Module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower

Abstract

The present invention relates to a module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower comprising a telescopic movable segment (5) that can be displaced vertically. The module comprises a fixed support (1a) and a movable support (1b), which are linked to one another, forming an articulated quadrilateral device. The fixed support (1a) is configured to be joined to the movable segment (5) and the movable support (1b) is configured to be vertically displaced parallel to the fixed support (1a). The module (1) comprises at least one spring (6), located inside the fixed support (1a) in a vertical alignment, on which the movable support (1b) rests. The module (1) is configured to limit the relative vertical positioning of the movable support (1b) with respect to the fixed support (1a). The articulated quadrilateral device and the spring (6) limit the relative movement between the fixed support (1a) and the movable support (1b) ensuring that they are kept parallel in vertical alignments.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] MODULE WITH A LOAD MEASURING SYSTEM ON A LIFTING TOWER

[0003] Object of the invention

[0004] The present invention relates to a module with a load measuring system in a lifting tower for lighting and / or sound system installations used in musical or any other type of events. The object of the present invention is to improve the functionality and safety of these towers by providing them with more efficient means of lifting at height thanks to the incorporation of the load measuring system that incorporates safety means to prevent the lifting tower from being initially overloaded, before the load lifting is activated and actuated, such that when a predetermined load weight is exceeded, considered dangerous, the measuring system shows or displays in a very intuitive manner that the load lifting exceeds the recommended values.

[0005] It is therefore a load verification system for lifting towers for lighting and sound elements, without obviously ruling out the load of other elements.

[0006] Thus, this module with the inventive measurement and verification system prevents damage to the tower, and more importantly, potential accidents due to overloading the lifting tower. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the inventive module eliminates the need for complex electronic systems to determine the weight of the load before lifting it, as the invention solves this problem simply through a mechanical system. It is also noteworthy that the inventive module is compatible with other towers already on the market, although a measurement system model will need to be created for each type of telescopic section of the tower.

[0007] Background of the invention

[0008] In the current state of the art, lifting towers used in the installation of lighting and sound systems comprise several telescopic sections, which are moved vertically by a traction / lifting mechanism. Typically, a horizontal support structure is placed between two towers, where the various lighting elements are mounted. This configuration means that these towers must be able to support large weights.

[0009] Currently, there are different types of structures designed for the construction or assembly of heavy equipment used for social events, such as theater, cinema, concerts, sporting events, etc. In this regard, towers are known for supporting lighting, cameras, and speakers at different types of events.

[0010] Some structures of this type have elevating platforms, or in other words, extendable platforms, which are operated by a crank connected to a winch or similar and a lifting pulley mechanism. In some cases, the operation is manual, while in other cases, there is a motorized drive that dispenses with the manual crank and is equipped with a motor connected to a winch or similar and to the lifting mechanism of the moving parts or sections of the lifting tower.

[0011] The aforementioned lifting mechanism thus enables the towers to be lifted by a person using a crank or motorized, regardless of the load the platforms are supporting.

[0012] However, in relation to what was mentioned in the previous paragraph, each tower or platform structure is normally designed to operate below a maximum load level. If this maximum load level for which it was designed is exceeded, failure or breakdown of the tower or platform structure may occur, with the possibility of breakage of tension cables and, ultimately, the risk of structural collapse and serious accidents.

[0013] One of the problems associated with overloading these loading structures is that, due to the lifting mechanism, which reduces the torque required for its operation, the user hardly perceives any differences in the torque required to raise the platform, regardless of the variation in the load being lifted. Therefore, to ensure that the maximum load level predetermined for each structure is not exceeded, operators must pre-weigh each part they mount on the structure or, otherwise, must know the exact weight of the parts they mount on the platform. This is a disadvantage compared to the traction or lifting methods used in the aforementioned state-of-the-art loading structures.

[0014] On the other hand, to know in advance the weight of the load to be lifted in conventional lifting towers, complex mechanisms based on load cells or similar mechanisms are known in the state of the art. These offer solutions to excess weight, but they normally require an electrical supply for their operation, which greatly limits their effectiveness, not to mention the possible breakdowns due to the product being subjected to quite demanding working conditions.

[0015] In traditional front loading towers, there is a fork, which is usually fixed within guides attached to the mobile lifting sections and secured with mechanical means such as a set of pins, screws or mechanical retention elements, so that the fork is removable for transport or even some of these systems may have a series of heights at which the system can be fixed to have a greater degree of adjustment with the equipment to be lifted and supported.

[0016] Similarly, forks are typically composed of a T-shaped body to which two symmetrical sections are attached perpendicularly, either with movable locking mechanisms, joints, etc., forming the fork's load-bearing surface. These sections can be positioned in a horizontal, active position to lift the load, or in a vertical, inactive position.

[0017] Utility model U 202330698 discloses a system for measuring a load on a lifting tower comprising a vertical telescopic structure formed by at least a first section, a second mobile section guided within the first section, a spring that works under compression, a control element attached to the second mobile section of the tower, and a graduated scale located on the exterior surface of the first section of the tower. The second section of the tower rests on said spring; such that a first end of the spring rests on a fixed base attached to the first section of the tower, while a second end of said spring, opposite the first end, rests on a plate attached to the second mobile section of the tower.When the tower is loaded with a weight, the second mobile section of the tower moves downwards against the resistance of the spring, with the control element moving in parallel from an initial position to a final position controlled by the graduated scale.

[0018] None of the cited documents disclose a stand-alone module with a load-control measuring system that can be assembled and disassembled for installation on lifting towers.

[0019] Description of the invention

[0020] In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the drawbacks mentioned in the previous sections, the invention proposes a module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower, which includes at least one vertically movable telescopic mobile section that is configured to be able to raise the load to the required height.

[0021] The module of the invention comprises a fixed support and a mobile support, both connected to each other by at least two connecting rods, forming an articulated quadrilateral device; where the fixed support is configured to be connected to the telescopic mobile section of the lifting tower; and where the mobile support can be moved vertically upwards or downwards in parallel to the fixed support thanks to the articulated connections made by the two connecting rods.

[0022] The module of the invention further comprises at least one spring on which the movable support rests; said spring is located within an interior space of the fixed support in a vertical alignment.

[0023] With this described arrangement, the module with load measurement system is configured to limit the relative vertical positioning of the mobile support with respect to the fixed support, both when the mobile support supports a load and when it does not support said load.

[0024] The spring is guided around a vertical rod that is hingedly coupled by an upper section to a first transverse axis integral with the fixed support, while a lower end of said vertical rod rests on a bushing coupled around a second transverse axis integral with the fixed support; where the first and second transverse axes are arranged in horizontal alignments that are perpendicular to the vertical rod.

[0025] The mobile support rests on an upper end of the spring by means of a pair of parallel extensions attached to said mobile support located on both sides of the vertical rod.

[0026] On the upper end of each spring, as well as on its lower end, opposite the upper end, there are an upper washer and a lower washer, both of which are freely guided on the vertical rod; where the pair of extensions bear on the spring by means of the upper washer, while the lower washer bears on the bushing coupled around the second transverse axis.

[0027] The mobile support includes a polygonal recess in a horizontal alignment in which a fork is mounted that is configured to support the load to be lifted with the lifting tower.

[0028] Each of the connecting rods is coupled to the fixed support by a first articulated connection, and to the mobile support by a second articulated connection.

[0029] Below, to facilitate a better understanding of this specification and as an integral part thereof, a series of figures are attached which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, represent the object of the invention.

[0030] Brief description of the figures

[0031] Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the module with a load measurement system in a lifting tower, object of the invention.

[0032] Figure 2.- Shows another perspective view of the module of the invention.

[0033] Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the module of the invention in which a mobile support is missing.

[0034] Figure 4.- Shows an elevation view of the module of the invention in a resting position.

[0035] Figure 5.- Shows an elevation view of the module of the invention in an active position under load. Description of an embodiment of the invention

[0036] Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the module 1 with a load measurement system in a lifting tower comprises a fixed support 1a and a mobile support 1b, both of which are connected to each other by at least two connecting rods 3 forming an articulated quadrilateral device; where the fixed support 1a is configured to be connected to a telescopic mobile section 5 of the lifting tower; and where the mobile support 1b can be moved vertically upwards or downwards in parallel to the fixed support 1a.

[0037] Each of the connecting rods 3 is coupled to the fixed support 1a by means of a first articulated connection 7, and to the mobile support 1b by means of a second articulated connection 8.

[0038] Both the mobile section 5 of the lifting tower and the mobile support 1b of the module 1 of the invention can be moved upwards and / or downwards in a vertical direction.

[0039] The movable support 1 b moves downwards against the resistance of two springs 6 that work under compression and which are located in the same vertical alignment; where each of said springs 6 is guided around a vertical rod 10 that is articulatedly coupled by an upper section to a first transverse axis 2 integral with the fixed support 1 a, while a lower end of said vertical rod 10 rests on a bushing coupled around a second transverse axis 4 integral with the fixed support 1 a; where the first 2 and second 4 transverse axes are arranged in horizontal alignments perpendicular to the vertical rod 10.

[0040] On the other hand, the mobile support 1b includes two pairs of parallel extensions 12 that rest on upper ends of the springs 6 below the first transverse axes 2; where said extensions 12 are arranged on both sides of the vertical rod 10.

[0041] In the embodiment shown in the figures, both on the upper end of each spring 6 and on its lower end, opposite the upper end, there are arranged washers, upper 9 and lower 11, guided freely on the vertical rod 10, so that in this case each pair of extensions 12 rests on the spring 6 by means of the upper washer 9, while the lower washer 11 rests on the bushing coupled around the second transverse axis 4. Thus, the two opposite ends of each spring 6 are in contact with the upper washer 9 and lower washer 11.

[0042] The mobile support 1b includes a horizontal polygonal recess 13 where a fork 14 can be mounted which is configured to directly support the load to be lifted with the telescopic tower.

[0043] The tower may include a single telescopic mobile section 5 or several telescopic mobile sections connected by mechanical means to raise the tower upwards to the required height. Thus, one mobile section can be coupled to another, and so on, so that a considerable vertical elevation can be achieved by linking sections of these mobile sections.

[0044] Module 1 with measuring system includes the fixed support 1a and the mobile support 1b, both connected by means of connecting rods 3 which, in the form of an articulated parallelogram, limit distances and relative movements, so that both supports 1a, 1b are always located in parallel relative positions in vertical alignments.

[0045] As previously mentioned, the fork 14 is mounted on the mobile support 1b, which is configured to support the weight of the load to be lifted; in an active position, the fork 14 is arranged in a horizontal plane, and in an inactive position, the fork can be arranged in a vertical plane.

[0046] Therefore, the weight of the load is supported by the mobile support 1b, which is responsible for transmitting the forces to the rest of the tower structure.

[0047] The mobile support 1b rests on the two springs 6 located within an interior space of the fixed support 1a, so that when the load is placed on the fork 14, it transmits the weight of said load to the springs 6. In this way the load will compress the springs 6 which, having a constant of elastic proportionality, will have a variation in length that will be proportional to the load located on the fork 14.

[0048] In order to reduce any distorted deviation on the load transmission due to displacement in directions other than the vertical direction of the mobile support 1 b, the measurement of vertical downward displacement will be made from the maximum separation of the mobile support 1 b with respect to the fixed support 1 a, that is, taking as reference a position of the connecting rods 3 when they are forming an angle substantially of 90 degrees with respect to the mobile support 1 b where the fork 14 is connected.

[0049] Therefore, the initial reference of 0 is set o when the connecting rods 3 parallel to each other are arranged in horizontal alignments forming 90 degrees both with respect to the fixed support 1a and with respect to the mobile support 1b, so that the working area for which the control of the measurement of the displacement under load of the mobile support has been designed will be around the aforementioned initial reference of the 0 o.

[0050] With this described arrangement, a first resting position of the mobile support 1b (figure 4), the same will have a slight upward movement maintained by the springs 6, a second intermediate position with the initial reference of the 0 o when the connecting rods 3 are in horizontal alignments forming 90° with respect to the fixed supports 1a and mobile 1b, and a loading position (figure 5) will cause a downward displacement of the mobile support 1b against the resistance of the springs 6.

[0051] On the other hand, in the fixed support 1a where each of the springs 6 is housed, to ensure that the stresses are only along said spring 6, the guide system described above has been devised, which, we remember, is formed by the vertical rod 10 that prevents the buckling of said spring 6 and some opposite walls 15 of the fixed support 1 b encapsulate the same 6 minimizing the movements in directions other than the longitudinal one. In order to transmit the stresses symmetrically and directly to the spring 6, extensions 12 have been provided, materialized by pieces welded to the mobile support 2, which rest on the upper end of the spring 6 by means of the upper washer 9.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the profiles used to materialize the fixed support 1a and the mobile support 1b are hollow tubular profiles with a square section, such that all the necessary fixing holes are machined in the fixed support 1a so that the different parts that form part of the guide system or the rest of the mechanical elements can be fixed by means of mechanical elements such as screws or pins, among others.

[0053] The particular design of the load measurement module 1 prevents the measurement from being distorted by friction with the guides in said module 1, such that thanks to the connecting rods 3, the fixed support 1a and the mobile support 1b do not have contact surfaces and therefore there is no possibility of seizing or of a specific positioning of the load modifying the friction characteristics of the different parts and affecting the measurement.

[0054] Furthermore, by using the two different supports 1 b, only the load fork 14 can be changed, and even the entire module 1 of the invention itself, without the need to make additional changes to the lifting tower, simplifying its structure and being able to apply this improvement to towers already built.

[0055] The measurement system is completed with a visual scale (not shown in the figures) that simply and intuitively reflects the load status relative to the load limit for users of the front-loading tower. This way, by moving the mobile support 1b against the resistance of the springs 6, it is possible to quantify whether the load is within tolerable ranges or not.

[0056] In an embodiment of the invention, a scale in percentage of load may be included, which reflects whether the load is in a low load zone (<50%), in a moderate load zone (50-80%), in a zone close to the maximum load (80-100%) or if it is in an overload zone (>100%); such that this measuring system can be reflected in multiple ways, for example, the low load zone including a green zone, the moderate load zone with a yellow zone, the zone close to the maximum load with an orange zone and the overload zone with a red zone.

[0057] Following this provision described in the preceding paragraph, a scale may also be included indicating the approximate weight being loaded into the module of the invention to simply know whether the load is safe or not.

Claims

CLAIMS 1.- Module with a load measurement system in a lifting tower, the lifting tower comprising at least one telescopic mobile section (5) that can be moved vertically and is configured to be able to lift the load to the required height, characterized in that: - comprises a fixed support (1a) and a mobile support (1 b) which are both connected to each other by at least two connecting rods (3) forming an articulated quadrilateral device; where the fixed support (1a) is configured to be connected to the telescopic mobile section (5) of the lifting tower; and where the mobile support (1 b) is configured to move vertically upwards or downwards in parallel to the fixed support (1a); - further comprises at least one spring (6) on which the mobile support (1 b) rests; where said spring (6) is located within an interior space of the fixed support (1a) in a vertical alignment; where the module (1) is configured to limit the relative vertical positioning of the mobile support (1b) with respect to the fixed support (1a), both when the mobile support (1b) supports a load and when it does not support said load; and where the articulated quadrilateral device in combination with the spring (6) are configured to limit relative distances and movements, such that the fixed support (1a) and the mobile support (1b) are always located in parallel relative positions in vertical alignments.

2. Module with a load measuring system in a lifting tower, according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (6) is guided around a vertical rod (10) that is hingedly coupled by an upper section to a first transverse axis (2) integral with the fixed support (1a), while a lower end of said vertical rod (10) rests on a bushing coupled around a second transverse axis (4) integral with the fixed support (1a); where the first (2) and second (4) transverse axes are arranged in horizontal alignments that are perpendicular to the vertical rod (10). 3.- Module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile support (1 b) includes at least a pair of parallel extensions (12) that rest on an upper end of the spring (6).

4. Module with a load measuring system in a lifting tower, according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that on the upper end of each spring (6), as well as on its lower end, opposite the upper end, there are arranged an upper washer (9) and a lower washer (11), both of which are freely guided on the vertical rod (10); where the pair of extensions (12) rests on the spring (6) by means of the upper washer (7), while the lower washer (8) rests on the bushing coupled around the second transverse axis (4). 5.- Module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile support (1 b) includes a polygonal hollow (13) in a horizontal alignment in which a fork (14) is mounted, which is configured to support the load to be lifted with the lifting tower. 6.- Module with a system for measuring a load in a lifting tower, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the connecting rods (3) is coupled to the fixed support (1a) by means of a first articulated connection (7), and to the mobile support (1b) by means of a second articulated connection (8). 7.- Module with a load measurement system in a lifting tower, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two springs (6) aligned in the same vertical alignment.

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