BICYCLE PATH AND / OR FOOTPATH COMPRISING COUPLED ROAD SURFACE PLATES

Abstract

 A bicycle and/or footpath 1 has a number of elongate road surface plates 3 which are present one behind the other in the road direction. These road surface plates are located with the ends 7 and 9 on cross beams 21 which are present on the ground 19. By placing the road surface plates at a distance above the ground, tree roots can grow and rise under the road surface plates without the road surfaces being loaded or pushed up by the tree roots. The road surface plates 3 are connected to each other with the ends 7, 9 by means of connecting elements 33. Each connecting element 33 is provided with a circular recess 39 in which a rotatable disc 41 is located. This disc 41 is provided with an eccentric hole 43 through which a pin 35 present in the road surface plate 3 projects. By turning the disc 41, the distance between two adjacent road surface plates 3 is changed.

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to bicycle and/or footpath comprising elongated road surface plates which are coupled to each other with the ends, which road surface plates are provided with a top side which is driven/walked on and a underside facing towards a ground.

Background of the invention

[0002] A bicycle and/or footpath is generally known. A common problem with bicycle paths with trees in the vicinity is damage or rising of road surface plates due to root growth under the road surface plates. Tree roots push the road surface plates upwards, causing a height difference between the road surface plates at the location of the connection to an adjacent road surface plate, which can lead to dangerous situations for traffic on the bicycle and/or footpath. It can also lead to breakage of the road surface plates.

Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the invention is to provide a bicycle and/or footpath of the type described in the preamble, in which the risk of damaging the road surface plates is less than with the known bicycle and/or footpath. To this end, the bicycle and/or footpath according to the invention is characterized in that the bicycle and/or footpath further comprises cross beams which are present on the ground under the road surface plates and which in longitudinal direction extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the road surface plates, so that the road surface plates are spaced above the ground. By placing the road surface plates at a distance above the ground, tree roots can grow and rise under the road surface plates without the road surface plates being loaded or pushed up by the tree roots. The width of the crossbars is preferably greater than the height so that they cannot fall over.

[0004] Preferably, the cross beams are present at the ends of the road surface plates and each carry two road surface plates on the ends. This ensures that the ends of the road surface plates are on the same level, so that there is no height difference between two adjacent road surface plates.

[0005] In order to allow the road surface plates to rest properly on the cross beams, a layer of a soft material is preferably present between the cross beams and the road surface plates. This layer, for example, is made of felt.

[0006] Gaps are present between the road surface plates to accommodate the expansion of the road surface plates in hot weather. These gaps are filled with an elastic material to prevent the gap from closing with incompressible material. In the road surface plates of the bicycle and/or footpath according to the invention, preferably, grooves which extend in the width direction of the road surface plates are present in mutually facing end faces of the road surface plates, wherein the groove or grooves in one road surface plate being directly opposite the groove or grooves present in the adjacent road surface plate and wherein one or more compressible coupling elements are present between the ends of the road surface plates in the opposing grooves to prevent vertical displacement of the road surface plates relative to each other. The coupling elements can for instance be made of rubber.

[0007] To prevent the road surface plates from sliding horizontally during use, neighboring road surface plates are preferably connected to each other by connecting elements which hold the road surface plates together so that they cannot slide off each other. In a favorable embodiment of this, each road surface plate is provided with transversely protruding pins near the ends and the connecting elements are provided over the protruding pins, wherein the connecting elements being provided with holes or slots through which the pins protrude. These pins may be formed, for example, by bolts or studs threaded into threaded holes in the sidewalls of the road surface plates. The connecting elements can for instance be metal or plastic strips.

[0008] In a favorable embodiment of the bicycle and/or footpath according to the invention, the connecting elements are provided with a circular recess in which a disc is provided, which disc is provided with an eccentric hole through which one of the pins protrudes, so that when the disc is rotated, the distance between two neighboring road surface plates is changed and the road surface plates can be pulled together so that they fit together well.

[0009] In a further favorable embodiment of the bicycle and/or footpath, side plates extend along side surfaces of the road surface plates to prevent the space between the ground and the road surface plates from becoming filled with sand and branches or other undesired material. These side plates can be present next to or under the road surface plates between the crossbars and are made of a firmly compressible material that can be pressed by roots, so that root growth is not hindered and cannot cause damage.

Brief description of the drawings

[0010] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the bicycle and/or footpath according to the invention shown in the drawings. Hereby shows:

Figure 1 a side view of the bicycle and/or footpath;

Figure 2 a detail of figure 1 at the location of a cross beam;

Figure 3 a detail of figure 2 at the location of the connecting element;

Figure 4 the detail shown in figure 2 in perspective; and

Figure 5 part of the bicycle and/or footpath during application to a ground.

Detailed description of the drawings

[0011] Figure 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the bicycle and/or footpath 1 according to the invention. The bicycle and/or footpath 1 has a number of elongate road surface plates 3 which are present one behind the other in the direction of the road. These road surface plates are located with the ends 7 and 9 on cross beams 21 which are present on the ground 19. As a result, the road surface plates 3 are spaced with the underside 13 above the ground 19. The road surface plates 3 are connected to each other with the ends 7, 9 by means of connecting elements 33 on either side of the road surface plates.

[0012] The road surface plates 3 are provided with a top 11, over which is driven/walked, a bottom side 13, which faces the ground 19, two end surfaces 15 and two side surfaces 17. The cross beams 21 have a width greater than the height and extend in the longitudinal direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the road surface plates 3. Side plates 47 are provided between the cross beams 21 and under the road surface plates 3, which side plates extend along side surfaces 17 of the road surface plates 3. These side plates 47 are of a firmly compressible material that can be pressed by roots. A suitable material for this is rock wool.

[0013] Figure 2 shows a detail of the bicycle and/or footpath 1 at the location of a cross beam 21. Between the cross beam 21 and the road surface plates 3, a layer 23 of a soft material is present in order to allow the road surface plates to lie well on the cross beam. In the end faces 15 of the road surface plates 3 there are grooves 25 which extend in the width direction of the road surface plates. The grooves 25 in one road surface plate 3 are present directly opposite the grooves in the adjacent road surface plate. In the opposite grooves 25 and between the ends 7 and 9 of the road surface plates 3, an elastic coupling element 27 is present to prevent the road surface plates 3 from sliding relative to each other in vertical direction.

[0014] In the side surfaces 17 of the road surface plates 3 adjacent to the end surfaces 15 there are recesses 5 in which the connecting elements 33 are present. These connecting elements 33 hold the road surface plates together so that they cannot slide apart. The connecting elements 33 are metal or plastic strips provided with holes 37 and 43 with which they are arranged over pins 35 present in the side surfaces 17 of the road surface plates 3. Each connecting element 33 is provided with a circular recess 39 in which a disc 41 is located. This disc 41 is rotatable in the recess 39 and for this purpose is provided with two coupling holes 45 into which pins of a key can be inserted with which the disc 41 can be rotated. The disk 41 is provided with an eccentric hole 43 which forms one of the holes through which one of the pins 35 protrudes. By turning the disc 41, the distance between two adjacent road surface plates 3 is changed and the road surface plates 3 can be pulled together.

[0015] Figure 3 shows a detail of figure 2 at the location of the connecting element. The coupling element 27 consists of three narrow cylindrical parts 29 which are parallel to each other and are attached to plate-shaped parts 31 which extend between the cylindrical parts 29. The cylindrical parts 29 are located in the grooves 25 present in the end surfaces 15 and the plate-like parts 31 are present between the end surfaces 15.

[0016] For clarification, figure 4 shows the detail shown in figure 2 in perspective and figure 5 shows part of the bicycle and/or footpath during application on a surface. Here, the grooves 25 in the end face 15 are clearly visible and the coupling element 27 is shown separately. The shape of the coupling element 27 with the cylindrical parts 29 and plate-shaped parts 31 is also clearly visible herein.

[0017] Holes 36, provided with internal threads, into which the pins provided with external threads can be screwed, are present in the side surfaces 17 of the road surface plates 3 at the locations of the recesses 5. Bushings which are threaded are glued into holes 36. The pins can for instance be formed by bolts or threaded ends.

[0018] Although the invention has been elucidated with reference to the drawings in the foregoing, it should be noted that the invention is by no means limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments within the scope defined by the claims that deviate from the embodiment shown in the drawings and to embodiments which only have features of one or more subclaims, but not necessarily also have the features of the claims to which these subclaims refer.

Claims

1. Bicycle and/or footpath (1) comprising elongated road surface plates (3) which are coupled to each other with the ends (7, 9), which road surface plates (3) are provided with a top side (11) which is driven/walked on and a underside (13) facing towards a ground (19), characterized in that the bicycle and/or footpath (1) further comprises cross beams (21) which are present on the ground (19) under the road surface plates (3) and which in longitudinal direction extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the road surface plates, so that the road surface plates (3) are spaced above the ground (19).

2. Bicycle and/or footpath according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross beams (21) have a width greater than the height so that they cannot fall over.

3. Bicycle and/or footpath according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cross beams (21) are present at the ends (7, 9) of the road surface plates (3) and each carry two road surface plates (3) on the ends (7, 9).

4. Bicycle and/or footpath according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a layer (23) of a soft material is present between the cross beams (21) and the road surface plates (3).

5. Bicycle and/or footpath according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in facing surfaces (15) of the road surface plates (3) grooves (25) are present which extend in width direction of the road surface plates, wherein the groove or grooves in one road surface plate is/are directly opposite the groove or grooves in the adjacent road surface plate, and wherein one or more compressible coupling elements (27) are present between the ends (7, 9) of the road surface plates (3) in the opposite grooves (25) to prevent vertical displacement of the road surface plates relative to each other.

6. Bicycle and/or footpath according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that neighboring road surface plates (3) are connected to each other by connecting elements (33) which hold the road surface plates together so that they cannot slide apart.

7. Bicycle and/or footpath according to claim 6, characterized in that each road surface plate (3) near the ends (7, 9) is provided with transversely protruding pins (35), and the connecting elements (33) being provided with holes (37) or slots and are present over the protruding pins (35).

8. Bicycle and/or footpath according to claim 7, characterized in that the connecting elements (33) have a circular recess (39) in which a disc (41) is provided having an eccentric hole (43) through which one of the pins (35) protrude, so that when the disc (41) is rotated, the distance between two adjacent road surface plates (3) is changed and the road surface plates can be pulled together.

9. Bicycle and/or footpath according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises side plates (47) which extend along side surfaces (17) of the road surface plates (3) and are present next to or below the road surface plates, which side plates (47) are made of a firm, compressible material that can be pressed by roots.

Drawing