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(11) | EP 3 647 511 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A MODULAR RAMP |
| (57) A kit for assembly of a modular ramp, wherein the ramp is suitable for pedestrian
or wheelchair transport from a ground to a point elevated above the ground, the kit
comprising: a leg, at least one walkway cassette, and a first frame; the first frame
comprising: a leg connector, a supporting bottom with a ground access opening, a slide
stop, and a cassette insertion opening; wherein: the leg connector of the first frame
and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the
leg connector can be connected to the leg such that a height at which the leg connector
rests on the leg is adjustable and wherein the ground access opening provides access
for adjusting the height, and wherein the at least one walkway cassette can be received
by the first frame through the cassette insertion opening and thereafter can be held
by the first frame such that it covers the ground access opening and forms a planar
walkway surface.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
BACKGROUND
[0002] Ramps are frequently used to provide access to an elevated point. The elevated point may e.g. be a building entrance elevated above ground, a stage within or outside a building, a level difference within or outside a building, a vantage point or the like. Ramps can e.g. be installed in addition to or instead of stairs. A ramp comprises an inclined plane e.g. for a person to walk on, or e.g. for a wheelchair, a stroller, or a wheeled walker to roll on. A ramp may or may not further comprise one or more platforms. For example, a ramp may comprise an inclined plane leading from a ground level to a platform in front of an elevated building entrance, wherein the platform provides an essentially horizontal surface. The platform thus provides a stable floor on which a person can stand or sit in a wheelchair while e.g. opening a door. Another ramp may comprise an inclined plane leading from a ground level to a platform, wherein another inclined plane leads from the platform to a further elevated point. The platform may thus provide a point to rest during the travel up the ramp. Ramps are frequently supported by legs, wherein the ramp rests on the legs and the legs in turn rests on the ground.
SUMMARY
[0003] It is an object of the invention to provide a kit for assembly of a modular ramp which facilitates easy assembly and maintenance of the ramp. These and other objects of the invention are at least partly met by the invention as defined in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are set out in the dependent claims.
[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit for assembly of a modular ramp, wherein the ramp is suitable for pedestrian or wheelchair transport from a ground to a point elevated above the ground, the kit comprising:
a leg comprising a ground support end and a top end, wherein the ground support end is configured to be placed on the ground and the leg extends between the ground support end and the top end;
at least one walkway cassette extending primarily along a cassette plane, the at least one walkway cassette having a bottom surface, lateral surfaces and a top surface, the top surface being essentially flat and parallel to the cassette plane, wherein the bottom surface lies below the top surface when the modular ramp is assembled and wherein the lateral surfaces extend along the sides of the at least one walkway cassette,
a first frame for receiving and holding the at least one walkway cassette in a horizontal or inclined position, the first frame extending primarily along a frame plane, the first frame comprising:
a leg connector configured to connect the first frame to the leg;
a supporting bottom, the supporting bottom extending primarily in a bottom plane parallel to the frame plane and being configured to support the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette when said walkway cassette is held in the first frame, wherein the supporting bottom comprises at least one ground access opening within the bottom plane;
a slide stop, the slide stop being a lateral wall connected to the supporting bottom and arranged to protrude out of the bottom plane along an outer edge of the first frame, wherein the slide stop is configured such that when the first frame supports the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined in a direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, the slide stop prevents the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least one walkway cassette;
a cassette insertion opening, the cassette insertion opening being an opening configured to allow the at least one walkway cassette to be inserted into the first frame by moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the frame plane;
wherein:the leg connector of the first frame and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the leg connector can be connected to the leg at a point along the extension of the leg above the ground support end, such that when the ground support end of the leg is placed on the ground the leg connector rests on the leg at a height above the ground, wherein the height is adjustable;
the first frame, the leg connector and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one ground access opening provides access for adjusting the height;
the first frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one walkway cassette can be inserted through the cassette insertion opening and placed such that the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette rests on the supporting bottom of the first frame, whereby the at least one walkway cassette is received by the first frame;
the first frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the at least one walkway cassette has been received by the first frame, the at least one walkway cassette is held by the first frame such that it covers the ground access opening and forms a planar walkway surface.
[0005] An advantage of the inventive concept is that it provides a ramp which may be installed by few or even a single person. The inventors have realized that a labor intensive step in the installation of a conventional ramp may be to ensure that the total height of the ramp is correct and that the inclined planes of the ramp have the desired slope. A ramp may need to be assembled at a pre-existing building or structure where the measures are not known until the installation team is on site. Furthermore, the ground on which the ramp is standing may not be even. Thus, the total height of the ramp as well as the height of the individual legs may need to be adjusted during the installation to ensure that the endpoint of the ramp ends up at the right position, e.g. just below an existing door. The individual legs may also need to be adjusted to ensure a specific slope of an inclined plane of the ramp. Furthermore, individual legs may need to be adjusted to ensure that an inclined plane of the ramp does not tilt to either of the sides. During the installation the installation team may need to move a conventional ramp back and forth while adjusting the height of the legs. Trees, bushes, and other objects close to the ramp may prevent access to a specific leg which needs adjustment. A conventional ramp may then need to be moved away from the obstructing object so that the leg can be adjusted and then moved back again. Furthermore, if the ramp is to be installed along e.g. a wall of a building it may be particularly troublesome to adjust legs situated on the side of the ramp which is closest to the wall. A conventional ramp may then need to be assembled away from the wall and then lifted in place. This process may then be followed by an adjustment of the legs wherein the ramp is again moved back and forth. Moving an assembled ramp may require an installation team of several persons as an assembled ramp may be heavy and ungainly.
[0006] The invention provides a kit for assembly of a modular ramp. Each individual piece of the modular ramp may be small enough and light enough for a single person to handle. The invention may even make it possible for a single person to install the ramp, i.e. the installation team can be as small as one person. The kit comprises at least one walkway cassette which may form a planar walkway surface. The kit further comprises a first frame for receiving and holding the at least one walkway cassette in a horizontal or inclined position. Thus the at least one walkway cassette and the first frame may form a platform or an inclined plane of the ramp. The platforms and inclined planes may often be the heaviest parts of the ramp. Thus, by dividing the weight over several components it may be possible for a single person to handle them. Furthermore, it may be easier to stack, store and transport several smaller, lighter components than fewer, heavier components.
[0007] When the ramp is being assembled, the first frame may be placed at its intended final position relative to e.g. a wall and the at least one leg may subsequently be connected to the first frame. Thus the, ramp may not need to be assembled at one position and then moved to its intended position. The ground access opening in the supporting bottom of the first frame may provide access for connecting the at least one leg to the first frame when the first frame is positioned at its intended position. The ground access opening may further provide access for adjusting the height of the at least one leg. Thus, the at least one leg may be adjusted without moving the ramp. Once all legs have been adjusted, the at least one walkway cassette may be inserted through the cassette insertion opening and placed such that the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette rests on the supporting bottom of the first frame. Thus the planar walkway surface may be formed from the at least one walkway cassette as a last step of the installation process. The walkway surface may be needed for the ramp to be functional but during the installation process the walkway surface may make some of the installation steps more difficult. Thus, a kit configured according to the inventive concept such that the walkway surface is formed as the last step of the installation process may make the installation process more efficient. Furthermore, using the at least one walkway cassette to cover the ground access opening may be an efficient construction solution wherein the at least one walkway cassette has a dual purpose: acting as a lid for the ground access opening and forming a planar walkway surface.
[0008] It should be understood that adjusting the height at which the leg connector rests on the leg may be done in several different ways. It should be understood that the leg connector does not necessarily need to connect to the top of the leg. The leg may be e.g. a bar or a rod and the leg connector may be a clamp wherein the height may be adjusted by releasing the clamp, sliding the leg through the clamp to the desired height, and then fastening the clamp. The height may thus be adjusted in a continuous manner. The leg may also comprise e.g. holes or ledges at discrete positions which fit to a locking mechanism in the leg connector, or vice versa. The height may thus be adjusted in a discrete manner. It should also be understood that the height does not necessarily need to be adjusted at the connection between the leg and the leg connector. The leg connector may connect to the leg at a given point and the length of the leg may be adjusted, thereby adjusting the height. A leg with adjustable length may be implemented using a telescopic leg. A leg with adjustable length may also be implemented using a foot at the ground support end which screws in and out of the leg such that the height of the foot is adjusted, whereby the height above ground at which the leg connector rests on the leg is adjusted.
[0009] It should be understood that providing access for adjusting the height may mean providing an opening in the supporting bottom, wherein the opening is large enough for a person to stand in while adjusting the height. The person may be standing on the ground. Thus, by providing an opening in which a person may stand, the person may stand within the frame in a position close to the leg for adjusting the height at which the leg connector rests on the leg. Thus, adjusting the height may be enabled while the frame is arranged in its intended final position.
[0010] Providing access for adjusting the height may also mean providing an opening in the supporting bottom, wherein the opening is large enough for a person to reach the at least one leg through the opening. The person may reach the at least one leg with a hand or with a tool, thereby enabling adjustment of the height. The person may reach the point where the leg is adjusted. The person may e.g. reach the point where the leg connects to the leg connector. The person may e.g. reach the foot of the leg. Providing access for adjusting the height may also mean providing an opening such that a person can stand in the opening and reach the at least one leg through the same opening. Providing access for adjusting the height may also mean providing one hole for standing in and another hole for reaching through.
[0011] It should be understood that the first frame may be mounted such that when it holds the at least one walkway cassette the at least one walkway cassette forms a horizontal planar walkway surface. The planar walkway surface may thus form a platform of the ramp. It should also be understood that the first frame may be mounted such that when it holds the at least one walkway cassette the at least one walkway cassette forms an inclined planar walkway surface. The planar walkway surface may thus form an inclined plane of the ramp. It should be understood that several different inclinations of the inclined planar walkway surface are possible, e.g. 1:40, 1:20, 1:12 or 1:8. Other inclinations are also possible. It should also be understood that the first frame may be mounted such that supporting bottom of the first frame forms a horizontal or inclined plane. It should be understood that the first frame may be configured to receive a single walkway cassette. It should also be understood that the first frame may be configured to receive several walkway cassettes.
[0012] It should be understood that the slide stop may prevent a walkway cassette from sliding off the supporting bottom when the first frame is mounted such that the supporting bottom forms an inclined plane. It should be understood that the slide stop may prevent a single walkway cassette from sliding off. The slide stop may also prevent several walkway cassettes from sliding off. For example, the slide stop may be situated at the lowest edge of the first frame when it is mounted in an inclined position. A first walkway cassette which is inserted into the first frame may slide along the supporting bottom until it reaches the slide stop. The slide stop may subsequently hold the first walkway cassette in place and prevent it from sliding further. The slide stop may prevent the first walkway cassette from sliding by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the first walkway cassette. It should be understood that a second walkway cassette may then be inserted into the first frame wherein the first walkway cassette prevents the second walkway cassette from sliding. Thus the slide stop may hold both the first and the second walkway cassette in an inclined position by coming in contact with only a lateral surface of the first walkway cassette. It should also be understood that it is not necessarily the walkway cassette that is in contact with the slide stop that covers the ground access opening. For example, the ground access opening may be covered by a second walkway cassette which rests on a first walkway cassette, the first walkway cassette in turn resting on the slide stop. It should be understood that more than one slide stop is possible. A first frame may comprise several lateral walls which, in a given inclined position of the first frame, holds different walkway cassettes in the inclined position.
[0013] It should be understood that the contact surface between the lateral wall of the slide stop and the lateral surface of the walkway cassette does not need to be planar in order for the slide stop to support and to hold the walkway cassette. For example, the lateral wall may be a rod extending in parallel with the lower edge of the first frame when it is mounted in an inclined position. The rod may have a circular cross-section. The contact surface between the lateral wall of the slide stop and the lateral surface of the walkway cassette may then be a line. The slide stop may even hold and support a walkway cassette when the lateral wall is in contact with a lateral surface of a walkway cassette at a single point, e.g. when a corner of the lateral wall touches a lateral surface of a walkway cassette, or several points. The part of the lateral wall which is in contact with the lateral surface of the walkway cassette may be e.g. a bolt in the lateral wall.
[0014] It should be understood that the lateral wall may be directly connected to the supporting bottom. The lateral wall and the supporting bottom may e.g. be in one piece. The lateral wall and part of the supporting bottom may e.g. be constructed out of a plate which is bent to form an angle such that part of the plate forms part of the supporting bottom and the angled part protrudes out of the bottom plane to form the lateral wall of the first frame. A L-beam or a Z-beam may form a lateral wall and a supporting bottom. It should also be understood that the lateral wall may be constructed as one piece and the supporting bottom may be constructed as another piece. The two pieces may be connected by e.g. a weld, rivets, bolts, or screws. It should also be understood that the lateral wall may be indirectly connected to the supporting bottom. The lateral wall may be connected to another piece of the first frame which in turn is connected to the supporting bottom.
[0015] It should be understood that the supporting bottom may be formed out of several pieces. For example, several L-beams, I-beams or a Z-beams may be connected such that part of the beams form the supporting bottom and other parts of the beams may act as slide stops. The parts of the beams that form the supporting bottom may not need to be in contact with each other. It should also be understood that the supporting bottom may be one single piece.
[0016] The cassette insertion opening allows a walkway cassette to be inserted into the frame by moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the frame plane. Thus the walkway cassette may be dropped into the frame. It should be understood that the walkway cassette does not need to move exactly perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the frame plane. It may move at some angle as long as the walkway cassette may be placed on the supporting bottom.
[0017] The parts of the kit may be made from various materials. Examples of materials are e.g. pre-zinced steel, hot-dip galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, wood, and plastic. Different parts may be made from the same or different materials. For example, all parts may be made from pre-zinced steel. In another example the first frame may be made of pre-zinced steel and the walkway cassettes may be made from pre-zinced steel and wood.
[0018] Additionally, or alternatively to above mentioned advantages of the first aspect of the inventive concept there may be other advantages. The inventive concept may provide a ramp which may be assembled quickly. Time may be saved when the ramp does not need to be moved back and forth. Furthermore, when heavy components of the ramp are divided into several lighter and smaller components such as e.g. walkway cassettes and first frames a person transporting the components may move more quickly. Smaller components may also be stacked on a transport vehicle more easily than larger components. It may e.g. be possible to transport a large amount of walkway cassettes on e.g. a wheel barrow or hand truck in one single run. If the large amount of walkway cassettes were pre-assembled into a single walkway surface it would be too large to transport in a single run. Furthermore, a ground access opening in the first frame may enable several persons to adjust different legs simultaneously. One person may stand in the ground access opening and adjust a leg close to a wall. Simultaneously, another person may stand outside the ramp, e.g. at an edge of the ramp opposite to the wall, and adjust another leg. If the ramp comprises several first frames, different people may be standing in different ground access opening and work on adjusting different legs or work on the same leg.
[0019] The inventive concept may also reduce the risk of injury for the installation team. When the components of the ramp are lighter and when transport vehicles can be used the risk of e.g. back injuries may be reduced. Furthermore, when the ramp does not need to be moved back and forth the risk of injuries caused by e.g. crushing may be reduced.
[0020] A further advantage may be that the inventive concept may provide a ramp which can be easily adjusted once installed. Settlement caused by unequal compression of the foundation of a ramp may result in a need for adjusting the legs of the ramp after some time. The inventive concept may provide a ramp wherein one or more walkway cassettes may be removed to provide access to legs closest to e.g. a wall of a building such that the legs may be readjusted after the ramp has been used for some time. The adjustment may e.g. be performed by a single person who does not need to be qualified for ramp installations, without the need for sending out a new installation team.
[0021] A further advantage may be that the inventive concept may provide a cost saving way to install a ramp. The installation team may be smaller, less qualified, and/or less physically fit than the installation team of a conventional ramp. Furthermore, the need for earthworks such as e.g. compacting the soil, replacing the soil, or casting a foundation may be reduced.
[0022] In one embodiment the least one ground access opening is at least 10 cm wide and at least 10 cm long. This may be enough for adjusting the at least one leg using a hand or a tool.
[0023] In one embodiment the least one ground access opening is at least 25 cm wide and at least 25 cm long. This may be enough for placing a foot in the ground access opening enabling a person to at least partly stand on the ground under the frame while adjusting the at least one leg.
[0024] In one embodiment the first frame is configured to bear a load when the modular ramp is assembled, the load being the load of the at least one walkway cassette and pedestrians or wheelchairs travelling on the at least one walkway cassette;
wherein the slide stop of the first frame is configured to bear the in-plane part of the load, the in-plane part of the load being the load in a direction parallel to the bottom plane of the first frame;
wherein the supporting bottom of the first frame is configured to bear the out-of-plane part of the load, the out-of-plane part of the load being the load in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plane of the first frame.
[0025] An advantage may be that no further means are needed for supporting the walkway surface of the installed ramp and the persons and vehicles travelling on it. The walkway cassettes may not need to be screwed or bolted to the first frame. The walkway cassettes may be prevented from sliding off an inclined first frame by the slide stop both when people are not travelling on the ramp and when they are. If the walkway cassette do not need to be fastened to the first frame they can quickly be removed for e.g. adjustment of the legs.
[0026] In one embodiment the first frame further comprises a first frame connector,
wherein the first frame connector is configured to connect the first frame to a supporting frame, the supporting frame being another first frame, wherein the first frame connector is configured to transfer part of the load on the first frame onto the supporting frame such that the first frame acts as a load sharing frame.
[0027] An advantage of having a first frame connector mounted to the first frame may be that it reduces the need for additional parts. Adding a frame connector to the frame may not necessarily add very much weight to the frame. Furthermore, if a single person should connect one frame to another it is advantageous if the person only has to handle the two frames and not an additional third part such as a separate connection means.
[0028] In one embodiment the first frame further comprises a second frame connector,
wherein the first frame connector comprises a loop and the second frame connector comprises a hook, the loop being configured to fit over a hook such that the first frame can act as both a load sharing frame and a supporting frame
wherein the first frame acts as a load sharing frame when the loop of the first frame rests on the hook of a supporting frame and the first frame acts as a supporting frame when the hook of the first frame accepts a loop of a load sharing frame.
[0029] An advantage of the embodiment may be that fitting a loop over a hook is a simple way of making a connection. A person may hold the load sharing frame with both hands and thread the loop over the hook of the supporting frame without the need for handling any separate connector. The load sharing frame may subsequently partially rest on the supporting frame while e.g. the legs of the supporting frame are adjusted. A second person supporting the frame may therefore not be needed. Another advantage may be that a single frame may act as both a load sharing frame and a supporting frame. Once the loop of a frame has been connected to another frame and the legs have been roughly adjusted a new frame may be connected to the hook of the frame such that the frame takes on the role of a supporting frame.
[0030] It should be understood that the loop may be rigid. It should also be understood that the loop may be flexible. For example the loop may be a metal wire. Furthermore, it should be understood that the hook and loop may be positioned on opposite sides of the first frame such that two other frames may be connected in line with the first frame. It should also be understood that the hook and loop may be positioned for connecting two other frames to the first frame wherein the two other frames are connected perpendicularly to each other. It should also be understood that a first frame may have a hook and a loop on a first set of opposite sides and a hook and a loop on a second set of opposite sides, wherein the second set of opposite sides are perpendicular to the first set of opposite sides. Thus the first frame may be prepared for connecting other frames either in line or perpendicularly depending on the need at the installation site. It should also be understood that the second set of opposite sides may lack hooks and loops but be configured such that hooks and loops may be quickly attached when needed. For example, holes may be prepared in the frame to which a hook or a loop may be bolted. It should also be understood that there can be several hooks or loops on one side of the first frame. Several hooks/loops may be used to connect two frames. Several frames may also be attached to the same side of a frame using different hooks/loops.
[0031] In one embodiment the first frame comprises four slide stops, the slide stops being lateral walls connected to the supporting bottom and arranged to protrude out of the bottom plane along outer edges of the first frame,
wherein the four slide stops are configured such that when the first frame supports the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined in any direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, at least one of the four slide stops prevent the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least one walkway cassette.
[0032] An advantage of the embodiment may be that a first frame holding at least one walkway cassette may be tilted in any direction during the installation process without the at least one walkway cassette falling off. Another advantage may be that the first frame may be mounted to form an inclined plane in any direction. Another advantage may be that lateral movement of the at least one walkway cassette may be prevented when the ramp is in use. For example, when a first frame is mounted in an inclined position a slide stop at its bottom end may be enough for holding a walkway cassette in place when a person is standing still on the walkway cassette. However, when people are moving on the walkway cassette in different directions lateral forces may arise which nudges the walkway cassette to either side. Four slide stops may e.g. be arranged to form a rectangle which may hold the at least one walkway cassette within, preventing the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off due to e.g. lateral forces from people walking on the at least one walkway cassette.
[0033] It should be understood that if a first frame comprises only a single slide stop the kit for assembling a modular ramp may comprise other means for preventing the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off the first frame in a lateral direction. For example, lateral slide stops may be mounted on a lower part of a railing.
[0034] In one embodiment the four slide stops form a cassette holding area such that the at least one walkway cassette that is held by the first frame and sliding on the supporting bottom in a direction within the bottom plane is prevented from moving outside the cassette holding area by the four slide stops, wherein the cassette holding area has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette holding area length and another side having a cassette holding area width; and,
the at least one walkway cassette has a cassette footprint, the cassette footprint being the largest cross-section area the at least one walkway cassette occupies under the planar cassette surface, wherein the cassette footprint has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette length and another side having a cassette width; and,
the cassette holding area width is the same as the cassette length plus a first fitting allowance, and the cassette holding area length is a multiple of the cassette width plus a second fitting allowance.
[0035] An advantage of the embodiment may be that only one single type of walkway cassettes is needed. An integer number of walkway cassettes essentially covers the cassette holding area (disregarding the fitting allowance) and form a complete walkway surface. If a ramp is constructed from a number of first frames any of the walkway cassettes may fit at any position in any frame. This may simplify the assembly process. It may also reduce cost as fewer spare parts may be needed, the number of spare parts needed may be proportional to the number of different types of walkway cassettes.
[0036] It should be understood that the first and second fitting allowance may be large enough for the at least one walkway cassette to be easily inserted in the cassette holding area. It should also be understood that the first and second fitting allowance may be sufficiently small to prevent gaps, which could be an inconvenience to a person travelling on the walkway surface, from forming. It should be understood that the first and the second fitting allowance may be different. The second fitting allowance may e.g. be larger than the first fitting allowance.
[0037] An example may be a first frame with a cassette holding area length of 919 mm and a cassette holding area width of 984 mm which is configured to hold two walkway cassettes with a cassette length of 974 mm and a cassette width of 450 mm. The first fitting allowance may be 19 mm and the second fitting allowance may be 10 mm. It should be understood that other dimensions also are possible.
[0038] In one embodiment the four slide stops comprise a first pair of slide stops, the first pair of slide stops comprising two parallel lateral walls at a first and a second outer edge of the first frame, and a second pair of slide stops, the second pair of slide stops comprising two parallel lateral walls at a third and a fourth outer edge of the first frame,
wherein the parallel lateral walls of the first pair of slide stops are perpendicular to the parallel lateral walls of the second pair of slide stops.
[0039] An advantage of the embodiment may be that it efficiently holds a rectangular walkway cassette in place in the first frame. Parallel lateral walls running along the outer edges of the frame may confine rectangular walkway cassettes efficiently. It may also form a large contact length between a lateral surface of a rectangular walkway cassette and a lateral wall of the first frame.
[0040] It should be understood that the parallel lateral walls may run along the entire outer edge of the first frame. The parallel lateral walls may also run along the entire outer edge of the cassette holding area. For example, a cassette holding area length of 919 mm may have a 919 cm long slide stop. It should also be understood that the parallel lateral walls may run along part of the outer edge of the first frame. It should also be understood that the parallel lateral walls may run along part of the outer edge of the cassette holding area. For example, a cassette holding area width of 984 mm may have e.g. two 35 mm long slide stops. It should also be understood that the parallel lateral walls may not necessarily run along the entire lateral surface of the walkway cassette in contact with the slide stop. Furthermore, it may not necessarily be the parallel lateral walls that are in contact with the lateral surface of the walkway cassette. The parallel lateral walls may e.g. have protruding parts, e.g. bolts, that come in contact with a lateral surface of the at least one walkway cassette.
[0041] In one embodiment the first frame further comprises a strut,
the strut being a rigid beam which connects the lateral walls of the first pair of slide stops or the lateral walls of the second pair of slide stops, whereby deformation of the first frame is resisted.
[0042] An advantage of the embodiment may be that larger frames may be constructed. Another advantage may be that the ramp becomes stronger and/or more durable. Another advantage may be that the strut may bear the in-plane part of the load of a walkway cassette in an inclined position. Another advantage may be that the strut reinforces the lateral walls such that these may be made from less material. Another advantage may be that the strut acts as a torsion bar which reduces the torsion of the corners of the frame during handling of or assembly of the ramp.
[0043] The strut may be e.g. a rod, a bar, a pipe, a L-beam, an I-beam or a Z-beam. The strut may e.g. connect two slide stops on opposite sides of a rectangular first frame. The strut may be configured such that part of the strut forms part of the walkway surface together with the walkway cassettes. It should be understood that if the strut is part of the cassette holding area the size of the strut may be included in the fitting allowance.
[0044] An example may be a first frame with a cassette holding area length of 1379 mm and a cassette holding area width of 984 mm which is configured to hold three walkway cassettes with a cassette length of 974 mm and a cassette width of 450 mm. A strut may be mounted along the cassette holding area width, the strut may take up 16 mm in the direction of the cassette holding area length, leaving 13 mm as further fitting allowance in this direction.
[0045] In one embodiment the first frame comprises at least one z-beam, wherein the at least one z-beam is a structural beam comprising:
a central plate, and
a bottom flange plate protruding from the central plate from a first edge of the central plate, wherein the bottom flange plate forms a bottom flange plane which is perpendicular to the central plate, and
a top flange plate protruding from the central plate from a second edge of the central plate, wherein the top flange plate forms a top flange plane which is perpendicular to the central plate and protrudes in a direction opposite to the bottom flange plate and wherein the second edge is an edge opposite to the first edge,whereby a cross-section of the z-beam forms the shape of the letter Z with 90° angles, and
wherein the bottom flange plate forms part of the supporting bottom of the first frame and the central plate forms one of the four slide stop of the first frame.
[0046] An advantage of the embodiment may be that the top flange may form part of the walkway surface. Another advantage may be that the top flange may form an overhang under which parts of the first frame may be hidden. For example, in order to connect two frames the two frames may need to be separated slightly to allow for some kind of connection means e.g. hooks and loops. These connection means may be hidden under the top flange such that the separation of the two frames does not create a large gap in the walkway surface. It may also be visually appealing to hide structural parts, such as e.g. connection means, bolts or other fastening means, of the first frame under the overhang of the top flange. Another advantage may be that it may be efficient from a manufacturing point of view to use z-beams which may fill several purposes at once: the bottom flange forms part of the supporting bottom of the first frame, the central plate forms one of the four slide stops of the first frame and the top flange may form part of the walkway surface.
[0047] In one embodiment the top flange plate further comprises a gripping edge, wherein the gripping edge is an extension of the top flange plate which is bent at least 90° with respect to the top flange plane.
[0048] An advantage may be that the risk of injury during assembly is reduced. If the top flange has an edge in the frame plane a person may cut himself when handling the frame or brushing against the edge when walking past the frame. A gripping edge may form a smooth gripping surface which prevents cutting.
[0049] It should be understood that the gripping edge may be produced by bending the top flange plate during the production of the z-beam. The top flange plate may be bent more than once. For example, a top plate may be rectangular with a first and a second long edge and two short edges. The first long edge may be connected to the central plate. The top flange plate may be bent such that two folds are formed along the second long edge. One fold may form a 90° corner to the top flange plate and another fold may form a further 20° corner to the top flange plate.
[0051] An advantage may be that persons travelling on the top flange plate may be prevented from slipping. The anti-slip surface may be e.g. an embossing in the top flange plate, punched holes in the top flange plate, or a corrugation of the top flange plate. The anti-slip surface may also be a high friction material which is glued or painted on the top flange plate. The anti-slip surface may also be a combination of the above.
[0052] In one embodiment the kit further comprises:
a second frame for receiving and holding the at least one walkway cassette in a horizontal or inclined position, the second frame extending primarily along a frame plane, the second frame comprising:
a leg connector configured to connect the second frame to the leg;
a supporting bottom, the supporting bottom extending primarily in a bottom plane parallel to the frame plane and being configured to support the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette when said walkway cassette is held in the second frame, wherein the supporting bottom comprises at least one ground access opening within the bottom plane;
four slide stops, the slide stops being lateral walls connected to the supporting bottom and arranged to protrude out of the bottom plane along outer edges of the second frame,
wherein the four slide stops are configured such that when the second frame supports
the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least
one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined
in any direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, at least
one of the four slide stops prevent the at least one walkway cassette from sliding
off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least
one walkway cassette;
a cassette insertion opening, the cassette insertion opening being an opening configured
to allow the at least one walkway cassette to be inserted into the second frame by
moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the
frame plane;
the leg connector of the second frame and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the leg connector can be connected to the leg at a point along the extension of the leg above the ground support end, such that when the ground support end of the leg is placed on the ground the leg connector rests on the leg at a height above the ground, wherein the height is adjustable;
the second frame, the leg connector and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one ground access opening provides access for adjusting the height;
the second frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one walkway cassette can be inserted through the cassette insertion opening and placed such that the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette rests on the supporting bottom of the second frame, whereby the at least one walkway cassette is received by the second frame;
the second frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the at least one walkway cassette has been received by the second frame, the at least one walkway cassette is held by the second frame such that it covers the ground access opening and forms a planar walkway su rface;
the outer dimensions of the second frame in its frame plane are different from the outer dimensions of the first frame in its frame plane.
[0053] An advantage of the embodiment may be that several types of frames with different outer dimensions may be combined to form one walkway surface wherein the length of the walkway surface may be more easily customized than if only one type of frame is used. The ramp may be customized to the specific installation location.
[0054] It should be understood that the first and second frame may use the same type of walkway cassettes. Furthermore, the first and second frame may have cassette holding areas of different dimensions. For example, the first frame may take two walkway cassettes while the second frame takes three walkway cassettes. Other numbers of cassettes are also possible. However, the first and second frame may also have cassette holding areas of the same dimensions. For example, both the first and the second frame may take two walkway cassettes. One of the frames may have a fixed walkway surface mounted such that that frame becomes longer than the other even though they have cassette holding areas of the same dimensions.
[0055] In one embodiment the four slide stops of the second frame form a cassette holding area such that the at least one walkway cassette that is held by the second frame and sliding on the supporting bottom in a direction within the bottom plane is prevented from moving outside the cassette holding area by the four slide stops, wherein the cassette holding area has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette holding area length and another side having a cassette holding area width; and,
the second frame's cassette holding area width is the same as the cassette length plus a first fitting allowance of the second frame, and the second frame's cassette holding area length is a multiple of the cassette width plus a second fitting allowance of the second frame; and,
the multiple of the cassette width representing the second frame's cassette holding area length is different from the multiple of the cassette width representing the first frame's cassette holding area length.
[0056] An advantage may be that the same type of walkway cassettes may be used for both the first and the second frame while at the same time dividing the walkway surface of the first and the second frame into as many walkway cassettes as possible. The weight of the individual components of the ramp may thereby be reduced.
[0057] In one embodiment neither the first nor the second frame weighs more than 16 kg. In one embodiment the walkway cassettes do not weigh more than 10 kg. Advantages with weight restrictions may be that it may reduce injuries during assembly of the ramp. In one embodiment no single component which is handled during the assembly of the ramp weighs more than 25 kg. An advantage may be that the ramp may be assembled in accordance with health and safety regulations.
[0058] In one embodiment each frame of the kit can receive at least two walkway cassettes. An advantage may be that it reduces the weight of the individual components of the ramp.
[0059] In one embodiment the ground access opening covers at least 50% of the supporting bottom. An advantage may be that it facilitates convenient adjustment of the legs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0060] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present inventive concept, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description, with reference to the appended drawings. In the drawings like reference numerals will be used for like elements unless stated otherwise.
Fig. 1 is view of an assembled modular ramp in front of a building.
Fig. 2 is a view of a modular ramp in front of a building during assembly.
Fig. 3 is a view of a modular ramp in front of a building during assembly, seen through the wall of the building.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a leg.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a walkway cassette.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a walkway cassette.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a frame with legs.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a frame with legs and walkway cassettes.
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a frame holding a walkway cassette.
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a frame holding a walkway cassette.
Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a frame holding a walkway cassette.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a frame.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a frame with a leg and walkway cassettes.
Fig. 14 is a top view of a frame.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a frame.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a frame.
Fig. 17 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 18 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 19 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 20 is cross section view of part of a frame.
Fig. 21 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 22 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 23 is a close-up view of part of a frame.
Fig. 24 is a close-up view of two connected frames.
Fig. 25 is a view of a modular ramp during assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0061] In cooperation with attached drawings, the technical contents and detailed description of the present invention are described thereinafter according to a preferable embodiment, being not used to limit the claimed scope. This invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled person.
[0062] In one embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 1, the kit for assembly of a modular ramp 1 may be assembled to form a ramp 1 which is suitable for pedestrian 7 or wheelchair transport from a ground 2 to a point elevated above the ground 3. The ramp 1 comprises a planar walkway surface 11 on which the pedestrian or wheelchair may move during transport. The planar walkway surface may comprise platforms 12 as well as inclined planes 13. The ramp 1 may or may not comprise railing 16 to prevent a person travelling on the ramp from accidentally falling off. Railing 16 may be fitted to the ramp at the end of the assembly process. The ramp 1 may be assembled by a single installer 15 (i.e. an installation team of one), as seen in Figs 2-3. The ramp may be assembled along the wall of a building 14. The ramp 1 comprises frames 50 (which may be first or second frames), wherein each can receive and hold at least one walkway cassette 30. The frames 50 may hold a walkway cassette 30 in a horizontal position 8 or an inclined position 10. When at least one walkway cassette 30 is removed from the frame 50, a ground access opening 60 may be revealed. The ramp 1 further comprises a leg 20 wherein the height above ground at which the frame 50 rests on the leg 20 is adjustable. Fig. 3 shows an installer 15 utilizing the ground access opening 60 to adjust the height by placing a foot in the ground access opening 60. Fig. 3 is seen in a view through the wall of the building 14. Thus the installer 15 is adjusting the leg 20 closest to the wall of the building, i.e. a leg 20 which would be hard to access without the ground access opening 60.
[0063] Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a leg 20 with a ground support end 22 and a top end 24. The ground support end 22 may have a large surface area towards the ground such that settlement of the ground is reduced.
[0064] Figs 5-6 illustrate perspective views of a walkway cassette 30. Fig. 5 shows a view seen from the planar walkway surface 11 side while Fig. 6 shows a view seen from the opposite side. The walkway cassette 30 extends primarily along a cassette plane 32, it comprises a bottom surface 34, lateral surfaces 36 and a top surface 38. The top surface 38 may form the planar walkway surface 11 when the ramp 1 is assembled. The top surface may e.g. be one continuous plane or a perforated plane such that the perforation may provide an anti-slip surface and/or allow rain to be drained away. The top surface 38 may e.g. be a grating. The bottom surface 34 may be a surface which rests on the frame 50 when the ramp 1 is assembled. However, the bottom surface 34 does not necessarily cover the entire extension of the walkway cassette 30. For example, the bottom surface 34 may only extend along the bottom outer rim of the walkway cassette 30 and/or along part of the extension of the walkway cassette 30, as illustrated in Fig. 6. However, the bottom surface 34 may of course also be e.g. a continuous plane or a perforated plane which extends only along the entire extension of the walkway cassette 30. It should also be noted that the bottom surface 34 does not need to be confined to one single plane.
[0065] Figs 7-8 illustrate a perspective view of one embodiment of a frame 50 when mounted to hold walkway cassettes 30 in an inclined position 10. Fig. 7 illustrates the frame 50 without walkway cassettes 30 while Fig. 8 illustrates the frame 50 with walkway cassettes 30. The frame 50 comprises a leg connector 54 which is connected to a leg 20. It further comprises a supporting bottom 56, extending primarily in a bottom plane 58, on which the bottom surface 34 of the walkway cassette may be placed. The frame 50 further comprises a slide stop 62. The supporting bottom 56 may e.g. be a planar surface with a ground access opening 60. The ground access opening 60 may be large enough for an installer to fit a hand or a tool through it to adjust the height.
[0066] The frame may be configured to bear a load. The supporting bottom may bear the out-of-plane 17 part of the load, the out-of-plane 17 part of the load being the load in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plane 58. The slide stop 62 may bear the in-plane 18 part of the load, the in-plane 18 part of the load being the load in a direction parallel to the bottom plane 58. For example, when the supporting bottom 56 is a planar surface the bottom surface 34 of the walkway cassettes 30 may be supported such that the walkway cassette 30 with its load cannot move through the bottom plane 58. However, a walkway cassette 30 may be free to slide along the bottom plane 58. The walkway cassette 30 may be prevented from sliding off an inclined frame 50 by the slide stop 62. Thus, a walkway cassette 30 placed on the supporting bottom 56 may slide along the inclined plane until it hits the slide stop 62, the slide stop 62 and the supporting bottom 56 may then hold the walkway cassette 30 in the inclined position 10. Another walkway cassette 30 may also be placed on the supporting bottom 56 of a frame 50 in an inclined position 10. The other walkway cassette 30 may be placed above the walkway cassette 30 which is resting on the slide stop 62, as seen in Fig. 8. The slide stop 62 and the supporting bottom 56 may then hold two walkway cassettes 30 in the inclined position 10, the first walkway cassette 30 resting on the slide stop and the other walkway cassette 30 resting on the first walkway cassette 30.
[0067] Figs 9-11 illustrate cross-sectional views of various embodiments of a frame 50 holding a walkway cassette 30. The walkway cassette 30 may have a bottom surface 34, which rests on the supporting bottom 56 of the frame 50. The walkway cassette 30 may further have a top surface 38 which forms a planar walkway surface 11 when the walkway cassette 30 is held by the frame 50. A lateral surface 36 may come in contact with the slide stop 62 such that the slide stop 62 prevents the walkway cassette 30 from sliding off. In the embodiment in Fig. 9 the lateral surface 36 is a surface that connects the top surface 38 with the bottom surface 34, i.e. the lateral surface 36 is a surface between the top surface 38 and the bottom surface 34. However, other embodiments are also possible. Figs 10-11 show embodiments wherein the walkway cassette 30 has a bottom surface 34 under the top surface 38 but wherein the lateral surface 36, which comes in contact with the slide stop 62, lies further below the bottom surface 34. Similarly, in Figs 10-11 the supporting bottom 56 of the frame 50 is actually the uppermost surface of the frame 50 when it receives the walkway cassette 30. Thus it should be understood that the supporting bottom may be a ledge on which the walkway cassette hangs. It should be understood that the slide stop 62 may protrude upwards or downwards out of the bottom plane 58. It should be understood that the lateral surface 36 may lie below the bottom surface 34 of the walkway cassette 30. Furthermore, it should be understood that the interior of the frame 50 may comprise additional surfaces which do not come in contact with the walkway cassette at all, as illustrated in Fig. 10.
[0068] Figs 12-13 illustrate a perspective view of one embodiment of a frame 50. Fig. 12 illustrates the frame 50 without walkway cassettes 30 while Fig. 13 illustrates the frame 50 holding two walkway cassettes 30. Fig. 14 illustrates a top view of the frame 50 as seen from the side where the walkway cassettes 30 are inserted. In this embodiment the frame 50 is rectangular and square but it may also be rectangular and not square or of some other shape. As seen in the figures the supporting bottom 56 may be two ledges on opposite sides of a rectangular frame 50, such that the ledges may support opposite sides of the walkway cassette 30. The ledges must of course not be situated at the very edge of the walkway cassette 30 although it may be advantageous. It should be understood that there may be more than two ledges, e.g. one ledge along each of the four sides of a rectangular frame 50. In this embodiment there is a ledge along each side of the rectangular frame 50 but two of the ledges never come into contact with the walkway cassette. In this embodiment there are slide stops 62 arranged along each of the four sides of the rectangular frame 50. The slide stops 62 prevent the walkway cassettes 30 from sliding off the supporting bottom 56. Thus the supporting bottom 56 may be inclined in any direction without the walkway cassettes 30 sliding off.
[0069] In this embodiment there are two types of slide stops: 62' and 62". In each corner of the frame 50 there is a railing connector 122 where a railing 16 can be connected to the ramp 1, as seen in Fig. 14. One of the sides of the railing connector 122 also functions as a slide stop 62". The slide stop 62" is a flat surface which comes in contact with the walkway cassette 30 and prevents it from sliding off the supporting bottom 56. In this embodiment the frame 50 can hold two rectangular walkway cassettes 30 with a long side and a short side. There are two slide stops 62" along one of the four sides of the rectangular frame 50 (for one of the long sides of one of the walkway cassettes 30). Furthermore, there are two additional slide stops 62" along the opposite side of the rectangular frame 50 (for one of the long sides of the other walkway cassette 30). For the short sides of the walkway cassettes 30 there are a number of bolts in the lateral walls of the frame which function as slide stops 62'. In this embodiment each short side of the walkway cassette 30 comes in contact with two bolts, the contact point being close to one of the corners of the short side. However, it should be understood that there can be further bolts in the lateral walls of the frame 50 and that they can be distributed in different ways. For example, there can be bolts coming in contact with the short sides of the walkway cassettes 30 close to each of the corners of the walkway cassette 30. In this embodiment the slide stops 62" form parallel lateral walls along two opposing edges of the rectangular frame 50. Additionally, the slide stops 62' form parallel lateral walls along two opposing edges of the rectangular frame 50. The bolt heads define two planes in the form of two parallel lateral walls. The lateral walls in which the bolts are fastened also form two parallel lateral walls. The parallel lateral walls defined by slide stops 62" and 62' are perpendicular to each other.
[0070] In this embodiment the frame 50 frame extends primarily along a frame plane 52 and the supporting bottom 56 extends primarily in a bottom plane 58 which is parallel to the frame plane 52. In this embodiment the lateral walls with its slide stops 62" define a cassette insertion opening 64 which allows a walkway cassette 30 to be inserted into the frame by moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane 32 and the frame plane 52. It should be understood that the first of the two walkway cassettes 30 which is inserted into the frame 50 may not need to move perpendicular to the frame plane 52. The second of the two walkway cassettes 30 which is inserted into the frame 50 may have less leeway and may need to move in a direction which is closer to perpendicular to the frame plane 52. However, it should be understood that it is not a necessity that the walkway cassette 30 which is inserted into the frame 50 moves perpendicular to the frame plane 52. For example, in an embodiment with only a slide stop 62 along one of the sides of the frame 50, e.g. as shown in Fig. 7, the walkway cassette 30 may also be inserted into the frame 50 by moving in many different ways which are not perpendicular to the frame plane 52.
[0071] Once the walkway cassette 30 has been inserted into the frame 50, the supporting bottom 56 (in this case defined by the two ledges in the bottom plane 58) stops the walkway cassette 30 from moving further. However, the ledges still leave an opening in the bottom of the frame which creates a ground access opening 60. Thus, when the walkway cassettes 30 are removed from the frame 50 an installer 15 may use the ground access opening 60 to adjust the height. When the walkway cassettes 30 have been received by the frame 50 through the cassette insertion opening 64, the frame 50 may hold the walkway cassettes 30 in an inclined position 10, the inclined position 10 being inclined in any direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force. For example, a rectangular frame 50 may be tilted in a direction along the length direction of the frame 50 and the slide stops 62" may prevent the walkway cassette 30 from sliding off. The rectangular frame 50 may also be tilted in a direction along the width direction of the frame 50 and the slide stops 62' may prevent the walkway cassette 30 from sliding off. The rectangular frame 50 may also be tilted in another direction, e.g. along the diagonal of the rectangular frame 50, and slide stops 62" and 62' may cooperate to prevent the walkway cassette from sliding off.
[0072] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 12-14 the rectangular frame 50 holds two rectangular walkway cassettes 30. The slide stops 62" and 62' here defines a rectangular area which is slightly larger than the walkway cassettes 30 combined area, this area may be the cassette holding area. There is a fitting allowance for the walkway cassette 30 in both directions of the rectangular frame 50. The distance between slide stops 62" on opposite sides of the rectangular frame is slightly larger than twice the width of the walkway cassettes 30. The distance between slide stops 62' on opposite sides of the rectangular frame is slightly larger than the length of the walkway cassettes 30.
[0073] Fig. 15 illustrates a perspective view of a frame 50 seen from the side which is closest to the ground when the ramp 1 is assembled. In this embodiment the frame 50 is rectangular and on each of two opposing sides of the rectangular frame 50 there are two frame connectors 70. On one side the frame connectors 70 comprise hooks 74, on the opposing side the frame connectors comprise loops 72. Fig. 17 is a close up view of one of the hooks 74. Fig. 18 is a close up view of the side with the loops 72. Fig. 19 is a close up view of one of the loops 72, seen from the side which faces the ground 2 when the ramp 1 is assembled. Fig. 24 is a perspective view and a close-up view of a load sharing frame 78 hanging in its loops 72 on the hooks 74 of a supporting frame 76. In the close-up view the leg connector 54 has been removed for clarity. By having hooks 74 on one side of the frame 50 and loops 72 on the other side of the frame 50, the frame 50 may act as both a supporting frame 76 and a load sharing frame 78. The frame connectors 70 may also comprise further means for connecting two frames 50 as illustrated in this embodiment. In addition to the curved surface of the hook 74 which catches the loop 72 there may be a second curved surface which catches a gripping edge 118 of the load sharing frame 78. There may also be a connector lock 80 which in this embodiment is a protrusion from a frame connector 70, wherein the protrusion protrudes into the gap between the gripping edges 118 of the load sharing frame 78 and the supporting frame 76. By wedging a doughnut shaped object, e.g. a nut, onto the connector lock 80 the gripping edges 118 of the load sharing frame 78 and the supporting frame 76 may be held at a fixed distance such that the two frames 50 are locked together. Fig. 25 shows an installer 15 attaching a load sharing frame 78 to a supporting frame 76. The load sharing frame 78 may have legs 20 on one side of the frame 50, the legs 20 taking part of the load. On the other side of the load sharing frame 78 there may be no legs, such that part of the load on this side is transferred to the supporting frame 76 and the legs 20 of the supporting frame 76.
[0074] A leg connector 54 may be constructed in many different ways. In one embodiment it may be constructed as a clamp. Close ups of leg connectors 54 in the form of clamps may be seen e.g. in Fig. 17. The clamp may e.g. be formed as a fork with two prongs. A leg 20 may be placed between the two prongs and bolts at the outermost end of the prongs may be used to push the prongs together such that the leg 20 is clamped between the prongs. By loosening the bolts the leg 20 may be free to slide between the prongs such that the height at which the leg connector 54 rests on the leg 20 may be adjusted.
[0075] Fig. 16 illustrates a perspective view of a frame 50 with three walkway cassettes 30. The walkway cassettes 30 may be inserted into the frame 50 by moving in a direction 65 essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane 32 and the frame plane 52. In this embodiment the walkway cassettes are rectangular and have a rectangular footprint where the long side has a cassette length 98 and the short side has a cassette width 100. The frame 50 has slide stops 62" comprising part of the railing connectors 122 and slide stops 62' comprising bolts. The slide stops 62" and 62' of the frame 50 here defines a rectangular area which is slightly larger than the walkway cassettes 30 combined area, this area may be the cassette holding area. The cassette holding area has a cassette holding area length 92 and a cassette holding area width 94. The frame 50 in this embodiment further comprises a strut 106 in the form of a bar, wherein the strut 106 connects two of the sides of the rectangular frame 50. The cassette holding area length 92 is slightly larger than three times the cassette width 100 plus the strut width (the strut width being taken in the direction of the cassette holding area length 92). There is thus a fitting allowance in the direction of the cassette holding area length 92. Furthermore, the strut is placed such that an integer number of walkway cassettes 30 fits snugly within the cassette holding area on either side of the strut 106. The cassette holding area width 94 is slightly larger than the cassette length 98. There is thus a fitting allowance in the direction of the cassette holding area width 94.
[0076] The size of the fitting allowances may define how precisely the walkway cassettes 30 need to be inserted. A larger fitting allowance may allow for a movement which is not exactly perpendicular to both the cassette plane 32 and the frame plane 52. Furthermore, it should be understood that the cassette holding area may be arranged such that the walkway cassettes 30 may be wiggled into place. Thus the insertion of a walkway cassette 30 may comprise several small movements which on their own are not perpendicular to both the cassette plane 32 and the frame plane 52 but where the several small movements follow an overall movement which in turn is perpendicular to both the cassette plane 32 and the frame plane 52.
[0077] Figs 20-23 illustrate perspective views of parts of a rectangular frame 50, wherein the frame 50 comprises Z-beams 110. In this embodiment each of the four sides of the rectangular frame 50 comprises one Z-beam 110. Each Z-beam comprise a central plate 112, a bottom flange plate 114, and a top flange plate 116. The top flange plate 116 and the bottom flange plate 114 are both perpendicular to the central plate 112 and protrude from opposite edges of the central plate 112 in opposite directions. The Z-beams 110 may be connected directly to each other or as in this embodiment through an intermediate structure. In this case the intermediate structure is a railing connector 122. Here the Z-beams 110 are bolted to the railing connector 122 such that one side of the railing connector forms slide stops 62" and the bolts form slide stops 62'. In this embodiment the Z-beams are connected such that the central plates 112 form lateral walls of the frame 50, these lateral walls together with the bolts connecting the Z-beam to the railing connector 122 form slide stops 62'. Furthermore, in this embodiment two of the bottom flange plates 114 form ledges which act as a supporting bottom 56 of the frame 50.
[0078] In this embodiment the top flange plate 116 further comprises a gripping edge 118, wherein the gripping edge is an extension of the top flange plate which is bent more than 90°, in two folds, with respect to the top flange plate. Thus the outermost edge of the top of the top flange of the Z-beam points slightly backwards towards the central plate 112. This may provide a comfortable grip for the installer.
[0079] In this embodiment the top flange plates 116 further comprise anti-slip surfaces 120 in the form of raised dimples, each dimple having a punched hole at the top. Furthermore, there are gap fillers 124 which covers gaps left between a walkway cassette 30 held in the cassette holding area and a top flange plate 116, as illustrated in Fig. 23.
[0080] It may be advantageous to arrange the leg connector 54 such that it is placed in between two railing connectors 122 of two adjacent frames 50 when the ramp 1 is assembled. This way the leg 20 may be hidden by the railing 16. A long leg 20 may then be used without it being visually un-appealing. The height at which the frame 50 rests on the leg 20 may then be adjusted over a large range. There may be no need to cut the leg 20 to make it visually appealing, this may save time during installation and the leg 20 may be reused at a later point.
[0081] In the above the inventive concept has mainly been described with reference to a limited number of examples. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other examples than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined by the appended claims.
a leg comprising a ground support end and a top end, wherein the ground support end is configured to be placed on the ground and the leg extends between the ground support end and the top end;
at least one walkway cassette extending primarily along a cassette plane, the at least one walkway cassette having a bottom surface, lateral surfaces and a top surface, the top surface being essentially flat and parallel to the cassette plane, wherein the bottom surface lies below the top surface when the modular ramp is assembled and wherein the lateral surfaces extend along the sides of the at least one walkway cassette,
a first frame for receiving and holding the at least one walkway cassette in a horizontal or inclined position, the first frame extending primarily along a frame plane, the first frame comprising:
a leg connector configured to connect the first frame to the leg;
a supporting bottom, the supporting bottom extending primarily in a bottom plane parallel to the frame plane and being configured to support the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette when said walkway cassette is held in the first frame, wherein the supporting bottom comprises at least one ground access opening within the bottom plane;
a slide stop, the slide stop being a lateral wall connected to the supporting bottom and arranged to protrude out of the bottom plane along an outer edge of the first frame, wherein the slide stop is configured such that when the first frame supports the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined in a direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, the slide stop prevents the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least one walkway cassette;
a cassette insertion opening, the cassette insertion opening being an opening configured to allow the at least one walkway cassette to be inserted into the first frame by moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the frame plane;
wherein:the leg connector of the first frame and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the leg connector can be connected to the leg at a point along the extension of the leg above the ground support end, such that when the ground support end of the leg is placed on the ground the leg connector rests on the leg at a height above the ground, wherein the height is adjustable;
the first frame, the leg connector and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one ground access opening provides access for adjusting the height;
the first frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one walkway cassette can be inserted through the cassette insertion opening and placed such that the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette rests on the supporting bottom of the first frame, whereby the at least one walkway cassette is received by the first frame;
the first frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the at least one walkway cassette has been received by the first frame, the at least one walkway cassette is held by the first frame such that it covers the ground access opening and forms a planar walkway surface.
wherein the slide stop of the first frame is configured to bear the in-plane part of the load, the in-plane part of the load being the load in a direction parallel to the bottom plane of the first frame;
wherein the supporting bottom of the first frame is configured to bear the out-of-plane part of the load, the out-of-plane part of the load being the load in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plane of the first frame.
wherein the first frame connector is configured to connect the first frame to a supporting frame, the supporting frame being another first frame, wherein the first frame connector is configured to transfer part of the load on the first frame onto the supporting frame such that the first frame acts as a load sharing frame.
wherein the first frame connector comprises a loop and the second frame connector comprises a hook, the loop being configured to fit over a hook such that the first frame can act as both a load sharing frame and a supporting frame
wherein the first frame acts as a load sharing frame when the loop of the first frame rests on the hook of a supporting frame and the first frame acts as a supporting frame when the hook of the first frame accepts a loop of a load sharing frame.
wherein the four slide stops are configured such that when the first frame supports the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined in any direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, at least one of the four slide stops prevent the at least one walkway cassette from sliding off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least one walkway cassette.
the four slide stops form a cassette holding area such that the at least one walkway cassette that is held by the first frame and sliding on the supporting bottom in a direction within the bottom plane is prevented from moving outside the cassette holding area by the four slide stops, wherein the cassette holding area has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette holding area length and another side having a cassette holding area width; and,
the at least one walkway cassette has a cassette footprint, the cassette footprint being the largest cross-section area the at least one walkway cassette occupies under the planar cassette surface, wherein the cassette footprint has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette length and another side having a cassette width; and,
the cassette holding area width is the same as the cassette length plus a first fitting allowance, and the cassette holding area length is a multiple of the cassette width plus a second fitting allowance.
wherein the parallel lateral walls of the first pair of slide stops are perpendicular to the parallel lateral walls of the second pair of slide stops;
the strut being a rigid beam which connects the lateral walls of the first pair of slide stops or the lateral walls of the second pair of slide stops, whereby deformation of the first frame is resisted.
a central plate, and
a bottom flange plate protruding from the central plate from a first edge of the central plate, wherein the bottom flange plate forms a bottom flange plane which is perpendicular to the central plate, and
a top flange plate protruding from the central plate from a second edge of the central plate, wherein the top flange plate forms a top flange plane which is perpendicular to the central plate and protrudes in a direction opposite to the bottom flange plate and wherein the second edge is an edge opposite to the first edge,whereby a cross-section of the z-beam forms the shape of the letter Z with 90° angles, and
wherein the bottom flange plate forms part of the supporting bottom of the first frame and the central plate forms one of the four slide stop of the first frame.
a second frame for receiving and holding the at least one walkway cassette in a horizontal or inclined position, the second frame extending primarily along a frame plane, the second frame comprising:
a leg connector configured to connect the second frame to the leg;
a supporting bottom, the supporting bottom extending primarily in a bottom plane parallel to the frame plane and being configured to support the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette when said walkway cassette is held in the second frame, wherein the supporting bottom comprises at least one ground access opening within the bottom plane;
four slide stops, the slide stops being lateral walls connected to the supporting bottom and arranged to protrude out of the bottom plane along outer edges of the second frame,
wherein the four slide stops are configured such that when the second frame supports
the at least one walkway cassette by the supporting bottom and holds the at least
one walkway cassette in an inclined position, the inclined position being inclined
in any direction with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, at least
one of the four slide stops prevent the at least one walkway cassette from sliding
off the supporting bottom by coming in contact with a lateral surface of the at least
one walkway cassette;
a cassette insertion opening, the cassette insertion opening being an opening configured
to allow the at least one walkway cassette to be inserted into the second frame by
moving in a direction essentially perpendicular to both the cassette plane and the
frame plane;
the leg connector of the second frame and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the leg connector can be connected to the leg at a point along the extension of the leg above the ground support end, such that when the ground support end of the leg is placed on the ground the leg connector rests on the leg at a height above the ground, wherein the height is adjustable;
the second frame, the leg connector and the leg are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one ground access opening provides access for adjusting the height;
the second frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the modular ramp is being assembled the at least one walkway cassette can be inserted through the cassette insertion opening and placed such that the bottom surface of the at least one walkway cassette rests on the supporting bottom of the second frame, whereby the at least one walkway cassette is received by the second frame;
the second frame and the at least one walkway cassette are configured such that when the at least one walkway cassette has been received by the second frame, the at least one walkway cassette is held by the second frame such that it covers the ground access opening and forms a planar walkway su rface;
the outer dimensions of the second frame in its frame plane are different from the outer dimensions of the first frame in its frame plane.
the four slide stops of the second frame form a cassette holding area such that the at least one walkway cassette that is held by the second frame and sliding on the supporting bottom in a direction within the bottom plane is prevented from moving outside the cassette holding area by the four slide stops, wherein the cassette holding area has an essentially rectangular shape with one side having a cassette holding area length and another side having a cassette holding area width; and,
the second frame's cassette holding area width is the same as the cassette length plus a first fitting allowance of the second frame, and the second frame's cassette holding area length is a multiple of the cassette width plus a second fitting allowance of the second frame; and,
the multiple of the cassette width representing the second frame's cassette holding area length is different from the multiple of the cassette width representing the first frame's cassette holding area length.