WO2020170278A1

WO2020170278A1 - Cover for traps or manholes equiped with a mechanism for lifting and horizontally translating the cover

Info

Publication number: WO2020170278A1
Application number: PCT/IT2020/000012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giambattista Dalena
Original assignee: Apulia Innovative Technologies S.R.L.
Priority date: 2019-02-18
Filing date: 2020-02-05
Publication date: 2020-08-27
Also published as: EP3927901A1; IT201900002291A1; EP3927901B1

Abstract

A cover (1, 54) is described, for manholes or traps (52), the cover (1, 54) being equipped with a self-centering device designed to center the cover (1, 54) by making the cover (1, 54) itself fall inside the self-centering device due to gravity, the self-centering device being actuated by a vertically lifting and rotating mechanism on an edge (56), and the self-centering device consists in two semi-circular elements (51) welded onto a fixed frame (52) next to a vertical rib (53) of the cover (1, 54), capable of making a groove as wide as the rib (53), the semicircular elements (51) being suitable to house, when closing due to gravity, the whole cover (1, 54) in the same accurate foreseen position (55).

Description

COVER OF TRAPS OR MANHOLES EQUIPPED WITH A MECHANISM FOR LIFTING AND HORIZONTALLY TRANSLATING

THE COVER

The present invention relates to a cover of traps or manholes equipped with a mechanism for lifting and horizontally translating the cover.

In particular, the present invention deals with the field of covers of manholes or traps, also governed by UNI EN 124/1995 standard related to crowning and closing devices for circulating areas used by pedestrians and vehicles.

Currently, the majority of such devices is of the cast iron type, whose movements are performed by means of manual lifting tools. Since such covers generally are more than 25 kg heavy, it is necessary to have two or more operators in order to perform such movements or to use a suitable working tool . Recently, covers have been devised which are hinged in one or more points: in this latter case, the cover is also made with many sections, and its handling is performed by rotating the cover upwards . Such arrangement provides for the sole use of cast iron covers. The type of filling covers, especially if having big sizes (greater than 70 cm by 70 cm) , has the problems of having a great weight (more than 100 daN) , of being generally custom built with a frame and hooks for performing cover movements, which can occur only through the use of suitable working tools (lifting trucks, mechanical blades, etc.). A variation in commerce consist in a filling cover hinged on one side, whose opening occurs with the help of some gas springs below the cover, whose function is facilitating its lifting.

Summarizing, the trap covers ordinarily used have the following inconveniences:

1. They have reduced sizes linked to the need of reducing their weight

2. Are mainly made of a material (cast iron) , different from the surrounding pavement

3. Have weight and shape not compatible with safety standards related to manual handling of loads (weight _> 25 daN with the risk of squashing lower limbs, in addition to the risk of fall of the cover into the trap, if it opening is not circular)

4. Big-sized covers cannot be manually handled

5. Their great weight has an incidence of transport costs.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior-art problems, by providing a cover of traps or manholes equipped with a mechanism for lifting and horizontally translating the cover, which has the following features:

(1) Allows making bigger covers, which can be actuated by a single person

(2) Allows using filling covers, with the chance of using the surrounding pavement

(3) Lifting and moving the cover are performed without any operator effort

(4) During the opening/closing step, the cover remain stably blocked by the mechanism guides, thereby preventing the chance of squashing the operator's limbs and the cover from falling inside the trap (5) Since the resisting part of the filling cover is made of laid conglomerate, the weight of the sold apparatus is reduced.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained by a cover of traps or manholes equipped with a mechanism for lifting and horizontally translating the cover, as claimed in Claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are claimed in the dependent Claims.

It is intended that all enclosed claims are an integral part of the present description.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, given as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

- Figures 1 to 6 show a first example of the mechanism of the present invention;

- Figures 7 to 11 show a second example of the mechanism of the present invention;

- Figures 12 and 13 show a third example of the mechanism of the present invention;

- Figures 14 to 16 show a fourth example of the mechanism of the present invention; and

- Figures 17 to 19 show a preferred embodiment of the mechanism of the present invention

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) could be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the enclosed claims.

The operation of the mechanism is shown in Figures 1, 4, 7 and 10: the cover in its rest position (A) is composed of two parts: the actual cover (1) , mobile and coated with the same material of the surrounding pavement, and a small, fixed cover (2a) , where the terminal part of the driving arrangement is housed: by means of a handle (10) (B) , by acting on a worm screw, the mechanism is actuated and lifts the cover over the walking height (C) . Now, telescopic guides allow the horizontal translation of the cover (D) , leaving the trap hole adapted to be accessed.

According to a first example, shown in Figures 2 to 6, the mechanism is shown in its composing parts: it is composed of a filling cover (1) made of suitable material and sizes (plate made of zinc- coated steel, PVC, stainless steel, etc.) to contain the following conglomerate casting and the related metallic framework, to be performed in a yard. Under rest conditions, the cover abuts onto a fixed frame (6) ; when it is lifted, the mechanism engages the cover (1) which, due to its prismatic shape (Figure 4), remains blocked in the mechanism whose movements it is constrained to follow. The cover-holding frame (2) in turn is fastened to two telescopic guides (3) having a complete extraction, fastened to a mobile lifting frame (4) which slides, through wheels (4a) , onto a fixed guide (5b) . The lifting movement occurs by means of a rack (4b) driven by a toothed wheel (5c) connected to a gear (5) which originates in a revolving-type screw (5a) driven by the external handle (10) .

Summarizing, the mechanism is composed of a fixed part, (5) + (6) , which is completely hidden, and of a mobile part, (2) + (3) + (4), which supports the actual cover. The small, fixed driving trap (5a) can be equipped with a lock, in its small cover (2a) or, through a suitable worked nut (driven by a special wrench) , directly in the head of the revolving screw.

Figure 4 instead shows, in the plan and sectional views, the mechanism in its three operating steps: closed, lifting and translation.

Figure 5 is an axonometric bottom view pointing out the translating-elevating mechanism.

Figure 6 shows a variation, always object of the present invention, where, in place of the small driving trap (5a) , there is a prismatic turret (2b) , adapted to contain therein an electro mechanical motor (2c) for controlling the mechanism, namely to work as external terminal of mains services possibly running below the trap: electric energy, water, gas, compressed air, light, etc .

Preferably, the telescopic guides (3) are equipped with an opening and closing stopper (not shown) . According to a second example, shown in

Figures 7 to 11, the cover (1) is equipped with a mechanism composed of a frame (2) for supporting the mobile cover (1) fastened onto telescopic guides (3) having a complete extraction, in turn fastened to a mobile lifting frame (4) , equipped with wheels (4a' ) , connected through a cross member (4b') to an hydraulic jack (5a') placed inside a fixed frame (5') whose actuation, by means of an external hydraulic pump (10'), lifts the mobile cover (1) .

According to a third example, shown in Figures 12 and 13, the cover is equipped with a mechanism composed of a frame (2) for supporting the mobile cover (1) fastened to a ring (3'') capable of performing a complete rotation around a vertical axis, in turn fastened to a mobile lifting concentric ring (4''), equipped with sliding trolleys (4a''), containing an hydraulic piston (5'') having its cylinder oriented towards the cover (5a'') and its piston oriented towards the support integral with the fixed frame (5b' ' ) , whose actuation, by means of an external hydraulic pump (10''), lifts the mobile cover (1).

According to a fourth example, shown in Figures 14 to 16, the frame (2) for supporting the mobile cover (1) is fastened to a ring (32) capable of performing a complete rotation around the vertical axis, and integral, by means of a pair of ball bearings (34) with axial resistance, with a screw (30) , whose rotation, controlled by an external handle, inside a threaded sleeve (36) integral with the fixed frame (6) , lifts the mobile cover (1) and, when closing, through the recess (38) , pressure-closes the cover (1) onto the frame (6) . According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in Figures 17 to 19, the cover (54) for man-holes or traps (52) of the present invention is equipped with a self-centering device designed to center the cover (54) by making the cover (54) itself fall inside the self-centering device due to gravity, the self-centering device being actuated by a vertically lifting and rotating mechanism on an edge (56) . The self-centering device consists in two semi-circular elements (51) welded onto a fixed frame (52) next to a vertical rib (53) of the cover (1, 54) , capable of making a groove as wide as the rib (53) , the semicircular elements (51) being suitable to house, when closing due to gravity, the whole cover (1, 54) in the same accurate foreseen position (55) , following actuations of the mechanism, as shown in Figure 17.

Moreover, the cover (54) of the present invention can be further equipped with a quick connection and precision positioning system, simply by abutment, of the vertically lifting and rotating mechanism on an edge (56) , to the fixed frame of the man-hole (52) . Such quick connection and precision positioning system consists in a circular element (57) integral with the mechanism, cutted at its end by two planes (58) , mutually symmetrical with respect to the perpendicular plane to the element and passing by its center (59) , wherein the planes (58) are symmetrically slanted, with respect to the element center, by 45° and rotated, together, by 30° with respect to the vertical, in order to make a bearing and holding plane with the corresponding and complementary sections of axis (60) integral with the fixed frame, as shown in Figure 18.

Finally, the cover (54) of the present inventin can be further equipped with an hydraulic and smell sealing system for the cover (1, 54) actuated by a vertically lifting mechanism, the hydraulic and smell sealing system consisting in a continuous external channel (61) , integral with the upper edge of the fixed frame (52) and a lip (62) of the mobile cover (54) , coaxial with the channel (61) which, due to the vertical lifting movement of the cover (1, 54) impressed by the lifting mechanism (56) , and due to a precision closing device (51) , owing to the presence of a liquid or a gasket (53) inside the channel (61) , generates the complete seal to smell and water for the whole system, as shown in Figure 19.

Claims

1. Cover (1, 54) for man-holes or traps (52), characterized in that it is equipped with a self centering device designed to center said cover (1, 54) by making said cover (1, 54) fall inside said self-centering device due to gravity, said self centering device being actuated by a vertically lifting and rotating mechanism on an edge (56) , said self-centering device consisting in two semi circular elements (51) welded onto a fixed frame

(52) next to a vertical rib (53) of the cover (1, 54) , capable of making a groove as wide as the rib

(53) , said semicircular elements (51) being suitable to house, when closing due to gravity, the whole cover (1, 54) in the same accurate foreseen position (55) .

2. Cover (1, 54) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is further equipped with a quick connection and precision positioning system, simply by abutment, of said vertically lifting and rotating mechanism on an edge (56) , to the fixed frame of the man-hole (52) , said quick connection and precision positioning system consisting in a circular element (57) integral with the mechanism, cutted at its end by two planes (58) , mutually symmetrical with respect to the perpendicular plane to the element and passing by its center (59) , said planes (58) being symmetrically slanted, with respect to the element center, by 45° and rotated, together, by 30° with respect to the vertical, in order to make a bearing and holding plane with the corresponding and complementary sections of axis (60) integral with the fixed frame.

3. Cover (1, 54) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is further equipped with an hydraulic and smell sealing system for the cover (1, 54) actuated by a vertically lifting mechanism, said hydraulic and smell sealing system consisting in a continuous external channel (61) , integral with the upper edge of the fixed frame (52) and a lip (62) of the mobile cover (54) , coaxial with said channel (61) which, due to the vertical lifting movement of the cover (1, 54) impressed by the lifting mechanism (56) , and due to a precision closing device (51) , owing to the presence of a liquid or a gasket (53) inside the channel (61) , generates the complete seal to smell and water for the whole system.

4. Cover (1, 54) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that a mechanism for lifting and horizontally translating the cover (1, 34) is further composed of a mobile frame (2) to support the cover (1) , fastened to a ring (32) capable of performing a complete rotation around the vertical axis, and integral through a pair of abll bearings (34) with axial resistance, with a screw (30) , whose rotation, controlled by an external handle, inside a threaded sleeve (36) integral with the fixed frame (6) , lifts the mobile cover (1) and, when it closes, through the recess (38) , closes with pressure the cover (1) onto the frame (6) .

5. Cover (1, 54) according to claim 4, characterized in that it is constrained, when it opens, to the mobile frame (2), and is disconnected by the mobile frame (2) , with the man-hole closed, in order to be able to bear only on a fixed frame

(6) of the cover (1) .