TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to original locking tube mechanisms which operate with a pair of scissors logic having concentric stopper brackets which have been developed to be used in compulsory accident preventive applications concerning occupational health and safety in heavy works which the operator must perform gas springs supported opening and closing, lowering and lifting operations such as cast iron, steel construction covers and bed bases.

PRIOR ART

Gas springs can be defined as a mechanism which works with the pressure of gas, and acting as a pushing or a pulling spring. Gas springs can be used to lift any kind of covers. Gas springs are being used in daily life in many fields in vehicle tailgates, kitchen cabinet covers, bed bases, upper window panes of buses, etc. where lifting of cover is required.

Gas springs come into prominence with their advantages from the point of view of being in a telescopic construction, capability of adjusting the opening speed, capability to add dampening to the end of stroke function, ease in installation and maintenance, advantages in occupational health and safety compared to equivalent constructions.

Gas springs are preferred quite frequently because of the reasons, which are mentioned above. However, like all the other products, gas springs require some additional measures and are to be equipped with precautions. The most fundamental reason for this is when the gas spring leaks gas or is able to do stroke in the case of getting damaged. This situation in a shorter summary is the descending of it without being able to carry the load which it is lifting and the probability of causing possible safety issues. Therefore, mechanisms called locking tubes have been developed for the gas springs. The mechanisms which restrict doing stroke over the gas springs to enable the operators to perform maintenance safely inside heavy covers which are opened and closed by gas springs are called locking tube mechanisms. These locking tube systems vary depending on the size and weight of the system. Locking tubes have various kinds made with various methods such as in the form of laterally preloaded button from plastic material or coaxially buttoned, and compressed from a mechanical spring outside the tube. Manufacturability can differ in terms of simplicity, economy, robustness and vertical load carrying capacity with respect to each other in the advantages and disadvantages.

On the locking tubes with plastic construction used in the prior art, durability problem can occur originating from material strength. In this situation, it is likely that reliable safety efficiency cannot be achieved from the demanded precaution. Also, in prior art systems the first force always tries to apply stopping in the perpendicular direction to the gas spring body, and this situation could cause problem in withstanding to only high weights in vertical strength.

Upon scanning the prior art patents, patent number US9206873B2 granted to Stabilus GMBH titled “Lockable Gas Filled Spring Means” has been detected as being the closest to the subject. In the invention, configuration of a lockable gas spring comprising a gas spring having a closed cylinder, a piston and piston rod oriented in a displaceable manner is disclosed. The application comprises a securing tube attached at one end to the free end of the piston rod and a locking element placed over it. Locking element can be moved radially between a locked position allowing a free movement and a locked position abutting to the front face of the tube at the side of the piston rod when the piston rod is extended. However, in this invention too, the operation is again performed with a force perpendicular to the body, and a concentric stopping is not being mentioned.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention eliminates the disadvantages which have been narrated in prior art and meets the requirements.

The present invention relates to original locking tube mechanisms which operate with a pair of scissors logic in a direction perpendicular, that is radial, to the shock absorber axis, and which move one another in the coequal and opposite direction with concentric stopper brackets which have been developed to be used in compulsory accident preventive applications concerning occupational health and safety in heavy works which the operator must perform gas spring supported opening and closing, lowering and lifting operations such as cast iron, steel construction covers and bed bases.

The present invention comes into prominence with its advantages from the point of view of operation structure being simple, economical and long life thanks to its modular based configuration, and vertical load carrying capacity thanks to the contact area which stops the gas spring tube. Also, it differs from prior art technique in that it operates with a horizontal, not perpendicular, force to the piston in the first force by means of the stopper bracket in the form of a pair of scissors which open coequally and oppositely horizontally in the opposite direction.

The present invention offers an original operating principle with concentric stopper brackets.

The present invention operates with the principle of which in the case when the gas spring is desired to be moved, the gas spring can be brought to movable condition conveniently by the tube opening inward with the force applied to the ends of stopper brackets in the form of operating radially like a pair of scissors and which provide coequal movement of one another.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 . Upper washer

2. Tube

3. Centering bracket

4. Right stopper bracket

5. Left stopper bracket

6. Left pin

7. Right pin

8. Spring

9. Plastic bushing 10. Locking tube

11. Gas spring

12. Wire

13. Controller

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure 1 is the side representative general view of the present invention applied,

Figure 2 is the representative general view of the present invention with section B - B in the closed position,

Figure 3 is the representative general view of the present invention with section B - B in the open position,

Figure 4 is the representative general view of the present invention with the gas spring (11 ) tilted,

Figure 5 is the disassembled condition representative general view of the present invention,

Figure 6 is the representative general view of the gas spring (11 ) - locking tube (10) with the present invention applied,

Figure 7 is the assembled condition representative general view of the gas spring (11 ) - locking tube (10) with the present invention applied,

Figure 8 is the representative general view of the closed position of the present invention comprising wire (12) controller (13).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a locking tube (10) mechanism for a gas spring (11 ) consisting of;

• a centering bracket (3) performing the duty of centering the locking system by enabling correct positioning of the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) parts in a scissors - like construction, • a right stopper bracket (4) performing the duty of hindering the normally stroking of the body tube of the gas spring (11 ) and operating the product when manipulated by hand,

• a left stopper bracket (5) performing the duty of hindering the normally stroking of the body tube of the gas spring (11 ) and operating the product when manipulated by hand,

• a spring (8) performing the duty of enabling closure of the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) parts by applying force when the mechanism is left open.

The invention has an upper washer (1 ) performing the duty of concentrically connection of the gas spring (11 ) to the entire locking tube (10).

The invention has a tube (2) which supports layout of other parts which constitute the main body of the locking tube (10).

The invention has a left pin (6) which connects the centering bracket (3) and left stopper bracket (5).

The invention has a right pin (7) which connects the centering bracket (3) and right stopper bracket (5).

The invention can have a plastic bushing (9) performing the duty of providing centering of the gas spring (11 ) tube, and hindering scratching of its painting.

The invention can be operated for example by applying force to the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) parts as well that are in a scissors like construction by means of a wire (12) outside the bed base when it is applied to a bed base.

The related wire (12) can be controlled with a controller (13) in the invention.

The operating principle of the invention;

Locking tube (10) mechanism is the gas spring (11 ) component which hinders stroking of the product (11 ) in cases where there is a failure in its function such as gas spring (11 ) leaking gas such as when the system is at the full open length in gas spring (11 ) applications where heavy load is lifted. The entire locking tube (10) consists of a locking tube (2) over which two directional channels have been grooved at one position determined over it, right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) which will operate in both directions inside these channels with the principle of a pair of scissors, centering bracket (3) which will center and form a bearing for these two stopper brackets (right stopper bracket (4) and right stopper bracket (5)), spring (8) which will enable the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) to be normally closed, right pin (6) and left pin (7) which will secure the two pieces of brackets ((right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5)) to the centering bracket (3) axially, and plastic bushing (9) which hinders scratching of gas spring (11 ) tube.

Right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) stay in a normally closed way that is in a way to hinder the gas spring (11 ) to engage with the body tube by means of the pretension force of the spring (8). In the event of a negativity, the gas spring (11 ) body tube exerts pressure to the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5). In the event when the gas filled shock absorber (11 ) is desired to be moved, the interior of the locking tube (10) opens with the force to be applied to the ends of the right stopper bracket (4) and left stopper bracket (5) which are in the form of operating with a radial movement in a pair of scissors like manner and which enable coequal movement of one other, and the gas spring (11 ) comes to a condition at which it can move.