Abstract
A barrier system for alternately shutting and opening the vehicle entrance or pedestrian entrance of two lines or transport paths which cross one another and of which one is at least twice as wide as the other. On the four corners of the lines (15, 16) which cross one another, in each case one barrier system (17) with in each case one barrier boom (1, 18) which can be pivoted horizontally out of the vehicle entrance of one line (15) into the vehicle entrance of the other line (16) is installed. Two of the barrier systems (17) which lie diagonally opposite to one another and have in each case one barrier boom (1) which can be folded lengthwise from an elongate position. The two other barrier systems (17) which lie diagonally opposite to one another have in each case one conventional barrier boom (18) which is rigid over its entire length.
Claims
1. A barrier system for alternately shutting and opening a first vehicle entrance or pedestrian entrance of a first line or first transport path and a second vehicle entrance or pedestrian entrance of a second line or second transport path, wherein the second line crosses the first line and wherein the second line is at least twice as wide as the first line, wherein the first line together with the second line form four inner corners wherein each corner is associated with a barrier system with a barrier boom wherein the barrier boom can be pivoted horizontally out of the vehicle entrance position of the first line into the vehicle entrance position of the second line wherein two of the barrier systems, which lie diagonally opposite have a barrier boom which can be folded lengthwise from an elongate position, and two remaining barrier systems which are disposed diagonally opposite to each other have each one conventional associated barrier boom, which is rigid over its entire length.
2. The barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise consist of a front section which has the free end of the barrier boom and a rear drivable section which is connected to a drive device, in that the front section and rear section are connected to one another at their ends which abut one another by way of a four-bar linkage (four-member coupling linkage with one degree of freedom), and in that the front section which has the free end of the respective barrier boom can be pivoted in the four-bar linkage from an elongate position which is aligned with the rear driveable section into a position which is folded back onto the rear driveable section and back again.
3. The barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with front section and rear drivable section which are aligned with one another, and the barrier booms which are rigid over the entire length cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
4. The barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise cover half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with front section and rear drivable section which are aligned with one another.
5. The barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of two barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line (16) in their elongate position, that is to say with front section and rear drivable section which are aligned with one another, and the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of the two other barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
6. Barrier system according to claim 1 characterized in that the length of the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise is determined in that way that they cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with the said sections aligned with one another and that the length of the barrier booms which are rigid over the entire length is determined in that way that they cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
7. Barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise is determined in a way that they cover half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with the said sections aligned with one another.
8. Barrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of two barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another is determined in a way that they cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with the said sections aligned with one another and that the length of the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of the two other barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another is determined in that way that they cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
9. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the four-bar linkage of each foldable barrier boom has a front connector for the front section of the barrier boom, which front section has the free end of the barrier boom, and a rear drivable connector for the rear, driveable section of the barrier boom, and the front connector of the front section can be pivoted about a central axis of the four-bar linkage in relation to the rear connector of the rear driveable section until it lies parallel to the rear connector of the rear driveable section, in that the four-bar linkage has a first lever and a second lever which are connected to one another at their one ends such that they can be pivoted about a common axis, in that the first lever is connected by way of its second end to the rear connector of the rear driveable section such that it can be pivoted about an axis, and the second lever is connected by way of its second end to the front connector of the front section of the barrier boom such that it can be pivoted about an axis, and in that the first lever which is connected in an articulated manner to the rear connector of the rear driveable section has a point of action for a guide rod which is arranged parallel to the rear driveable section and can be pivoted together with the latter.
10. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the length of the front section which has the free end of the barrier boom is equal to the length of the rear driveable section.
11. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the front section which has the free end of the barrier boom is shorter than the rear driveable section.
12. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with front section and rear section which are aligned with one another, and the barrier booms which are rigid over the entire length cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
13. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise cover half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with front section and rear section, which are aligned with one another.
14. The barrier system according to claim 2, characterized in that the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of two barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another cover more than half of the vehicle entrance of the wider line in their elongate position, that is to say with a front section and a rear section, which are aligned with one another, and the barrier booms which can be folded lengthwise of the two other barrier systems which lie diagonally opposite one another cover the remaining part of the vehicle entrance of the wider line.
Description
(1) In the following text, the invention will be described more precisely using the appended drawings, in which:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a barrier system having a two-part, foldable barrier boom in its position which shuts a path, which barrier boom can advantageously be used in a barrier system according to the invention,
(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of a barrier system according to FIG. 1 with the barrier boom in its position which opens a path,
(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of a barrier system according to FIGS. 1 and 2 with the barrier boom in an intermediate position,
(5) FIG. 4 shows the plan view of the barrier system according to FIG. 1,
(6) FIG. 5 shows the plan view of the barrier system according to FIG. 2,
(7) FIG. 6 shows the plan view of the barrier system according to FIG. 3,
(8) FIG. 7 shows the perspective view of a linkage which connects the two sections of the two-part barrier boom according to FIG. 1 to FIG. 6,
(9) FIG. 8 shows the plan view of a linkage according to FIG. 7 which is partially open, in the position which it assumes when both sections of the barrier boom are aligned with one another,
(10) FIG. 9 shows the plan view of the linkage according to FIG. 8 in the position which it assumes when the sections of the barrier boom lie at an angle of 90 with respect to one another during their movement,
(11) FIG. 10 shows the plan view of the linkage according to FIG. 8 in the position which it assumes when one (front) section of the barrier boom is folded back entirely onto the other (rear) section, and
(12) FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 diagrammatically show the use of barrier booms on two lines of considerably different width which cross one another, the vehicle entrance of which is to be alternately shut and opened.
(13) FIG. 1 shows a barrier system having a barrier boom 1 in its position which shuts a path. The barrier boom 1 consists of a front section 1a which has the free end of the barrier boom 1 and a rear section 1b which is connected at its one end to the second end of the section 1a by way of what is known as a four-bar linkage 2 (a linkage with four degrees of freedom). At its end 3 which faces away from the linkage 2, the rear section 1b is connected to a drive apparatus which is not shown in detail, can be accommodated in a barrier housing 4, and by way of which the barrier boom 1 can be pivoted in a manner known per se by 90 into its position which opens the path and back again; in the embodiment which is shown, the barrier boom 1 can advantageously be pivoted by 90 in a horizontal plane. A guide rod 5 extends along the rear, driveable section 1b of the barrier boom 1, which guide rod 5 is mounted with its one end 5a on the barrier housing 4 such that it can be pivoted together with the driveable section 1b by 90 in a horizontal plane, and the other end 5b of which acts on an arm of the four-bar linkage 2 (in this regard, see also FIG. 3). The driveable end 3 of the driveable section 1b, which driveable end 3 is connected to the drive apparatus, can be pivoted by way of the drive apparatus not only horizontally by 90, but can also be displaced by a defined extent on the barrier housing 4 in the longitudinal direction of the section 1b (cf. the position of the end 3 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).
(14) In order to move the barrier boom 1 out of its position which shuts the path according to FIG. 1 into its position which opens the path according to FIG. 2, it is pivoted horizontally by 90 at its driveable end 3 by way of the drive apparatus. The guide rod 5 is also driven in this movement and it also pivots by 90 at its end 5a which is connected to the barrier housing 4, its other end 5b acting on a lever of the four-bar linkage 2 in such a way that the driveable end 3 of the driveable section 1b of the barrier boom 1 is displaced in the longitudinal direction towards the four-bar linkage 2 on the barrier housing 4; in this way, the four-bar linkage 2 (see below) is moved in such a way that the front section 1a of the barrier boom 1 is folded back by 180 onto the driveable section 1b in the ideal case, and both sections 1a and 1b assume a parallel or virtually parallel position with respect to one another. Here, the expression parallel or the specification 180 are not to be understood in strictly geometrical terms; practical or production-related deviations can result. FIG. 3 shows an intermediate position which the barrier boom 1 assumes during this movement. It is therefore achieved that the space requirement for the movement of the barrier boom 1 as an entirety and for its position which opens the path is reduced considerably; if the two sections 1a and 1b have the same length, the length of the folded barrier boom 1 according to FIG. 2 can be approximately equal to or virtually equal to half the overall length of the elongate barrier boom 1 according to FIG. 1. It is also possible in principle to design the front section 1a which has the free end of the barrier boom 1 to be shorter than the driveable section 1b. The length of the folded barrier boom 1 will then be equal to a greater fraction of the overall length of the elongate barrier boom 1.
(15) For reasons of clarification, the positions which the barrier boom 1 assumes during its movement out of the position which shuts the path according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 via the intermediate position according to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 into its position which opens the path according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 are also reproduced in a plan view in FIGS. 4 to 6. Here, the positional change of the driveable end 3 of the driveable section 1b and of the end 5a of the guide rod 5 on the barrier housing 4 can also be seen clearly.
(16) FIG. 7 shows a perspective illustration of the four-bar linkage 2 which is used in the invention. The connectors 6a and 6b for the sections 1a and 1b of the barrier boom 1 can be seen. The actual linkage 2 is situated between an upper and lower protective plate 7 and is largely covered by the upper protective plate 7 in this illustration. The protective plates 7 are parts of the connectors 6a and 6b or are connected fixedly to them. FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the four-bar linkage with a removed, upper protective plate 7 and with sections 1a and 1b of the barrier boom 1 which are aligned with one another. The connector 6a for the front section 1a of the barrier boom 1 is mounted such that it can be rotated about a central rotational axis of the four-bar linkage 2 in relation to the connector 6b for the rear, driveable section 1b. A lever 9 which is curved in an approximately semicircular manner is connected by way of its one end in a manner which is spaced apart from the central rotational axis 8 to the connector 6b of the driveable section 1b such that it can be rotated about an axis 10. A second curved lever 11 is connected at its one end in a manner which is spaced apart from the central rotational axis 8 to the connector 6a for the front section 1a such that it can be rotated about an axis 12. The two other ends of the levers 9 and 11 are connected to one another such that they can be rotated about a common axis 13. The guide rod 5 which is shown symbolically here by way of an arrow 5 acts at a point of action 14 on the lever 9 which is connected rotatably to the connector 6b.
(17) If, in the elongate shut position of the barrier boom 1 (cf. also FIG. 1 and FIG. 4), that is to say when sections 1a and 1b are aligned with one another, the barrier boom 1 is pivoted horizontally in the direction of the arrow P (cf. FIG. 4) in the example which is described here by way of the drive apparatus which acts on its driveable section 1b, the guide rod 5 is also driven in this movement and in the process exerts a pulling force via the point of action 14 on the lever 9 which is connected to the connector 6b in an articulated manner; the lever 9 rotates about its axis 10 on the connector 6b and drives the lever 11 which is connected to it in an articulated manner at the common axis 13 and is connected at its other end in an articulated manner to the connector 6a, with the result that the latter follows the movement by rotating about the common axis 13 of the two connectors 6a and 6b. FIG. 9 shows the positions of the individual parts of the four-bar linkage 2 in an intermediate position of the connectors 1a and 1b and therefore the front section 1a and the rear, driveable section 1b of the barrier boom 1 after a rotation at the four-bar linkage 2 by 90, which corresponds to pivoting of the barrier boom 1 or its driveable section 1b by approximately 45 in the direction of the arrow P (cf. FIG. 6). The barrier boom 1 or its driveable section 1b is driven further in the direction of the arrow P, and the guide rod 5 continues to exert its pulling force via the point of action 14 on the lever 9, and the latter rotates further about its axis 10 on the connector 6b and drives the lever 11 during its movement. The lever 11 transmits the movement to the connector 6a which is connected to it in an articulated manner, and the latter follows the movement by rotating further about the central rotational axis 8 in the direction of the arrow Q (cf. FIG. 6), while driving the front section 1a of the barrier boom 1, until it finally lies parallel to the connector 6b according to FIG. 10 in the end position, and accordingly the front section la is folded back onto the driveable section 1b by 180 or approximately 180, with the result that both sections 1a and 1b according to FIG. 5 lie parallel to one another, which corresponds to pivoting of the barrier boom 1 or its driveable section 1b on the barrier housing by 90 (cf. FIG. 2 and FIG. 5); afterwards, the path or the previously shut vehicle entrance is opened.
(18) It goes without saying that the movements at the four-bar linkage 2 proceed in the opposite direction during a reverse movement of the barrier boom 1 into its elongate shut position according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.
(19) FIGS. 11 to 13 show the use according to the invention of the barrier boom on two paths or lines which cross one another, for example a production line and a delivery line, one line 16, for example the delivery line 16, being considerably wider than, namely more than twice as wide as, the line 15 which crosses, for example the production line 15. Both lines 15 and 16 have to be shut and opened alternately, in order firstly to allow the production to proceed and secondly for it to be possible to supply required assembly parts at defined positions. Because the ceiling height is as a rule very low in production facilities of this type, vertically pivoting barrier booms are usually unsuitable for areas of application of this type. This problem can be bypassed, precisely by horizontally pivoting barrier booms being used. The two lines have to be adapted to their purposes and therefore often have different widths. If the wider line is at most twice as wide as the narrower line, both can be shut completely in both directions if in each case one conventional barrier with a rigid, horizontally pivoting barrier boom is installed on the four corners of the crossing, and the barrier booms are pivoted by 90 with respect to one another in order to shut or open a line. During the shutting of the narrower line, the barrier booms can overlap partially.
(20) In the example which is shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, one line 16 is more than twice as wide as the narrow line 15, however. Since a rigid, conventional barrier boom may not in any case be longer than the width of the narrower line 15, the wider line 16 can no longer be shut completely in a case of this type by way of conventional, rigid barrier booms; a gap with a greater or lesser width would then always remain between the free ends of the barrier booms. This problem can be eliminated with the aid of barrier booms 1, as have been described above.
(21) FIG. 11 shows two lines 15 and 16 of different widths which cross one another and of which the wider line 16 is more than twice as wide as the narrow line 15. A barrier system 17 with a barrier boom which can be pivoted horizontally by 90 is installed at each of the four corners of the crossing. The two barrier systems 17 which lie diagonally opposite one another have in each case one conventional barrier boom 18 which is inherently rigid; the length of the two barrier booms 18 is preferably less than the width of the narrow line 15, but at most equal to the width of the narrow line 15. The other two barrier systems 17 which lie diagonally opposite one another have in each case one barrier boom 1 which, as described above, can preferably be folded to half its length. FIG. 11 shows the system in the state in which the wider line 16 is completely shut in both directions and the narrow line is opened in both directions. The two foldable barrier booms 1 are situated in their elongate state, in which their two sections 1a and 1b are aligned with one another; they thus cover the majority of the width of the line 16, for example up to of the width, whereas the two conventional barrier booms 18 with a rigid length of the barrier systems 17 which lie in each case directly opposite one another cover the smaller part, one third of the width in the example, of the wider line 16. If the wider line 16 is now to be opened and the narrow line 15 is to be shut, all four barrier booms 1 and 18 are pivoted horizontally by 90 in the direction of the narrow line 15, the sections 1a of the two foldable barrier booms 1, as described above, being folded back onto the respective driveable section 1b in the four-bar linkage 2, until the sections 1a lie parallel or virtually parallel to the driveable sections 1b of the barrier booms 1. Afterwards, the barrier booms 1 and 18 assume the positions according to FIG. 12, in which the wider line is opened and the narrower line 15 is shut. The overlapping of the barrier booms 1 and 18 in this position is not disruptive. In order to again shut the wider line 16 and to open the narrow line 15, the barrier booms 1 and 18 are pivoted in the opposite direction by 90, the foldable barrier booms 1 unfolding again and assuming their elongate position according to FIG. 11.
(22) FIG. 13 shows the barrier system according to FIGS. 11 and 12 in an intermediate position of the barrier booms 1 and 18 after pivoting by approximately 45 in one or the other direction.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(23) 1 Barrier boom
(24) 1a Front section of the barrier boom
(25) 1b Rear, drivable section of the barrier boom
(26) 2 Linkage, four-bar linkage
(27) 3 Driveable end of the section 1b
(28) 4 Barrier housing
(29) 5 Guide rod
(30) 5a End of the guide rod on the barrier housing
(31) 5b End of the guide rod on the linkage
(32) 6a Connector of section 1a on the linkage
(33) 6b Connector of section 1b on the linkage
(34) 7 Protective plates
(35) 8 Central rotational axis
(36) 9 Lever on the connector 6b
(37) 10 Axis
(38) 11 Lever on the connector 6a
(39) 12 Axis
(40) 13 Common axis
(41) 14 Point of action
(42) 15 Narrow line
(43) 16 Wide line
(44) 17 Barrier systems
(45) 18 Conventional barrier boom
