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(11) | EP 1 130 191 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Rail construction as well as a fundament-rail bar combination for use in the rail construction |
| (57) A rail structure, in particular for a crane trolley of a siding maintenance installation
consists of bases 57 and rails 61. The bases 57 are parallel to the rails 61 and each
base forms, together with a rail, a single unit 53. This base/rail combination 53
is easy to place on the roof of a building. The base/rail combination 53 is provided with couplers 77 for coupling with another base/rail combination and further couplers 81 for coupling with a coupling element. The couplers 77 consist of a protrusion 85 that cooperates with a recess in another base/rail combination and the further couplers 81 consist of a further protrusion 97 that cooperates with couplers of the coupling element. |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to a rail structure, in particular for a crane trolley of a siding maintenance installation, comprising bases and rails, which are supported by the bases.
Prior art
[0002] Such a rail structure is known from the Dutch patent application no. 7810709. This known rail structure is comprised of bases, which are placed crosswise under parallel steel rails. The rail structure is located on the roof of a building and serves to guide a crane trolley, which can move an installation along the side of a building for maintenance or cleaning work to be done.
[0003] The placement ofthe known rail structure is very complicated. First the bases are placed on the roof. Then the rails are placed on the bases and then the rails are fastened to the bases.
Summary of the invention
[0004] An objective of the invention is to provide a rail structure of the type described in the preamble that is easier to place than the known rail structure. For this purpose, the rail structure according to the invention is characterised in that the bases are parallel to the rails. Because of this, the placement of the rail structure according to the invention is easier than the placement of the known rail structure, where the bases are crosswise under the rails.
[0005] To further simplify the placement an embodiment of the rail structure is characterised in that each base forms a single unit with a rail.
[0006] Another embodiment of the rail structure is characterised in that the bases are of plastic. Plastic is light so that the roof structure of a building is not subjected to a heavy burden and can be executed lightly. Recycled plastic, for example, can be used for the plastic.
[0007] Yet another embodiment of the rail structure is characterised in that the rail comprises a carrier, which is also of plastic and forms a single unit together with the base, and that the rail also comprises a strip, which is fastened to the top of the carrier and has a running surface for a crane trolley. In this structure the rail is largely of plastic, which yields a further weight reduction. The strip, for example, is of steel or another high-quality plastic such that the rail structure according to the invention has the same running surface characteristics as that of the known rail structure.
[0008] For coupling the bases and/or rails a further embodiment of the rail structure is characterised in that the ends of the bases and/or rails are provided with couplers for coupling to each other. Preferably, the couplers comprise a recess in an end of a base and/or rail, as well as a congruent protrusion present at the other end of the base and/or rail or present at an end of another base and/or rail. So there can be bases and/or rails that have a recess in both ends and that can be coupled to bases and/or rails that have a protrusion on each end or it can be that each base and/or rail has a recess in one end and a protrusion at the other end.
[0009] Yet another embodiment of the rail structure is characterised in that the rail structure also comprises coupling elements that can be placed between in-line bases and/or between parallel bases to couple the bases, with the bases and the coupling elements being provided with further couplers for coupling to each other. These coupling elements keep the parallel rails and/or bases at the desired track distance from each other and connect them to each other, and can also serve to couple two in-line rails and/or bases.
[0010] An embodiment of the coupling elements is characterised in that the further couplers comprise recesses and congruent protrusions in respectively at the coupling elements and the bases which work together.
[0011] A further embodiment of this is characterised in that each end of the bases is provided with a protrusion and each end of a coupling element is provided with two recesses across from each other. Of course each end of the bases can also have a recess and each end of a coupling element can also have two protrusions across from each other.
[0012] A favourable embodiment of the couplers is characterised in that the protrusion can be placed in the recess in a direction at an angle with the longitudinal direction of the base and/or rail and that the protrusion and the recess can have such a form that they are enclosed in the longitudinal direction ofthe base and/or the rail. This facilitates a simple coupling requiring no tools while nonetheless effecting a good coupling between the adjacent bases and/or rails.
[0013] Preferably, the protrusion is provided with a reduction and the recess has a narrowing, which reduction and narrowing work together upon coupling.
Brief description of the drawings
[0015] The invention will be elucidated more fully below on the basis of drawings in which embodiments of the rail structure according to the invention are shown. In these drawings:
Figure 1 shows a cross-section of an embodiment of the base/rail combination according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows a top view of the base/rail combination;
Figure 3 shows a side view of the base/rail combination;
Figure 4 shows a view of an embodiment of a base/rail combination provided with couplers for mutual coupling and for coupling with a coupling element;
Figure 5 shows a view of a further embodiment of a base/rail combination for coupling with the base/rail combination shown in Figure 4; and
Figure 6 shows a view of a coupling element for the coupling of two in-line bases and for the coupling with two parallel adjacent bases.
Detailed description of the drawings
[0016] In the Figures 1, 2, and 3 an embodiment of the base/rail combination 21 according to the invention is shown. The base 23 is parallel to the rail 25 and together the two form a single unit.
[0017] The rail 25 has a carrier 27, which mainly, just like the base 23, is of plastic. The rail 25 also has a strip 29, for example of steel, which is fastened to the top 31 of the carrier 27 and has a running surface 33 for a crane trolley. The base 23 is hollow and has the form of a long box that is open on the bottom 35 and in which transverse partitions 37 are placed apart from each other, which partitions reach from a side wall 39 of the box to the other side wall 41.
[0018] In the Figures 4 and 5 two other embodiments of base/rail combinations 51 and 53 are shown. These base/rail combinations 51, 53 each consist of a base 55, 57 and a rail 59, 61, which together form a single unit. The bases 55, 57 have a wide foot 63, 65 for stability, which is provided with recesses 67, 69 for weight reduction. The rails 59, 61 are provided with a running surface 71, 73 that is of the same material as the rail.
[0019] These base/rail combinations 51, 53 are provided with couplers 75 and 77 for mutual coupling and further couplers 79 and 81 for coupling with a coupling element 101 (see Figure 6). The couplers 75 and 77 consist of a recess 83 respectively a protrusion 85, which are present in respectively at an end of the rail.
[0020] The recess 83 and the protrusion 85 are congruent to each other and work together when coupled with each other. The protrusion 85 can be placed in the recess 83 in a right-angled direction to the longitudinal direction 87, 89 of the base/rail combination 51, 53. The protrusion 85 and the recess 83 have such a form that they are enclosed in the longitudinal direction 87, 89 of the base/rail combination 51, 53. The protrusion 85 is provided with a reduction 91 and the recess 83 is provided with a narrowing 93. The reduction 91 and narrowing 93 work together when coupled with each other.
[0021] The further couplers 79 and 81 consist of further protrusions 95, 97 present at an end of the bases 55, 57 that work together with couplers 103 of a coupling element 101 (see Figure 6).
[0022] In Figure 6 a coupling element 101 is shown for the coupling of two in-line bases and for the coupling of two parallel adjacent bases. The coupling element has on each end two recesses 105 and 107 which are across from each other. These recesses 105, 107 work when coupled together with the protrusions 95 and 97 of the further couplers 79, 81 of in-line base/rail combinations 51, 53.
[0023] Although in the above the invention is explained on the basis of the drawings, it should be noted that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments deviating from the embodiments shown in the drawings within the context defined by the claims. For example, the base/rail combination can also be executed as a curved piece instead of the straight piece shown here. In addition, the base/rail combination can also have handles. It is also possible to make the entire base and rail of plastic, with the running surface for the crane trolley also being of plastic.
1. Rail structure, in particular for a crane trolley of a siding maintenance installation,
comprising bases and rails, which are supported by the bases, characterised in that the bases are parallel to the rails.
2. Rail structure according to claim 1, characterised in that each base forms a single unit with a rail.
3. Rail structure according to claim 1, characterised in that the bases are made of plastic.
4. Rail structure according to claim 3, characterised in that the rail comprises a carrier, which is also of plastic and forms a single unit together
with the base, and that the rail also comprises a strip, which is fastened to the
top of the carrier and has a running surface for a crane trolley.
5. Rail structure according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the ends of the bases and/or rails are provided with couplers for coupling to each
other.
6. Rail structure according to claim 5, characterised in that the couplers comprise a recess in an end of a base and/or rail, as well as a congruent
protrusion present at the other end of the base and/or rail or present at the end
of another base and/or rail.
7. Rail structure according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rail structure also comprises coupling elements that can be placed between in-line
bases and/or between parallel bases to couple the bases, with the bases and the coupling
elements being provided with further couplers for coupling to each other.
8. Rail structure according to claim 7, characterised in that the further couplers comprise recesses and congruent protrusions in respectively
at the coupling elements and the bases which work together.
9. Rail structure according to claim 8, characterised in that each end of the bases is provided with a protrusion and each end of a coupling element
is provided with two recesses across from each other.
10. Rail structure according to claim 6, 8, or 9, characterised in that the protrusion can be placed in the recess in a direction at an angle with the longitudinal
direction of the base and/or rail and that the protrusion and the recess have such
a form that they are enclosed in the longitudinal direction of the base and/or rail.
11. Rail structure according to claim 10, characterised in that the protrusion is provided with a reduction and the recess is provided with a narrowing,
which reduction and narrowing cooperate when coupled.
12. Base/rail combination for application in a rail structure according to one of the
preceding claims 2 through 11.