Background art In many cases, ramps and associated intermediate landings are a prerequisite for handicapped people to be able to retain their personal freedom of movement, in particular in those cases when they are dependent on aids such as a wheelchair or a rollator. For some years, stringent requirements have been placed on the possibility of reusing equipment for handicap equipment such as ascent-and/or drive-up ramps.

This has taken place since so-called domestic medical care has become an increasingly common care form in these times of cost cutting. Since equipment of the type under consideration here may remain mounted in one and the same place for many years but may also be mounted and dismounted very often, such as within the duration of perhaps a month or two, stringent requirements are also placed on the equipment being both bearing and functional. The equipment being bearing is taken to signify that such equipment is dimensioned in its entirety to bear a theoretical maximum load, while it being functional is taken to signify that it is readily adaptable to different positionings and that it is simple to mount in position and dismount, respectively, without the equipment being damaged in any way whatever compared with its specification as new. Consequently, all parts, also in a ramp system, are subjected to critical examination by the purchaser, e. g. local authorities and/or care providers. Above all given that equipment of this type is planned or should be intended to be re-used at numerous sites, the risk inherent in a poorly

functioning system is that the system will be damaged in one way or another and by such means its originally intended function deteriorate to a level which is unacceptable. Regarding hand rails, the current situation is that, for interconnecting/joining such hand rails together, use is made of a number of different joining devices and fixing means such as bolts or rivets which, apart from not always being readily available in the requisite number and dimension on the right occasion, are occasionally specifically designed for a given application and hence are not adaptable in response to the current practical application.

Brief summary of the invention It is therefore one object of the present invention to realise a junction device for hand rails of the type under consideration which is adaptable so that specifically designed joining devices and fixing means are no longer required. This object is attained according to the present invention in that hand rail joint or end elements which are fixedly disposed at each respective end of each hand rail module at a part thereof which projects out of the associated hand rail module, as well as post fixing elements at the sides thereof which are intended to be interconnected with hand rail modules display complementarily designed connecting devices which, after unification, are still interconnectable by means of fixing elements which are insertible transversely in relation to the major dimension of each respective hand rail module. In that the connecting devices consist of at least four heels disposed on each element with mutual contact, there will be obtained both non-rotary union and an extremely simplified interconnection principle. It is sufficient to unit the elements provided with heels and to keep these in register with one another whereafter a locking pin may simply and readily be inserted in order to create a union between the elements.

The respective elements which are interconnected using the above mentioned pin may, by different fixing of the pin, be interconnected either pivotally in as good as any optional position, or rigidly. Given that this may be put into effect employing standard components, those problems which are normally encountered where ramps are to be set up, namely that the slope of the ramp section is almost never the same, no longer represents a problem.

Brief description of the accompanying Drawings The present invention will now be described in greater detail hereinbelow, with reference to one embodiment illustrated in the accompanying Drawings. In the accompanying Drawings: Fig. 1 as a plan view seen from the side shows one example of a ramp construction with a hand rail arrangement according the present invention; Fig 2a is a perspective view substantially to scale showing an essentially cuboid post fixing element according to the present invention; Fig 2b shows a pin separately for fixing a hand rail junction according to the present invention; Fig 3a shows a side elevation of the hand rail joint or end element; Fig 3b is a side elevation of the element according to Fig 3a from a position turned through 90° in comparison therewith; and Fig. 3c is an end elevation of the element according to Fig. 3a from one end thereof intended to be disposed inside a hand rail.

Description of preferred embodiment In order to clarify the context in which the present invention is applicable, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a ramp construction 1 consisting of a ramp section 2 and an intermediate landing 3, for example intended to be arranged in association with the entrance to a building (not shown). In the illustrated case, the ramp section is disposed to lead off to the left in the figure, while the intermediate landing 3 also has another exit, namely to the right in the figure, via a stairwell entrance 4. Among others at the position encircled by the circle 5, the post fixing element 6 and the hand rail joint-or end element 7 (of which the latter are inserted in the ends of hand rail

bars 13), disposed interconnected with one another, while among others at the position encircled by the circle 8, only hand rail joint-or end elements 7 are interconnected with one another. The post fixing element 6 are fixed at posts 16.

Fig. 2a shows in perspective view a post fixing element 6 of the type mentioned by way of introduction. The configuration of the element 6 is substantially cuboid and thus has six sides 9,10. A through-going aperture 11 characterises the element at the two sides 9 in the one major dimension of direction of the element which coincides with one of its geometric main axes. The remaining sides 10 of the element are identical and each include four heels 12 of a width of 10 mm, whose one, outer corner 24 is rounded off. The length of the heels 12 each take up half of the height of the element, in the case described here 20 mm. Each respective heel 12 accommodates a transverse through-going hole 17. The sides 10 are complementary, i. e. one side on an element 6 complementarily fits against a corresponding side on another element 6 without to that end occasioning interference between heels 12 on each respective side 10.

Fig. 2b shows a pin 18 which is U-shaped and two-pronged, entailing that it may be inserted in the above-related holes 17 both doubly and singly. Double insertion through pairwise aligned holes gives, as was described by way of introduction above, a rigid interconnection of post-hand rail or hand rail-hand rail, while single insertion through a set of aligned holes gives a pivotal interconnection thereof. The pivotal interconnection can give a maximum mutual angle between the interconnected elements of up to 10°.

The detail represented in Fig. 3a shows more closely the design of the hand rail joint- or end element 7 according to the foregoing which, like the element 6 illustrated in Fig. 2, displays a side 14 which is designed exactly as the sides 10 according to the foregoing, i. e. with complementarily designed heels 12 in predetermined positions.

At the opposing side 14 there is a sleeve member 15 which is retained in a hand rail bar 13 with tight fit as a result of upsetting of the hand rail element 13 for forming an

interlocking union, in certain cases also a blind rivet-or bolt union (not shown). The tight fit is realised in that heels 20,21, 22 partly on the flat side faces of the sleeve 15 and partly at its rounded corners (guide heels 22) possess a certain overdimensioning within elastic deformation limits in relation to the inner dimensions of the hand rail bar so that the heels 20,21, 22, after insertion of the sleeve in a bar 13 elastically urge against the inside of the hand rail bar under the action of a friction union which then occurs.

As is apparent from Fig. 3b, the sleeve member 15 has, on that side from where the pin 18 is insertible, instead of two short heels 20, one longer and wider heel 22. The larger dimensions of the heel 22 provide, in addition to increasing the stability in the above mentioned friction union, the possibility-if it is provided with a through- going hole (not shown) -of providing a blind rivet union in order further to strengthen the friction union. Normally, an upsetting of the hand rail element will probably be the commonest practice.

Fig. 3c gives a clearer picture of the design of the heels 20,21, 22, while their extent is disclosed by the previously discussed figures 3a and 3b, respectively.

In the assembly of the ramp construction 1 of the type described by way of introduction, the mounting of hand rails is one of the measures which is carried out last. For this reason, and since hand rails must be considered as safety equipment, it is important that this mounting operation, despite the fact that the fitting workers at the actual point in time are probably tired, be carried out correctly so that the equipment is reliable from the point of view of safety. As a consequence of the fact that the ramp construction is suitably accompanied by clear and concise instructions regarding assembly and also regarding those parts and details which are to be mounted where and how, it is assumed that all parts are available at the assembly site. The requisite joint-or end elements are pre-mounted in each respective hand rail bar. At those posts 16 (see Fig. 1) which have been allocated support and/or pivot points for the hand rails for the ramp construction, one or more post fixing elements

6 are fixed in place depending upon the number of hand rail bars it is intended to mount along the ramp construction 1. For this reason, in the embodiment according to Fig. 6, two post fixing elements 6 are mounted per post 16. Thereafter the hand rail bars belonging to each respective section of the ramp construction are moved to the place and in position with their complementary heels in an interacting mutual position between post fixing elements 6 and hand rail joint-or end elements 7. The holes 17 in the heels 12 are penetrated in a suitable manner either through one end row of holes 17 with a pin 18 which will permit the hand rail to be rotated to a limited extent about the pin 18, or through two rows of holes 17, which will give a straight rigid interconnection between the elements 6 and 7. In this context, it should be observed that two hand rail elements individually may also be connected to one another either in a straight or in a rotated position in a corresponding manner. This also provides the possibility of connecting end pieces 23 of different types. It should also be observed that the post fixing element 6, as a result of its four-sided uniform construction, also affords the possibility of creating corners on hand rails where required. In that each respective heel 12 on the post fixing element 6 has, seen from its narrow sides, a width dimension which amounts to a fifth of the width of the element 6, the highly favourable effect will occur as a result of the fact that the element 6 is fixed in position by means of a bolt passing through the post 16 and nut (not shown), that a nut will be prevented from rotating on tightening the bolt union because its flat surfaces are fixed between the heels 12. Thus, the bolt union comprising the head of an Allen screw or torx type screw can be tightened without any other active counter abutment needing to be applied.

The rounded outer edges 24 on the heels 12 have three different purposes and objects. First and foremost, they are intended to promote pivotability in the union without to that end excessively large play needing to exist in the connection.

Secondly, the rounding is to prevent the occurrence of clamping as a result of loading and, as a consequence, outward flexing of hand rail and union. Thirdly, the rounding is to assist in rendering joints and unions"softer", i. e. more pleasing to grasp. The present invention should not be considered as restricted to that described above but only by the scope of the appended claims.