly a lower part must be canted downwards in order to prevent intruders from entering the building under normal conditions.

A drawback of such a construction is that it is often an eyesore. Especially for buildings that have carefully been designed by an architect, such a clearly visible staircase made of steel is undesirable from an aesthetic point of view. Moreover, a known emergency stepladder of this kind, mounted on the outer wall, forms a substantial risk with regard to burglary and other types of unwanted intruders . As an alternative, an in-house mounted emergency stepladder is sometimes realised, but this reduces the useful floor area of the building and is thus an expensive solution.

With the present invention one aims amongst others at providing an emergency stepladder of the kind according to the opening lines, which at least substantially obviates these drawbacks. To that end, the emergency stepladder of the kind according to the opening lines is according to the invention characterised in that the stepladder comprises a number of successive stepladder parts which can be moved between a first position and a second position, that said ladder parts are provided with latching means for latching the ladder parts in the first position, that the latching means are provided with control means for releasing the latching means when touched, for setting free the latched ladder part so that it may assume the second position, and that the control means of a successive ladder part are positioned in a path, passed through by the ladder part when changing from the first to the second position. Accordingly, an escape route in the form of a cascade of joined stepladders is envisaged as the escape route. The unlatching of one of the parts suffices for the unlatching of all subsequent parts too. Indeed, the ladder part which has been unlatched first will move from the first position to the second position and in doing so it will touch the latching means of the next ladder part, which in turn will move towards its second position and unlatches the next ladder part and so on, until in this manner a complete escape route has been built up. This process can be started from any floor and it stops automatically at the moment the escape route is complete, starting from that floor down to ground level or to a small, safe distance' above it,

In a latched position on the other hand, there is, for the time being, no continuous access to the building,^' while the unlatching of one of the lower ladder parts does not cause the ladder parts above it to unlatch. The risk of burglary or other unwanted intruders is therefore significantly reduced if not eliminated when compared to a conventional fire escape mounted to an outer wall of a building. Moreover, one may find an opportunity to conceal the moving ladder parts sometimes, at least in the first position, or to merge them with the natural construction of the building, in such a way that the emergency stepladder does affect the aesthetic character no longer cr to a lesser degree.

In a special embodiment, the emergency stepladder according to the invention is characterised in that the ladder parts are provided with fastening means for hingedly fastening the ladder parts on a canting spindle In a substantially horizontal position alongside the outer wall, that the latching means latch the ladder parts in a substantially horizontal first position and that the ladder parts, after being unlatched, may cant round the canting spindle into a substantially vertical second position in order to form at least a part of the escape route. At the beginning, the separate ladder parts are placed in a substantially horizontal position at regular distances above each other against the outer wall, the ladder parts having lengths that correspond with the distance between the successive floors of the building. If required, an attractive colour or a plate-shaped shielding may be used, in order to reduce the blotting effect caused by the ladder parts. As soon as the ladder parts are unlatched, they will swing downwards round their canting spindles and in their path they will touch the control means of the latching means of the next ladder part. A possible plate-shaped shielding must be constructed such that this swinging movement can take place unhindered. The next ladder part will subsequently swing down in turn and so on, until the emergency stepladder is completely erected and forms a continuous escape route .

In a preferred embodiment, the arrangement according to the invention is characterised in that the ladder parts are provided with resetting means for returning the ladder- part into the first position. A resetting means of this kind enables a user to return a ladder part to its starting position, after it has been used for providing an escape route. Especially with a view to possible misuse of the arrangement this is a favourable addition. As a resetting means a hoisting device may be used for example, for hoisting a ladder part from a lower floor to a next higher floor. A more compact and concealed resetting means is given in a further embodiment according to the invention, characterised in that the resetting means comprise a gearing which is on one end coupled to a canting spindle of the ladder part and on the other end to a manual control device. Thanks to the gearing it is possible, even when hand-operated, to produce enough momentum for swinging back the ladder part round its canting spindle. In a further embodiment, the arrangement according to the invention is characterised in that at least the manual control device is mounted to an inside of the outer wall, possibly in such a way that the resetting means are completely invisible from the outside.

In order to conceal the presence of the emergency stepladder, a further favourable embodiment of the invention is characterised in that at least some of the ladder parts are arranged such that in the first position they are at least substantially aligned with a balustrade of a balcony on the outer wall. Optically and aesthetically, the ladder parts are integrated in this manner in the balustrades that have been provided on the outer wall sides of the building. If desired, the balustrades may be provided with interruptions which are normally closed by the emergency stepladder parts in the first position and which provide during evacuation an easy access to the emergency stepladder. The invention also provides an opportunity to hide the ladder parts completely from view. For that purpose, a further embodiment of the emergency stepladder according to the invention is characterised in that the ladder parts are arranged so as to lie in the first position at least substantially on an inside of the outer wall in a linear guide, which guide is positioned at least substantially crosswise to the outer wall, and that the ladder parts, after being unlatched, may glide to the outside via the guide and may cant near a tail end into the second position round a canting spindle, in this case the ladder parts are placed in the first position on the inside of the outer wall and consequently they are invisible or practically invisible form the outside. After being unlatched, the ladder parts glide towards the outside and they hinge downward to a vertical position alongside the outer wall. In this trajectory of compound movements, for example at the end of the canting movement, the control means of the latching means of the next ladder part are touched, as a result of which this ladder part as well will glide towards the outside, and so on until a complete emergency stepladder has been formed which reaches down to a safe distance from ground level.

In fact, the emergency stepladder could be constructed such that the entire movement of the ladder parts takes place under the influence of gravity. This may be obtained for example in case of canting round a canting spindle, by placing this canting spindle outside a surface through the centre of gravity of the respective ladder part or, when linear guiding means are used, by letting the guiding means slope. In order to be at least less dependent upon gravity alone, a further favourable embodiment of the arrangement of the invention is characterised in that the ladder parts are provided with excitation means for forcing a ladder part from the first to the second position, once it is unlatched. In a special embodiment, the arrangement according to the invention is characterised in that the excitation means comprise a spring device which is mounted, at least in the first position, under tension between the ladder part and a fixed part, mounted to the building. In that case one may trust that under substantially all circumstances, more in particular after a prolonged time of non-use, the ladder parts will adequately work, because the ladder parts will be forced out of their first position in case this would not happen spontaneously already. Moreover, the erection time, which means the time necessary for the emergency stepladder to fully erect itself, may be reduced significantly. Apart from that, a larger degree of freedom is obtained with respect to the orientation of the ladder parts in the first position, because gravity is no longer the only farce that pushes the ladder parts out of their first position.

Although in this way within a short time an escape route can be offered alongside an outer wall of the building, which can be used by individuals to descent safely, it turns out that in practice many individuals are too scared to step at a high altitude from a building onto an outer wall stepladder. A preferred further embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is for that reason characterised in that the ladder parts each comprise a number of mutually at least substantially parallel studs, between which a number of rungs is placed on an at least substantially regular mutual pitch, and that the studs are mounted to a fastening frame via on both sides hingedly mounted coupling parts, in order to be situated in the first position at least substantially up against the fastening frame and in the second position situated at a distance of it, and that the fastening frame, at least in the second position, is located between the outer wall and the studs, In this way, some sort of a cage is formed, made up of the studs and the cross connections between them, inside of which one may descend. Another advantage is that one needs no longer to turn around before stepping onto the rungs of the stepladder, because these are positioned now on a side of the emergency stepladder opposite to the outer wall , Both aspects contribute significantly when it comes to overcome ones fear of heights and other obstacles.

The invention will now be further explained with a reference to a possible embodiment and an accompanying drawing. In the drawing*

fig. 1 shows in perspective two successive ladder parts of a possible embodiment of an emergency stepladder according to the present invention; fig. 2A-2D show a front view of the ladder parts shown in fig. 1 in their successive stages of operation; and fig. 3A-3F show a side view of the ladder parts of fig.

1 in their successive stages of operation.

It is noted that the figures have been drawn purely schematically and not to scale. More in particular some dimensions may be exaggerated for the sake of clarity and some constructional details that are obvious for the skilled person may have been left out. In the figures, corresponding parts have been given the same reference number when possible.

Figure 1 shows in perspective two successive ladder parts of a possible embodiment of an emergency stepladder according to the present invention, intended to provide an escape route in case of emergency alongside an outer wall of a building. The emergency stepladder comprises a number of successive ladder parts 11, 12, which are each mounted onto an outer wall of a building, of which two ladder parts are shown in the figure. For mounting purposes, the ladder parts 11, 12 are provided with mounting means, here implemented as a mounting flange 10 that is firmly mounted to the outer wall with bolts or the like. The ladder parts 11, 12 are mounted in such a manner that they can swing round a canting spindle 13 which in turn is connected to the mounting flange and consequently they may move alongside the outer wall under the influence of gravity from an at least substantially horizontal first position, in which position the lower ladder part 12 still is, to an at least substantially vertical second position, which in the example shown here has been assumed by the upper ladder part 1. This is shown for illustration purposes more in detail in the figures 2A-2D. If desired, excitation means in the form of for example a torsion spring mounted on canting spindle 13 or other types of spring means may be applied in order to obtain some kind of pre-tension for forcing and possibly for accelerating a transition from the first position to the second position.

At a starting point, all ladder parts are positioned in the first position, like the ladder part 12. In this position, the ladder parts are latched with the aid of latching means 14 which comprise in this example a cam which blocks the respective ladder part. Instead of a cam, many other latching means may be used within the framework of the invention, both mechanical and electronically or a combination of the two. In all cases, the latching means are provided with control means which unlatch the latching means when touched and which consequently sets free the respective ladder part, so that it can swing instantaneously to a vertical position under the influence of its own weight. In this example, these control means comprise a stop 15. In accordance with the invention, the control means are placed in a trajectory, followed by the previous ladder part in the row of ladder parts that form together the emergency stepladder, in its movement from the first position to the second position. In this way, every ladder part is stopped by the stop 15 of the next ladder part, which is released and in turn will move towards a vertical position in which it will hit the stop of the next ladder part and so on, until all successive ladder parts in the row will have assumed their vertical position. In that position, the ladder parts form an at least substantially joint escape route that stretches out up to the ground level surrounding the building, at least up to a safe distance from it.

On the canting spindle 13, resetting means are mounted, in this example on the inside of the outer wall, consisting of a gear wheel 21 which is coupled via a gearing 22 with a suitable gear ratio to a crank 23 which can be operated by hand. In this way, the ladder parts can be brought back to their starting position after they have landed in the second position.

The ladder parts each comprise a number of mutually parallel, vertical studs 1, between which a number of horizontal rungs 2 is placed on a regular mutual pitch. The studs are mounted to a mounting frame 4 via a number of coupling parts 3, which coupling parts 3 are each on both sides hingedly connected to respectively hinge pins 5, 6 in such a way that the studs 1 with the rungs 2 are cissorlike connected to frame 4. In the horizontal, first position, the studs 1 are positioned against the frame, as depicted in the situation of figure 3A. when the ladder part swings into the vertical second position, the ladder part 1,2 moves downwards, as 5. shown in figure 3B 3E, until it finally assumes an unfolded position as shown in figure 3F. In this final position, the ladder part 1,2 maintains a distance with respect to mounting frame 4 which is determined by the length of the coupling parts and which should be chosen sufficiently 0 large, in order to give more corpulent persons a possibility to descent via the cage formed by the mounting frame and the ladder part 1,2, In practise this turns out to be an important factor for the accessibility and the usefulness of the emergency stepladder, which otherwise could put up a significant barrier because of for example fear of heights at a larger altitude.

Although the invention has been elucidated only with respect to only this embodiment, it will be clear that the invention is by no means limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, a skilled man will understand that many variations and other embodiments are possible within the limitations of the invention. The shown embodiment relies for example completely upon gravity, but one may also make use of excitation means for forcing the transition from the first to the second position. One may for example choose for gas-filled or non gas-filled spring means, designed such that the resilience is different for different parts of the trajectory of the ladder parts, for obtaining an optimised movement.

Moreover, the ladder parts may be provided with aids for making it easier to step onto the...emergency stepladder. One may for example mount a small additional stepladder on the building side of the emergency stepladder, which turns together with the emergency stepladder to a vertical position and which enables one to step from the building onto the ladder part.

In the given example, control means shaped as a stop are used. Instead of this, another type of lever or the like may be used, that may or may not be controllable manually from the inside. It is also possible to opt for electronic control means for controlling the latching means, but one should preferably take adequate measures so that one can be certain that these will work in case of fire and other calamities .

Instead of mounting the ladder parts with hinges onto the outer wall, one may choose for a movement and possibly for a hinging movement of the ladder parts from inside, out of the outer wall, in which case the ladder parts will previously be invisible, at least almost invisible.

Generally speaking, the emergency stepladder according to the present invention gives a possibility for in particular architects and construction engineers to offer sufficient safety and a possibility of escape routes, without a compromise as to safety for burglary, architecture and beauty of the building.

Claims

1, Emergency stepladder for providing an escape route alongside an outer wall of a building, characterised in that the stepladder comprises a number of successive stepladder parts which can be moved between a first position and a second position, that said ladder parts are provided with latching means for latching the ladder parts in the first position, that the latching means are provided with control means for releasing the latching means when touched, for setting free the latched ladder part so that it may assume the second position, and that the control means of a successive ladder part are positioned in a path, passed through by the ladder part when changing from the first to the second position.

2. Emergency stepladder according to claim 1, characterised in that the ladder parts are provided with fastening means for hingedly fastening the ladder parts on a canting spindle in a substantially horizontal position alongside the outer wall, that the latching means latch the ladder parts in a substantially horizontal first position and that the ladder parts, after being unlatched, may cant round the canting spindle into a substantially vertical second position in order to form at least a part of the escape route.

3., Emergency stepladder according to claim 2 characterised in that the ladder parts are provided with resetting means for returning the ladder part into the first position.

... £me-.ge c stepladder according to_?laim..3.._ characterised in that the resetting means comprise a gearing which is on one end coupled to a canting spindle of the ladder part and on the other end to a manual control device.

5. Emergency stepladder according to claim 4

5 characterised in that at least the manual control device is mounted to an inside of the outer wall.

6. Emergency stepladder according to one or more of the claims 2 to 5, characterised in that at least some of the

ID ladder parts are arranged such that in the first position they are at least substantially aligned with a balustrade of a balcony on the outer wall.

7. Emergency stepladder according to claim 1,

15 characterised in that the ladder parts are arranged so as to lie in the first position at least substantially on an inside of the outer wall in a linear guide, which guide is positioned at least substantially crosswise to the outer wall, and that the ladder parts, after being unlatched, may 0 glide to the outside via the guide and may cant near a tail end into the second position round a canting spindle,

a . Emergency stepladder according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that the ladder parts are 5 provided with excitation means for forcing a ladder part from the first to the second position, once it is unlatched.

9, Emergency stepladder according to claim 8, 0 characterised in that the excitation means comprise a spring device which is mounted, at least in the first position, under tension between the ladder part and a fixed part, .mounted to the building.

10. Emergency stepladder according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the ladder parts each comprise a number of mutually at least substantially parallel studs, between which a number of rungs is placed on an at least substantially regular mutual pitch, and that the studs are mounted to a fastening frame via on both sides hingedly mounted coupling parts, in order to be situated in the first position at least substantially up against the fastening frame and in the second position situated at a distance of it, and that the fastening frame, at least in the second position, is located between the outer wall and the studs.