Device for height safety and / or protection against falls

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for height safety and / or protection against falls in the form of a davit arm comprising a base that has a defined weight that is many times greater than that of the davit arm itself, wherein the davit arm, acting as a crane element, substantially consists of a rod element and a cross arm, and a plurality of damping elements are provided on the cross arm.

Description

[0001] HEIGHT AND / OR FALL SAFETY DEVICE

[0002] The invention relates to a device for height and / or fall protection in the form of a davit arm with a base having a defined weight that is many times higher than that of the davit arm.

[0003] Previously described devices for height and / or fall protection are already known, for example from EP 1 400 642 A1. This discloses a davit arm with a rigidly mounted cross arm. While this arm is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of the device, the device must be inserted with its base into a support surface and locked there. The rigid arrangement does not guarantee the unsecured, free placement of a base on a support surface.

[0004] In addition, other devices for height and / or fall protection are known, such as from US 20140008511 A1 or EP 3 825 493 A1. Therein, a damping element is disclosed which supports the cross arm and, when the cross arm is subjected to tensile stress, deforms towards the support surface, thus collapsing it.

[0005] What all the devices described above have in common is that a fixed, ring-shaped device is connected to a free end of the cross arm, to which a flexible attachment device, such as a holding rope, can be arranged, to which a person to be secured can in turn be attached by means of known locking devices.

[0006] However, when subjected to tensile stress, considerable forces are exerted at this free end, which, due to the leverage effect of the cross arm, can lead to the davit arm being stressed at its base to such an extent that it is damaged there. In any case, the known structural design is not sufficient to ensure reliable free installation of the devices without a positive and / or force-fitting attachment to a support surface.

[0007] The invention has the object of improving the disadvantages of the prior art, in particular to provide an optimized device for height and / or fall protection, in which the base does not have to be positively and / or force-locked to the support surface in order to ensure functional reliability of the device.

[0008] The object is achieved according to the invention by a device for height and / or fall protection with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

[0009] The device according to the invention for height and / or fall protection of persons consists of at least one mobile davit arm as a crane element with a base. The base serves to be arranged on a supporting surface, for example, horizontal surfaces such as horizontal roof surfaces, horizontal building elements such as floor slabs or near-ground surfaces, or even temporary platforms such as ceiling formwork and other scaffold-like structures.

[0010] Furthermore, the base has a defined weight. The base can be, for example, a cuboid-shaped element with a mount for the crane element. The mount is located on the upper side of the base opposite the support surface.

[0011] The base within the meaning of the invention can also be the receptacle itself, such as, for example, a sleeve element arranged in or on a building volume, for example, connected to the building volume in a form-fitting and friction-locking manner, such as screwed or cemented. The crane element is securely locked and removably inserted into the receptacle. Typically, there is a detachable connection between the base and the crane element. Any known connections are usable within the scope of the invention.

[0012] The crane element comprises a vertical rod element, at the free end of which a cross arm is arranged, pivotable at a variable angle a to the rod element, and mounted pivotably relative to the rod element in a plane to change the angle a. For example, the angle a can be perpendicular.

[0013] For the purposes of the invention, the free end of the rod element is also to be understood as the area of ​​the free end of the rod element. An exact arrangement at this free end is not necessary for the invention. The area of ​​the free end is included, since a sufficient effect of the device can be achieved there as well.

[0014] Furthermore, the crane element has a first damping element which is arranged on the rod element and the cross arm in such a way that the first damping element can counteract a supporting movement of the cross arm in the direction of the base, a change in the angle a, and / or can allow a change in the angle a by plastic deformation.

[0015] The cross arm and the first damping element are mounted radially rotatably at the free end of the rod element by means of at least one bearing. This allows rotational movement relative to the rod element about its vertical axis.

[0016] According to the invention, a further damping element, which can counteract a stretching movement or a pulling movement in the longitudinal extension of the cross arm, a so-called tension damper, is arranged on the cross arm at a further free end of the cross arm. At least one flexible attachment device, for example a tether, can be arranged on the further damping element. A person to be secured can then be attached to the tether. The tether therefore serves to secure a person from falling. In the sense of the invention, the further free end of the cross arm is also to be understood as the area of ​​the further free end of the cross arm. An exact arrangement at this further free end is not necessary for the invention. The area of ​​the further free end is covered, since a sufficient effect of the device can be achieved there too. The arrangement can therefore also be displaceable to a limited extent in the longitudinal direction of the cross arm at the further free end of the cross arm.

[0017] The base can be made of concrete or a similar material, for example. If the base is the support, it is made of a suitable metal or plastic. The crane element, which serves as the davit arm, is made of metal, for example, a steel alloy commonly used for this purpose.

[0018] Within the scope of the invention, the above-described bearing can be designed as a bearing element that has at least one bearing shell and is arranged radially rotatably at the free end of the rod element, and on which the cross arm and the first damping element are arranged. Thus, the cross arm and the first damping element can rotate together around the longitudinal axis of the rod element without the rod element rotating in the receptacle.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the invention, the first damping element can be arranged axially displaceably on the cross arm, which allows for easy adjustment of the angle a.

[0020] In this case, the first damping element is detachably mounted on the cross arm, whereby the arrangement can be achieved in a grid-like manner using a known screw or plug connection. It can also be provided that the first damping element on the cross arm is axially displaceable by means of a clamping element. This allows for a defined fine adjustment of the angle a.

[0021] In a further embodiment of the invention, the additional damping element can be integrated into the cross arm, for example, it is inserted therein in a functionally reliable but detachable manner. This ensures improved force absorption and force dissipation.

[0022] The additional damping element can be designed in any suitable and known technical configuration, for example as a hydraulic damper or as a spring-loaded damper. In the latter configuration, the damping element has at least one spring element, wherein the at least one spring element is a coil spring.

[0023] The additional damping element can also be designed as a plastically deformable component, in which a damping effect is achieved by deformation through bending or deformation of two additional components that interact by means of a press fit. Also within the scope of the invention, a tear strip made of metal and / or a textile fabric is considered as an additional damping element.

[0024] As already mentioned, the base can be designed in different ways. In this case, the defined weight of the base can be many times higher than the weight of the crane element. The base is then a type of anchor, whereby the base is arranged on the installation surface without any form-fitting and / or force-fitting fastening. It can be easily and conveniently set up without any fastening devices and then used. The defined weight of the base can, for example, be greater than or equal to 500 kg and the weight of the crane element less than or equal to 25 kg. It is conceivable that the ratio of the defined weight of the base to the weight of the crane element is approximately 20:1. This can be the case if the crane element has a height of approximately 2.30 m.

[0025] The advantages of the solution according to the invention are that the radially rotatable mounting of the cross arm and the first damping element in combination of the first and further damping element ensures functionally reliable handling without the base having to be fixed to a support on its installation surface.

[0026] The additional damping element in the pulling direction of a holding rope as a flexible attachment device when the device is used provides further cushioning of jerky movements in the event of a securing incident and thus contributes to the stabilization of the entire device in order to prevent it from tipping over, or at least to reduce this risk.

[0027] The invention is further explained below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the figures. Further advantages, features, and embodiments of the invention will become apparent.

[0028] They show:

[0029] Fig. 1 a schematic representation of the device for height and / or fall protection with base and crane element

[0030] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of an upper area of ​​the crane element

[0031] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show, in whole or in part, the device 1 according to the invention for securing persons at height and / or from falling. This device consists of a mobile davit arm as a crane element 2 with a base 3, which is only visible in Fig. 1. The base 3 is used for placement on a support surface, for example horizontal surfaces, such as horizontal

[0032] Building parts or temporary platforms, such as ceiling formwork and other scaffolding-like structures.

[0033] Furthermore, the base 3 has a defined weight, which in the exemplary embodiment is 500 kg. The base 3 is a cuboid-shaped element with a socket-shaped receptacle for the crane element 2. The crane element 2 is securely inserted into the receptacle. In the exemplary embodiment, it has a weight of 25 kg.

[0034] It comprises a vertical rod element 4, at the free end 5 of which a cross arm 6 is pivotable at a variable angle a to the rod element 4—mounted pivotably in a plane relative to the rod element 4. This makes it possible to change the angle a.

[0035] Furthermore, the crane element 2 has a first damping element 7, which is arranged on the rod element 4 and the cross arm 6 in such a way that the first damping element 7 can counteract a supporting movement of the cross arm 6 in the direction of the base 3 and thus also a change in the angle α. In the exemplary embodiment, the damping element consists of two rod-shaped components that are pressed into one another and can slide into one another when pressure is applied, i.e., a supporting movement of the cross arm 6.

[0036] The cross arm 6 and the first damping element 7 are arranged radially rotatably at the free end 5 of the rod element 4 by means of at least one bearing element 11. This allows a rotational movement relative to the rod element 4 about its vertical axis.

[0037] According to the invention, a further damping element 9, which can counteract a stretching movement or a pulling movement in the longitudinal extension of the cross arm 6, a so-called tension damper, is provided on the cross arm 6 at a further free end 8 of the cross arm 6. At least one flexible attachment means 10, in this embodiment a tether, is arranged on the further damping element 9. A person to be secured can then be attached to the tether. The tether therefore serves to secure a person from falling.

[0038] The additional damping element 9 in the exemplary embodiment is a spring-loaded damper. It has an eyelet at its free end, to which the retaining cable is reversibly attached, as can be seen schematically in the exemplary embodiment.

[0039] List of reference symbols

[0040] 1. Device

[0041] 2. Crane element

[0042] 3. Basis

[0043] 4. Bar element

[0044] 5. free end

[0045] 6. Cross arm

[0046] 7. first damping element

[0047] 8. further free end

[0048] 9. additional damping element

[0049] 10. flexible lifting gear

[0050] 11. Bearing element

[0051] 12. Clamping element

Claims

Patent claims 1. Device (1) for height and / or fall protection of persons, comprising at least one mobile davit arm as a crane element (2) with a base (3), the base (3) has a defined weight for arrangement on a support surface, the crane element (2) has a vertical rod element (4), at the free end (5) of which a cross arm (6) is arranged so as to be pivotable at a variable angle a to the rod element (4), wherein a first damping element (7) is arranged on the rod element (4) and the cross arm (6) in such a way that the first damping element (7) prevents a supporting movement of the Cross arm (6) in the direction of the base (3) and / or can allow a change in the angle α by plastic deformation, the cross arm (6) and the first damping element (7) are arranged radially rotatably in an upper region of the free end (5) of the rod element (4) by means of at least one bearing, and wherein at a further free end (8) of the cross arm (6) a further damping element (9) which can counteract an extension movement in the longitudinal extent of the cross arm (6) is arranged on the cross arm (6), and at least one flexible attachment means (10) can be arranged on the further damping element (9), to which a person to be secured can be fastened.

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is a bearing element (11) which has at least one bearing shell and is arranged radially rotatably in the upper region of the free end (5) of the rod element (4) and the cross arm (6) and the first damping element (7) are arranged on the bearing element (11).

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the defined weight of the base (3) is many times higher than the weight of the crane element (2).

4. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) is arranged on the support surface without a positive and / or non-positive fastening thereto.

5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first damping element (7) is arranged axially displaceably on the transverse arm (6).

6. Device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the first damping element (7) is arranged axially displaceably on the transverse arm (6) by means of a clamping element (12).

7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the further damping element (9) is integrated in the transverse arm (6).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the further damping element includes at least one spring element.

9. Device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the at least one spring element is a spiral spring.

10. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the further damping element (9) is designed as a plastically deformable component.

11. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the further damping element (9) is a tear strip made of metal and / or a textile fabric.

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