WO2022069173A1

WO2022069173A1 - Device for managing access to and use of a ladder

Info

Publication number: WO2022069173A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/074730
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian PELSER; Virginie COUTIER; Charles Coutier
Original assignee: Coutier Industrie
Priority date: 2020-09-30
Filing date: 2021-09-08
Publication date: 2022-04-07
Also published as: EP4222336A1; WO2022069174A1; FR3114604B1; FR3114604A1; EP4222335A1

Abstract

Device for managing access to and use of a ladder (1) extending between a lower level and a protected upper level, the access to the bottom of which is controlled, having a means for hindering or preventing the use of at least some of the rungs of this ladder, formed by a panel (5) and means for connecting the latter to the ladder, which keep the panel, in a first state, pressed against an opposite face of the ladder from its access face and, in a second state, away from this face of the ladder, characterized in that the means for connecting the panel to the ladder comprise an articulation (10) with an axis parallel to the rungs (2) of the ladder (1) and away from the transverse edge (5b) of the panel (5) that is closest thereto.

Description

Device for managing access and use of a ladder

The present invention relates to the management of access and use of a ladder, inclined or not, to condemn this access to any unauthorized person and to allow the safe use of this ladder for the authorized user.

Technology background

It is known to condemn access to a ladder, in particular a crinoline ladder, by a panel folded over the lower rungs of the latter. In general, this panel is equipped with an upper cover which is intended to block the entrance to the crinoline, thus increasing the condemnation.

It is also known to condemn access to a particular inclined ladder by a panel attached to the rear of the ladder (DE202011102506U1). It should be noted that this condemnation is quite rudimentary and does not make it possible to satisfy the conditions of use of a ladder as prescribed by several standards and regulations concerning labor law, safety and the protection of users. and the responsibility of employers.

Object of the invention

The present invention intends to propose a device for locking access to a ladder which can not only effectively ensure the prohibition of access to any unauthorized person but also ensure that the authorized user can use the ladder in safety and with as much comfort as possible.

Brief description of the invention

To this end, the subject of the invention is a device for managing access and use of a ladder extending between a lower level and a protected upper level, the lower access to which is regulated, comprising a means for prohibiting or preventing the use of at least some of the rungs of this ladder formed by a panel and means for its connection to the ladder which hold the panel, in a first state, applied against a face of the ladder opposite to its access face and in a second state, remote from this face of the ladder. The means for connecting the panel to the ladder comprise an articulation with an axis parallel to the rungs of the ladder and remote from the transverse edge of the panel which is closest to it.

This distance makes it possible to obtain a separation of the panel relative to the ladder such that the user can place his foot correctly, safely and comfortably, on the first rung, once the condemnation has been cleared.

The panel can have different shapes. The simplest comes down to a simple sheet mounted on a frame or box to give it sufficient rigidity. It can take a more complex form, in particular to constitute an at least partial closure of the inter-bar space, either by stamping, or by cutting a boxed or curved (folded) panel in the longitudinal direction for the passage of bars, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, the axis of the ladder panel hinge is below the lower transverse edge of the panel. Tests have in fact shown that this position is the most convenient for the user for, on the one hand, locking and unlocking access to the ladder and, on the other hand, so that, from the first rungs, he can comfortably put his foot on them.

Advantageously, when the ladder is equipped with a crinoline, the panel is provided in the upper part with a cover, of width less than the spacing of the uprights of the ladder, capable of at least partially blocking the internal passage of the crinoline.

It has been found that, surprisingly, it is more comfortable for the user who is resting on the cover, for example during descent or when he uses it as a resting place, for this cover, when it is inserted into the crinoline, to be substantially parallel to the ground so as to to provide the user with the same feeling as when he is at the foot of the ladder. This feature can be achieved either by a flat lid but located at the top of the panel at an angle slightly less than 90 degrees, depending, of course, on the angle of inclination of the ladder, or by a "cylindrical" lid the upper surface of which is substantially centered on the axis of articulation.

In certain variant embodiments, the locking can be maintained in the open position, the device, in which the panel is hinged to scale in the lower part, is equipped for this purpose with a member for returning said panel against the rear face of the ladder and a mechanism for retaining the panel in its separated state from the ladder, carried by the end of the lid remote from the panel to cooperate with an element of the ladder, preferably a rung, under which the operculum crosses the plane of the scale.

In this embodiment, the retention mechanism envisaged resides in a retractable stop normally projecting above the free end of the panel, erasable, either by a rung of the ladder at the passage of this end, under the latter, at the opening of the condemnation, against the effect of a return member, or by an operating linkage comprising, at the level of the foot of the ladder, a manual actuation member for erasing this stop to allow the folding of the panel under the effect of its return member.

It is also advantageous for the panel to be locked in its locking position, that is to say when it is folded down against the ladder. To this end, the invention proposes to equip the panel with a quarter bolt tower which is normally engaged in a striker carried by the ladder. To release the bolt, provision will have been made, on the one hand, for a bolt operating key acting either directly on the latter or via a transmission, if the strike plate (and any locking device) is located on the ladder at a level inaccessible to the user at the foot of the ladder and, on the other hand, by a pedal, located on the lid, connected to the bolt by a transmission linkage.

Thus, the user located at the foot of the ladder and authorized to climb it, can release the bolt from its keeper by means of a personal key, the possession of which is the mark of his authorization. He then pushes the panel to tilt it around its lower articulation until the retaining stop engages. After having climbed the lower rungs of the ladder, he actuates with his foot the deletion of the stop. The panel is then automatically recalled against the ladder and the bolt again engaged in the keeper.

On the descent, the user, with his foot, on the one hand, activates the pedal to release the bolt from its keeper and, on the other hand, pushes the lid back to the rear of the ladder until engagement of the retaining stop which allows him to continue the descent to the ground. Finally, he actuates the operating member of the stop to clear it in order to allow its passage under the bar and release the folding of the latter against the rear face of the ladder.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description given below of an embodiment and of certain variants of the latter.

Brief description of the drawings

Reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a ladder equipped with the device, showing more particularly a lower part of the locking panel according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a ladder equipped with the device, showing more particularly an upper part of the locking panel according to a second embodiment, the Figure 3 is a perspective view of a locking panel equipped with an upper lid, Figure 4 is a side view which illustrates an advantageous arrangement of the device according to the invention, Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the control means of the device of the invention for an authorized user, FIG. 5a is a partial detail view taken from FIG. 5, FIG. 5b is another partial detail view taken from FIG. 5, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a device according to a third embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a device according to a qua third embodiment, Figure 8 is a perspective view of a scale equipped with a device according to a fifth embodiment.

Detailed description of the invention

The inclined ladder 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 to which the device of the invention applies, comprises horizontal rungs 2 between two side uprights 3 and 4.

The device of the invention comprises a panel 5 whose length is sufficient to cover several rungs 2 of the ladder 1 and whose width is at least substantially that of the ladder taken between the uprights 3 and 4. This panel is shaped so that its cross section current has a central part which, in the case of these figures, crosses the mean plane of the ladder 1 (the mean plane is the plane parallel to the rungs 2 and to the uprights 3, 4 and which passes through the middle of the rungs and uprights), in other words, said central portion of the panel 5 passes between the bars 2 until it extends beyond the mid-plane of the ladder 1. The function of this configuration is to make the bars 2 of the scale 1 by making it impossible to support the foot or hold the hand. Indeed, the central part of the panel 5 then occupies the space between the bars 2 sufficiently to prevent the foot or the hand of the user from being able to penetrate this space to bear correctly on the lower bar or to grip it . The bars 2 are then housed in cutouts 6 formed in this central part, when the panel 5 is folded down on the ladder, which allows the central part to partly occupy the inter-bar space.

In Figure 1, the panel 5 is articulated to scale around an axis 7 parallel to the bars 2, by its lower part and more precisely by means of arms 8 and 9 extending the panel 5 downwards beyond its lower edge 5a. It is understood that the arms 8, 9 make it possible to have a panel in which the axis 7 is remote from the lower edge 5a in a longitudinal direction of the panel 5 (and of the ladder 1 when the panel 5 is folded against the ladder 1) . Thus, when the panel is moved away from the ladder, as shown, the lower part of the panel 5 is sufficiently moved away from the ladder so that the user's foot can take proper support on the first uncovered rung.

In Figure 2, the panel 5 is hinged to scale 1 which has a crinoline la, also around a transverse axis 10 by the two arms 11 and 12 which extend its upper part beyond its upper edge 5b. It is understood that the arms 11, 12 make it possible to have a panel in which the axis 10 is remote from the upper edge 5b in a longitudinal direction of the panel 5 (and of the ladder 1 when the panel 5 is folded against the ladder 1). Thus, as before, allow correct support of the user's foot on the last rung uncovered by the panel when it is moved away from the ladder.

It will be noted that the panel 5 is located at the rear of the ladder 1 so that the effect of gravity tends to move it away from the latter.

FIG. 3 represents an alternative embodiment of the panel 5 in which it is formed of a box whose front face 13 has the cutouts 6. This box defines an interior space between this front face 13 cut out and a solid rear face which makes it possible to accommodate operating mechanisms as shown in the following. The panel has an upper lid 14, substantially perpendicular to the face 13, and whose width is less than the spacing of the uprights of the ladder. This cover is intended to pass between two bars 2 to form an obstacle for access to the ladder, in particular if the latter has a crinoline, and to constitute a resting stage for a user of the ladder located above. of the panel. It will be noted that this cover comprises at its free end, a pedal 15 and a retractable stop 16, a more detailed description of which will be given below.

In Figure 4, we see a panel like that of Figure 3, associated with a ladder 1 provided with a crinoline the. Panel 5, in addition to joint 7, is biased against the ladder by a biasing member 17, here a pair of gas struts, against the effect of gravity. The recall effort will be adjusted so that the user provides only minimal effort to manually take off the panel 5 from the ladder 1, aided in this by the effect of gravity.

It will be noted, in this figure 4, that the upper surface of the cover 14 is not strictly perpendicular to the panel 5. It has an angle A with respect to this panel which depends on the angle of inclination B of the ladder 1 with respect to the horizontal (on the ground), so that when the panel 5 is folded against the ladder 1, the user who rests on the cover 14 has a feeling similar to that which he has when he is at the foot of the ladder 1 at the end of the descent or at the start of the ascent. Thus, by way of example, when the inclination B of scale 1 is 80 degrees, the angle between the panel and the upper surface of the lid is 84 degrees, to within a few degrees, in particular to hold account of the proximity that the end of the lid must maintain with the rung 2 of the ladder 1 under which it passes, in order to implement a stop for maintaining the separated state of the panel 5 as described below below.

In Figures 3 and 4, there is also shown, on the one hand a pusher 18 and on the other hand a barrel 19, for example that of a key lock.

These two elements are found in FIGS. 5, 5a and 5b.

FIG. 5 is therefore a diagram which shows the various mechanisms allowing the user to maneuver the device of the invention in order to satisfy the most recent regulatory requirements in terms of safety and ergonomics. More specifically, the mechanisms shown are transmission members, connecting on the one hand a bolt P for locking the condemnation to the lower barrel 19 and to the upper pedal 15 for maneuvering this bolt P and, on the other hand connecting the abutment retractable 16 to the pusher 18. These mechanisms are housed in a box-shaped panel such as that referenced 5 in FIG. the lid 14 also made in the form of a box.

On a common support 21 housed in the lid 14, the pedal 15 and stop 16 are pivotally mounted, the first to be able to be pressed against a return member and the second to be held projecting above the end of the lid by its own return member. The return member of the pedal 15 is for example sized so that the pedal 15 can only be depressed by exerting a relatively large force (for example about twenty daN) in order in particular to avoid accidental depression of the pedal 15 (and therefore an untimely opening of the cover 14) by the user when descending the ladder or to avoid any attempt to open by hand from the bottom of the ladder.

In Figures 5 and 5a, which isolates the locking mechanism from the condemnation, it can be seen that the pedal 15, being depressed, pivots upwards, around a fixed axis 22, a lever 23 which acts on the end a pivoting lever 24, the other end of which pushes down a rod 25 which acts on another lever 26, itself being coupled in a lock 27 to the bolt P which it raises to disengage it from a striker not shown carried by a rung 2 of the ladder. By releasing the depression, internal return organs bring the mechanism back to its condemnation locking state.

The quarter-turn bolt P, which normally projects out of the lock, can be retracted by action on the barrel, by means of a key specific to the authorized user. This operation of the bolt by the cylinder is ensured by a linkage 28 and is independent of the operation of the bolt P by the pedal 15.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 5b, which isolates the retaining mechanism from the locking panel 5, the pusher 18 is pivotally mounted around the fixed axis 20 and acts on the rod 29, which actuates the pusher 30 in rotation around a fixed axis 31. The pusher 30 causes a rod 32 to slide which causes the stop 16 to pivot around of an axis 33. Internal return members in this transmission place the abutment 16 projecting with respect to the lid 14.

The authorized user, in front of the locked condemnation, acts with his key or any other operating device on the cylinder 19. The rod 28 which is associated with it, causes the bolt P to retract into the lock 27. The panel 5 can then be moved aside manually of the ladder until the stop 16, sliding while retracting under a bar 2 of the latter (this bar is called stop bar thereafter to distinguish it from the others) thanks to the slope that it presents in the upper part, comes to protrude again behind this bar and holds the panel apart against its return member 17. The user comfortably crosses the bars thus discovered until reaching a bar 2 above the bar of stop which cooperates with the stop. He can then easily press (directly or via an intermediate mechanism) with his foot on the stopper 16 which can then go back under the stop bar and let the panel be folded down by the return member 17. The condemnation is then re-locked, prohibiting access to anyone who does not have the appropriate means of maneuvering the barrel 19.

When descending, the user therefore finds the active locking and the lid 14 engaged between the bars 2. By pressing the pedal 15, which pivots around a fixed axis of the support 21 located at its outermost end with respect to the cover 14, he releases the bolt P from its keeper as described above and therefore unlocks the panel 5 which he can move away with his foot by pushing the cover 14 through the ladder 1 up to to obtain the engagement of the stop 16 at the rear of the stop bar. He can then continue his descent to the ground. At this moment, by acting on pusher 18, it actuates the transmission described above in the direction of a deletion of the stop 16 inside the lid 14. The panel 5, thus released from its restraint, recalled by the return member 17, returns to press against the ladder and the bolt P s snap into its striker behind a bar 2.

In Figures 6 to 8, there is a ladder 1, devoid of a crinoline, equipped with a panel 5 formed of a box and articulated to the ladder 1 via arms 8, 9 as in Figures 3 and 4.

In these embodiments, the panel 5 has an upper part connected to each of the uprights 8, 9 by a compass 40 comprising a first connecting rod 40.1 having one end hinged to the upright 8, 9 and an opposite end hinged to one end of a second link 40.2 having an opposite end hinged to one side of the upper part of the panel 5.

The first connecting rod 40.1 is extended beyond its articulation to the second connecting rod 40.2 by a lever at the free end of which is hooked one end of a return member 41 having an opposite end hooked to a lug integral with the end of the second connecting rod hinged to the panel 5. The return member 41 tends to fold the panel 5 against the ladder 1.

Referring to Figure 6, and according to the third embodiment, the upper end of the panel 5 is provided with a cover 14 as in Figure 3. On the other hand, the ladder is vertical and no longer inclined.

In the embodiments of Figures 7 and 8, the panels 5 do not include a cover 14 and implement a slightly different mechanism for manipulating the panel 5 when the user is on the ladder 1 above the panel 5.

This mechanism comprises a rod 42 mounted to slide along the upright 8 of the ladder 1 parallel to said upright. The rod 42 comprises a first end 42.1 hinged to a first end of a third connecting rod 43 having a second end articulated at a midpoint of the first connecting rod 40.1. The rod 42 includes a second end 42.2 associated with an operating member.

In the embodiment of Figure 7, the operating member is a pedal 44 operable by the foot of the user when his feet are on a bar 2 located above the upper edge 5b of the panel 5.

In the embodiment of Figure 8, the maneuvering member is a handle 45 operable by the hand of the user when his feet are on a bar 2 located above the upper edge 5b of the panel 5.

In the embodiments of Figures 7 and 8, the abutment preventing the folding of the panel 5 against the ladder 1, against the force of the return member 41, is not shown. This stop can for example be constituted by a lock, an indexing in rotation of the handle or the pedal...

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described but encompasses any variant falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

In particular, it is possible to have a panel of the type of that of FIGS. 1 and 2 with a lid like that of FIG. 3 and, possibly, with a locking mechanism like that of FIGS. 5, 5a, 5b.

Whatever the embodiment, the ladder can be inclined or vertical, with or without a crinoline. In the case of a vertical scale, a substantially horizontal cover will preferably be used.

The bolt can be connected to a locking latch or a lock or any other means of locking.

The return member can be arranged to hold the panel 5 in the open position, in particular when the hinge pin is above the panel 5.

The operculum can occupy all or part of the section transverse of the crinoline. The operculum can be arranged to extend to the lower end of the crinoline or inside the latter.

In certain variant embodiments intended in particular to satisfy regulatory or normative safety requirements such as, for example, that which requires the lock to be held in the open position, the device, in which the panel is hinged to scale in the lower part, is equipped of a return member of said panel in the spaced position from the rear face of the ladder.

It is possible to provide a means of locking the panel in the open position, for example a padlock that can be engaged in the compass hinged on one side to the scale and on the other to the panel to maintain the compass in its unfolded state.

The stop can be arranged to be retractable in a housing of the lid so as not to injure an operator who would fall on the lid.

Claims

1-Device for managing access and use of a ladder (1) extending between a lower level and a protected upper level, whose lower access is regulated, comprising a means of prohibition or preventing the use of at least some of the rungs of this ladder formed by a panel (5) and the means for its connection to the ladder which hold the panel, in a first state, applied against a face of the ladder opposite its access face and in a second state, remote from this face of the ladder, characterized in that the means for connecting the panel to the ladder comprise a hinge (7, 10) with an axis parallel to the rungs (2) of the ladder (1) and away from the transverse edge (5a, 5b) of the panel (5) which is closest to it.

2- Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel (5) is of a shape such that it in particular constitutes an at least partial closure of the inter-bar space.

3- Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the axis of the articulation (10) of the panel (5) to the scale (1) is located above the transverse edge (5b) upper of the panel (5) .

4- Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the axis of the articulation (7) of the panel (5) to the scale (1) is located below the transverse edge (5a) lower of the panel (5) .

5- Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the panel (5) is provided in the upper part with a lid (14), of width less than the spacing of the uprights (3, 4) of the ladder (1 ) .

6- Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the upper surface of the cover (14), when engaged in the ladder (1), is substantially parallel to the ground so as to provide the user with the same feeling as when he is at the foot of the ladder (1).

7- Device according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterized in that the panel (5) is equipped with a member (17) of its return against the rear face of the ladder (1) and a mechanism ( 16) for retaining the panel (5) in its separated state from the ladder, carried by the end of the lid (14) remote from the panel (5) to cooperate with an element (2) of the ladder in the vicinity which the lid crosses the plane of the ladder (1).

8- Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the aforesaid element is a bar (2) under which passes the cover (14).

9- Device according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the panel (5) is equipped with a quarter-turn bolt (P) which is normally engaged in a striker carried by the ladder (1), a bolt operating key acting on the latter via a transmission (19, 28), if the keeper is located on the ladder at a level inaccessible to the user at the foot of the ladder and a pedal (15), carried by the cover (14), connected to the bolt by a transmission linkage (23, 24, 25, 26).