DEVICE FOR MANAGING ACCESS TO AND THE USE OF A LADDER

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

[0001] Device for managing access and use of a ladder

[0002] The present invention relates to the management of access to and use of a ladder, inclined or not, to prevent this access to any unauthorized person and to allow the safe use of this ladder for the authorized user.

[0003] Technological background

[0004] It is known to block access to a ladder, particularly a crinoline ladder, by a panel folded down over the lower rungs of the ladder. In general, this panel is equipped with an upper cover which is intended to block the entrance to the crinoline, thus increasing the blocking.

[0005] It is also known to prohibit access to a ladder, particularly an inclined one, by a sign attached to the rear of the ladder (DE202011102506U1). It should be noted that this prohibition is quite rudimentary and does not allow the conditions of use of a ladder to be met as prescribed by several standards and regulations concerning labor law, the safety and protection of users and the liability of employers.

[0006] Subject of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to propose a device for locking access to a ladder which can not only effectively prevent access to any unauthorized person but also ensure that the authorized user can use the ladder safely and with the greatest possible comfort.

[0008] Brief description of the invention

[0009] To this end, the invention relates to a device for managing access to 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 connecting it to the ladder which maintain the panel, in a first state, applied against a face of the ladder opposite its access face and in a second state, distant 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 distant from the transverse edge of the panel which is closest to it.

[0010] This distance allows the panel to be spaced from the ladder such that the user can place their foot correctly, safely and comfortably on the first rung, once the lock has been removed.

[0011] The panel can take different forms. The simplest is 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 space between the bars, either by stamping, or by cutting a panel into a box or curved (folded) in the longitudinal direction to allow the passage of the bars, etc.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the axis of the articulation of the panel to the ladder is located below the lower transverse edge of the panel. Tests have in fact shown that this position is the most convenient for the user to, on the one hand, lock and unlock access to the ladder and, on the other hand, so that, from the first rungs, he can comfortably place his foot on them.

[0013] Advantageously, when the ladder is equipped with a crinoline, the panel is provided in the upper part with a cover, of a width less than the spacing of the uprights of the ladder, capable of at least partially closing the internal passage of the crinoline.

[0014] It has been found that, surprisingly, it is more comfortable for the user resting on the cover, for example when descending or when using it as a resting platform, if this cover, when it is fitted into the crinoline, 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. This characteristic can be achieved either by a flat cover but installed 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" cover whose upper surface is centered substantially on the hinge axis.

[0015] In certain variant embodiments, the lock can be maintained in the open position, the device, in which the panel is hinged to the ladder in the lower part, is equipped for this purpose with a member for returning said panel against the rear face of the ladder and with a mechanism for retaining the panel in its state away from the ladder, carried by the end of the cover remote from the panel to cooperate with an element of the ladder, preferably a rung, under which the cover crosses the plane of the ladder.

[0016] In this embodiment, the retention mechanism envisaged resides in a retractable stop normally projecting above the free end of the panel, retractable, either by a rung of the ladder when this end passes under the latter, when the lock is opened, against the effect of a return member, or by an operating linkage comprising, at the foot of the ladder, a manual actuating member for retracting this stop to allow the panel to be folded down under the effect of its return member.

[0017] It is further advantageous for the panel to be locked in its locking position, i.e. when it is folded back against the ladder. To this end, the invention proposes to equip the panel with a quarter-turn bolt which is normally engaged in a strike plate carried by the ladder. To release the bolt, provision will be 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 member) 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 cover, connected to the bolt by a transmission linkage.

[0018] Thus, the user located at the foot of the ladder and authorized to climb it, can release the bolt from its strike plate using a personal key, the possession of which is the mark of his authorization. He then pushes the panel to tilt it around its lower joint until the retaining stop engages. After climbing the lower rungs of the ladder, he activates the removal of the stop with his foot. The panel is then automatically returned against the ladder and the bolt is re-engaged in the strike plate.

[0019] When descending, the user, with his foot, on the one hand, operates the pedal to release the bolt from its catch and, on the other hand, pushes the cover towards the rear of the ladder until the retaining stop engages, which allows him to continue the descent to the ground. He finally operates the operating member of the stop to clear it in order to allow it to pass under the rung and release the folding of the latter against the rear face of the ladder.

[0020] The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description given below of an embodiment and certain variants thereof.

[0021] Brief description of the drawings

[0022] Reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: Figure 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, Figure 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, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a locking panel equipped with an upper cover, 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, Figure 5a is a partial detail view extracted from Figure 5, Figure 5b is another partial detail view extracted from Figure 5,Figure 6 is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a device according to a third embodiment, Figure 7 is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a device according to a fourth embodiment, Figure 8 is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a device according to a fifth embodiment.,

[0023] Detailed description of the invention

[0024] The inclined ladder 1 shown in figures 1 and 2 to which the device of the invention applies, comprises horizontal bars 2 between two lateral uprights 3 and 4.

[0025] 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 in such a way that its current cross-section 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 the uprights), in other words, said central portion of the panel 5 passes between the rungs 2 until it extends beyond the mean plane of the ladder 1. The function of this configuration is to make the rungs 2 of the ladder 1 inaccessible by making it impossible to rest with your foot or hold your hand.Indeed, the central part of the panel 5 then occupies the space between the rungs 2 sufficiently to prevent the user's foot or hand from entering this space to properly support themselves on the lower rung or to grip it. The rungs 2 are then housed in cutouts 6 made in this central part, when the panel 5 is folded down onto the ladder, which allows the central part to partially occupy the inter-rung space.

[0026] In Figure 1, the panel 5 is articulated to the ladder around an axis 7 parallel to the rungs 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 distant 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 distant from the ladder so that the user's foot can take a correct support on the first uncovered rung.

[0027] In Figure 2, the panel 5 is articulated to the scale 1 which has a crinoline 1a, 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 distant from the upper edge 5b in a longitudinal direction of the panel 5 (and of the scale 1 when the panel 5 is folded against the scale 1). Thus, as previously, allow correct support of the user's foot on the last rung uncovered by the panel when it is moved away from the scale.

[0028] Note that panel 5 is located at the rear of ladder 1 so that the effect of gravity tends to move it away from it.

[0029] Figure 3 shows 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 cutout front face 13 and a solid rear face which makes it possible to house control mechanisms as illustrated below. The panel includes an upper cover 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 rungs 2 to form an obstacle for access to the ladder, in particular if the latter has a crinoline, and to constitute a resting platform for a user of the ladder located above the panel. It will be noted that this cover includes at its free end, a pedal 15 and a retractable stop 16, a more detailed description of which will be given below.

[0030] In Figure 4, we see a panel of the type of that of Figure 3, associated with a ladder 1 provided with a crinoline 1a. The panel 5, in addition to the articulation 7, is returned against the ladder by a return member 17, here a pair of gas cylinders, against the effect of gravity. The return force will be adjusted so that the user only provides a minimal effort to manually detach the panel 5 from the ladder 1, aided in this by the effect of gravity.

[0031] 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 relative to this panel which depends on the angle of inclination B of the ladder 1 relative 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, for example, when the inclination B of the scale 1 is 80 degrees, the angle between the panel and the upper surface of the cover is 84 degrees, give or take a few degrees, in particular to take into account the proximity that the end of the cover must maintain with the rung 2 of the scale 1 under which it passes, in order to implement a stop for maintaining the separated state of the panel 5 as described below.

[0032] 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.

[0033] These two elements are found in figures 5, 5a and 5b.

[0034] Figure 5 is therefore a diagram which shows the different mechanisms allowing the user to operate the device of the invention in order to meet the most recent regulatory requirements in terms of safety and ergonomics. More precisely, the mechanisms shown are transmission members, connecting on the one hand a bolt P for locking the lock to the lower barrel 19 and to the upper pedal 15 for operating this bolt P and, on the other hand connecting the retractable stop 16 to the pusher 18. These mechanisms are housed in a box panel such as that referenced 5 in Figure 3, the face 13 of which is turned towards the ladder (of which only one rung 2 is shown in Figure 5b) and in the cover 14 also produced in the form of a box.

[0035] On a common support 21 housed in the cover 14, the pedal 15 and the stop 16 are pivotally mounted, the first so that it can be pressed against a return member and the second so that it can be held projecting above the end of the cover by its own return member. The return member of the pedal 15 is for example dimensioned so that the pedal 15 can only be pressed by exerting a relatively large force (for example around twenty daN) in order in particular to avoid accidental pressing of the pedal 15 (and therefore untimely opening of the cover 14) by the user when descending the ladder or to avoid any attempt to open it by hand from the bottom of the ladder.

[0036] In Figures 5 and 5a, which isolates the locking mechanism from the condemnation, it can be seen that the pedal 15, when pressed, pivots upwards, around a fixed axis 22, a lever 23 which acts on the end of a pivoting lever 24, the other end of which pushes downwards 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 strike plate not shown carried by a rung 2 of the ladder. By releasing the pressure, internal return members return the mechanism to its condemnation locking state.

[0037] The quarter-turn bolt P, which normally projects outside the lock, can be retracted by action on the barrel, using a key specific to the authorized user. This operation of the bolt by the barrel is ensured by a linkage 28 and is independent of the operation of the bolt P by the pedal 15.

[0038] With reference to figures 5 and 5b, which isolates the retaining mechanism of the locking panel 5, the pusher 18 is pivotally mounted around the fixed axis 20 and acts on the rod 29, which rotates the pusher 30 around a fixed axis 31. The pusher 30 slides a rod 32 which pivots the stop 16 around an axis 33. Return members internal to this transmission place the stop 16 projecting relative to the cover 14.

[0039] The authorized user, faced with the locked lock, acts with his key or any other operating member on the barrel 19. The rod 28 associated with it, makes the bolt P retract into the lock 27. The panel 5 can then be moved manually away from the ladder until the stop 16, sliding and retracting under a rung 2 of the latter (this rung is called a stop rung hereinafter to distinguish it from the others) thanks to the slope that it presents in the upper part, comes to protrude behind this rung and holds the panel moved away against its return member 17. The user comfortably crosses the rungs thus uncovered until reaching a rung 2 above the stop rung which cooperates with the stop. He can then easily press (directly or via an intermediate mechanism) with his foot on the stop 16 which can then pass back under the stop bar and allow the panel to be folded down by the return member 17.The lock is then re-locked, preventing access to anyone who does not have the appropriate means of operating cylinder 19.

[0040] On descent, the user therefore finds the locking active and the cover 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 relative to the cover 14, he releases the bolt P from its striker as described above and therefore unlocks the panel 5 which he can move aside with his foot by pushing the cover 14 through the ladder 1 until the stop 16 at the rear of the stop bar engages. He can then continue his descent to the ground. At this moment, by acting on the pusher 18, it activates the transmission described above in the direction of erasing the stop 16 inside the cover 14. The panel 5, thus freed from its retainer, recalled by the return member 17, returns to rest against the ladder and the bolt P engages in its strike plate behind a bar 2.

[0041] In figures 6 to 8, we find a scale 1, without a crinoline, equipped with a panel 5 formed from a box and articulated to scale 1 via arms 8, 9 as in figures 3 and 4.

[0042] In these embodiments, the panel 5 has an upper portion 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 connecting rod 40.2 having an opposite end hinged to one side of the upper portion of the panel 5.

[0043] 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 attached one end of a return member 41 having an opposite end attached to a lug secured to the end of the second connecting rod articulated to the panel 5. The return member 41 tends to fold the panel 5 against the ladder 1.

[0044] With reference 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 scale is vertical and no longer inclined.

[0045] In the embodiments of Figures 7 and 8, the panels 5 do not have 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.

[0046] 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 articulated 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 comprises a second end 42.2 associated with an operating member.

[0047] In the embodiment of Figure 7, the operating member is a pedal 44 actuated by the user's foot when his feet are on a bar 2 located above the upper edge 5b of the panel 5.

[0048] In the embodiment of Figure 8, the operating member is a handle 45 actuated by the user's hand when his feet are on a bar 2 located above the upper edge 5b of the panel 5.

[0049] In the embodiments of Figures 7 and 8, the stop preventing the panel 5 from folding against the ladder 1, against the force of the return member 41, is not shown. This stop may for example be constituted by a lock, a rotational indexing of the handle or the pedal, etc.

[0050] 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.

[0051] In particular, it is possible to have a panel of the type shown in Figures 1 and 2 with a cover like that shown in Figure 3 and, possibly, with a locking mechanism like that shown in Figures 5, 5a, 5b.

[0052] Whatever the embodiment, the ladder can be inclined or vertical, with or without a crinoline. In the case of a vertical ladder, a substantially horizontal cover will preferably be used.

[0053] The bolt may be connected to a locking latch or lock or other locking means.

[0054] The return member can be arranged to hold the panel 5 in the open position, in particular when the hinge axis is above the panel 5.

[0055] The operculum may occupy all or part of the cross-section of the crinoline. The operculum may be arranged to extend at the lower end of the crinoline or inside it.

[0056] In certain variant embodiments intended in particular to satisfy regulatory or normative safety requirements such as, for example, that which requires that the lock be kept in the open position, the device, in which the panel is hinged to the ladder in the lower part, is equipped with a member for returning said panel to a position away from the rear face of the ladder.

[0057] It is possible to provide a means of locking the panel in the open position, for example a padlock engageable in the compass hinged on one side to the ladder and on the other to the panel to maintain the compass in its unfolded state.

[0058] The stop may be arranged to be retractable into a housing in the cover so as not to injure an operator who falls onto the cover.

Claims

DEMANDS 1-Access and use management device for a ladder (1) extending between a lower level and a protected upper level, the lower access to which is regulated, comprising a means of prohibiting or preventing the use of at least some of the rungs of this ladder formed by a panel (5) and means of its connection to the ladder which maintain the panel, in a first state, applied against a face of the ladder opposite its access face and in a second state, away from this face of the ladder, characterized in that the means of 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 at least a 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) at scale (1) is located above the upper transverse edge (5b) 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) at scale (1) is located below the lower transverse edge (5a) 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 lid (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) of retaining the panel (5) in its state away from the ladder, carried by the end of the cover (14) away from the panel (5) to cooperate with an element (2) of the ladder in the vicinity of which the cover crosses the plane of the ladder (1). 8- Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the above-mentioned element is a bar (2) under which passes the operculum (14). 9- Device according to any 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 strike plate carried by the ladder (1), a bolt operating key acting on the latter by means of a transmission (19, 28), if the strike plate 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).