WO2009020331A2

WO2009020331A2 - Movable aerial ladder

Info

Publication number: WO2009020331A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/004529
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dae Woo Lim
Original assignee: Dae Woo Lim
Priority date: 2007-08-03
Filing date: 2008-08-04
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Also published as: KR100909871B1; KR20090013899A; WO2009020331A3

Abstract

Provided is a movable aerial ladder which can be adaptively used at a narrow space to which vehicle accessibility is restricted. The movable aerial ladder includes support boom members each having an extensible boom member, support scaffolds installed on both sidewalls of the support boom members so as to vary their angles, and ladder supporting means provided at lower portions of the support boom members connected by a hinge shaft and hinges, wherein the ladder supporting means includes front and rear support racks, which are integrally formed with the support boom members by front and rear cylinders, a switch caster is formed at the lower portion of the front support racks, and a non- rotary roll is formed at the lower portion and one end of the rear support rack, and a rotary outtrigger is formed at a lower portion of the support boom member through rotation shaft.

Description

Description MOVABLE AERIAL LADDER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a movable aerial ladder, and more particularly, to a movable aerial ladder which can be adaptively used at a narrow space to which vehicle accessibility is restricted. Background Art

[2] In general, aerial ladders are fixed on a stowage compartment of a moving vehicle to be used to load or unload packages. In addition, aerial ladders are used for special purposes of rescuing people from burning buildings.

[3] Recently, the movable aerial ladder may also be used for the exterior work of a building under construction, e.g., a construction work of walls cased with marble or reinforced glass, or a repair work of a building.

[4] However, since the conventional aerial ladder is used in a state in which it is fixed to a vehicle, it cannot be used at a narrow alley where the vehicle cannot have an access. In particular, the conventional aerial ladder is inconveniently used at a low-story building.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[5] To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a movable aerial ladder which can be used by being manhandled to a narrow alley or space to which a vehicle cannot have an access.

[6] It is another object of the present invention to provide a movable aerial ladder which can be easily mounted/dismounted onto/from a stowage compartment of a moving vehicle and allows for rotation through 360 degrees at a fixed position. Technical Solution

[7] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable aerial ladder including support boom members each having an extensible boom member, support scaffolds installed on both sidewalls of the support boom members so as to vary their angles, and ladder supporting means provided at lower portions of the support boom members connected by a hinge shaft and hinges, wherein the ladder supporting means includes front and rear support racks, which are integrally formed with the support boom members by front and rear cylinders, a switch caster is formed at the lower portion of the front support racks, and a non- rotary roll is formed at the lower portion and one end of the rear support rack, and a rotary outrigger is formed at a lower portion of the support boom member through rotation shaft. [8] Preferably, the rotary outtrigger includes a rotary bar formed at right angle with respect to the support boom member and a support bar having a height adjusting support plate.

[9] One or more switch casters for pivoting the ladder supporting means are provided at lower portions of the front support racks, respectively, such that the switch casters are configured to closely contact the ground when the front and rear support racks are held in a horizontal direction so that the respective wheels come into close contact with the ground.

[10] In the movable aerial ladder, since angles of the front and rear support racks of the ladder supporting means integrally formed with the support boom member are varied by front and rear cylinders so as to allow the front and rear support racks to be mounted/dismounted onto/from the stowage compartment, thereby facilitating switching directions of the movable aerial ladder. In addition, the movable aerial ladder according to the present invention can switch in an arbitrary direction at a fixed position by the switch casters installed at the lower portions of the front support racks, thereby maximizing the working efficiency. The rotary outtrigger, which is installed at the lower portion of the support boom member, ensures a moving work in a secured manner when mounting/dismounting the aerial ladder onto/from the vehicle.

[11] Further, a non-rotary roll installed at an end of the rear support rack is configured to c ome into close contact with the stowage compartment of the moving vehicle when mounting/dismounting the aerial ladder onto/from the vehicle.

[12] Further, since the front and rear support racks are held in a horizontal direction by the front and rear cylinders, the non-rotary roll is configured to it may not be brought into the ground even when the respective wheels closely contact the ground.

[13] Accordingly, the movable aerial ladder according to the present invention can be easily mounted/dismounted onto/from the stowage compartment of the moving vehicle, and can be used at a narrow space to which vehicle accessibility is restricted. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a movable aerial ladder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[15] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the operation of a front support rack for moving the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1 ;

[16] FIGS. 3 through 5 are side views illustrating states in which the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1 is lifted to or lowered from a moving vehicle; and

[17] FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state in which the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1 is used. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [18] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[19] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a movable aerial ladder according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the operation of a front support rack for moving the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1.

[20] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the movable aerial ladder includes a ladder supporting means 2 having an aerial ladder portion 1 at its upper portion with extensible boom members, and a plurality of wheels 23 provided at lower portions of the ladder supporting means 2.

[21] The aerial ladder portion 1 is configured such that the boom members of the aerial ladder portion 1 may extend by manipulating a ladder driver (not shown). The ladder driver may be a hydraulic motor winding a wire or unwinding a wire and a hydraulic pump supplying the hydraulic motor with a fluid and discharging a fluid from the hydraulic motor. The configuration of the ladder driver is known well in the art and will not be described in detail.

[22] Wheels installed at ends of front and rear support racks 22 and 21 have the same configurations and perform the same functions and are defined by the same reference numerals. Undefined reference numeral 10 is a stowage compartment of a moving vehicle, 50 a moving cart lifting and lowering along the support boom members 11, 52 brackets for installing a rear cylinder 212 on the support boom members 11.

[23] The movable aerial ladder according to the present invention is configured to be used such that it is easily mounted onto a stowage compartment of a moving vehicle before movement of the vehicle and then is dismounted from the stowage compartment.

[24] The movable aerial ladder includes support scaffolds 3 provided on both sidewalls of a couple of support boom members 11 and each supported by a pivot support 31, the support scaffolds 3 undergoing an angle variation.

[25] The pivot support 31 includes a holder 311 having a spherical groove 312 fixed to an upper portion of a support axis and having a bottom opened, and a connector 313 provided above the support scaffolds 3 and inserted into the spherical groove 312.

[26] In addition, clamps for supporting the lower portions of the support scaffolds 3 are further provided at lower portions of the support boom members 11.

[27] The ladder supporting means 2 includes a couple of front support racks 22 connected to the sidewalls of the support boom members 11 through a hinge shaft 221 and varying their angles according to actuation of front cylinders 222 connected between the support boom members 11 and the front support racks 22 . Wheels 23 are provided at front ends of the front support racks 22.

[28] In addition, the ladder supporting means 2 includes a couple of rear support racks 21 connected through a hinge 211 which is provided at lower ends of both sidewalls of the support members 11 and varying their angles according to actuation of rear cylinders 222 connected between the support boom members 11 and the rear support racks 21 . Wheels 23 are also provided at rear ends of the rear support racks 21.

[29] A non-rotary roll 24, which comes into a close contact with the stowage compartment 10 of the moving vehicle when it is mounted or dismounted onto/from the stowage compartment 10, is installed at a front portion of the rear support rack 21 integrally formed with the hinge 211. Accordingly, the non-rotary roll 24 contacts the ground or the stowage compartment 10 of the moving vehicle as the angle of the rear support rack 21 varies.

[30] Since the front and rear support racks 22 and 21 are held in a horizontal direction by the front and rear cylinders 222 and 212, the non- rotary roll 24 is not brought into close contact with the ground (or the stowage compartment 10) even when the respective wheels 23 closely contact the ground (or the stowage compartment 10).

[31] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, one or more switch casters 25 for pivoting the ladder supporting means 2 may further be provided at lower portions of the rear support racks 21, respectively.

[32] The switch casters 25 are configured to closely contact the ground when the front and rear support racks 22 and 21 are held in a horizontal direction so that the respective wheels 23 come into close contact with the ground.

[33] The switch caster 25 includes a holder 251 having a spherical groove 252 fixed to a lower portion of the front support rack 22 and a bottom opened, and a spherical roller 253 inserted into the spherical groove 252 and configured to rotate.

[34] In addition, a rotary outtrigger 4 formed at right angle with respect to the support boom member 11 is installed at a lower portion of the support boom member 11. The rotary outtrigger 4 includes a rotary bar 41 and a support bar 42 having a height adjusting support plate 43. The rotary bar 41 is integrally formed with the support boom member 11 through a rotation shaft 44.

[35] The movable aerial ladder allows for facilitated moving, quick fire control or effective human rescue in any event of a fire at a narrow alley or space to which a vehicle cannot have an access.

[36] In addition, since the movable aerial ladder according to the present invention can be easily mounted/dismounted onto/from the stowage compartment of the moving vehicle, it may be transferred to a long distance in a state in which it is mounted onto the vehicle while it is may be transferred to a short distance and manually handled by an operator without necessity of mounting/dismounting the same onto/from the moving vehicle.

[37] Further, the movable aerial ladder according to the present invention allows for rotation through 360 degrees at a fixed position, thereby facilitating switching directions of the movable aerial ladder at a narrow alley.

[38] Hereinafter, the operation of the movable aerial ladder according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 through 6. FIGS. 3 through 5 are side views illustrating states in which the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1 is lifted to or lowered from a moving vehicle, and FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state in which the movable aerial ladder of FIG. 1 is used.

[39] The operation of the movable aerial ladder will be described by sub-dividing into a step of mounting/dismounting the aerial ladder onto/from a vehicle and a step of moving the aerial ladder from an alley to be used.

[40] In the first step of mounting/dismounting the aerial ladder onto/from a vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to separate the rear support racks 21 of the ladder supporting means 2 supporting the support boom members 11 from the stowage compartment 10, the rear cylinder 212 is actuated to contract. Then, the non-rotary roll 24 installed at one end of either rear support rack 21 is separated from the stowage compartment 10.

[41] In such a state, as shown in FIG. 4, since the aerial ladder portion 1 is configured such that only the wheels 23 and the switch casters 25 contact the stowage compartment 10, a user can easily move the aerial ladder portion 1 to an end of the stowage compartment 10. In this case, the wheels 23 of the rear support racks 21 are brought into contact with the ground by extending the rear cylinder 212.

[42] In a state in which the wheels 23 of the rear support racks 21 are brought into contact with the ground, the wheels 23 are moved, as shown in FIG. 5. Next, although not shown, the rotary outtrigger 4 installed at the lower portion of the support boom member 11 is actuated to allow the height adjusting support plate 43 installed at the support bar 42 of the rotary outtrigger 4 to contact the ground, and the rear cylinder 212 of the rear support racks 21 to contract, thereby gradually moving the support boom members 11 positioned at a tilted position to be substantially at right angle so that the load of the support boom member 11 may be transferred to the rotary outtrigger 4. Accordingly, the wheels 23 of the front support racks 22 put over the stowage compartment 10 are separated from the stowage compartment 10.

[43] In such a state, if the moving vehicle is moved (in the left direction when viewed from the drawing), the aerial ladder portion 1 including the support boom members 11 is supported by the wheels 23 of the rear support racks 21 and the height adjusting support plate 43 of the rotary outtrigger 4. In this case, although not illustrated in the drawing, the wheels 23 of the front support racks 22 may be configured to come into contact with the ground by contracting the rear cylinder 212 of the rear support racks 21 while extending the front cylinders 222 of the front support racks 22.

[44] Therefore, the load of the support boom members 11 concentrated on the rotary outtrigger 4 is distributed to the wheels 23 of the front and rear support racks 22 and 21. Here, as the angle between the rotary outtrigger 4 and the rear support rack 21 gradually increases until it reaches substantially an angle of 180 degrees. As a result, the rear support racks 21 move according to the contraction of the rear cylinders 212, so that the non-rotary roll 24 installed at one end of the rear support rack 21 comes into contact with the ground, thereby allowing the support bar 42 of the rotary outtrigger 4 to be separated from the ground.

[45] In such a state, the rotary outtrigger 4 is rotated so as to make the same rotated in the same direction with the rear support racks 21 and the rear cylinder 212 of the rear support racks 21 is made to extend, thereby separating the non-rotary roll 24 from the ground and ultimately moving the aerial ladder portion 1 to a user's intended working space.

[46] Here, the rear support rack 21 has one end axially connected with the non-rotary roll

24, which is integrally formed with the lower end of the support boom member 11 by the hinge 211. As the rear cylinder 212 is actuated, the non-rotary roll 24 swings about the hinge 211 due to its own weight, like a pendulum, thereby acquiring an angle in which the rear cylinder 212 can be freely actuated.

[47] In such a state, as shown in FIG. 6, the aerial ladder portion 1 is moved to a working place, as intended by the user, and the boom members 11 are supported in a secured manner using the support scaffolds 3 installed on the sidewalls of the boom members 11, and the rear cylinder 212 of the rear support racks 21 is actuated to contract. Then, the non-rotary roll 24 installed at one end of the rear support rack 21 is brought into contact with the ground. Accordingly, the moving cart 50 installed on the support boom members 11 can be used in a stable manner.

[48] Here, the support scaffolds 3 installed on the sidewalls of the boom members 11 are integrally formed with the boom members 11 by the pivot support 31. Thus, the support scaffolds 3 can freely move according to the actuation of the front cylinder 222 adjusting the angle of the boom members 11, thereby allowing the support scaffolds 3 to support the boom members 11 in a more secured manner.

[49] Furthermore, if necessary, the aerial ladder can be used more effectively by rotating the ladder supporting means 2 using the switch casters 25 provided at lower portions of the rear support racks 21.

[50] Accordingly, as described above, the aerial ladder according to the present invention may be mounted onto a truck to be moved a long distance, or may be dismounted from a truck at an alley to which the truck cannot enter to be moved before use. Accordingly, the aerial ladder according to the present invention allows for facilitated moving, quick fire control or effective human rescue in any event of a fire at a narrow alley or space to which a vehicle cannot have an access.

Claims

[1] A movable aerial ladder comprising: support boom members each having an extensible boom member; support scaffolds installed on both sidewalls of the support boom members so as to vary their angles; and ladder supporting means provided at lower portions of the support boom member s connected by a hinge shaft and hinges, wherein the ladder supporting means includes front and rear support racks, which are integrally formed with the support boom members by front and rear cylinders, a switch caster is formed at the lower portion of the front support racks, and a non- rotary roll is formed at the lower portion and one end of the rear support rack, and a rotary outtrigger is formed at a lower portion of the support boom member through rotation shaft.

[2] The movable aerial ladder of claim 1, wherein the rotary outtrigger includes a rotary bar formed at right angle with respect to the support boom member and a support bar having a height adjusting support plate.

[3] The movable aerial ladder of claim 1, wherein one or more switch casters for pivoting the ladder supporting means are provided at lower portions of the front support racks, respectively, such that the switch casters are configured to closely contact the ground when the front and rear support racks are held in a horizontal direction so that the respective wheels come into close contact with the ground.