US20090200112A1

US20090200112A1 - Safety Coupling

Info

Publication number: US20090200112A1
Application number: US11/910,864
Authority: US
Inventors: Hans Antonius BORRA; Anthonie Bernardus Berlee
Original assignee: DACHFIX GmbH; DECHBAND GHBH
Current assignee: DACHFIX GmbH
Priority date: 2004-04-05
Filing date: 2005-08-16
Publication date: 2009-08-13
Also published as: EP1866504A1; US20080017446A1; NO20064573L; AU2005230948A1; EP1735509B1; ES2664404T3; CA2562344C; CA2562344A1; DK1735509T3; WO2006107189A1; EP1735509A1; WO2005098166A1; US8177027B2; NZ550357A; NL1025885C2

Abstract

Safety coupling consisting of a base part and a coupling part. The base part is designed to be fitted on a building construction, such as a roof, window frame and the like. Furthermore, the safety coupling comprises a coupling part that can be connected to a facility. A facility is understood to be a ladder, scaffolding, but also a person's harness. The coupling part consists of a protruding part designed to be accommodated with a tight fit in a seat in the base part. To prevent the protruding part releasing from the seat, there is also a locking part that can be made active and inactive with a button. Preferably the construction is designed such that in the unlocked position the coupling part is completely free of the base part and also drops out of the latter. The intention is to fit a large number of base parts on buildings and other building constructions, whilst coupling to a facility by means of the coupling part is always easily possible.

Description

The present invention relates to a safety coupling.
Increasingly more stringent requirements with regard to the safety of professional workers when working close to or on building constructions are being imposed. It is no longer permitted to work at substantial heights using ladders without the workers being protected in some way or other against the consequences of a fall. The same applies when working on flat and/or pitched roofs. Furthermore, requirements are imposed with respect to the fixing of scaffolding, ladders and the like with respect to building constructions.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a safety coupling that can be used universally on building constructions and where working on such building constructions no longer constitutes a risk to the worker.
This aim is realised with a safety coupling as described above, in that the safety coupling comprises a base part that can be joined to a building construction and a coupling part that can be connected to a temporary facility, wherein said coupling part can be locked to said base part such that it is detachable, wherein said base part has a seat with a peripheral rim and is provided with a locking opening in a locking wall, wherein said coupling part is provided with a protruding part and a locking member, wherein the outer periphery of said protruding part can be accepted essentially with a tight fit within said seat bearing on said peripheral rim and said protrusion can be introduced through said locking opening to engage on said locking wall.
According to the present invention two parts that can be connected to one another via a universal coupling are provided, specifically a base part and a coupling part. The coupling part is designed to be fixed to the building construction in the most efficient manner. For instance, this can be fixed to a pitched roof, for example with belts. It is also possible to fit this permanently in a window frame, or to make it part of this. The coupling part can also be designed such that this can be connected to various other constructions. One possibility is coupling via a belt to a harness worn by a person. Likewise connection to a ladder, scaffolding or the like can be provided via a belt or other construction.
According to the present invention in the case of a fall or the like the forces are transmitted from the coupling part to the base part essentially via the transition between protruding part of the coupling part and the peripheral rim of the seat of the base part. Only a limited proportion of the forces is transmitted via the locking member.
More particularly, the forces concerned are perpendicular to one another.
Although the seat can have any shape imaginable in the state of the art, this is preferably made cylindrical. This is provided with an end wall, which preferably comprises the locking wall and in which the opening for the insertion of the locking member, such as a locking tongue, has been made. In an advantageous embodiment the locking wall is provided on the other side with preferred positioning means for the locking tongue. Preferably these means comprise a slight depression in which the locking tongue or locking tongues are contained. After passing through the locking opening, the locking tongue can become effective behind the locking wall in any manner known in the art. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a rotary locking tongue is used. Preferably, the tongue extends in two directions with respect to the axis of rotation. The same, of course, applies for the opening made in the locking wall of the base part. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the locking tongues can be moved slightly in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. This movement can be effected by depression of the operating knob with respect to the coupling part. As a result, if the locking wall is provided with a depression for accepting the locking tongue, this locking tongue can easily be moved out of such a depression again.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows, diagrammatically, an exploded view of the safety coupling according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the coupling part and the base part taken apart;

FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the base part;

FIG. 4 shows the rear view from the base part when the coupling part is locked;

FIG. 5 shows the use of the safety coupling according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows the forces that act in case of the use according to FIG. 5 if a load is applied to the safety coupling;

FIG. 7 shows a building construction provided with scaffolding and the safety coupling according to the invention;

FIG. 8 shows a building construction provided with the safety coupling in combination with a ladder.

In FIG. 1 the safety coupling according to the present invention is indicated in its entirety by 1. This consists of a base part 2 and a coupling part 3. The base part 2 is a part preferably made of plastic. It has been produced, for example, by injection moulding. However, it must be understood that other materials, such as grades of steel, aluminium and the like, can also be used depending on the application.
The coupling part 3 is preferably a metallic part, but can also be made of plastic.
In the base part 2 there is a seat 4 provided with a peripheral wall 5 that is delimited by a locking wall or rear wall 6 in which there is a (locking) opening 7.
The coupling part 3 consists of a coupling body 9 provided with a protruding part 10. This part 10 is of stepped construction as a result of the peripheral rims 11 and 12. The outer circumference of peripheral rim 12 corresponds to the inner circumference of peripheral rim 5. There is a locking tongue 13 that is joined via a pin 18 to an operating knob 16 such that it can rotate. There is a spring 17 that drives said locking tongue 13 inwards, that is to say drives operating knob 16 away from the coupling body.
It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the rear of locking wall 6 is provided with a depression 15, where the shape of which corresponds to the shape of the locking tongue 13.
To connect the coupling part 3 to the base part 2, the locking tongue is brought into a position such that this is able to pass through the locking opening 7 in the locking wall 6. Knob 16 is then turned, as a result of which the lock also turns and moves out of the opening until it drops into depression 15. This is audible by a click. This is the first sign for the user that locking has taken place. Moreover, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention turning of the knob 16 is inextricably linked to turning of the body 9. By fitting the base part 2 in a suitable manner it can be ensured that in the normal use position of the coupling body 9 it is always guaranteed that actual coupling has also taken place in this position.
If the locking tongue 13 has not moved through the opening, this is clear from the position of the locking body. Moreover, in the majority of cases the coupling part 3 will come away from the base part.
A first application of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. A pitched roof is indicated diagrammatically by 24, there being base parts 2 a regular distance apart beneath the roof covering, such as tiles. These base parts can be directly joined to the roof boarding, but it is also possible to make use of belts, which, in turn, are joined to the roof boarding or further roof construction. The coupling body 9 is joined to a belt 19, which, in turn, is connected to a facility such as a harness 21. As a result the person 22 who is working on the roof can move on the roof without risk.
In FIG. 6 the direction of the forces in the event of a fall is shown by arrow 27. It can be seen that these forces on the coupling part are transmitted mainly via the peripheral rim 12 of the protruding part to the peripheral rim 15 of the seat of the base part 2. This is indicated by arrow 28. A negligible force will act on the locking tongue 13 and thus pin 18. This negligible force is indicated by 29.
Another construction, which is indicated in its entirety by 25, is shown in FIG. 7. Base parts 2 have been fitted regular distances apart in the window frames. These can be integrated in the window frames or fixed thereto. Scaffolding indicated by 23 is provided in a manner that is not shown in detail with a belt 30 to which coupling part 3 is fastened, which then, in turn, is coupled to base part 2.
In FIG. 8 a ladder 31 is shown that is connected with a belt 32 to coupling part 3 and that, in turn, is fastened to the base part 2. Here again a safety feature against the ladder moving away. Moreover, the worker is connected to the building 26 via a safety coupling.
After reading the above description, many variants will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art. The same applies in respect of the large number of applications for which the safety coupling according to the invention can be used.
It is aimed that base parts are fitted in some way or other at strategic locations in buildings and the like, whilst the user can secure himself in the desired position with the coupling part. Variants of the present invention fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, rights are requested for embodiments that are described in the dependent claims, independently of the main claim.

Claims

1. A safety coupling comprising a base part that can be joined to a building construction and a coupling part that can be connected to a temporary facility, wherein said coupling part can be locked to said base part such that it is detachable, wherein said base part has a seat with a peripheral rim and is provided with a locking opening in a locking wall, wherein said coupling part is provided with a protruding part and a locking member, wherein the outer periphery of said protruding part can be accepted essentially with a tight fit within said seat bearing on said peripheral rim and said protrusion can be introduced through said locking opening to engage on said locking wall.

2. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein the locking wall and the peripheral wall are arranged such that these take up mutually perpendicular forces exerted on the coupling part.

3. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said seat comprises a cylindrical depression.

4. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said seat is provided with an end wall that contains said opening.

5. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said opening extends with respect to the center of said seat in two directions with identical shape.

6. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said locking wall is provided on the side facing away from said seat with enclosing means for said locking member.

7. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said locking member comprises a rotary locking tongue.

8. The safety coupling according to claim 7, wherein said tongue extends on either side of the axis of rotation.

9. The safety coupling according to claim 1, wherein said coupling part is provided with operating means for moving said locking member

10. The safety coupling according to claim 9, wherein said operating member comprises a rotary knob for turning the locking member.

11. The safety coupling according to claim 9, wherein said operating member comprises a push button for moving said locking member towards the seat.

12. A building construction provided with a base part according to claim 1.

13. A facility comprising a wall and a coupling part according to claim 1.

14. A facility according to claim 13, further comprising a harness.

15. The safety coupling according to claim 10, wherein said operating member comprises a push button for moving said locking member towards the seat.

16. The safety coupling according to claim 2, wherein said seat comprises a cylindrical depression.

17. The safety coupling according to claim 2, wherein said seat is provided with an end wall that contains said opening.

18. The safety coupling according to claim 3, wherein said seat is provided with an end wall that contains said opening.

19. The safety coupling according to claim 2, wherein said opening extends with respect to the centre of said seat in two directions with identical shape.

20. The safety coupling according to claim 3, wherein said opening extends with respect to the centre of said seat in two directions with identical shape.