SACCO, Pietro (Via Nino Bixio 5, Orbassano ano SA, I-10043, IT)
| CLAIMS 1. Movable gangway (1), comprising a support element (2) which can be mounted on a boat (S), a gangway element (3, 4) hinged on the support element (2) about a horizontal hinge axis (x), and elevating rotation means for rotating the gangway element (3, 4) around the hinge axis (x) with respect to the support element (2), characterized in that said elevating rotation means comprise a fluid operated rotary actuator (5), which is mounted coaxially with the hinge axis (x) between the support element (2) and the gangway element (3), and comprises a first part (5a) fixed to the support element (2) and a second part (5b), rotatable with respect to the first, which is fixed to the gangway element (3). 2. Gangway according to Claim 1, in which said fluid operated rotary actuator (5) comprises a piston which is fixed with respect to rotation to one of said first and second parts of the rotary actuator (5), and an endless screw transmission functionally interposed between said piston and the other of said first and second parts of the rotary actuator (5), said screw transmission being capable of converting the movement of said piston into the rotation of said second part of the rotary actuator (5) with respect to said first part of the rotary actuator (5). 3. Gangway according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the maximum diameter (D5) of the fluid operated rotary actuator (5) is equal to or less than the overall vertical dimension (D2) of the support element (2) and the overall vertical dimension (D3) of the gangway element (3); 4. Gangway according to Claim 3, in which the overall vertical dimension (D2) of the support element (2) is equal to the overall vertical dimension (D3) of the gangway element (3). 5. Gangway according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said support element is mounted slidably in a containing box (6) in such a way that said gangway can be placed in a retracted configuration, in which said gangway element is completely contained inside said containing box, and an elongated configuration, in which said support element emerges partially from said containing box, having the rotary actuator (5) outside the box. |
ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS
The present invention relates to a movable gangway, comprising a support element which can be mounted on a boat, a gangway element hinged on the support element about a horizontal hinge axis, and elevating rotation means for rotating the gangway element about the hinge axis of the gangway element with respect to the support element.
As is well known, movable gangways commonly used in marine applications comprise rotation means composed of one or more hydraulic cylinders positioned under the gangway element, and installed in such a way that they are hinged at one end on the gangway element, and at the other end on a predetermined point of the boat.
This arrangement has relatively large overall dimensions, which creates a problem, particularly in cases where the best use must be made of the available space. For example, if the gangway is installed above a storage deck for a tender, the presence of the hydraulic cylinders can create an obstacle and limit the space available for the convenient positioning of the tender.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a movable gangway of the type defined in the introductory part, in which the overall dimensions of the installation can be reduced.
The movable gangway according to the invention is characterized in that said elevating rotation means comprise a fluid operated rotary actuator, which is mounted coaxially with the hinge axis between the support element and the gangway element, and comprises a first part fixed to the support element and a second part, rotatable with respect to the first, which is fixed to the gangway element.
Specific embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
A preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 3 are views, in side elevation, in plan and in perspective respectively, of a movable gangway according to the invention;
Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged views of a detail of the gangway of Figures 1 to 3, in plan and in perspective respectively;
Figure 6 is a schematic side elevation of the detail of Figures 4 and 5; and
Figure 7 is a view in side elevation of a second embodiment of the gangway according to the invention.
With reference to Figures 1 to 6, these show a gangway 1 according to the invention, which can be installed on a boat S (a portion of which is shown in Figure 1). The gangway comprises a support element 2, which can be mounted on the boat S. The gangway 1 also comprises a first and a second gangway element 3, 4. The first gangway element 3 is hinged on the support element 2 at its proximal end along a horizontal hinge axis x. The second gangway element 4 is mounted slidably in the first gangway element 3, so as to form a configuration which can be moved telescopically, as indicated by the arrow Tl in Figures 1 and 2. For this purpose, a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is fitted inside the first gangway element 3, to drive the second gangway element 4.
The gangway 1 also comprises elevating rotation means for rotating the gangway element 3 about the hinge axis x with respect to the support element 2. The directions of rotary movement of the gangway element 3 are indicated by the arrow R in Figure 1. The aforesaid elevating rotation means comprise a fluid operated rotary actuator 5, which is mounted coaxially with the hinge axis x between the support axis 2 and the first gangway element, and which comprises a first part 5a fixed to the support element 2 and a second part 5b, which is rotatable with respect to the first part and is fixed to the gangway element 3.
The fluid operated actuator 5 is of the type having a piston (not shown) fixed with respect to rotation to one of said first and second parts of the rotary actuator 5, and an endless screw transmission (not shown) functionally interposed between said piston and the other of said first and second parts of the rotary actuator 5, to convert the movement of the piston into the rotation of the second part of the rotary actuator 5 with respect to the first part of the rotary actuator 5.
As shown in Figure 6, the maximum diameter D 5 of the fluid operated actuator 5 is equal to or less than the overall vertical dimension (thickness) D 2 of the support element 2 (this dimension being determined essentially by the supporting beams and the walking deck of the support element 2) and of the vertical dimension (thickness) D 3 of the gangway element 3 (this thickness being determined essentially by the supporting beams and the walking deck of the gangway element 3). Additionally, the overall vertical dimension of the gangway element 2 is substantially equal to the overall vertical dimension of the gangway element 3.
In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6, the support element 2 is mounted slidably in a containing box 6, which in turn is mounted in a static way on the boat S. The gangway 1 can therefore be placed in a retracted configuration (not shown) in which the first gangway element 3 (with the second gangway element 4 inside it) is completely contained inside the containing box 6, and in an elongated configuration (shown in the drawings), in which the support element 2 partially emerges from the containing box 6, with the rotary actuator 5 outside the box. The directions of translation of the support element 2 (and of the gangway element 3) with respect to the containing box 6 are indicated by the arrow T2.
With the configuration described above, the containing box 6 can be made with a relatively limited overall vertical dimension, since the use of the rotary actuator 5 enables the structure of the moving part of the gangway to be kept compact. The containing box 6 can therefore also be made in the form of an element of the gangway which can be walked on, in the same way as the first and second gangway elements 3, 4.
Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of the invention, identical to the preceding one, except in that the support element 2 is mounted in a static way on the boat S. The elements of this embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals as those of the preceding embodiment, and will not be described further.
Clearly, the use of the rotary actuator in place of the conventional hydraulic cylinders ' makes it possible not to encumber the space under the gangway, which can therefore be uusseedd iinn aa ccoonnvveenniieenntt wwaayy..
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