GB2426549A

GB2426549A - Anchoring device with rollers

Info

Publication number: GB2426549A
Application number: GB0610583A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Craig Gready
Original assignee: CN Unwin Ltd
Current assignee: Braunability UK Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-28
Filing date: 2006-05-30
Publication date: 2006-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-30
Also published as: GB2426549B; GB0511004D0; GB0610583D0

Abstract

An anchorage for a track, the anchorage having a roller member 38 having a stepped diameter with a larger diameter portion 40 for being received in the slots on the track and a smaller diameter portion 42 for engaging with the land portions of the track (see Figure 8). The track has regular aligned array of apertures with narrower portions, the anchorage having a base member with a plurality of elements projecting downwardly for engaging with the slot. The locking elements are standard locking elements 22 24. Preferably the rollers have one larger diameter and one smaller diameter portion or one larger flanked by two smaller diameters. An advanced locking element 34 may be situated between the roller and the locking element array to aid alignment, the advanced locking element being tapered or rounded in form.

Description

Anchorages This invention relates to anchorages and in particular, but not exclusively, to furniture anchorages for vehicle seats which have to be firmly held, but adjustable. The invention also extends to load items incorporating such anchorages, to alignment devices for use with fixtures designed to anchor or transport load items and to load transporters incorporating such alignment devices. It is known to install undercut scalloped floor tracks in the floor of a vehicle to allow attachment of an anchorage for securing a load item such as a seat, or cargo or the like. Typically such anchorages comprise an arrangement of downwardly projecting feet with enlarged heads (otherwise referred to as mushroom feet) spaced at the same pitch as the scallops in the track and arranged to be passed simultaneously through respective aligned scallops. The anchorage may then be shifted longitudinally by about half of the scallop pitch to trap the mushroom feet beneath the undercut regions of the track between the scallops thereby to lock the anchorage against vertical movement with respect to the track. Locking against longitudinal movement of the anchorage is achieved by means of an element passing into one of said apertures. Such anchorage arrangements are extremely safe and secure but alignment of the anchorage with the track requires a certain amount of precision and skill and so the fitting out of a vehicle with a number of seats can be a time consuming exercise. Furthermore, the seats are heavy and so manoeuvring them to engage the anchorage in the track can be awkward. Moreover, the Manual Handling Regulations limit the free weight that can be carried by personnel, and many designs of seat can approach or exceed what are perceived to be safe limits. Accordingly we have designed a device intended to be used with load items designed to be secured by the anchorage and track system described above, which facilitates engagement, disengagement and handling of the load item. GB2383018 discloses a vehicle seat transporter in which, following removal of a seat from a floor track, the seat may be secured to a rollered transporter for being transported. In this arrangement however, the issues are potentially exacerbated because the operator has to undertake two separate engagement/disengagement actions before being able to transport or install a seat. Furthermore, the rollers on the transporter are of standard design and serve no alignment function. Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides an anchorage for a track of the type having a regular aligned array of apertures interposed by narrower slots defined and flanked by undercut formations defining respective land portions to either side of the longitudinal axis of said slots, the anchorage comprising a base member having associated therewith a plurality of elements projecting downwardly and capable of simultaneous passage down through a corresponding number of said apertures, said elements being longitudinally moveable relative to said track to trap the elements below the undercut formations, and a locking means for releasably engaging said track to prevent longitudinal movement of said base member relative to said track,characterised in that said anchorage is provided with a roller member having a stepped diameter with a larger diameter portion of width for being received in said slots in use, and a small diameter portion for engaging said land portions to at least one side of said slot in load-supporting relationship. The stepped diameter roller therefore can be used to trolley a load thereby reducing the amount of free weight that needs to be supported by the operator, and also the larger diameter portion of the roller allows the operator easily to align the anchorage with the floor track. Although in some instances the roller member may have a single smaller diameter portion to one side of the larger diameter portion, it is preferred for the roller member to have a larger diameter portion interposed between two smaller diameter portions each for engaging said land portions to either side of said slots. In some applications it may be beneficial to provide an extension element adapted to contact the track and/or the adjacent floor structure when the anchorage is pivoted a predetermined distance about said roller. In one arrangement, the downwardly projecting elements are mounted on the base member for movement with respect thereto, but in other, the downwardly projecting elements are fixedly mounted on the base member. In order to facilitate engagement of the anchorage with the floor track, at least some of said downwardly projecting elements may include downwardly facing track engaging portions for sliding in use on said land portions when said elements are not in register with said apertures. Preferably, the roller member is disposed such that, in use, said smaller diameter portion or portions are out of engagement with said land portions when said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures and in the preferred embodiment the larger diameter portion is also clear of the track in this condition. Preferably, the anchorage includes at least one downwardly projecting locking element for passing into an aperture in use thereby to lock said anchorage against longitudinal movement relative to said track. A number of options are available according to whether it is desirable for the anchorage to be longitudinally slideable relative to the track once the downwardly projecting elements have passed through the apertures. In one arrangement, therefore, said downwardly projecting locking element is both longitudinally and axially fixed with respect to said anchorage, so that the anchorage is fixed against relative longitudinal movement once said downwardly projecting elements have passed through.In another arrangement, the at least one downwardly projecting locking element is longitudinally fixed but axially moveable so that, when said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures, it is moveable between a locking position in which it engages an aperture to prevent longitudinal movement of the anchorage, and a release position in which it is free of said aperture, allowing the anchorage to slide relative to the track. It is preferred for there to be a downwardly projecting advance locking element disposed between said roller member and said plurality of downwardly projecting elements such that, in use, when said roller member is engaged in the slot of a track, and the anchorage is moved from a tilted position clear of the track towards an engaged position, said advance locking element is the first to engage an aperture in said track. In the illustrated embodiments the anchorage includes an advance locking element as described together with a further locking element located between two oppositely moving arrays of downwardly projecting elements. The advance locking element is preferably of tapered or rounded form to assist location in an aperture. The invention extends to a load item incorporating at least one anchorage as described above. In a typical configuration, the load item may be a seat or wheelchair anchorage designed for installation on one or more parallel floor tracks in a vehicle. The invention also extends to an alignment device for use with a fixture designed to anchor or transport a load item in relation to a track of the type having a regular aligned array of apertures interposed by narrower slots defined and flanked by undercut formations defining respective land portions to either side of the longitudinal axis of said slots, said alignment device comprising a rotateable roller member having a stepped diameter, with a larger diameter portion of width for being received in use in said slot and a narrower diameter portion for engaging said land portions to one or both sides of said slots in loadsupporting relationship. The invention also extends to a load transporter including means for releaseable attachment to a load, and an alignment device as described above. Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description. The invention may be performed in various ways, and an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a seat anchorage in accordance with this invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the anchorage of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an underneath plan view of the seat anchorage of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end view on the seat anchorage; Figure 5 is a side view of a seat fitted with two seat anchorages; Figure 6 is a detailed view showing the seat of Figure 5 tilted backwardly and supported by the roller; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but showing the rollers engaged in spaced floor tracks,; Figure 8 is a view of the rear of the seat; Figure 9 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of seat anchorage in accordance with this invention;Figure 10 is a side view of the anchorage of Figure 9; Figure 11 is an underneath plan view of the seat anchorage of Figure 9; Figure 12 is an end view on the seat anchorage of Figure 9, Figure 13 is a side view showing the anchorage of Figure 9 tilted back to lift the roller out of an associated track, and Figure 14 is a top plan view of a seat fitted with two of the seat anchorages of Figure 9. Referring initially to Figure 1, the seat anchorage 10 comprises a main body portion 12, having on its upper surface respective slots 14, 16 for slideably receiving the head of captive mounting bolts 18 on which are threadably engaged nuts 20 for attaching the anchorage 10 to mounting plates on the foot of a chair structure as seen in more detail in Figures 5 to 8. Slideably mounted in the body 12 are forward and rearward arrays 22, 24 of downwardly projecting mushroom feet 26. The arrays 22, 24 are driven in opposite directions by means of a rotary operating handle 30. Reference is directed to our earlier published application GB2406877A for a description of suitable mechanism. A fixed central locking boss 32 is disposed between the two arrays 24, 22. A further, advance, locking boss 34 is disposed beyond the array 24. The diameters of the enlarge portions of the mushroom feet 26 and of the bosses 32 and 34 are such that they are able to pass through the apertures in a scalloped track of the type shown in GB2406877A.In the released position shown in Figure 2, the mushroom feet 26, of both arrays 22 and 24 are in phase with the bosses 32 and 34 so that, when appropriately aligned, the mushroom feet and the bosses can drop through the apertures, and the handle 30 is then rotated to move the arrays 22 and 24 apart, each by one half of the pitch of the scallops, to locate the mushroom heads under the undercut formations in the track thereby to lock the anchorage 10 against vertical movement. In this condition the anchorage is locked against horizontal movement by means of the engagement of the bosses 32 and 34, with the scallops in the track. At the rear end of the anchorage 10 there is provided a bracket 36 which supports a stepped roller 38. The stepped roller has a central larger diameter portion 40 flanked by smaller diameter portions 42. The roller 38 is freely rotateable in the bracket 36 about a shaft 44, and the roller is disposed at an elevated position such that the circumference of the larger diameter portion 40 is above the horizontal plane defined by the lower surfaces of the mushroom feet 26 and the bosses 32 and 34. Referring now to Figure 5, in a typical application, two such anchorages 10 are bolted to leg structures to either side of a seat 45. In order to manoeuvre the seat 45 over a flat surface, the operator stands behind the seat, and tilts the seat backwards. This will cause the larger diameter portion 40 to contact the ground and further tilting will lift the mushroom feet 26 and the bosses 32 and 34 (32 not shown) off the ground so that the weight of the seat is supported entirely by the rollers (Figure 6). The seat may now be moved around with the operator walking behind the seat pushing it on the rollers whilst keeping it in the titled position. In order to locate the seat in a pair of parallel floor track rails, the seat is manoeuvred relative to the tracks 46 so that the larger diameter portions 40 of the roller 38 drop into the slot of the track, thus positioning the seat laterally relative to the tracks, as shown in Figure 14. In this condition the weight of the seat is transmitted through the smaller diameter portions 42 of the roller 38 to the land portions 48 which flank the slots of the tracks 46. Keeping the seat in a titled position, it may now be moved into position forwards or backwards with the larger diameter portion of the rollers located in the slots of the tracks and the smaller diameters running on the land portions 48. When the seat has been moved longitudinally to at or near the required position, it is tilted forwardly to bring the advance boss 34 into contact with the track. If the advance boss 34 is in direct alignment with an aperture then the inphase relationship of all the other feet means that they too will pass through respective apertures without further longitudinal shifting of the device. In most cases however, the advance boss 34 will be out of alignment and so will contact the land portions 48. Further tilting forward causes the seat to pivot onto the advance bosses 34. With the small contact area of the lower face of the advance bosses, and the weight of the seat, the seat is in a reduced stability state and can be nudged along to bring the advance boss 34 into alignment with the next available aperture.The seat can then be allowed to rotate fully forwards so that the fixed central boss 32 and the mushroom feet 26 follow into their respective apertures. The handle 30 can then be operated to drive the arrays of mushroom feet apart to lock in the track. In the illustrated arrangement, it will be noted that once the advance boss 34 engages an aperture, no further longitudinal movement of the anchorage 10 relative to the track is possible. In some instances it may be desirable to implement a slightly modified design which omits the advance boss 34 and fixed central boss 32. In this modification, from the position shown in Figure 7, the seat is tilted forwardly to allow the first mushroom foot 26 to engage an aperture whereupon all the other mushroom feet drop through their respective aligned apertures. In this condition, further sliding movement of the anchorage relative to the track is possible, and the operator prevents it by means of dropping a central locking plunger into a free aperture to lock against longitudinal movement. The device may be used in various different applications for load items other than seats. Also, in one application, the assembly of the bracket 36 with the roller 38 attached may be supplied as a separate item which can be retro- fitted to existing seat anchorages. Referring now to Figures 9 to 13, there is shown a further embodiment of anchorage which is similar to that of the previous embodiment except that the bracket 36 is provided with two L-shaped cheek extensions 50 which extend rearwardly to a radial extent approximately equal to that of the larger diameter portion 40 of the roller. As seen more particularly in Figure 13, the function of the extensions 50 is to provide a fulcrum for the anchorage to allow the anchorage 10 initially to be tilted rearwardly about the roller axle 44 until the rearmost surfaces of the extensions contact the track, whereupon further tilting lifts the roller 38 clear of the track. The seat or load item can then be "walked" clear of the track on the extensions 50.

Claims

1. An anchorage for a track of the type having a regular aligned array of apertures interposed by narrower slots defined and flanked by undercut formations defining respective land portions to either side of the longitudinal axis of said slots, the anchorage comprising a base member having associated therewith a plurality of elements projecting downwardly and capable of simultaneous passage down through a corresponding number of said apertures, said elements being longitudinally moveable relative to said track to trap the elements below the undercut formations, and a locking means for releasably engaging said track to prevent longitudinal movement of said base member relative to said track, characterised in that said anchorage is provided with a roller member having a stepped diameter with a larger diameter portion of width for being received in said slots in use, and a small diameter portion for engaging said land portions to at least one side of said slot in load-supporting relationship.

2. An anchorage according to claim 1, wherein said roller member has a single smaller diameter portion to one side of said larger diameter portion.

3. An anchorage according to claim 1, wherein said roller member has a larger diameter portion interposed between two smaller diameter portions each for engaging said land portions to either side of said slots.

4. An anchorage according to any preceding claim, wherein said anchorage additionally includes an extension element adapted to contact the track and/or the adjacent floor structure when the anchorage is pivoted at a pre-determined distance about said roller.

5. An anchorage according to any preceding claim, wherein said downwardly projecting elements are mounted on said base member for movement with respect thereto.

6. An anchorage according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said downwardly projecting elements are fixedly mounted on said base member.

7. An anchorage according to any preceding claim, wherein at least some of said downwardly projecting elements include downwardly facing track engaging portions for sliding in use on said land portions when said elements are not in register with said apertures.

8. An anchorage according to claim 7, wherein the roller member is disposed such that, in use, said smaller diameter portion or portions are out of engagement with said land portions when said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures.

9. An anchorage member according to claim 8, wherein the larger diameter portion is also clear of the track, when said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures.

10. An anchorage according to any preceding claim, wherein said anchorage includes at least one downwardly projecting locking element for passing into an aperture in use thereby to lock said anchorage against longitudinal movement relative to said track.

11. An anchorage according to claim 10, wherein said downwardly projecting locking element is both longitudinally and axially fixed with respect to said anchorage, so that the anchorage is fixed against relative longitudinal movement once said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures.

12. An anchorage according to claim 10, wherein at least one downwardly projecting locking element is longitudinally fixed but axially movable so that, when said downwardly projecting elements have passed through said apertures, it is moveable between a locking position in which it engages an aperture to prevent longitudinal movement of the anchorage, and a release position in which it is free of said aperture, allowing the anchorage to slide relative to the track.

13. An anchorage according to any preceding claim, wherein said anchorage includes a downwardly projecting advance locking element disposed between said roller member and said plurality of downwardly projecting elements such that, in use, the said roller member is engaged in the slot of a track, and the anchorage is moved from a tilted position clear of the track towards an engaged position, said advance locking element is the first to engage an aperture in said track.

14. An anchorage according to claim 13, wherein said advance locking element is of tapered or rounded form to assist location in an aperture.

15. A load item incorporating at least one anchorage according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A load item according to claim 15, wherein said load item is a seat or wheelchair anchorage designed for installation on one or more parallel floor tracks in a vehicle.

17. An alignment device for use with a fixture designed to anchor or transport a load item in relation to a track of the type having a regular aligned array of apertures interposed by narrower slots defined and flanked by undercut formations defining respective land portions to either side of the longitudinal axis of said slots, said alignment device comprising a rotateable roller member having a stepped diameter, with a larger diameter portion of width for being received in use in said slot and a narrow diameter portion for engaging said land portions to one or both sides of said slots in load-supporting relationship.

18. A load transporter including means for releasable attachment to a load, and an alignment device according to claim 17.

19. An anchorage substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

20. A load item substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

21. An alignment device substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.